I will be making my first survival/outdoor challenge kit

I am actually making my first survival kit in the next few days. I just made an order tonight at goinggear.com and the guy was awesome. This is what the guy said to me in one of our conversations and it made so much sense.
He wrote

"I consider very few things as survival situations
(I basically need to be critically ill or injured), so what many people
would consider survival, I just enjoy as a challenge in the woods"

I believe this is where KNOWING YOUR EQUIPMENT YEAR ROUND comes into play. You don't want to learn to use your equipment IN the time of need.

My first survival/outdoor challenge kit will include

This is what I would want in my pack

$20 cash

100-200' ft paracord

2 fire steels w/ extra strikers

wetfire tinder AND regular tinder (laundry lint is FREE folks)
compass

fishing gear 3 & 12-15lb test line asst size hooks (12 lb test can grab some small warm blooded animals) MMMMMMMMM DINNER

as crazy as this may sound 2 empty cans (soup, corn, beans NOT BEER OR SODA , for boiling and collecting water) soda and beer cans are to thin

bottle each Aspirin and Ibuprofen

Crazy glue (3 for $1 at ANY dollar store, OBVIOUSLY HAHAHA)

A 6 pack of arrow broadheads for trap making

Good outdoor knife and IF possible a machete

Couple of empty perscription pill containers with holes

enough rain cover ( 8x8' tarp, paint drop mat) to cover at LEAST 2 people even if you are just 1

rain poncho

All weather padded neoprene gloves to keep your hands warm and prevent blisters when chopping wood

asst bandages

neosporin

I know there is more, anyone care to chime in

A three pack of Jersey gloves they can be worn singlely or layered and rotated to dry
Hankercheif/Dewrags/bandana, many of uses
2-3 keyrings for fishing,trapping
Batteries

A small single bit ax may be easier to chop wood with, but then again, machetes are rather handy. Were it my kit, I would consider a small 357, like a Ruger SP101.

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Originally Posted by NRV

A small single bit ax may be easier to chop wood with, but then again, machetes are rather handy. Were it my kit, I would consider a small 357, like a Ruger SP101.

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I am going to have a Cold Steel riflemans hawk axe or their Trail boss axe. I have a Cold Steel trail master bowie and it has a 5/16' spine so battoning wood will NOT be a prob. As far as the gun I am sure some places I will be able to carry but some places I won't. If I go on some of my friends land I can just take my glock and or 12g for coyotes or cougars.

Don't forget the 5th. of anti snake venom and a box of snakes. ;)

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Originally Posted by Nor Cal Mikie

Don't forget the 5th. of anti snake venom and a box of snakes. ;)

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Hopefully I won't have to deal with snakes on a personal level, not that I am afraid of them but I would rather give them the opportunity to not get comfortable under me 8)

That one went right over your head. ???The 5th. doesn't have anything to do with snakes. The box of snakes is the reason for the 5th, as in JD Black Label!! ;)
Or in your case Southern Comfort. ;) Don't leave home without it. ;D

Ok - my 2 cents.

Why aspirin AND ibuprofen? They treat the same things (pain, inflammation, fever). Instead pick one of them (aspirin would be my choice) and add some "bottom end stop leak" like Imodium (spelling?) in case you drink some bad water and some benadryl (can be a life saver if you have an allergic reaction to something).

And speaking of bad water - some purification tablets would be good too.

Why the soup cans instead of a purpose made cooking tin with a handle and a lid? Much easier to deal with around a fire and you can store stuff in it when not in use.

You need a couple of long burn candles and a couple of tins of sardines packed in oil in there too (high energy food and good bait if you want to trap/snare something like a coon too).

Compass and map of the area? Extra socks?

I get very bad headaches/migraines before, during and after rain and I notice that Aspirin does nothing for me where ibuprofen does wonders. Ibuprofin is an anti immflammatory and aspirin thins blood so both are used for different reasons, YES they both kill pain but they treat what is causing the pain differently. Aleve/naproxen sodium also works wonders for me.

GREAT call on the benadryl, I did not know they made cooking tins specifically for outdoor situation. Great replies everyone, I cant wait to see what else is suggested

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Originally Posted by Eric in NC

Ok - my 2 cents.

Why aspirin AND ibuprofen? They treat the same things (pain, inflammation, fever). Instead pick one of them (aspirin would be my choice) and add some "bottom end stop leak" like Imodium (spelling?) in case you drink some bad water and some benadryl (can be a life saver if you have an allergic reaction to something).

And speaking of bad water - some purification tablets would be good too.

Why the soup cans instead of a purpose made cooking tin with a handle and a lid? Much easier to deal with around a fire and you can store stuff in it when not in use.

You need a couple of long burn candles and a couple of tins of sardines packed in oil in there too (high energy food and good bait if you want to trap/snare something like a coon too).

Compass and map of the area? Extra socks?

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My Alaska survival will be somewhat different. Its light and goes everywhere summer or winter.


The real number one on my list is either a 550 goose down vest or lightweight jacket: Depending on season one of these is always in my pack. Crushed it takes very little room. Weighs nothing and has saved my bacon more than once. Put together with my Heli Hansen light weight rain gear one lives or dies in my wet climate by this setup. They also go with me sheep hunting in the interior as well. 8" of snow 3rd day of the season this year.

1.http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_inf...f8c75db631530d Takes moments and water tastes great.
2.http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/fntsy...n_Red_P_733304 One never knows how wet or cold one can get. One can solder with this which means it strikers and burns instantly at something like 1000 degrees. My hands have been so cold before that it was difficult to striker a water proof match until warmed up.
3. Home made firstaid kit including prescription antibiotic (tablet and ointment) and suture kit.
4. Ibuprofen is the best anti-inflamatory short of a prescription.
5. Diamond mini stone for sharpening
6. OdWALLA complete meal bars-Depending on time intended afield how many I take. http://www.drugstore.com/templates/b...odwalla%20bars
7. Orange insulated AND silver space blankets. I had a bear down on the middle of a hill 1000 yards from the water. It was getting close to getting dark and I needed help or I would not have gotten the animal out before dark. Friends in the boat could not locate me until I put up a orange space blanket. The silver one was difficult to see with the white near dark evening sky.
Beaners and parachute cord are standard. As is a partial roll of duck tape which is used for anything from splinting broken bones to going over a hotspot to elliminate friction on a serious climb.

This is a short list: I always have a 1 quart water bottle beanered to my pack along with Helly Hansen lightweight rain gear

Ill tell you the only thing that really scares me well at least where I would be, would be finding water in general. I can build a shelter, build a fire, hunt and cook food but the lack of rain or a running stream scares the poop out of me especially if I was caught in a situation or even going wilderness camping away from civilization

""Why aspirin AND ibuprofen? They treat the same things (pain, inflammation, fever). Instead pick one of them (aspirin would be my choice)""

I'ld add aleave and Tylenol to the mix.

By layering or mixing pain meds you get a lot more of an effect without the added side effects of them.

It works on me anyway

As far as what is "good" according to back country medicine here are a few tidbits...
Never do anything you can't undo in the field -- no super gluing wounds, stitching, and the like -- the odds of infection are huge and the results can be life threatening... so use things like cold packed guaze (depending on size of the wound), steristrips (1/8" is my favorite), and tegaderm in combination with tincture of benzoine to make a long term waterproof bandages that still allow easy and instant monitoring of the wound and can easily be removed at the first sign of infection to head off larger problems.
Be careful with "pain killers" -- thinning the blood (or making it more slippery) can be dangerous if some type of trauma causes internal bleeding In the real world, you fall down a hill and hit a rock, spraining your ankle severely. The ankle hurts, a lot, and it's huge, so you take a bunch of aspirin or some other drug with pain killing AND anti clotting properties every few hours for the rest of the day, really pushing the upper limits. You don't know that you also bumped your (insert internal organ of choice here). You go to sleep and hope to be able to move the joint in the morning, meanwhile you bleed to death from your ruptured liver, kidney, spleen, etc ... all this accelerated by the blood thinning. The odds of this are of course small, but it's there enough to make the point.
+1 on the benadryl and immodium!!

And what if you could not pack anything or had any time to put anything together???

The best survival scenario I was ever put through was about 32 years ago, 3rd SFG, 10 days, clothing (the fatigues we were wearing and a knife (it was a KA Bar).

Awesome replies here thank you all

Your list looks good so far.
This is a long list so bear with me.
A lot of stuff but with it I think you could survive in relative comfort.

If I duplicated something in your list already please forgive.
I am into ultralight backpacking so that affects what I mention below....
A lot of this stuff is overkill so...
At least this is what is in my survival kit and I would add or substitute....

A campmor extended 5x9 tarp/poncho at 9oz.
An 8x8 tarp is good, but if its for emergencies and you have
an emer bivy sack which is waterproof you will stay dry.
If you are after a light 8x10 tarp campmor has them. Get a silnylon tarp.

Medical Emergency bivy emergency sleeping bag.
The 7oz one not the 3oz one. Costs about $35
It has sort of a blue cloth like interior and mylar exterior.
Works alone to 50dF or inside a bag as a VBL or as an extender.

Paracord is good stuff but I would not carry that much of it.
Carry about 50' of it + 50' of Kelty triptease.
Triptease weighs like 1.5 oz for 50' and is very strong.

Lint is good stuff.
Dip some real hemp cord in wax and take along about a 20' piece.
Weighs almost nothing, but cut into 1/2" strips its aa excellent starter.
Doubles as cord but its weak.

Take a collapsable gerber saw. Super sharp small and light at 3.5 oz.
I have actually pruned trees with the darn thing it so sharp.

Take a good drop point full tang knife that is large enough to baton wood, and small enough to skin game.
I have a Becker Necker that I like. The blade is a tad short for batoning but its very light.
I think about a 4" - 4.5" blade is about right.
Take a swiss army knife with a saw in your pocket.
Amazing what you can do with a swiss army knife saw and it has tweezers and sissors.

As much as I like machetes, unless you are in the tropics or a swamp, skip the machete.
If you need to cut/chop wood weight vs cutting power you would be better served with a good ultralight bowsaw.
Next would be a light hatchete or heavy knife.

More useful IMO then a regular machete but still heavy. I have a Kabar heavy Bowie knife with a 1/4" thick 9" long blade that you can chop wood with. Still really too big to dress game though.
Its my #1 hog hunting knife.
It is the best heavy knife I have ever owned.

http://www.trueswords.com/kabar-bowi...th-p-2601.html

Add one or two 1L platypus water bottles. They fold up.
1L water bottles are cheaper but bulky.

Take 3-4 dry condoms. Also for water storage.

Take about a 4-6' piece of tubing. Use this to get at water you cant reach. If its latex, you can use it for a lot of things. Slingshot, tourniquet, etc. Plastic like PEX is better for drinking etc. or carry plastic and latex rubber both.

Carry a large piece of ultralight tough clear plastic. Like 6x8 - Polycro. Frostking sells kits. Good for a ground cloth too.
They use this stuff for window insul. Super thin and very tough.

You might not need it where you live but if you ever need to make a solar still, that will do it. 2 6x6 solar stills will keep you alive. Rock in the center, container underneath and the tube above to drink with.
A 6x8 piece should weigh about 1.5-2 oz.

Take some water tablets.

Take a 30 gal garbage bag or two. They come in handy.

Wire for a snare if you are into snares. I use black coated heavy wire leader line for salt water fishing.

As far as the cook kit you could just set up one of these. Its a fosters can inside a country time lemonade container.
That gives you two nested containers that are crushproof. Holds 3 cups and will hold a lot of stuff inside. I have a home made alcohol stove and other misc stuff that fits inside. The entire rig weighs about 5 oz less the alcohol. This is what it looks like. Everything nests and its light and handy.

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z...CTLFosters.jpg

This is the contents of a smaller similar kit that is a cut down 2 cup kit.

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z...rent=cook4.jpg

Take a spork. Firelight makes a plastic one.
The titanium one in the photo cost like $5.

Water tablets, so you dont have to stop and boil every hour if you are trying to make it out of an area.

Everyday stuff.
This is my list. All this goes into a small bag.

Hand sanitizer
toilet paper partial roll 2
Soap
Tiny cutter advanced
Bandana
microfiber cloth like a shamwow.
Atom light and batteries or a candle
Micro wrist Compass

Below is a modified medical emergency survival kit.
This is the contents.
Its nice because I can just throw it in my pack and its small.

I added
micro lighter
WP matches
Gorilla tape,
rubber bands
8 aquamira h20 tablets
Micro compass on cord,

Items from factory pak
Scapel blade
Fresnel lens
Signal mirror
2 pc wp paper
Micro pencil
Nylon thread
Nylon cord
SS wire
Fish hooks
fire tinder
sparker
whistle
Sewing needle
Fish hooks
Safety pin

MEDICAL
1 tube krazy glue
aspirin,Advil,Exced,Psud
Tape or skip it and use gorrilla tape
Sensiwrap
Moleskin
1 butterfly bandaid
4 Suture strip bandaids
4 regular bandaids
Tiny surgical sponge
3x4 non adhesive pad
Small pack triple antibiotic
Visene
Anti-diarrhea

To that I am seriously thinking about adding a small clot pak.
Reason being, is if you get stuck somewhere it will probably be due to illness, lost or a serious injury.
If a serious injury a clot pak might come in handy.

Here is a fanny pack kit I put together a while back. Weighs about 5.5#.
It was a bit different setup in that I had a fleece sleeping bag along with the med emer bivy
water filter and a thermarest sleeping pad.

That fanny pack is expandable into a small full backpack. Too small for food set up like that.

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=unpacked.jpg

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=complete.jpg

Go with what you normally carry in your pockets, or at most a fanny pack. Anything more is camping.

Small bottles of iodine and sterile water are good for irrigating wounds before treating and bandaging. This will help minimize the risk of infection. A minimum of basic first aid knowledge is a must before attempting treatment in the field, and a small 1st aid book incase someone else has to treat you with your own kit.

Was shown once that with the arrow heads you can spot weld some self tapping screws to them this way you can add then to a spear as the tip, may be usefull for not only fish but you now have a spear. Every country with idigenous populations used spears to hunt.
Also carried picture hanging wire for snares. Dont need much.
Carried about 10 small hooks for fishing. Big hooks catch big fish but small hooks can catch all fish.
Good quality fishing line.