Survival Gear: My Vehicle Kit

The beginnings of my vehicle kit. I am a little nervous in posting this. I had originally posted this over at Todays Survival Show Forums

Hyigene and First Aid

Three minor first aid kits for basic injuries, styptic pen, pain meds, soap (bar and liquid), hand sanitizer, tooth brush with toothpaste and *ahem* "extra lady stuff".

Food and Cooking

2 cans of soup, can of fruit, can of veggies, chocolate bars, small mess kit with plate, pan, pot, black cup, and a fork / spoon/ knife combo, Multi Spice kit, enamel cup, two cans of sterno, sterno folding stove, p-38 can opener, canteen, wineskin, plastic bags and potable aqua.

Heat and Light

Socks, light sticks, 5 bags of fire sticks, 2 lighters, 1 brick wetfire, blastmatch, box of matches, magnesium bar, emergency blanket, 2 candles, fatwood sticks, hand and foot wamers, drier lint.

Misc stuff:

2 pairs of gloves, duct tape, trash bags, sewing kit, bungee chords, rope, tri-folding shovel, tent stakes,pencils, compass, tissues.


Not shown:
bandanna
Wool Blanket
Cloth Blanket
Multitool
Tarp
bottled water
boots
shammy towel (for got to add it in the picture with my soap and stuff.)
toilet paper
Jumper cables
Mini survival kit with sabercut saw, whistle, signal mirror, wetfire tinder, second blast match
kitty litter *works like sand in snow.*
notebook
canvas bag that contains half of this stuff
second canvas bag for the rest
and most important, Myself!

I know that there are some other things that I should put in, like a flashlight, (I just realized that!) Notice that I put HUGE emphasis on heat. I live in Minnesota, and it gets BASTARD cold here, if you cant keep warm, then you are in trouble! The fire sticks and other stuff I have in case I have to leave my car, or if I will be there a while. Heck with this kit, I can camp for a while if I need to. My first 72 hr kit for my car. Mostly I intend to stay with my car though.

Most of this stuff I was able to get for under $10, and some I even got for a $1 or less, so building your own kit is not really that expensive. Just make sure that you make your personal kit relevant to you. I am a woman, so I added in some lady stuff. Plus how many other kits do you know have extra socks and boots? Sometimes that is a good thing to add in, especially if you live in very cold, or very damp places, the last thing you want is cold and / or wet feet. This is just somethings to think about when you make your own bag. I encourage you guys to do your research on this. However, this is my first bag, so it is a work in progress. I think so far so good.

Stuff to add:
Dry food
energy bars
flashlight
fishhooks
beef up my first aid kits, I know it is a good start, but it is just a start.

Survival Gear: Squishy Bowls Product Test

Well, finally I did a test on those Squishy Bowls that I had purchased a while ago and they have held up to my expectations! I tested them both in the microwave, and in the freezing cold. First test that I did was I put them out in the snow for about 9 hours or so. The temp when I started the test was at about 12 degrees fahrenheit and by the time the test was done, the temp dropped to 5 degrees. They were still just as pliable, maybe slightly stiff but almost as squishy as when I first set them out and they did not crack when I squished them. This was freezing cold temps. I am a northerner so this really impressed me.

Then I tested the bowls in the microwave to boil water. Again, this really exceeded my expectations. Water came to a boil nicely, but one piece of advice, do not handle these when hot with your bare hands. The bowls are dark colored and absorb heat, so be careful when handling them. The bowls them selves did nicely, no warping of any sort. Also, these are not meant to cook with so do not put them over any kind of open heat source, these are silicone after all. It seems that they are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe (though I have yet to test that). So far this looks like it will be a valuable addition to my vehicle bag.

I know that this is expensive for $20, but I rather shell out the extra bucks for good quality gear. Again, four paws up!

Survival Gear: Squishy Bowls!

Just want to make a quick note, I got a new item in the mail! I recently purchased a set of Squishy Bowls (eighth item down if you click the link.) These are a set of silicone base bowls that you can fold down or squish flat for something like a pack as part of a kitchen kit. They seem really durable, are dishwasher safe and resistant to heat up to 400 degrees, though do not put them over a direct heat source. They come in a two pack. The one that I got squeezed in my hand is a 6oz cup, the other one is a 12oz bowl. I got a set of these for when I travel or hike.

The business I got this from is Canteen Shop for about $20. The company gets four paws up from me because of the speedy delivery, (I ordered them from the site on monday and got them on thursday!) AND they take PAYPAL!

BTW, Thank you for your ideas guys in the last article, I will take them under suggestion. If any of you have any more, let me know.

Survival Gear: Bag Balm

Hey guys, got another good multi-use item that I would recommend. Bag Balm! Originally used for irritated cow udders, this lanolin and petroleum based product is great for other uses. Not only does it work on cows, but it also works well on human skin too. It is excellent for dry chapped hands, stops skin irritation, helps speed minor wound care healing. Here is a USA Today Article that tells a little bit more on the history and uses of this stuff. I did not know that they used this stuff on the pads of the cadaver dogs at the World Trade Center Site.

Personally I used this on my own hands. It is a little greasy, but it really worked making my hands soft. I would suggest putting this on at night and letting it soak into your skin, it only takes a little bit to work. It is a good addition to the med cabinet.

Survival Gear: Field Testing Part 2

I am just quick making another post because there are also a few other things that I forgot to mention. It is a good idea to field test your gear for several good reasons.

1. It is good practice. Get comfortable actually using it, even if it is for mundane things. Good example is what I mentioned in my last post, I made my lunch with it. What good is your gear if you do not know how to use it or how it works? Testing in relatively safe conditions before you happen to get into trouble helps.

2. It shows where you can make improvements with your bag, and your personal skills. Are there things that you forgot to add? Or is there something that you did not think of, but found you could use later? For example, my bag could use a rag for cleaning things like dishes. Or maybe an extra pair of socks to keep your feet dry? If you do not have it, then you cant use it.

3. Testing shows how well your gear performs too. Maybe you bought or made something that was supposed to work, but didn't?

4. It gives you a chance to use up the perishable things in your bag so that way what you have does not go to waste. Waste not, want not.

These are all good things to keep in mind when you put together an emergency bag. Someday you may have to rely on it.

Survival Gear: Field Testing!

You know, sometimes it is good to field test your gear from time to time. It is good practice, and sometimes you get some surprising results. I wanted to get used to using my vehicle bag for basic stuff. What I decided to do was use it to make myself lunch, just a simple mountain house meal. I carry with me some sterno with a sterno stove and a magnesium firestarter as a part of my kit. Remember, I tested this setup once before at home, and it worked pretty well. But there was a difference, it was AT HOME and I used a glass jar. This time I went to a small park, used the same stove and my canteen cup and water that I had stored in my vehicle. This time, it took longer because I was outside and there was a bit of wind, and the water never really got to boiling, but it did get barely hot enough to use. This is something to keep in mind if I am going to use this setup again. In calm conditions it might be different. But hey, it helped start the baby steps to starting out in outdoor cooking, and it feels good to know that I can cook a basic meal anywhere... I hope to do more soon. This is a good example though to go out and practice some skills and get comfortable with using different tools.

Survival Mentality: Quiz question!

Ok, I know that I have been doing a lot of product reviews and have not gone into the survival mentality too much since I started this blog. I thought I would just put a question out there that might get some folks gray matter going. I think most on here might get it right away, but here goes...

Question: What is your greatest survival tool?

Feel free to post your answers in the comments area.

(BTW, I will be posting the comments in a few days!)

Survival Gear: Cup and canteen

Water. Something we take for granted. For thousands of year the human populace has lived near sources of water. We need it, but for the longest time, we have been complacent about it. It used to be for some of us to take the bucket to the nearest water source daily, now it is just turn on the tap and hello WATER! Statistically we can live 3 weeks without food, but we cannot live three days without clean drinking water. It keeps us alive and healthy. Why am I talking about this? Well the situation in Massachusetts comes to mind. Seems that many would be willing to give their right or left (fill in body part here) for clean drinking water.

I am no expert on this, but boiling it does work. There are filters out there that do work too. M.D. Creekmore mentions of a water filter that you can make. There are commercial filters out there that you can purchase too. There are also ways of chemically treating it too. A combination of these methods is the best for removing impurities and bugs. Personally so far I have just bought bottled water for storage and rotate it when needed, will be working on my water skills when I can. I need to work on a lot of skills.

And of course, storing them in jugs and water specific containers is the best for storage. There are water specific conatiners out there, but my advice to you if you re-use containers... DO NOT USE MILK JUGS! Even the ones that you fill up at the store. I have known them to leak, and water leaks are no fun to clean up in a home. Get ones that are meant to hold water for long periods, and make sure that you clean them before putting clean water in them. Make sure you read up on how to store water, (I am doing that myself, I got Cody Lundin's book "When All Hell Breaks Loose". Might do a review on that in the future).

Also, get used to carrying some water with you, either in a backpack, vehicle, or purse. It is sometimes nice to have a drink of water on you, without having to pay too much for it. Since I travel a lot, I picked up a military G.I. metal cup, a 1 quart canteen and cover at Camping Survival. I want to add that, that online store is excellent! Speedy service. Two paws up! The whole canteen kit fits well on my backpack too. I wanted the metal cup so that way if I needed to boil water with it, I can (Yay for multipurpose!)

So, that is all that I can think of for now, sorry for the delay between posts, been doing a lot of stuff around here. If any of you want to add anything to this article, please put it in the comments area!

Survival Gear: Sewing Awl

I have read on many Emergency Bag lists that sewing needles and thread should be added, usually a small boxed sewing kit. Well, I did find something that I think would be a good addition to a bag. Well I found a really nice sewing awl stitcher kit called 'Awl for All'.


It comes with the stitcher, instructions, two needles, a spool of really thick waxed thread, and a screwdriver tool. It is really light and compact with the needles and screwdriver all fit in the hollow wooden handle with room for extras if you need it. It works really well on sewing up thick leather and supposedly canvas. The most it does is a lock stitch, but for making repairs or needing to just sew things together, it works really nicely. I have been practicing on really thick leather. It is something I would add to a bag or just use every day. I picked it up for about $11 at Sportsman's Guide . They do have a deluxe kit, with the stitcher with some large spools of thread and extra needles outside what the original kit has.



This is what it looks like all together with some practice stitches.

CORRECTION: I added in the word 'supposedly' when mentioning it works well with leather and canvas. I have not worked with it on canvas... yet. I will try it though. Sorry about that. Also, there is a main website Awl for All for the little awl. It says it can be used on tarp, plastic and sail material. Thought I would add that.

Survival Gear: A Sterno Stove

Well, guys, I am back. The holidays were fun, and I hope you had a good time too. Spent the weekend with family but it was a private thing, lots of food to stuff myself. Other than that, I am just relaxing right now and writing in my blog. Time for an update.

Several weeks ago, I had been looking all over for something that I would be able to cook on if my electricity gave out, or if I got stranded in my car and wanted to boil water. Well I heard that a pretty good way was to work with Sterno and I heard about this Sterno stove that folds up for a pack (see the picture above). Well I heard it used to be sold at Kmart, but no such luck. I perfer buying local over buying online so I did try to look around the many stores in my area. I looked all over! REI, Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Walmart, Fleet Farm (they had it at one time, but sold out.) All those places and I could not find it anywhere! Walmart did carry the cans of cooking fuel, but not the stove. Lo and behold, I find it on Amazon under Single Burner Folding Stove. Listed for about $8 ($13 total with ship and handling). Got it a week later. In the picture above it comes folded flat. It is a pretty nice little set up. The cans I bought seperate at my local Walmart for about $3-4 for a 2 pack. Burns up to about 2 and a half hours time.


This is what it looks like when it is all folded together with the fuel can sitting in it. It makes for a good size stove and fairly easy to assemble with directions.


This is what it looks like with the fuel burning. Again, not bad. Had a glass jar full of water boiling in about 15-20 minutes. This would work really well if you are making soup or need hot water for an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). This is an easy way if your electricity goes out and you cant use a stove or a microwave. Or out of your car if stranded, or if you are out for an afternoon hike and want a hot meal. Good for camping too. This folds really small and flat. Perfect for a Get Home Bag, or a Bug Out Bag.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Sterno fuel is HIGHLY FLAMMABLE! Make sure you follow the manufacturers directions.

Survival Gear: a Camera and The Holidays!

First of all, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas out there to everyone. Christmas is normally a fun time of the year to be with the family, and that is what I am going to be doing for the next week or so. So, I might not be updating too much here for a little bit, but when I do post it will be some new stuff. I will update when I can though, so keep coming back!

Now on to the topic of survival gear. Yes, I will be throwing in from time to time some things that I think might be useful in cases of emergency. Right now, I am going to be starting with something simple. A couple of weeks ago, I purchased this....



A digital camera. Yes, a piece of technology. I think this is well worth it to have. It can be primarily used for recording things. What if there is a fire? Maybe a good pre-prep for recording everything that is in your home for the insurance company, or recording the experience of it? What if you are in a car accident? It is good for taking pictures of the place, the damage to your vehicle and the injuries sustained during it. How about taking pictures of your family and pets, in case the unthinkable happens and they come up missing? Recent photos help. How about help teaching others? The photos make a good aid in making tutorials on how to make stuff for others to follow, especially online. I think this is more than enough reason to have a digital camera in your collection. Here I am just throwing out a few suggestions.

I just thought I would post this up. Till next time. Happy Holidays!