minimalist survival kits.

we've all heard of the 10 c's, the 5 c's and the swff acronym, but what are the bare minimum items needed for any survival situation? fire, knife, cord, and cover are about the only ones that currently come to mind. what else can you come up with?

 

pure water, means of collecting/carrying it... Tobasco sauce...

 

Cutter (knife or axe), cordage (paracord, bankline, or other), container (water bottle to gallon bucket), cover (visqueen, poncho, tarp), combustion (any fire starter + tinder), chow (bullion cubes, jerky, MRE, etc), concubine (Nobody should ever have to survive alone)

The purpose of a survival kit is to prevent you from being desperate for at least one day and one night.

Extra time just means that you have a better kit.

(OK--I was joking about the concubine, but only partially. Pack 'em if ya got 'em. Actually, you should probably have three concubines, because three is two, two is one, and one is none.)

 

Shelter Kit, Fire Kit, Water Kit, Cutting Kit, Weapon Kit, Mess Kit, Container.

You want a draw out list? Mine Level up from E.D.C. on. "Survival Kits" as they are commonly understood are BULL(!), and kill from lack of kit and overconfidence.

 

Well I left out the NBC gear.... sucky darn... I lose

 

Bare minimum should be knowledge and experience. And if you don't have it, you should go get some. Then come the tools. But the more knowledge and experience you have, the less tools you need. But take the tools anyway. Because as Ray Mears says, "If you're roughing it, you're doing it wrong." I think we should be out to enjoy, not to challenge Mother Nature. Even if you want to test yourself, take your full kit and plan to not use it. But it is your back up so you do not end up in a survival situation or become a statistic. I find I rarely use everything I take, but I will take it anyway.

First thing, dress appropriately for what you are doing. I like packing a pair of minimalist sandals so me feet can dry out when they get wet. And a gamcha, both for cleaning and for wearing, if necessary. And pack some just in case clothes. A dry bag is a good thing to have in a pack. To me, part of dressing appropriately is having ID and a phone on your person. A whistle too. And having told someone where you plan to be and when you will be back by.

Next, something to cut with. I don't believe in taking one tool for all jobs. For me, in tropical rain forest, I like a machete type blade, a saw, and a back up. Back up is often a Swiss Army Farmer. If I HAD to take just one, the machete. But I don't, so all three.

Gotta have shelter. So a tarp is awesome. As is a light weight hammock. A bug net is great to have as well as a head net. And then some kind of blanket.

And you drink or die. So I carry a 3L hydration bag as well as a canteen and canteen cup set. When I was younger, I would just take the canteen kit. That is not enough. On some hikes, there is no water. On one such, I carried 6L because I did it before with one and I ran out and totally cramped up on the way down. What is the goal of climbing a mountain? To get to the top, yes. But then, to get back down safely. And I knew my friend wasn't going to have enough. Sure enough, he drank a couple liters of mine. And in Hawaii, filters do not work because we have leptospirosis and cryptosporidium in abundance in our waters. So something metal to boil, like a canteen cup and a Steripen. I like pieces of cloth for all kinds of stuff, like filtering. So I always have multiples. Bandanas, gamcha, shemagh... Not concerned about what it is called or what culture might have used it. Cloth is useful. One day, will try the new Israeli purification tablets that I bought. Will probably collect an untreated water sample too, when I do. In case I get sick, they can more easily figure it out. (For traveling, I have Berkley squeeze bottle filters. But I have the white softer sided Nalgenes instead. More capacity and more space to squeeze out water for when you don't suck. )

Most people think of fire. I carry a ferro rod and a lighter. Will often carry some tinder too. I like petroleum jelly or waxed impregnated cotton balls, fatwood, and paper bark. For fun and practice, I might also take flint and steel or make a bow drill set.

And always carry cordage. Harder and more time consuming to make than to just whip it out. I might have some combination of rope, paracord, bank line, jute, fishing line, and/or wire with me.

And I take a little bit of food, a first aid kit, a flashlight and head lamp. If I plan to be out for any length of time, then spare batteries and maybe a charger.

Not too bad. Not including the water and what is on my person, pack weight is probably about ten pounds or so.

I good habit to get into is to make an offering of some kind when you go onto a trail. It is not a superstitious act. But one of respect. To me, it puts me into a better frame of mind. And I am more conscious of where I am and what I will be doing. It could be as simple as taking a piece of ti leaf and putting a fruit on it. Or even just pausing to contemplate your surroundings and being thankful to be there. And then cut yourself a walking stick and a rabbit stick or baton. Now you got something to help you with balance and footing, to reach out of reach fruit, something to dig with, and something to bash with. And heaven forbid, something to defend yourself with without compromising a primary tool.

Will stop here. Sorry for my long windedness. Was getting into the thread.

 

I'm well known for bringing gear for hunting. Enough to outfit about 6 hunters, in various ways. Some bring their own weapons, some use mine.
I'm often told "we didn't use half of what you brought",
True, but we never know ahead of time which half will be needed. I plan for back ups with back ups. Changing weather conditions, and methods changed on the fly due to the winds and the game, make for different needs.
In my pack is the minimum gear bag that I would hold onto if nothing else,( and it has it's own carry straps.) Large knife with gutting hook, a Hank of paracord, safety blankets (3) fire starters, fire kit, candles, tarp and rope.2L hydration bag water tablets, and a few other odds and ends. The rest of the bag is the rest of my personal bag, so it is a bag within a bag.

 

Like I said, E.D.C. is my minimum, and my E.D.C. is better than a lot of surival kits.

That aside, when I actually go into the woods, I always have a chopping tool, a carving tool, a metal cup, at least 1 quart of water, minimum 100ft tarred bankline, poncho, matchsafe, ferro rod, and haversack. I usually carry more, but they are so unchanging I can't bring them to mind...

 

Great posts. Reality can be so refreshing.

 

Extra eye glasses if you rely on them to see

 

I love it! You should add another C: cocaine...makes the days go a little bit slower.

 

Cocaine: The absolute very best NUMBER ONE way to get rescued. Whether you're in the middle of the Gobi Desert or stranded on a small iceberg off the desolate shores of Antarctica, all you have to do is cut out a few lines, and--BINGO!--there'll be somebody standing beside you with a rolled-up hundred wantin' to suck 'em up!

 

For minimalists, 3 B's beats 5 Cs: Booze, Broads and Blow.

 

You guys are nuts. Going bananas on me!

 

When you say fire what do you mean? Can't you create a spark from your knife? Otherwise, IMO what you listed is the bare minimum, but skill and knowledge (not just knowing and hands on experience) is a must if you are packing that lean.

 

Actually, I can find and purify water, but some things just require tabasco to be edible...

 

Well if you got fire, tobasco,and road kill it's a kings life.

 

Real Louisianians use Tony's.