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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Altoids survival kit





This is something most people tried sometime. Maybe as a kid when camping, or when first getting started into survival and preparedness.

The idea is to fit a number of small items you’d need to survive into the small container, so that you can always have it available during an emergency.

Many of these things I already care one of everyday, ( lighter, LED, knife, etc) on me or in my bag, but the idea of a small emergency kit is still valid, because you end up including other things you usually forget about.

There’s are other better containers, but this is what most people use so I got one of these tins down town.
By the way, I paid 3 dollars for this, 10 pesos.

There’s thousands of small kits like this one, some more location oriented than others, and most have a few common items.

Let’s see what I have here.(left to right, top to bottom)

-Home made mini knife

Made using a piece of new steel saw. Made a drop point for this little knife, and left it razor sharp. It also has the original saw teeth left, so it can be used for sawing with a bit o patience.
Handle is made with self soldering rubber.
-Small Bic Lighter.
Red so it doesn’t get lost that easily if dropped in the grass.
-Altoids tin.
Nothing to brag about, but it can be used for cooking small meals, boiling a bit of water, and the lid can be polished and used as a signal mirror.
-Paper matches. For fire making redundancy.
-Ziplock bag
Roughly one liter. Can be used to keep stuff dry. Get condensation out of living plants. Treat water in it using potable water pills.

-2 Hair clips.
Various uses.
-Led light. Works for many hours.
-Chinese red tiger and dragon balm tin.
This stuff has been around for over 100 years.
It’s supposed to cure near everything, but I’ve only used it for muscle aches, headaches (using it to massage the temples) , and for using a bit under the nose and chest when I have flu ( menthol)
It’s supposed to cure any disease known to mankind, but I’m a bit skeptical. :)
It does work rather well for the illnesses described above.
The original, genuine Chinese Dragon Balm, a contemporary
incarnation of the Imperial Ointment created so many centuries
ago. Time tested and proven as a superior answer for quick,
effective relief of headaches, nasal congestion, arthritis and
muscular aches and pains. Dragon Balm is manufactured under the
strictest supervision of qualified pharmacists, and exported
directly from the Southern Provinces of China. Dragon Balm is
ultra pure and composed of only the finest ingredients,
containing no animal by products or synthetic chemicals. It uses
menthol cinnamon oil, eucalyptus oil, cajuput oil and camphor to
create marvelously effective, penetrating relief. A truly fine
analgesic from the Orient. Used in Dojos as Martial Arts
treatment. Large 19 gm size.
Ingredients: Menthol, Camphor
scented and colored with natural herbal extracts.

http://vitanetonline.com/description/SU0097/vitamins/Dragon-Balm-Red/


-Small red box with match firecrackers. These are for signaling, creating a distraction or blowing up small things.
-4 Strong pain killers (ketorolac)
-2 Ibuprofen 600
-3 feet of wire
-Folding cutter blade
-button compass
-Salt. For compensating dehydration, or making saline solution in the bag to clean wound.
-4 bandaids: 2 small, 2 medium size.
-About 5 needles of different sizes
-1 Big button. Fixing pants, bag and such.
-1 epoxy cloth bandaid “Poxita”. Good for fixing a number of things.
-1 Piece of fine grit sand paper. For sharpening the blades included in the kit.
-9 feet of unbreakable black nylon thread.
-9 feet of thread in OD green. Fixing gear and clothing.
-9 feet of waxed dental floss. Also have a big needle to use it to fix stuff in needed.
-4 one peso coins. For phone calls, bending machines, bus, subway.
Four pesos will also buy you a hotdog in some of the cheapo places, or a coke or water bottle.
-50 USD. Some emergency money. Dollars are readily accepted most of the time, or someone willing to change it for local paper money.
Why not include local paper money? Because our peso is much more volatile than the USD ( even with the crisis).
If your pocket allows it, a small gold coin might not be a bad idea (maximum value for minimum size)
Missing in this kit and soon to be added; Potable water pills. Not enough space for a vial, but some can be added to the ziplock bag.

FerFAL

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really appreciate your blog. If you are not aware of blade forum's blog it is worth your time to check it out. Your psk posted there would have lots of interest
Your psk is a lot like mine but I never thought about firecrackers. BladeForums.com > Knife Community > Tactics & Training
Fred in Texas

Anonymous said...

Great ideas, and I also had not thought about the firecrackers.

In the old days it was what could you pack into a band-aid tin. But altoids tins work well now.

I have something similar for hunting; but, now see I need to do something similar for the urban jungle.

FerFAL said...

Thanks Fred in Texas ;)
I know of Blades forum but haven't been there in a whil, will check it out.

Anonymous,
If you want something pretty much exactly like the old band aid tin, there's some fancy bublegum that looks like bandaids and comes in a tin exactly like teh old band aid tin.
I have one of those but found that its not water tight (thought about its use as a cup) and it's just a bit bigger and more fat than the Altoids.
Now that you mention it, I carry the Altoids tin in my pack, so maybe the gum tin is better since it has a bit more room.

FerFAL

FerFAL

Anonymous said...

I like the ideas of using the tin as a mirror or to boil water in.

More and more I'm seeing the similarities, and I would bet for sure now that our country is going to nose-dive, sooner rather than later.

A question I have, you have mentioned the black/gray market on a few occasions, but I have a somewhat hard time understanding it. In the US the only thing I can think of with similarity is a flea market, where you can buy some collection stuff(books, dvd's), some home-made stuff(leather belts etc) and a LOT of chinese crap they wouldnt sell in most stores. But never would one find firearms there, much less things like hand grenades. Why doesn't your police regulate and crackdown on some of the more illegal operations? Thanks, best of luck and congratulations with your new child!

Anonymous said...

I read this and this is a great idea I made one for myself and also for my kids. also made a "go bag" with some emergency things in it.Ferfal keep up the good work