What's In Your Tin?

Ok now many people here are familiar with BOB's (Bug Out Bags). In these bags you will usually find a PSK/PST (Personal Survival Kit/Personal Survival Tin). This is a tin which provides your very basic needs and gives you a massive advantage over someone without one.

This year someone purchased a little miniature bottle of brandy in a presentation tin for my father. The brandy didn't last long so i took the tin for my survival kit as it's a nice deep tin. A survival tin should provide the ability to:

Make fire easily
Clean water
Find food
Repair Kit
Get rescue
Navigate

A small little tin can provide all of these things and more. Whilst some may ask whats the point of this when you have your BOB handy. I can say that firstly it's useful to carry upon your person if you somehow got seperated from your main kit somehow. Secondly there are people who don't want the expense of a large amount of kit but could at least have this thing and it would give them an edge in a survival scenario. I kept one of these in the car when i used to drive. Below is a list of whats in my little tin.

Note that tin contents can change depending on your environment, i'm in the UK.

2x Flint and steel
2x Cheap plastic lighter
Matches
2x Candle
Tinder
Needles and 30 meters of thread
Fishing Hooks and line
Water purification tablets
Roll of orange electrical tape
20 meters of string
Small 2 inch lock knife
Swiss Army Knife
Button Compass
Brass Snare Wire


This kit can get you food, fire, shelter, water, repair your clothing and help you navigate.

A quick word on the little knife. A person with a tiny little knife can do far more than someone without a knife. I do have a main survival knife but this is just a tiny backup. A small 2 inch blade can provide you with ways to make cordage and rope, skin animals, manufacture arrows and spears, manufacture well made traps and many many other uses. Without it you would have a great deal of trouble doing the above activities.

So there we go, what items are in your survival tin?

That was very helpful, thank you! I wrote that down to include in my list of survival gear. In my list I also have a machette AND a small knife. The machette would be for more utility work that the knife won't be able to touch. Also a box of trash bags, for ponchos, makeshift roofing and a variety of other things!

I would also bring along a good antibiotic ointment with a distant expiration date. Injuries happen often when out in the elements, and infection can set in rapidly. Whenever I'm out in the field, I always carry a large tube with me, as well as a small box of sutures for deep wounds. Learning how to tend to wounds and when/how to apply sutures is well worth it--I've had to use these skills on a few occasions, though fortunately only once on myself. If any of you need particular tips or information relating to this, just let me know--I'll be happy to help.

This is a great idea. Last night my brother showed me his flint and steel and we lit a small fire in a dish on the table with it. It had a tub of kindling(?) with it. I'll definitey be looking to get a tin sorted to put in with my camping kit.
Thanks.


Just found this but the pic is a bit small...
www.adventure1.co.uk...
2nd item down

edit: How about trading the normal candles for these edible beauts:
www.survival-school.org...
3rd edit: Another tin:www.survival-school.org...
[edit on 24-1-2009 by and14263]
[edit on 24-1-2009 by and14263]

[edit on 24-1-2009 by and14263]

It should also be mentione that if your BOB is for the long haul it may be advisable to have a handfull of seeds for plants such as tomatoes and potatoes, easy to grow and handy to plant in various areas to move around and still have a food source. of course it is dependent on location as to which seeds to take, but easy to grow is a good start.

advice would be not to plant in traditional rows but rather scatter over large areas in many locations.

plants can also attract wildlife which makes hunting easier.

[edit on 24-1-2009 by munkey66]

reply to post by paperplanes



It's hard to fit more in the tin i have, the idea of the survival tin is to slip into your pocket for backup. It's packed to the brim as it is sadly. The tin fits your immediate survival needs.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
reply to post by paperplanes

 

It's hard to fit more in the tin i have, the idea of the survival tin is to slip into your pocket for backup. It's packed to the brim as it is sadly. The tin fits your immediate survival needs.

I understand your point of view. We've had a few close calls out in the field in which someone would have bled to death without suturing, so it really is an "immediate survival need" in the case of an accident (which cannot be predicted and can happen at any time). It's something to keep in mind, though I realize that many people would rather not include these items. You can always use your basic needle and thread (which I see you've already included) as a last resort.

Originally posted by paperplanes
I understand your point of view. We've had a few close calls out in the field in which someone would have bled to death without suturing, so it really is an "immediate survival need" in the case of an accident (which cannot be predicted and can happen at any time). It's something to keep in mind, though I realize that many people would rather not include these items. You can always use your basic needle and thread (which I see you've already included) as a last resort.

Stitching yourself up in such a dire emergency may not be possible but yes the needle and thread can be used for it. I think the needle and fishing line would be a better option. Still i've spent plenty of time out surviving, with minimal kit and i haven't yet needed anything majorly medical. Accidents happen of course.

Anyway as i said it's a backup, not something to cover all eventualities. It's either for people who don't want to spend money on a full out BOB or for people who have a BOB and should have a backup.


EDIT

Thinking about it i may be able to squeeze in some of those wound closing sutures. The ones you just peel the adhesive off and stick on. Better than nothing and take up virtually no room.

[edit on 24-1-2009 by ImaginaryReality1984]

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


In my emergency tin there is 3 joints, a pack of rizlas, matches and a half gram of stinky Canadian bud.

Peace

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


All of this is in a thick folded ziplock bag vs. a tin
3 folded trash bags for poncho/etc ( hoods woods rox )
Swedish Firesteel
Dryer lint ( tinder )
Fishing Hooks and line
1 oz bottle of USP sublimated iodine, protected with heatshrink
signal mirror
Small 4 inch folding stainless steel muti-tool
Lensatic Compass
Galvanized steel snare wire
p-51 can opener, thou finding canned food is unlikely, lol.
In tiny writing, common easy to ID edible plant list
As dumb as it snds... 8,000 heirloom carrot seeds..they are tiny

I want to add a few other things but this thing is really about
as big as I can carry as is without ppl pestering me about it,
mostly due to the compass and 1 oz. bottle.

Thanks to all for their lists, always nice to pick up new stuff !

Thanks !

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
reply to post by paperplanes

 

It's hard to fit more in the tin i have, the idea of the survival tin is to slip into your pocket for backup. It's packed to the brim as it is sadly. The tin fits your immediate survival needs.

I recently purchased a survival tin made by BCB.
I have a around 7 - 8 items that I carry in a purpose built belt. ( you can chop and chance belts with the military belts and webbing pouches )
This is what I refer to my personal kit and if out in the sticks it will never leave my person.
My belt contains the BCB survival kit, knife, SAS survival manual, water purifier straw, para cord, crank flash light, fire steel etc.

This belt is my fall back, incase I need to ditch my BOB ( Bug out Bag ) at a last resort.

You may wish to purchase a larger tin and create your own with your own specific items but either the BCB survival tin or similar are a good way to start.

Mine is very similar to the OPs post but I added some Pottasium permanganate crystels for water purifying, snow marking, wound cleaning, fire starting and athelites foot treating

From memory.....

2 oz Golden Virginia bacci tin - 1980s vintage lol
10 waterproof matches
button compass
condom
ladies "pop" sock
small lock knife
2 very small craft blades
3' brass wire
20' 10lb mono (wrapped around disp lighter, then wound in black insulating tape)
2 size 12 barbed hooks
2 size 8 barbed hooks
8 water puri tabs
Piece of kendal mint cake
2 satchets of salt
3 cotton wool balls covered in vas then wrapped in cling film (easier to pack)
Few safety pins
Micro LED light

Erm, may have to open it up now and see what Ive forgotten

Pop sock can be used to filter water prior to puri tabs and also used to protect the condom when it is used to carry water.

Rgds



[edit on 25/1/09 by Dark Vengeance]

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


Excellent topic. OF course you can check out our mormon 'friends' site at lds.org and see their survival list - which raises the question why is a major religion so adamant about 1 year of food and survival equipment....

My ready bag(s) are duplicated. 1 at a forward remote house, 1 here for mobilization.

They aren't of course perfect replicas. 1 is lighter for travel and 'trimmed down'.

All have the basics. Water purification, knives, firestarters, spaceblankets, etc.

Also have mini packs put away in all cars, and 1 electric moped!

Even all this may not be enough. Toying with the idea of

either a hovercraft (in a river tributary 1mile from here), or light sport aircraft (new

regs on those).

Theme: multiple bags, multiple sizes for various vehicles to increase your bug-out

options.

Gotta go and check on my toyota FJ modifications now....

FJ FLIR


[edit on 1/28/2009 by drphilxr]

I reconsidered the medicine side of things. Having a few little bits to treat immediate needs isn't to bad of an idea. I repacked the kit and managed to squeeze in;

8xIbuprofen
8xParacetemol
8xAspirin
Some Potassium Permanganate

I'm thinking the Ibuprofen would be great for pain is you hurt yourself and allow you to keep going a bit, the Paracetemol is good for infections that cause a temperature (very possible in the wild) and the Aspirin as a backup painkiller and also in case you have to stitch yourself up or something. It's doubtful you'd get a blood clot but always worth taking precautions. The Potassium Permanganate has multiple uses including being an antiseptic and treating fungal infections.

I'm glad i managed to fit it all in my kit without it being at the expense of anything else.

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984
I made such a kit for every member of my family for personal carry when away from the house. One thing I did do differently was to wrap the whole altoid-size tin with about 6 feet of duct tape. There's always a use for duct tape! Good post! Starred and flagged.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984

 

I made such a kit for every member of my family for personal carry when away from the house. One thing I did do differently was to wrap the whole altoid-size tin with about 6 feet of duct tape. There's always a use for duct tape!

Good post! Starred and flagged.

Lol wrapping it in duct is a good idea to save space. I just wonder that if someone had cold hands how much that would stop them getting into the tin? I like duct tape but electrical tape is plenty good enough for survival situations. Personal choice of course.