Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Survival Kit

Whats in yours?
Do you carry one on your person and another with more emergency stuff in your pack?

zeke
Good question. I hope the guys that reply state where they are from, because that will likely make a little difference. For example, in southeast Alaska, I'd be a little more concerned with what I ccarried for firestarter than I would in a dry climate.
My first concern is preventing hypothermia. To that end, I always have a couple of contractor garbage bags that I can make into rain gear. Then I carry several kinds of firestarter. I also carry a space blanket and a small first aid kit. I always have a whistle and a compass tied to my pack in case my GPS dies or gets lost. I like to have some iodien pills to purify water, and hopefully a little energy food.
Preventing hypothermia and dehydrytion are my two biggest concerns. Barring those and injury, I can last for days.

Fred

I carry one in my pack always and it contains wind/waterproof matches, swedish steel, vaseline ctton balls a Bic lighter, para cord, high quality emergency blanket, cheapo emergency blanket, tincture of iodine, vitamin gummy candies, cliff and power bar, compass, leatherman all this fits in a small possibles bag about the size of a large grapefruit. It compliments the knife and water bottle/filter/tin cup I always take. Hope I never need it but with what I bring I figger I can stay alive thru at least one winter.<wink>

Edited---I primarily hunt the PNW where the westside is rainforest and the eastside is desert. Alaska too but I don't change my primaries only add what I think could be useful.

I hunt in Northern Ontario during the time of year I go the weather is 10 to 45F. it rains and snows alot in late OCT early Nov
I used to carry my kit in my pack until an Alaskan forum member pointed out his experience. He had strapped a very comprehensive kit to his snowmobile for years until one year he was crossing a river and the sled went through. He was F**K'd at that point all his essentials were now at the bottom of the river.
I have crossed a few rivers with my pack on and after reading his story I now carry one on my person as well as a larger one in my pack.
My biggest worry is starting a fire and i have several different fire starting tools...lighter, matches, flint and steel, cotton and vasline, candle.

I don't carry a survival kit. But the things I have to survive in case I have to stay out.

1. knife(buck 110 folding)
2. flashlight(mini mag light)
3. book of matches.

I drink from high mountain sprigs and creeks no water tablets or boiling.
I have been known to eat Moths, catapillers, crickets, worms, chipmunks, squirrels, birds.

I have cut myself to the bone, a sock, glove, t-shirt, tp, wrapped tightly with shoe lace works. If it is any worse a bandaid or medical tape isn't going to do much better. So screw the first aid kit

the weather here in colorado isn't that bad, if the sun is out it always feels like summer. There is plenty of rocks, pine trees, creeks and springs, and small critters running around. To make shelter, eat, and drink.

If I was going to a harsher enviroment I may have to change my ways.

I keep a basic survival vest and a more robust survival pack in each of my vehicles. The most important elements of survival are:

1. STOP (Stop, Think, Options, Plan)
2. Shelter from wind/rain/snow kit.
3. Fire starter kit.
4. Compact energy food.
5. H2O.

Jeff

In my pockets (or on my belt) I absolutely ALWAYS carry:
1. Victorinox "Field Master" Swiss Army Knife (This is the best SAK I've found. It has enough features to be really useful but none that are just extra or gimmicky.)
2. Mini Bic lighter (I don't smoke so; one of these little guys lasts me a long, long time.)
3. Cell Phone
4. Flashlight
5. Gerber Multiplier w/ accessory toolkit
6. Pen

I dont' even walk around my house without this stuff.

I usually also have:
7. Small point-and-shoot camera
8. Mini binocular

You guys have covered about everything, but I'll add that I keep a piece of 1x2' tin foil folded up in my fire starting kit. You can fashion it as a wind screen when starting a fire, make a cup and melt snow or even lay it flat and build your fire on top of it inside a tarp shelter, small cave, under a tree etc....and then pull the fire out of the shelter once it gets going good. I've never had to use it as a cup or to move a small fire, but I have used it as a windscreen and it works well.

You have to stay dry. Someone mentioned a couple large trash bags. Those can save your tail. Cut a face hole in one and it goes over your head. The other you pull over your legs. They're not warm, but if you get wet, you'll be a whole lot colder. People have died of hypothermia at 50+

I am demo'ing a new hunting vest that has a game pouch in back and a slug of pockets in and out. I am going to try using it in place of my pack for a day or 2 and loaded the following in it:
-Space Blanket
-small fleece square 5'x5' or so
-couple jerky's and food bars
-fire kit w/3-4 methods of fire (I like to try new ways to do the fire thing)
-rx kit (altoids tin)
-Multitool (sog)
-knife sharpener-
-headlamp and spare batteries
-tp in a ziploc bag
-rain suit (marmot Precip top & bottom)
-5-10 spare rounds of ammo
-drag rope (30-35' I think)
-pencil
there will be a couple extra items like a sandwich, water bottle, possibly my pocket rocket stove and small fuel cannister for some hot chocolate etc... this stuff usually are in my small backpack and the pack will be in the vehicle in case the vest sucks. I will be wearing a light jacket and fleece and carry spare light fleece, wool gloves, wool hat and socks.

I will be hunting western Pa in a couple weeks...

Be safe
Patty

I live and hunt in NE WA. i would neot be caught dead w/o vaseline and cotton balls. they eliminate the need for carmex, gun oil, tis the best fire starter ever. I also carry some benedryl for me/my dogs alergic reactions to ? advil, cause 6 pills are not gonna hurt my back, but will save my head. I have a light flint/steel by brunton....with the cotton balls it is fool proof and I do not need to un glove. toss in a few feet 550 cord and a couple instant oatmeal packs. I toss it all in a used mtn house scrambled eggs bag, that keeps it all together, dry and doubles as my water pail, bowl, handwarmer.

never get caught w/o a hat.

What is this for?

In addition to some of the things listed above, stuff that I carry for a "survival" kit vs. a first aid kit are things that allow me to be found more easily. In a survival situation there is a pretty good chance that you are lost, or immobile due to injury or entrapment of some sort. Things like an atv, horse, boat, or snow machine accident, a broken or very damaged lower extremity or spinal injury, stuck on the side of a cliff or at the bottom of a ravine, or lost/trapped in a dense forest.

In addition to staying immediately alive it is also important that you are prepared to make it as easy as possible for ground or air based searches. I carry a firefly rescue strobe light, a rescue quality glass mirror with sighting device (works even on cloudy days), sheet of blaze orange plastic (can be used as a personal shield wrapped around you or just laid out), and a whistle. Signal flares are cheap, lightweight, and an excellent idea. I used to carry 3 but now it is impossible to fly with them, my last ones were confiscated from my luggage while leaving Dillingham after a solo bou hunt. If you're land based they would be very good insurance. Can also be used to dissuade a bothersome bear. This stuff easily fits into a hand sized pouch.

lucznik:

I folded that and put it with the space blanket to use if I decide to sit for a spell, I can drape or wrap it over my legs and feet for a bit of additional warmth if the day is really cold. It weights but a couple ounces and folds about as flat as the space blanket. I am all about comfort, especially if it weighs nearly nada...

Just an old lady...
Be safe

Patty

The best advice was given by the poster that suggested that you should carry your survival kit on your body in case you get separated from your gear. I never thought of having your gear fall through the ice, but if you were rafting or kayaking, it could easily happen. I have a very small kit and a larger kit that fits in a waterproof fanny pack from Simms.

The small kit consists of a swiss army knife, a bic lighter, a kershaw firestick/striker, and a waterproof match case w/compass. Inside of the case, I have a 1x2 alum foil, a zip-loc pastic bag, about 25ft of 8lb test fishing line, a couple of small hooks, a few water pur tabs, and a whistle. All of these items are attached to a ss 1" ring and a carabiner. It can hook onto a belt, etc.

Sometimes for longer trips I carry a larger fixed blade knife on my belt.

I would add a few extra items to the fanny pack. GPS locator, sm poncho, space blanket, waterproof matches, 3'x 3' clear sheet of plastic, para-cord, 2 lg zip loc bags, signal mirror, water purification straw, small first aid kit (with neosporin ointment, band-aids, immodium, good pain meds, benedryl, blood clotter, and an antibiotic). If possible, add a few packs of instant oatmeal, instant soup, power bars, etc.

I try to have the following attached to me at all times when hunting in Oregon - in addition to clothing appropriate to the weather;

A Wave, either a 3-3.5[a Griptilian is my current favorite FWIW]or 3-4 inch fixed blade [ie Gerber Gator Drop Point],handkerchief, bandana, 2 bics, 1 days meds [I am diabetic], whistle and Photon light on a neck lanyard, ball compass low on my suspenders, watch with watchband compass, a microlight and P-38 on my key ring,small plstic signal mirror, small plastic poncho, a Little Sparky magnesium fire starter, five coffee filters, a pack of five paper towels for TP, two 33 gal l/w clear trash bags, two one quart ziplocks, 25 ' of marking tape, 25' of 100# twine and last but not least a little flat pack of electrical and duct tape. In my wallet are 4 micropur tabs and a Fresnel magnifier.Small Snicker bars [2] and Jolly Ranchers [4] for my glucose fix if needed.

I usually have a filled half liter platypus on me also. It has to be a really short hunt not to take it.

For longer jaunts than a couple of hours I will add a supplemented AMK Ritter Survival Kit and a two person Heatsheets plus one or two food bars in a belt pouch. A filter straw goes in there too.

For longer hunts I use a fanny pack or backpack and add more.

In this rainy climate shelter is most important then lots of ways to start a fire [that can be hard to manage], some ways to get water , some ways to signal them a little food. First aid comes in there last.

you can add a small bottle of Hand Sanitizer
it's mostly alcohol, and is great for fire starting.

Talon

Packed into a Nalgene bottle:
Space blanket
Magnesium fire starter
Fish hoops and line
North American Arms mini .22 revolver
50 rounds .22 LR ammo
Tiny compass
Small good quality knife
Small Leatherman tool
Tiny 1st aid kit
A small bit of wire for snares
And even though I had one that failed, a small wire saw
Small mirror for signaling

This kit lives at the bottom of my pack, always on my back when afield in the U.S.

How do you like that little revolver? I've always thought it would be fun to have but, can you actually hit anything with it?

I had one in 22 short, just had to have it. I put a couple boxes of ammo through it before coming to the conclusion that it wasn't neat enough to have something I couldn't hit with. I'd rather carry a wrist rocket for small game, I can't think of many locals where one can't find ammo just laying on the ground.