Various Survival Kits?

[Johnny]

Do you have various survival kits, depending on the location where you are going? I've seen many people differentiating urban survival kits and wilderness survival kits, for example.

 

[oldsarge]

Wouldn't be a bad idea to fit the kit to the conditions of that area. No need to carry arctic type gear if your headed for the tropics.

 

[2Tired4]

I agree, you need to tweak your carry system for usual daily chores. But you need to plan in advance if you know you're going to travel somewhere. Either add/replace/leave stuff in it or carry an additional module.

 

[catspa]

How you pack your gear is a very individual choice. For example, my SAR buddy Scott has this giant backpack with everything he owns in it, no outside pockets. When we get called to an incident, he digs in there and tosses out all the stuff he doesn't think he'll need, and then he's ready to go.

My approach is different. I've got a small pack that holds my "always take" gear (with all kinds of crap hanging off it - I look like a garage sale going down the trail), and then a duffle bag full of other bags with more food, more shelter, more tech gear, more medical supplies, etc. While he's throwing stuff out, I'm throwing in what I think I'll need more of.

What really matters is to have what you need when you need it, and there are many ways to get you there.

Parker, who never even considered the idea of an "urban" pack...

 

[Grandpa]

Grandma and I each have our 72 hour kits in the trunks of our cars. But backpacking, each trip has it's own possible needs. The sandstone canyons need extra water capacity and extra rope, the mountains need extra warm clothes. It's all about the least weight possible with the ability to survive a problem. But the one emergency constant for me is carrying my SPOT.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


"Fit the Kit". Now there's a good mantra. Fit the Kit.

 

[catspa]

Um, okay. What does it mean? That one should adjust their body geometry to the backpack they have...?

Parker

 

[Woods]

I, like catspa, own a backpack that has certain stuff in it that can be used in general survival. Depending on where I'm going I'll add more specific stuff.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Um, okay. What does it mean? That one should adjust their body geometry to the backpack they have...?

Parker

Hi...


Nope. I was just quoting oldsarge's "fit the kit", meaning fit the contents of the kit as best as you can to the upcoming circumstances.

 

[catspa]

Oh, okay. Funny mental picture there for a minute.

Parker

 

[Gunny Webb]

Kit depends on person, settings, weather, and situation. A person who needed to get cross town in a blackout has a whole different need from say a man in Maine who had to go through two feet of snow for 15 miles.
Average needs are
1 water and possibly water filtration, 2 water bottles
2 two to three days rations
3 proper exposure protection-clothes and possibly a type of shelter
4 meds you take and first aid kit
5 way to make fire
6 signal device
7 flashlight
8 knife or other small cutting device
9 metal pot or army canteen cup
10 large garbage bag
11 100 feet 550 paracord
12 proper footware, ie good walking shoes or boots
13 metal spoon or spork, plastic bowl and small towel
14 backpack to put your goodies in

Anyone with a little sense and access to the internet can learn to get themselves home or to safety with those items and go 10-20 miles if needed.
We aren't talking go blow 500 dollars on a suvival kit, you can get the ball rolling and have a basic kit for less than $100 with a little shoppping and hunting around. You may have half of it layng around already.

You can add extras later like a small radio, gloves, copy of person documents on thumb drive, extra batteries, some cash.