Altoids tin survival kit

So I had this idea (not an original one) to populate an Altoids tin with some "survival" type stuff. Obviously, this kit must be minimalist. I wonder what you guys might do differently. Such a kit could be geared towards either urban or rural survival, and depends upon what survival means to you.

My kit cost me less than $13 to put together, not including the tin and cash, and consists of the following:

keychain led light ($0.50)
3-in-1 "cigarette" with laser (signaling), ballpoint pen and led light ($0.69)
Sanrenmu 605 folding knife ($6)
Swiss Army knife w/scissors, small blade, file, tweezers, toothpick ($2.00 Ebay)
butane lighter ($0.70)
nail wrapped with 3' duct tape, 2' twine (~$0)
pain reliever ($1)
anti-diarrhea pills ($1)
antihistamine (benedryl) (~$0)
antibiotic cream ($1)
cash ($5 - I'm a BLF'er on a budget, after all)

not shown: small stack of Post-It notes
possible add-on: water purification pills

those blue pills remind me of spy movies...

Awesome kit!

You might add one of the cheap DX striker flints; those can be used to easily light a fire using tinder you make on your own and they will last forever. Not quite as convenient as your lighter but they won't leak or run out of gas...

I would definitely add bandaids and a few butterfly sutures. Those are flat and take up no room... Also, some small fish hooks and a small roll (sewing machine bobbin?) of small diameter fishing line. A couple of single-edged razor blades? Better for emergency surgery if needed Sealed, also, small and flat. Instead of the 2' of twine, maybe a longer piece of high-test braiding fishing line. Those chemical fire pellets are awesome, but probably too large for an altoids tin sized kit.

Add a small tube of SuperGlue, it is better than stitches for closing a medium wound. Also, the 2 knives are sort of redundant, I'd toss one and add fishing line and a compass.

I like the Altoids tin idea, but I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze a 357 magnum in there...

The Magnum would be difficult but you could fit one of the NAA minis in there though...

keltex78, I was thinking about magnesium rod since I already have some. Opted for lighter as a more convenient approach. Would definitely add the rod to a fanny-pack kit. Also, in retrospect, I would go with a mini-Bic rather than full size lighter for the Altoids kit.

Figured duct tape and some fabric could make a bandaid. Like the razor and fishing line ideas. Was also going to add a small vial with vaseline-soaked cotton ball for firestarter, but again ran out of room. Also destined for fanny-pack kit.

trooplewis, I see super glue as a valuable addition. The Swiss knife is there mainly for the scissors and tweezers. However, a Leatherman Micra should do everything and take up less space than two knives. I almost always carry a regular-size pocket folder anyway, which further adds to the redundancy. I have a fanny pack holster which would be a nice housing for that .357 and extra gear.

keltex78, I have a NAA mini and it didn't occur to me to check and see if it would fit in the small kit. I'm thinking it's just a little too thick, though.

well solution for the .357 magnum... keep it in your waist line

I don't have the NAA mini; I almost bought one once but opted for the 2-barrel Cobra derringer in .22 Mag. It fit my hand better, and suited my purpose better. It's to use with shotshells only for shooting venomous snakes when necessary. With the slim grips, it might fit your kit, but I doubt that it's much thinner, if any at all, than your mini. For a minimalist survival kit pistol, I would choose the NAA Black Widow. Longer barrel and better sights should give it the velocity and accuracy you would need to take small game, and the .22 mag can be a formidable defensive round as well. That and 50-100 rounds wouldn't weigh much or take up much room in a kit.

Don't get me started on 22 mag - a very useful and underrated cartridge.

Great kit Broomhauer!

I call this my Get Home Altoids Tin or GHAT...



Contents

(1) Set of house keys (taped to lid with duct tape)
(1) Transit Card with $10 fare
(1) Streamlight Nano
(1) "Leatherman Micra" 9-in-1 Multitool Clone
(1) Backup Battery (charged) for Droid X
(1) DIY cut down ballpoint pen

(1) OTC Med Pack

  • (10) Advil
  • (2) Benadryl
  • (2) Sudafed
  • (1) Zyrtec
  • (4) Imodium

(1) Mini BIC Lighter (secured)
(2) Bandages
(1) Triple Antibiotic
(2) Sheets of Paper
$22 (1 x $20, 2 x $1)
Family Photo

I was so impressed with the light output of the Streamlight Nano, I got one for each member of my family.

That's a great urban warrior kit, GraveTrain! Great ideas, guys.

Great ideas guys. Keep 'em coming.

BTW, where do you guys store the can??

Where firearms are essentially unavailable.

Duct tape. As much as will fit in the tin.

First Aid kit. Could give you the list but it's boring. Basically dressings. Can miss this out if necessary as dressings can be improvised.

Fish hooks.

Fishing line.

Razor blades - preferably single sided but the duct tape will sort that.

Wire saw.

Fire is not an issue as I'll always have some means of lighting cigarettes on me.

A lot of sterile gauze - this will work just fine with the duct tape for dressings.

Normal saline.

Prescription stuff - or street stuff if it is clean enough: 500mg heroin, 250mg methamphetamine hydrochloride (or a bunch of Quaaludes if I must). 5g oxytetracycline. A lot of bleach. Or a few thousand calcium hypochlorite tablets.

With the bleach you can make war gases with an acid and a bit of work. And it'll sterilise most things. Tablets of calcium hypochlorite will do the trick here. Or about 50 other ways with a basic knowledge of chemistry.

A couple of grams of barium peroxide and some magnesium metal would be useful. And a few kilograms of some light hydrocarbon - hexane - cetane would be nice.

A few metres of extruded razor wire would be useful - but in a disaster broken glass can be substituted.

As much spring steel wire as can fit in the tin. Very useful for snares and other handy stuff.

1/ Super Glue [ very handy stuff ] you know they glue people back together now with some surgery now

2/ String [ Para chord ] ? you need string ...

3/ Make Fire [ Matches - what ever ] you need fire

4/ Knife - yeah

5/ Surgical Cloth Tape [ Roll ] - much better than a band aid - and can handle larger wounds .

6/ Some disinfectant - yeah - people get infections from insect bites - good stuff to have around ...

I ditched the two knives and substituted a Micra. Also plan to get a baby Bic instead of the full size lighter. Then I'll have tons more room to add a gas mask and other fun stuff.

Actually I plan to first add a razor blade, mono or braded fishing line (ditch the twine), hooks, water purification tablets and hydrocodone (how in the world did I forget the hydrocodone?). If there's room after that, then perhaps some sterile gauze and super glue, but space tightens really fast in an Altoid tin.

Speaking of gas, Don, over here in the states last week an elderly woman died and several others were sickened after an employee mixed cleaning components in a bathroom - ammonia and bleach, presumably. Edit: just saw an update that showed the working theory is a carbon dioxide gas leak. Filled a wall cavity then spilled into the women's bathroom, causing suffocation.

Great ideas everyone.

And Don, you must have some really REALLY BIG Altoid tins in Scotland. ;)

I keep mine in my bag. I made one for my daughter with a magnetic back and she sticks it onto the top of the inside of her locker at school.

i thought it was a survival kit, not make other people worry about survival kit lol

why the heroin i gotta ask? if you got caught with your kit around here, youll be doin time in the pen for sure

I guess the heroin is just in case things get really bad. It won't make things better but it will help you say, "Who cares.........".

its a top notch pain killer. so much so that after the war between the states in the u.s there were more heroin addicts than there are today.

but trying to explain to someone (LEO) that you are carrying it as an emergency pain killer is bound to be met with EXTREME skepticism, and get you busted.

also, it is unlikely that you are purchasing pharmaceutical grade Rorer 714's, as no reputable manufacturer continues to make quaaludes. the worst of them will end you up in hospital, which i have seen first hand.