Mini survival kit
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Mini survival kits consist of essential outdoor survival tools and supplies that are difficult or impossible to improvise and which are small enough or critical enough to make them worthwhile carrying all the time. Contained within an Altoids or similar sized tin, and waterproofed using adhesive tape, these items serve as a back-up to normally carried equipment. These kits may be referred to as BOATs, or Bug-Out Altoids Tins.
A mini survival kit will usually contain an assortment of, but not limited to, the following items;
- a miniature compass (e.g. Silva SERE 40, Recta DW)
- a small signal mirror
- a small keychain-sized LED light
- fire starting materials such as a lighter and/or element-resistant matches, a flint rod with striker, and Esbit tablets/cotton balls to use as tinder
- an unlubricated condom or a Ziploc bag to carry water
- water purification tablets
- a length of paracord or other reliable nylon cord/string
- duct tape
- fishing hooks
- needles and durable thread for clothing repairs, lashing, or fishing
- safety pins for clothing repair or for improvised fishhooks
- aluminum foil, to make a cup for boiling water, to use as a fire base, and for signaling, via the reflective surface
- Black Shoe Polish - Can be use as a fuel for fire , gives off a smell that can repel animals , marking and camoflage
- instructions for fire-making, knot-tying, signalling, and other forms of bushcraft to aid the user in a survival situation
- water resistant paper, to make notes and to also leave messages/directions for rescuers
- small pencil
- wire to use for small animal snares or for shelter lashing/equipment repair
- razor blades, these usually are designed to only supplement a regular pocketknife that the user is assumed to already have carried
- Basic first-aid supplies such as Band-Aids, ointments, painkillers, tweezers, etc..
- a moderate amount of money, usually enough to call home, call for a cab, or buy food assuming the user makes it out of a survival situation and back into civilization
Doug Ritter provides an excellent example of a homemade Mini Survival Kit here.
Another example of mini survival kit
Mini survival kits can be bought pre-packed; as a result they have become more complex and standardised. Examples being the BCB International Combat Survival Tin and the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak a commercially available mini survival kit designed by Doug Ritter.