I got this idea a few years ago from a post that Kyle Defoor published on his Tumblr Blog. His was more of a last-ditch crash kit that he hoped never needed to be used. I took that idea and ran with it for my own personal survival kit. This is the kit that gets thrown into my backpack when I go on shorter day hikes, bike rides or any type of outdoor excursions we decide to tackle. The advantage of this small kit is that I can throw it into any bag really, and turn that said bag into a go-bag if you want to call it that.
Although my contents differ a bit from the one Kyle Defoor put together, the shell remains the same. I honestly have not found a better shell to use for this kit over the years and I’ve used many different pouches and kits. The shell is a SealLine See Pouch. Similar to the more popular SealLine dry bags, it’s a micro version of that. It comes in two sizes. but the size and color I’m using is the Large Orange See Pouch. The pouch is waterproof when closed and keeps everything dry if submerged or exposed to the elements of mother nature. The pouch can also double as a water container when all the contents are removed which is a huge advantage.
Let’s dive into the contents of my kit and why I chose what I did.
- Gerber Gatormate folding knife
- BIC lighter contained in an Exotac fireSLEEVE
- UCO Stormproof matches contained in an Exotac matchCAP
- Frontier Emergency Water Filter Straw
- Prometheus Design Werx button compass
- Streamlight Microstream Flashlight
- SOL Emergency Survival Blanket
My goal is to keep the kit minimal with only the products I need. In order to do that, you actually have to take the kit out and use it. Common practice a lot of the time, is to build a survival kit, keep in in a bag and then never use it. I prefer to use mine and restock anything that gets used. Not only does this keep me familiar with the kit, but it gives me confidence knowing that it will work if I ever get pressed into a survival situation.
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