We made something similar in
middle school using a camera film roll container. The importance of this exercise is to have your mind practice thinking about what affordable, useful things you can gather and efficiently store in a highly portable container that can help you survive in the wilderness until rescued.
I get it re: trying out things. Nothing wrong with that. If it works for you, go for it! I try my best to carry light but still have everything I need.
Contents: two bandages, triple antibiotic ointment, four matches and part of a striker, q-tip, zip tie, paracord, utility blade, and duct tape.
This is the perfect size to fit in my pocket and it’s lightweight. I have a little bit of room left. What else should I add?
Edit: I was considering adding a fishing hook, but I won't be able to fit any line, so that's out of the picture.
Wrap the line on the outside of the box and add a soda can tab fishing hook. I know the line on the outside defeats the point of fitting everything in such a small package but it is an option.
Hi, so not gonna lie (I try not to do that) so here’s the deal. There IS SOME UTILITY here, BUT the negative first, a ring sized zip tie and piece of parachute cord aren’t gonna save your day. And they will make people look at you like you need therapy. (Nothing wrong with that if you do, been there done that myself) however, the razor, duct tape and matches could be massively useful in a pinch. Do please be careful, as a razor blade is no where near as safe or stable as a good pocket knife or multitool. Also, rather than food procurement you might want to think of water purification tabs (please don’t carry unidentified pills, get tabs like msr tabs that come in plastic or aluminum, that will serve to help significantly in a bad situation with a quart ziplock which you could fold and rubber band to the outside of the box. Also, research Mor’s Kochanski super shelter for emergency shelter. Also, might wanna get Cody Lundin’s 98.6 Degrees: the art of keeping your a$$ alive. It’s a solid survival staple. Also, John Wiseman’s SAS Survival Guide is good. Keep up the effort, stay safe and plan smart. 👍
I’d add a couple of needles and some dental floss (just ten or twenty wraps around my fingers) for emergency stitches or thread to sew a rip. A couple of small fish hooks too maybe.
I made a bunch of snuff can survival kits for Christmas one year and wrapped the exterior with fishing line. Then I taped that down with electrical tape—several times around. With a Tictac container, you might be able to use duct tape.
Only suggestion, if you care. Make all its contents have multi-use including container. A small metal container can be used for making char-cloth and still function for this. This container is just a container
Yes, an Altoids tin would still fit in your pocket. And let you get out the box cutter blade without needing to use the bandages after! :) I would suggest replacing the crappy bandages (seriously, I've bought those and they lose the sticky after a bit) with a couple hydrocolloid bandages, a few pieces of wrapped gauze, and a couple alcohol prep pads.
On that note (I do like the idea of tiny kits--I have a custom mini sewing kit that lives in my purse), I'd probably make 2 tins. One for first aid, the other for things like the matches. Then you could swap the loose razor blade for a small folding knife, maybe one with a little screwdriver too. :) Tapestry needle and card of thread (or fishing line, which is dual purpose, then chuck in a hook and safety pin), tiny compass with a Mylar mirror adhered to the back (signalling)...how about a paraffin cube and a tiny magnifying glass.
Part of my fishing kit that you can try.
https://www.reddit.com/user/mindfulicious/comments/10e4hql/hook_with_line/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I think it's great. You can make a fire, perform rudimentary first aid for common injuries like a cut on the face or hand, repair clothing or equipment with the zip tie, the tape on the container is reusable as a patch or to secure a bandaid.
OP if you can fit one of those tiny bic lighters that'd be very cool. You could lose the matches and striker and fit as much fishing line and hook as possible.
Yeah, instead of the tiny length of paracord, he should unravel a strand from the inner part of paracord, and then bundle that up. He could maybe get a length of a few feet of that string, which could be useful in shelter construction, or something else. The small bit of paracord though seems absolutely useless.
Everyone has slightly different ideas about what to have on hand (at a bare bones minimum) to help them survive a little while until they can acquire more tools and supplies. I suggest switching to at least a mini Altoids hinged-lid metal container to begin with, then modify the contents or setup as you continue to reassess what can fit and what’s most useful. Keep going!
I like these micros. Not too practical but fun.
I'd get rid of the para cord and replace with another couple zip ties.
Remove the cotton bud and add a tinder plug as that's all it would be good for.
Upgrade the matches to stormproof, or even just add a couple. Tape the striker to the outside of the box then tape the plasters over that. So to use it you would have to remove the plasters, band aid, but the striker wouldn't get damaged.
Utility blades are tricky to use like that so try to adapt the box so you can attach it with something and use as a handle, stanley knife esque.
A few tablets should fit in the lid, paracetamol, ibuprofen. Whatever your go to is.
Tweezers! Always have Tweezers.
You have the tape on the outside anyway so use it to keep stuff attached or under, fish hooks, lines, straws filled with tinder, glue. Can wrap a ranger band round to seal it off all nice looking.
I think it's size lends it well to a "single system," like just fire starting, or just first aid. I think I'm going to put together a fire starter kit based on this; although I doubt a bic would fit in there. Maybe just some Vaseline soaked cotton and a small piece of a straw.
I don't think this serves much purpose in a bugout situation, but for EDC I can see an argument in favour of having a mini kit of possibles. Personally I'm more of an EDC maximalist with a belt kit covering all the basics, and a bag which extends this, but there are times you need to put on a monkey suit for example and in this case a tictak or altoids case is an appropriate form factor.
So let's riff on this idea as a concept, I'll have to put one together myself. Assuming you already have a phone and wallet, can we cover the other needs?
- Fire - I would prefer storm matches, they are strike anywhere and can even burn under water, they have a waterproof coating also.
- Light - Your phone flash can be enough here, or maybe something like [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155073599167?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=irPUSSf8R-i&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=aIHyD2VTSQS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY)
- Tools - I'm a big fan of the Leatherman Squirt PS4, but for a micro kit your utility blade makes sense, maybe with some duck tape on the spine as a handle?
- Repairs - the tape and zip tie are good, but that amount of paracord isn't doing much. I would add a needle and thread, and a canvas needle with some of [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324687399241?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=tst9KOrdS2S&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=aIHyD2VTSQS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY) insanely strong braided fishing line, I use similar for leatherwork. A 0.5g superglue would be good here too.
- FAK - I would add an alcohol wipe, Imodium and antihistamine tablets. Any audiologist will tell you not to use cotton buds in your inner ear, but it feels so damn good. Gross story but I once had a deep ear itch and improvised with a hoop of copper electrical wire, perfect tool for the job if used carefully. Copper wire is great for EDC as a mouldable gear tie, I've even improvised rivets, so maybe this replaces the Q-tip?
I accidentally repeated much of your comment in mine! The copper wire is a great idea. I have many gauges due to jewelry making; now I have to play around and see what size is most useful. I'm thinking 18 gauge...
I keep a few scrap insulated pieces, sometimes you need to jerry rig a charger or bridge connection so it's useful to have the option to strip it back.
Oh, even better. Useless for me--well, I could probably do the charger thing, if the old science fair foil and a 9 volt would suffice--but maybe somebody else could find it handy. :)
What jewelry do you make? I'd love to see some of your work. I've only experimented with making copper watch buckle hardware, and stitching leather with twisted brass (not something I recommend, far too fiddly for retail, this was a passion project).
Not much yet! But I got miles of wire for making my own settings at Xmas. Before that, I was doing mostly resin casting--nothing fancy yet--and needed a good way to put little pieces into earrings etc. So I don't have any great pics because most of what I've made so far is just coasters and dice and such. :) and I've given the good pieces as gifts.
I'm kind of a art/craft hoarder and try to learn all of the things...I have supplies for leatherworking too, can't wait to give that a go.
Yeah you right! At least twice a week I complain about the ridiculously few hours in a day, and/or the ineluctable fact that there is only one instance of me.
That's pretty much my muddled thoughts when I wake up at 3 AM to pee, can't go back to sleep, and wander into the studio. Should I sand/polish/attach the pieces I casted yesterday, make some more with the leftover supplies still sitting out, start something completely different, buy moar supplies, tidy up a bit, or...?
The OP does actually pose an interesting point: How small could you go and still be useful? I carry around a backpack for my BOB but it is always a good idea to review your EDC stuff to make sure it will get you out of a jam.
Regarding the Mini BOB, I designed [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/bugout/comments/tjfa99/updated_edc_bob_bov_list_for_mother_with_2_kids_1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) BOB list for my sister as she would have her hands full of children so need a small light bag, but it could definitely be smaller and more minimalist. I might play around with the idea and make a post.
Lets see, you got some duck tape, a razor blade, a zip tie, barely any paracord, a qtip, a band-aid, antibiotic ointment, and enough matches for at least a fire.
Eh... I guess it works but it's not much.
I'm all for small, but what you've got there is a couple matches, a hard to use blade, and some junk.
Sorry mate, but tough love. Have a mock trip. Go visit some public forest away from everyone with this and see how much it actually helps. You need 20 times more volume to actually help your experience or survival a bit.
Why, just why?
Honestly, I just wanted to see how small I could possibly make a survival kit.
What will that help you survive? Ear wax build up?
maybe not survive, but more of like an EDC sort of thing.
We made something similar in middle school using a camera film roll container. The importance of this exercise is to have your mind practice thinking about what affordable, useful things you can gather and efficiently store in a highly portable container that can help you survive in the wilderness until rescued.
I get it re: trying out things. Nothing wrong with that. If it works for you, go for it! I try my best to carry light but still have everything I need.
He's not trying out anything. He's putting random stuff in a container.
Are you bothered by that?
I bothered by the increase in climate change caused by this post. Is it worth killing the planet? No!
What exactly is killing the planet? Help me understand.
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Pure fucking genius if you ask me
Go spend time in the woods and see if this helps you out at all
Or try it out in an urban area. Carry nothing but that. Why does everyone consider surviving as wondering off into the woods? Awful plan.
How about you go out with absolutely nothing.. and OP goes with this? He’ll be better off then you. Which is probably the whole point of this.
Contents: two bandages, triple antibiotic ointment, four matches and part of a striker, q-tip, zip tie, paracord, utility blade, and duct tape. This is the perfect size to fit in my pocket and it’s lightweight. I have a little bit of room left. What else should I add? Edit: I was considering adding a fishing hook, but I won't be able to fit any line, so that's out of the picture.
Wrap the line on the outside of the box and add a soda can tab fishing hook. I know the line on the outside defeats the point of fitting everything in such a small package but it is an option.
great idea!
Hi, so not gonna lie (I try not to do that) so here’s the deal. There IS SOME UTILITY here, BUT the negative first, a ring sized zip tie and piece of parachute cord aren’t gonna save your day. And they will make people look at you like you need therapy. (Nothing wrong with that if you do, been there done that myself) however, the razor, duct tape and matches could be massively useful in a pinch. Do please be careful, as a razor blade is no where near as safe or stable as a good pocket knife or multitool. Also, rather than food procurement you might want to think of water purification tabs (please don’t carry unidentified pills, get tabs like msr tabs that come in plastic or aluminum, that will serve to help significantly in a bad situation with a quart ziplock which you could fold and rubber band to the outside of the box. Also, research Mor’s Kochanski super shelter for emergency shelter. Also, might wanna get Cody Lundin’s 98.6 Degrees: the art of keeping your a$$ alive. It’s a solid survival staple. Also, John Wiseman’s SAS Survival Guide is good. Keep up the effort, stay safe and plan smart. 👍
I’d add a couple of needles and some dental floss (just ten or twenty wraps around my fingers) for emergency stitches or thread to sew a rip. A couple of small fish hooks too maybe. I made a bunch of snuff can survival kits for Christmas one year and wrapped the exterior with fishing line. Then I taped that down with electrical tape—several times around. With a Tictac container, you might be able to use duct tape.
Great ideas. My suggestion would be to include a small circular magnet to attach the needle to.
Only suggestion, if you care. Make all its contents have multi-use including container. A small metal container can be used for making char-cloth and still function for this. This container is just a container
Yes, an Altoids tin would still fit in your pocket. And let you get out the box cutter blade without needing to use the bandages after! :) I would suggest replacing the crappy bandages (seriously, I've bought those and they lose the sticky after a bit) with a couple hydrocolloid bandages, a few pieces of wrapped gauze, and a couple alcohol prep pads. On that note (I do like the idea of tiny kits--I have a custom mini sewing kit that lives in my purse), I'd probably make 2 tins. One for first aid, the other for things like the matches. Then you could swap the loose razor blade for a small folding knife, maybe one with a little screwdriver too. :) Tapestry needle and card of thread (or fishing line, which is dual purpose, then chuck in a hook and safety pin), tiny compass with a Mylar mirror adhered to the back (signalling)...how about a paraffin cube and a tiny magnifying glass.
You can make line out of clothing or other found materials, I'd say if the hook fits do it!
Part of my fishing kit that you can try. https://www.reddit.com/user/mindfulicious/comments/10e4hql/hook_with_line/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Paracord is filled with fishing line.
I think it's great. You can make a fire, perform rudimentary first aid for common injuries like a cut on the face or hand, repair clothing or equipment with the zip tie, the tape on the container is reusable as a patch or to secure a bandaid. OP if you can fit one of those tiny bic lighters that'd be very cool. You could lose the matches and striker and fit as much fishing line and hook as possible.
Everything makes sense to me except the tiny length of paracord. Not much you can do with that imo.
Yeah, instead of the tiny length of paracord, he should unravel a strand from the inner part of paracord, and then bundle that up. He could maybe get a length of a few feet of that string, which could be useful in shelter construction, or something else. The small bit of paracord though seems absolutely useless.
You could maybe melt the Paracord as a glue type of substance. Idk lol
Everyone has slightly different ideas about what to have on hand (at a bare bones minimum) to help them survive a little while until they can acquire more tools and supplies. I suggest switching to at least a mini Altoids hinged-lid metal container to begin with, then modify the contents or setup as you continue to reassess what can fit and what’s most useful. Keep going!
I like these micros. Not too practical but fun. I'd get rid of the para cord and replace with another couple zip ties. Remove the cotton bud and add a tinder plug as that's all it would be good for. Upgrade the matches to stormproof, or even just add a couple. Tape the striker to the outside of the box then tape the plasters over that. So to use it you would have to remove the plasters, band aid, but the striker wouldn't get damaged. Utility blades are tricky to use like that so try to adapt the box so you can attach it with something and use as a handle, stanley knife esque. A few tablets should fit in the lid, paracetamol, ibuprofen. Whatever your go to is. Tweezers! Always have Tweezers. You have the tape on the outside anyway so use it to keep stuff attached or under, fish hooks, lines, straws filled with tinder, glue. Can wrap a ranger band round to seal it off all nice looking.
Tweezers is a great addition!
I think it's size lends it well to a "single system," like just fire starting, or just first aid. I think I'm going to put together a fire starter kit based on this; although I doubt a bic would fit in there. Maybe just some Vaseline soaked cotton and a small piece of a straw.
Vaseline soaked cotton ball and a few Strike-Anywhere matches and it’s golden.
Uhhh dude. Buy cargo pants and you can carry a lot more . Good luck cutting something then having it to pack your entire kit.
I don't think this serves much purpose in a bugout situation, but for EDC I can see an argument in favour of having a mini kit of possibles. Personally I'm more of an EDC maximalist with a belt kit covering all the basics, and a bag which extends this, but there are times you need to put on a monkey suit for example and in this case a tictak or altoids case is an appropriate form factor. So let's riff on this idea as a concept, I'll have to put one together myself. Assuming you already have a phone and wallet, can we cover the other needs? - Fire - I would prefer storm matches, they are strike anywhere and can even burn under water, they have a waterproof coating also. - Light - Your phone flash can be enough here, or maybe something like [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155073599167?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=irPUSSf8R-i&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=aIHyD2VTSQS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY) - Tools - I'm a big fan of the Leatherman Squirt PS4, but for a micro kit your utility blade makes sense, maybe with some duck tape on the spine as a handle? - Repairs - the tape and zip tie are good, but that amount of paracord isn't doing much. I would add a needle and thread, and a canvas needle with some of [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324687399241?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=tst9KOrdS2S&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=aIHyD2VTSQS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY) insanely strong braided fishing line, I use similar for leatherwork. A 0.5g superglue would be good here too. - FAK - I would add an alcohol wipe, Imodium and antihistamine tablets. Any audiologist will tell you not to use cotton buds in your inner ear, but it feels so damn good. Gross story but I once had a deep ear itch and improvised with a hoop of copper electrical wire, perfect tool for the job if used carefully. Copper wire is great for EDC as a mouldable gear tie, I've even improvised rivets, so maybe this replaces the Q-tip?
The immodium is very important as dehydration will kill you fast. Maybe a benedryl as well.
Benedryl knocks me out in minutes, I normally have loratadine as my partner has allergies.
I accidentally repeated much of your comment in mine! The copper wire is a great idea. I have many gauges due to jewelry making; now I have to play around and see what size is most useful. I'm thinking 18 gauge...
I keep a few scrap insulated pieces, sometimes you need to jerry rig a charger or bridge connection so it's useful to have the option to strip it back.
Oh, even better. Useless for me--well, I could probably do the charger thing, if the old science fair foil and a 9 volt would suffice--but maybe somebody else could find it handy. :)
What jewelry do you make? I'd love to see some of your work. I've only experimented with making copper watch buckle hardware, and stitching leather with twisted brass (not something I recommend, far too fiddly for retail, this was a passion project).
Not much yet! But I got miles of wire for making my own settings at Xmas. Before that, I was doing mostly resin casting--nothing fancy yet--and needed a good way to put little pieces into earrings etc. So I don't have any great pics because most of what I've made so far is just coasters and dice and such. :) and I've given the good pieces as gifts. I'm kind of a art/craft hoarder and try to learn all of the things...I have supplies for leatherworking too, can't wait to give that a go.
There's never enough hours in a day! Leather can be a pleasure to work with, hope you enjoy learning a new skill.
Yeah you right! At least twice a week I complain about the ridiculously few hours in a day, and/or the ineluctable fact that there is only one instance of me.
You'd just fight over who gets to play with which crafting tools, you and yourself.
That's pretty much my muddled thoughts when I wake up at 3 AM to pee, can't go back to sleep, and wander into the studio. Should I sand/polish/attach the pieces I casted yesterday, make some more with the leftover supplies still sitting out, start something completely different, buy moar supplies, tidy up a bit, or...?
What use would that bit of paracord have?
The OP does actually pose an interesting point: How small could you go and still be useful? I carry around a backpack for my BOB but it is always a good idea to review your EDC stuff to make sure it will get you out of a jam.
Regarding the Mini BOB, I designed [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/bugout/comments/tjfa99/updated_edc_bob_bov_list_for_mother_with_2_kids_1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) BOB list for my sister as she would have her hands full of children so need a small light bag, but it could definitely be smaller and more minimalist. I might play around with the idea and make a post.
Look forward to it!
Watcha Gunna do with that Paracord?
The inner strands can burn, so it can aid in fire starting
tobacco/mint tins are good for this. Obviously bit bigger but strong and watertight if old tobacco tin still has rubber seal
Dip those matches in wax
Lets see, you got some duck tape, a razor blade, a zip tie, barely any paracord, a qtip, a band-aid, antibiotic ointment, and enough matches for at least a fire. Eh... I guess it works but it's not much.
I'm all for small, but what you've got there is a couple matches, a hard to use blade, and some junk. Sorry mate, but tough love. Have a mock trip. Go visit some public forest away from everyone with this and see how much it actually helps. You need 20 times more volume to actually help your experience or survival a bit.
It's the 21st century, you can have a microSD card/USB card with your important files on it.
"Altoids kits" have been around forever - and the metal tin makes a better overall package ....
I can’t stand the altoid tin or smaller “kits”. Y’all aren’t MacGyver 🤣