Personal Survival Kit

[tbeard1999]

Here's a small personal survival kit that I've designed for my campaign. It's designed to fit
in the equivalent of double thick Altoids tin.

Pocket Survival Kit (TL8 Cr35)

“swiss army” knife with spearpoint blade, nail file, screwdriver tip, scissors, tweezers and whistle with wrist lanyard.

acrylic signal mirror (two-handed), 2.5cm x 5.1 cm, reusable protective sheet on face, nylon string lanyard

scalpel blade packed in foil

fire starter

5 loads of inflammable tinder for fire starter

5 wind and waterproof matches and striker (england)

wire saw

magnifying lens, (4.1cm x 7.6cm) magnifying area

18mm watchband compass, luminous face, nylon string lanyard

“keychain sized” white led lithium battery flashlight with nylon string wrist lanyard (12 hours on a single battery)

fishing kit:
9 small fish hooks
3 split shot
2 snap swivels

30 ft./9.1m monofilament fishing line, 15 lb. (6.8 kg) test, on bobbin

3 adhesive bandages, 1 x 3 inches (25 x 76 mm)

small tube liquid bandage (3 uses)

2 butterfly closure, medium

antiseptic prep pad

2 triple antibiotic ointment (1g packet; enough for 1 use)

2 pain relief tabs (24 hrs; like a strong analgesic)

2 electrolite tabs

10 water purification tabs (each tab will purify 1L of water)

rugged ziplock bag for use as water container, holds 300 ml

bouillon cube, chicken

heavy duty canvas sewing needle

30cm plastic electrical tape, 13 mm wide (wrapped around fire starter)

120cm parachute cord, mil-spec, red, 300 kg test (secured to exterior of container)

sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, 30cm x 30cm

11m waxed dental floss

3.6m stainless steel wire (six 61 cm lengths)

3 large rugged safety pins

2 plastic cable ties

sheet waterproof paper, (10.8cm x 14cm)

6cm pencil, unsharpened

survival instruction sheet on waterproof

thumb drive with extensive medical and survival literature

fishing knots instruction sheet on waterproof paper

waterproof plastic box , (11.4cm x 8.3cm x 3.2cm), with latch.

TL9 Options

512GB+ thumb drive filled with survival and medical ebooks, along with diagnostic software (requires a reader that is not included in the kit) and entertainment software.

water purifier tabs purify 2L of water

cord holds 2 times the weight.

flashlight lasts 18 hours on a charge.

pain relief tabs last 48 hours.

TL10 Options (Kit costs Cr50):

Replace tinder with 5 fire tabs (strike on hard surface and will burn for 1 minute; wind and waterproof).

knife, saw and scalpel blade remains sharp nearly indefinitely.

case is also a media reader with built-in solar panel and rechargeable batteries (lasts 24 hours if no sunlight); contents of TL9 thumb drive are now built into case (also includes entertainment software, literature, etc., and a holographic keyboard for data entry). Also capable of short range radio communications (2 km) and can network with other devices.

water purifier tabs purify 3L of water and remove most objectionable flavors

flashlight also incorporates a laser that can work as a cutter. Flashlight lasts 24 hours. 1 minute of laser cutting uses 20 minutes of battery power (cutting speed through wood is 30cm per minute; most metal, 5 cm per minute; rock 3 cm per minute; cuts are 1cm deep).

matches are absolutely wind and waterproof and will work in almost any atmosphere.

mirror is as good as a TL8 glass mirror

TL11 Options:

case is nearly indestructible.

cord holds 3 times the weight.

magnifying glass is twice as effective and can start fires with half the amount of sunlight.

5 disposable diagnostic tests – a tiny needle that is used to obtain a blood sample, then is inserted into survival kit case. Software loaded into case will diagnose any medical condition that can be diagnosed by a blood test.

3 broad spectrum antibiotic tabs (1 per day for three days will defeat most infections)

pain relief tabs last 72 hours and are far more effective; can speed healing by 50%

antibiotic ointment and first aid cream replaced with 2 packages of general purpose wound cream (doubles healing rate when applied to a wound; dramatically improves coagulation; dramatically reduces pain).

laser flashlight lasts 36 hours.

water purifier tabs purify 4L of water and remove virtually all objectionable flavors

water bag holds 1L of water, contains regenerating microfilter which will catch most contaminants, including biological contaminants, and is good for 100 uses.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Nice Kit!

Unfortunately, I can't see all of that fitting in an Altoids tin unless it's gravity compressed. (EDIT: I just realized you said double thick Altoids can)

Here's a retail kit you might be interested in:

Survival Kit in a Sardine Can

or the

Adventure Pocket survival pack

and a ton of them listed here (towards the bottom):

Survival Kits

Now, if I were going to put together a survival kit, an Altoids tin just wouldn't be big enough. Here's some of the things I'd pick:

Food

15 days survival tabs

Gravity compressed at TL11 for your convenience

Water

CamelBak UnBottle
with
Inline Filter

At TL11, includes prefilter, solar cell and UV filament for bacterial elimination and water heating. You could probably add a condenser on this, too.

Shelter

Emergency Bivy

With solar sheeting at TL11 for improved warmth and accessory charging.

First Aid

What the US government recommends in a First Aid kit

Signaling

Too many different ways to pick just one

At TL11: the equivalent of the SPOT Messenger

Protection & Tools

Victorinox Swiss Army Knives

and

Leatherman Skeletool

Both could be useful

And at TL11: PGMP (Useful for starting thousands of fires)

Plus:

Red Cross Hand-Crank Radio Flashlight

Swedish Fire Starter

EDIT: What was I thinking? You need something to carry it all in.

 

[tbeard1999]

Here's a true pocket-sized survival kit:

TL8 Micro Survival Kit
Cr10

firestarter – waterproof, useable one-handed, over 1000 sparkings

4 tinder tabs, waterproof, wax impregnated cotton tinder in zip-top plastic bag, each burns 2-3 minutes

survival whistle -triple frequency, with dual mode lanyard hole

signal mirror, (5 x 7.6 cm) polycarbonate with mil-spec style retro-reflective aiming aid for one-handed use, instructions on back, protective cover to prevent scratches while stored in the kit, lanyard hole.

20mm survival compass - liquid damped with groove to accept an improvised lanyard ring

duct tape - (66cm x 5 cm), rolled around plastic mandrel

stainless steel utility wire - (1.83 m x 0.5 mm)

braided nylon cord - 3m, 70+ kg test, won't unravel

#69 Black Nylon Thread - (15.2 m), 5kg test

fishing kit - 4 x medium Fish Hooks, 2 x Split Shot and 1 x Snap Swivel, in a clear plastic vial with cap.

heavy duty sewing needle - will penetrate heavy materials, easy to grip, large eye for easy threading

4 large safety pins

1 sq. meter heavy duty aluminum foil

pencil and waterproof notepaper - 2 pieces (5.4 x 9.3 cm)

scalpel blade in sealed foil packaging

illustrated survival instructions on waterproof paper

lens magnifier - (5 x 7.6 cm), in protective sleeve

pocketsize clear vinyl pouch - (10.2 x 8.3 cm), waterproof zip-top closure, with lanyard hole (will fit in a normal pocket.)

Weight: 111g

TL9 Options

512GB+ thumb drive filled with survival and medical ebooks, along with diagnostic software (requires a reader that is not included in the kit) and entertainment software.

cord holds 2 times the weight.

TL10 Options:

Replace tinder with 5 fire tabs (strike on hard surface and will burn for 1 minute; wind and waterproof).

scalpel blade remains sharp nearly indefinitely.

case has a built-in solar panel with a standard output jack and micro cable. It can power one small device if sunlight is available

mirror is as good as a TL8 glass mirror

TL11 Options:

case is nearly indestructible.

cord holds 3 times the weight.

magnifying glass is twice as effective and can start fires with half the amount of sunlight.

 

[flykiller]

I'm out in the desert. any survival "kit" that doesn't make some provision for cold driving rain in winter or blazing sun in summer just isn't enough.

also, might want to include some plastic tubing. sometimes you can see the water, but not reach it with your hand.

what's the scalpel for?

What was I thinking? You need something to carry it all in.

a day bag is kind of the minimum.

 

[GypsyComet]

firestarter – waterproof, useable one-handed, over 1000 sparkings

Keep the tinders pack and swap this out for a fire piston. It requires two hands, but is limited in uses only by the amount of small tinder type material you have.

 

[mike wightman]

1 guidebook and a towel...

 

[aramis]

Fire pistons are a pain to work. They DO work, and are low tech, but they are neither easy nor simple to use. And if injured in the hand or arm, can become nigh impossible to use.

 

[DaveChase]

Practice, training and hands on experience of what must be done to survive.

You don't have time to read a book or learn how to use the kit when you are truely in need.

Man is a tool maker and user. Sometimes man relies to much on his tools and not what is available. Most animals have no tools and survive quite well.

Vaccum is another issue all together.

Dave Chase

 

[tbeard1999]

FWIW, the guiding philosophy behind the personal kit and micro kit is to combine the most critical basic survival gear into a convenient sized package that is easy to carry and will thus be with you when needed, even if all your other equipment is lost. Virtually everything carried in the kits cannot easily be improvized.

 

[tbeard1999]

Keep the tinders pack and swap this out for a fire piston. It requires two hands, but is limited in uses only by the amount of small tinder type material you have.

Will a fire piston be about the same size (remember, these are very small kits)?

 

[aramis]

Will a fire piston be about the same size (remember, these are very small kits)?

2-5cm x 15-20cm for wooden ones.

 

[GypsyComet]

Some examples

http://www.firepiston.com/

 

[flykiller]

FWIW, the guiding philosophy behind the personal kit and micro kit is to combine the most critical basic survival gear into a convenient sized package that is easy to carry and will thus be with you when needed, even if all your other equipment is lost.

better to have it than not, agreed, and the one listed has some great stuff ('cept maybe for the bullion cube), but it's still missing a few required pieces. in any case no-one carries a survival kit unless it might be needed, and if it might be needed then a more serious one is appropriate. a belt bag (fanny pack) would be just as handy and would carry far more.

 

[tbeard1999]

better to have it than not, agreed, and the one listed has some great stuff ('cept maybe for the bullion cube), but it's still missing a few required pieces. in any case no-one carries a survival kit unless it might be needed, and if it might be needed then a more serious one is appropriate. a belt bag (fanny pack) would be just as handy and would carry far more.

Numerous similar kits are available from various survival experts, so there must be some market for them. In any case, a Traveller referee might not want to give the players *too* much gear, right?

The bouillon cube is designed to make otherwise dodgy food more palatable.

 

[tbeard1999]

Keep the tinders pack and swap this out for a fire piston. It requires two hands, but is limited in uses only by the amount of small tinder type material you have.

What advantages does it have over the spark fire starter?

 

[Spinward Scout]

What advantages does it have over the spark fire starter?

You get about an 800 degree quarter inch wide ember as opposed to a spark. Most tinder for it can even be wet when used in it. A sparker won't work with wet tinder. Unless it's the magnesium kind.

 

[asinjam]

canada like places

i like survival chat in holiday season

dont forget the ice desert world

good to see saws in there

but some of these kits are all a bit summery

to stir alittle more you should also think of volcano situations

 

[GypsyComet]

Volcanos aren't really "basic kit" scenarios, though. Heat and slice resistant boots and knee pads, similar gloves, and easily swappable or cleanable HEPA class dust filters are about as far as you get before "a ride to the next continent" becomes a better option than anything else, at least for "survival". Research is a different matter, but anyone who thinks volcanologists aren't nuts hasn't met one.

 

[CosmicGamer]

I find it interesting that there is so much talk about different methods of starting a fire. I've found that a good simple lighter has worked best (in conjunction with a knife to make kindling from locally gathered sources). The lighter has several other possible uses but I won't go into that since this is not a training course in current survival methods. I believe this is supposed to be a survival kit for Traveller?

The top 3 items, to me, would not be food (which you can go weeks without), water (which you can go days without), or shelter (this depends on the harshness of your environment).

I would like to live long enough to need food, water, and shelter, and better yet, I'd like to be rescued before I need them too. With that in mind...

#1. Breathing.
Respirator and Filter. A miniature rebreather would be nice.

#2. Drugs.
Anti Radiation, Fast, Slow, and others could be necessary in a variety of situations.

#3. Method of contacting possible rescuers/sending a distress call.
This could be anything from a flare gun to a long range communications device.

I also think some additional tools like a soldering iron, multimeter and so on would be useful. Fixing a damaged piece of useful equipment might give you a better chance of survival than building a fire.

Combined light intensification/IR binoculars might have a use.

 

[DaveChase]

I find it interesting that there is so much talk about different methods of starting a fire. I've found that a good simple lighter has worked best (in conjunction with a knife to make kindling from locally gathered sources). The lighter has several other possible uses but I won't go into that since this is not a training course in current survival methods.
...

Hmmmmm, Bic Lighters. Hmmm,

You would not maybe talking about their explosive quality are you. I know of several ways that they can be used for handy dandy localized explosions. Especailly one that is 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Dave Chase