Personal Survival Kit

[tbeard1999]

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?

I'm not a survival expert, but I notice that almost every survival kit I've seen has a spark-light type of fire starter. There must be some reason for that (maybe a lighter simply lacks the ruggedness or duration).

I did update the kits for various tech levels, trying to stay away from magic gadgets that do everything.

The other items you listed might be good ideas, but they would all be too big for a personal or pocket survival kit.

One item that could be added at TL10 or so would be a pair of noseplugs to filter tainted atmospheres (filters last 2 weeks at TL10; 4 weeks at TL11; 6 weeks at TL12+).

 

[DaveChase]

http://www.nutriteam.com/servlet/the-288/Wein-Viramask-Medical-face/Detail (close to what tbeard mentions

http://www.thestgeorgeco.com/catalogue/html/pesticides.html (bottom of the page. Its what is available now. So a few higher TL it should be better.)

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LES9MG812H2_nid=3PR9QBVSLGbeF3RH7CD92Ngl (this one has the filters in the head gear, I have used one of these. The air flow is nice as it is down over the face versus up the face.)

http://gadgetblvd.com/blog/?p=12 (A new? idea. Maybe in the future you wear on of these or at least a smaller version. Every ship should have a dozen or so

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LES9MG812H2_nid=ZQPLG174LHbeF3RH7CD92Ngl (this one just add a hood or mouth piece. At a few higher TL's it would be smaller )


Depending on how the air is tainted would depend on what type or protection one would need. Some taintedness would require a full eyes, nose and mouth covering but not need skin.

Dave Chase

 

[aramis]

Lighters generally have an issue of volatile fuel. A bic lighter is more dangerous fueld than empty, and empty is usable as a sparker.

Crack a bic in your pocket, and you get a localized frostbite, and possibly also a checmical burn. (Not everyone does, but most people I've known do.) Plus, if it sparks in the process, flame-on! If it is in your kit, it's just contaminated the kit.

Most survival kits have to survive potentally leak-inducing forces. Mine for SAR included a zippo well away from all the other stuff (isolated pouch) on other side of web-gear. I'd never carry a bic in a survival kit due to the pressurized flamables. The Zippo was fueled before missions. Only once used in the field: singing 'chute cord on someone's boots after a tangle with a broken road-sign.

 

[flykiller]

Crack a bic in your pocket

never heard of this. bics are fairly tough. how often have you seen or heard of a bic being broken against someone's thigh or hip?

Most survival kits have to survive potentally leak-inducing forces.

I put together my "emergency bag" with the idea it may be sat on, stepped on, dropped out of a moving car, or dropped twenty feet. I can't see a bic being broken by any of this.

 

[aramis]

never heard of this. bics are fairly tough. how often have you seen or heard of a bic being broken against someone's thigh or hip?


I put together my "emergency bag" with the idea it may be sat on, stepped on, dropped out of a moving car, or dropped twenty feet. I can't see a bic being broken by any of this.

Had it happen twice to myself! once in a fight, once falling on the ice. Seen a half dozen people break them in fights and/or low-impact incidents. All pre-94; About that time, Bic seemed to thicken the walls a bit.

Also, until recently, Bic lighters had no safeties. Same effect could occur without breakage.

 

[flykiller]

Had it happen twice to myself! once in a fight, once falling on the ice. Seen a half dozen people break them in fights and/or low-impact incidents.

good heavens. active life, there.

All pre-94; About that time, Bic seemed to thicken the walls a bit.

just now took a bic (a little one) outside, set it lengthwise on cement, and stood on it, bouncing up and down and shifting my foot a bit. I weigh 270 lbs. the bic didn't break, still works just fine. probably have to take a hammer to it to break it. maybe a larger one wouldn't be so tough.

I wouldn't hesitate to put one in an emergency bag.

 

[Jacqual]

Ya a BIC is fairly TUFF now Imagine TL 12+ probably work damn near forever and be indestrutable to boot. Mind my spelling if I blew a word here and there. But I do think the idea is a good solid one I have a fairly standard Grab Bag about the size of a day back with tons of survival gear. Sell them at the TAS buildings in my game about 500 Cr to purchase. Now if you cant get to it then you cant use it, but all survival pods have them standard issue. At 1 per person in pod for issues, so a 4 Man pod has 4 simple. And in those cases the pod can act as shelter if still in decent fair, shape after landing. My pods have emergency landing capabilities and the pod seats stretch to become sleepers.

 

[aramis]

good heavens. active life, there.


just now took a bic (a little one) outside, set it lengthwise on cement, and stood on it, bouncing up and down and shifting my foot a bit. I weigh 270 lbs. the bic didn't break, still works just fine. probably have to take a hammer to it to break it. maybe a larger one wouldn't be so tough.

I wouldn't hesitate to put one in an emergency bag.

I doubt you did so at -20°F, either... during winter, they get rather more easily broken. Remember, I grew up in Alaska. Weather doesn't stop fights...

And they did thicken them up a good bit in the 1990's, and add safeties.

 

[samuelvss]

First, bravo for tbeard1999; I believe he's got the 95% solution. As to the 5% debate:

The conversation about TL7 butane lighter highlights the problems with Travellerizing household goods made for a given environment. 200kg Landing on a BIC at 10 m/s at 0 degrees K won't make it seem all that tough, but, because we can't conceive how TL's will change things does not mean they won't. I would conceive the TLA BIC as an assembled-on-site:
"Flick your LIC"
An alloy cylinder, with threaded neck, with the striking wheel, valve, button assembly lashed to the other end. The cylinder is rated, because of compact size and advanced materials, for 200G acceleration throughout the temperature ranges of 0 to 425 K. As such, it is not the easiest or cheapest to produce, but has rather a following among spacefarers.
TLA 100g 7Cr. Extra cylinders 10 Cr for 3.

As for the "strike anywhere tinder," I believe that it should be a casualty of the high-G debate.

Finally, at TL 9-A, it would seem that a multi-spectral space blanket-like thing would make it in.

 

[tbeard1999]

First, bravo for tbeard1999; I believe he's got the 95% solution. As to the 5% debate:

The conversation about TL7 butane lighter highlights the problems with Travellerizing household goods made for a given environment. 200kg Landing on a BIC at 10 m/s at 0 degrees K won't make it seem all that tough, but, because we can't conceive how TL's will change things does not mean they won't. I would conceive the TLA BIC as an assembled-on-site:
"Flick your LIC"
An alloy cylinder, with threaded neck, with the striking wheel, valve, button assembly lashed to the other end. The cylinder is rated, because of compact size and advanced materials, for 200G acceleration throughout the temperature ranges of 0 to 425 K. As such, it is not the easiest or cheapest to produce, but has rather a following among spacefarers.
TLA 100g 7Cr. Extra cylinders 10 Cr for 3.

As for the "strike anywhere tinder," I believe that it should be a casualty of the high-G debate.

Finally, at TL 9-A, it would seem that a multi-spectral space blanket-like thing would make it in.

One of the defining characteristics of Traveller IMHO is that low-tech devices predominate. You make a good point as to why "simple and rugged" would be chosen over "complex and fragile" -- the vast variety of hostile environments that one could encounter in Traveller.

I wanted to retain that flavor with these survival kits. So the improvements at various tech levels are relatively modest. I should probably insert a note that unless otherwise stated, *everything* gets a little better at each successive tech level. "Better" meaning (a) more reliable; (b) more capable; or (c) smaller/lighter (in that order).

And while there's plenty of stuff that *could* have been included, remember that they are extremely small kits. The largest fits in a 4.5 x 3.25 x 1.25 inch box (about the size of two packs of 3x5 index cards). The smallest fits in a 4 x 3.25 inch vinyl pouch that you could easily fit in a shirt pocket. These are *very* minimalist kits.

So things like solar blankets simply are not feasible for kits this small.

My conception of the spark lighter is at http://www.campingsurvival.com/aufistflstan.html

This Magnesium Fire Starter is rugged and designed for the outdoors enthusiast. The Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter uses a large 1/4" diameter composite flint steel rod that has magnesium built into it. Has a guided built in striking blade (no need to dull your expensive hunting knife) that maximizes the sparks and insures the ignition of any suitable fire starting material/ tinder. This product is designed to function wet or dry and is made from corrosion resistant high strength materials (no plastic!). The Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter has an overall length of 3.5", weighs 1/10th of a pound, and can be attached to your key ring so it is always there when you need it. The Aurora Magnesium Fire Starter is made in the USA and is designed to last a life time.

"This is one of my favorite new items and I'm very excited to be able to sell it. I have been playing with my new magnesium fire starter quite a bit over the past few days, starting fires all over the place. What's great about it is that it has the hot burning magnesium and the flint in one piece. You don't have two different pieces that can separate like other magnesium fire starters and have the chance of losing one piece of your fire starting kit. Some people just prefer a flint bar and then scrape it and throw the sparks at some tinder. With this new magnesium fire starter, when you throw the sparks just like you would with a plain flint bar, the magnesium sparks stay lit for several seconds and makes it even easier to start a fire. Why wouldn't you want to make your flint fire starter even better? The magnesium and flint chunks throw out just like flint, but stay smoldering like little chunks of fire rather than shavings of magnesium that can blow away before you get your sparks onto it. Plus, you can strike it as many times as you like over and over again thereby throwing a continuous shower of super hot smoldering pieces of magnesium and flint at your fire bed. The larger chunks seem to stick where you throw them as well." — Tom Sciacca, President of CampingSurvival.com

 

[Jame]

Had it happen twice to myself! once in a fight, once falling on the ice. Seen a half dozen people break them in fights and/or low-impact incidents. All pre-94; About that time, Bic seemed to thicken the walls a bit.

Also, until recently, Bic lighters had no safeties. Same effect could occur without breakage.

I would call those rough-handling breakages. Of course, by TL-9 that Bic case should be a lot tougher, as you say...

A while back I asked about Scout Equipment up in the Ship's Locker; I'll go get a link. EDIT: Ah, here it is: http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=5382

 

[saundby]

Dealing with Bad Air

As to dealing with nasty atmospheres, the short-term solution I've used is one of these:

http://www.msanorthamerica.com/catalog/product851.html

When I have to go out and work in bad air (repairing nitrogen tetroxide leaks, frex), I've used something like this:

http://www.msanorthamerica.com/catalog/product1515.html

Long-term I can't imagine many situations where just noseplugs would do, eyes get pretty sensitive when the air's not just right, and the mouth wants to share the nose's job no matter what you do. I use a half mask for particulates and some chemicals, but the cartridges need to be right for what you're exposed to.

A small filter unit on a hood is something I could see at a higher TL than our own. Something like the escape hoods above, but with a filtration/conditioning unit in place of the air bottle. And powered, for God's sake. The idea of having to power the thing with my lungs for a long time when injured is a whole lot of no fun.

 

[Spinward Scout]

A modernized version of the fire piston would be this:

Fire Pen