My Daily Survival Gear
Here's a list of survival-related things I carry on me, every day (revised 01-03-09):
- High-quality liner-lock folding pocketknife with pocket clip, serrations, and easy one-hand opening. This is a very sturdy knife, honed to a razor-sharp edge (I can literally shave with it), that I keep clipped to my pocket. I can draw and open this knife in 1 second.
- Leatherman Kick multitool, featuring pliers, knife, screwdrivers, can opener, ruler edges, and wire cutters/strippers in a leather belt-pouch.
- StrapLite flashlight holder and a Mini Maglite 2-AA flashlight. Strapped to my belt, I can turn it on and have hands-free light, or quickly draw it for use. I modified my everyday Maglite to use a bright LED bulb array that can be used continuously for 10+ hours on two AA batteries, and a switch at the bottom for one-handed operation. If I need to, I can switch with any of my other Mini Maglites (I have 4 or 5). I can also easily attach the StrapLite to a bike, tool, or even a headband for additional hand-free usage.
- Bright LED keychain flashlight. It's small, efficient, and handy to use. It's bright enough to see what I'm doing, or to signal. My keys are all silenced, so they don't make noise.
- Maglite Solitaire keychain flashlight. It's also small, but has an adjustable spot or can be used like a candle to light a larger area. I almost never use it, but it's so small, I carry it around just in case.
- Wallet with chain. I reinforced the grommet on the wallet and replaced the weaker j-hook with a stronger split keyring, to attach the wallet to the chain. The chain makes it difficult for would-be pickpockets to lift, and ensures I never leave it. I keep my IDs and certification in my wallet, as well as first aid cards and a list of local and federal emergency numbers.
- Kyocera TNT (S2400) phone, with Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go service. It's a no frills phone that's very dependable (good battery life, good signal, solid phone), with an equally no-frills service that's fairly reliable (digital/analog quad-band with emergency 911/112/999 GPS). Service only costs me $20 every 3 months. On it, I have stored numbers to just about every police and fire department in northeastern Illinois, and several notable federal agencies.
- Military dogtags pinned to the inside of each of my boots, with emergency information, for worst-case scenarios. I also have "in case of emergency" info in my wallet, and on my phone.
- I also have several spare safety pins connected to my boot liner, a few feet of paracord wound up in my back pocket, and two feet of duct tape wrapped around my flashlight in case I ever need them. They've come in handy numerous times.
- A small all-purpose survival pack (large liner-lock knife with serrated blade, foldable mini shovel, rain gear, 3 space blankets, lighters, magnesium & flint fire starter, easy-to-light fire sticks, 6 candles, waterproof/windproof matches, compass, signal mirror, 5x Fresnel magnifier card, 120dB whistles, sewing kit, fishing kit, paperclips, assorted safety pins, water purification tablets, emergency food tablets, emergency towels, duct tape, paracord, dynamo-rechargeable LED mini-flashlight, mini carabiners, 1 heavy-duty carabiner, first aid cards, basic first aid supplies, thick wool socks, Ziplock bags, and PVC tubing). This is supplemental to my full bug-out bag that I keep in my room. Someday, if I have two hours, I'll list everything in there.
- Pharos Drive GPS 150 3.5" backlit color screen turn-by-turn text-to-voice GPS device. It's a very nice no-frills GPS unit with all the most necessary features, without any fluff. It has a good battery life, very accurate, easy interface, and has gotten clear signals in some of the worst fog I've driven in, in years. It's portable, so I can carry it around on foot, as well.
- Knives, knives and more knives! I have a Tactical Warrior knife hanging from my rearview mirror (the sheath also has a rescue whistle), a fully-loaded survival knife with slingshot (shown to the left), and several small daggers hidden in my trunk, under my hood, in the undercarriage, under the hood, and elsewhere. There's also a nice 440 steel tanto in the trunk, which is good for defense or even splitting logs. They were only $2 each, so why not?
- Camp axe, with a hammer back. Never head into the woods without one.
- Collapsible steel self-defense baton. This sucker HURTS, and can be used to smash out a window in an emergency.
- Large steel landscaping spike, with duct-tape handle, attached to the driver-side door. It also makes a good emergency escape tool, or a baton.
- Safety seatbelt cutter on my passenger-side visor.
- I keep inexpensive 10x25 binoculars, on a lanyard, in my car. I also have an inexpensive 4x20 rifle scope and a nicer 16x32 set of binoculars that I can grab from my pack, and stash in my car if needed.
- Several bottles of water.
- Good quality 10-person first aid kid, emergency triage field kit, detailed first aid manual and basic National Audubon Society survival guide with North American edible plant guide.
- Two 2007 US road atlases (one Rand McNally, and one AAA), assorted Illinois and Great Lakes maps, Canadian maps (Ontario and Manitoba), a map of Mexico, local topographical maps, maps to my friend's family bomb shelter, a folder of local Google Maps and several maps I made of local stores.
- 2 fire extinguishers - One small 1-A:5-B:C automotive extinguisher that's in my trunk, thats easy to quickly access, and a larger all-purpose 1-A:10-B:C extinguisher that's strapped further back in the trunk.
- Rechargeable automobile jump-starter with with 12V plug and work light. I use a bike combo-lock to attach it to the frame of my car.
- A good two-stroke hand pump for tires, with pressure gauge.
- Heavy-duty down-filled winter vest, spare Vietnam War surplus jacket, a heavy wool hooded sweatshirt, several pairs of stretchy gloves, two pairs of winter gloves, two winter caps, and a face mask (supplemental to the warm clothes I'll wear in the winter).
- Two pairs of UV blocking sunglasses, and a pair of blue-blocking shooting glasses (particularly useful at night when out in the snow).
- Surplus army wool blanket, and a small tarp (combined with space blankets and warm clothes, allow for survival in the car or a windproof shelter in weather as low as -30°F).
- Lots of rope. 50' of all-purpose braided ½ diameter nylon rope. Three 10' hanks of all-purpose heavier-duty twisted polypropylene rope. Two 50' hanks of 3/16" diameter paracord. I also have a package of assorted bungee tie-downs, and light-load carabiners. I even have a card with knots on them, because I honestly forget more advanced knots.
- Automotive maintenance kit which includes a can of Fix-a-Flat, spray defroster/deicer (which also makes a good fire-starter), a radiator patch kit, a small bottle of crushed rock salt and limestone pebbles for traction, two squeegees, two small ice-scrapers, one large scraper with brush, a collapsible snow shovel, spare tire nuts, adjustable wrenches, socket wrench set, tape measure, Allen wrench set, vice-grip pliers, assorted screwdrivers, backup winter driver-side wiper blade, WD40, a hacksaw, water-carrying bags, assorted O-clamps, assorted fuses, 12 gauge wire, assorted nylon fasteners, assorted nylon tie-downs, 12v adjustable flood/spot light, car jack, tire iron and spare tire.
- Lots and lots of tape. 60 yard roll of 3" wide waterproof duct tape. 30 yard roll of 3" heavy-duty high-temperature waterproof "100 MPH" duct tape. 100 yard roll of 3" wide black gaffers tape. A small roll of clear packaging tape.
- A clipboard with notepad, blank envelopes, and two pens. I also have two small notepads in the glovebox, a small Post-It notepad, several reliable pens, and two good old-fashioned pencils.
- Accident investigation sheets, with info form & illustrations, insurance policy info, a tear-off slip for other parties. I also keep a copy of Secretary of State's Rules of the Road manual, and a simple water-resistant digital camera with flash (uses batteries from my flashlight) to document accidents.
- A spare deactivated digital/analog tri-band cellphone with really good modular antenna, a new fully-charged 3rd party battery, a car-charger (same one for my phone), and a small adapter that lets you power the phone with AA batteries (which I use for my flashlight). By federal mandate, all modern cellular phones - even without a SIM card or service plan - can dial 911/999 for emergencies.
- Universal 12v power adapter kit that plugs into my lighter, and has assorted plugs for cellphones and other DC-powered or rechargeable devices.
- Dynamo crank / 12 V DC / AC / rechargeable LED flashlight with AM/FM/WB radio, siren, and optional AA battery power.
- Michelin Hydroedge tires, which are among the best tires available for my Ford Escort. They have saved my life numerous times, driving the gauntlet known as Deerfield and Highland Park.
- Photocopies of the warranties and service perks for my high-end winter tires, exhaust system, brakes, shoes, belts, alternator, and other auto parts/work.
- VIN etched on several other hidden locations on the car.
- I have some assorted personal amenities and sundries including two compact and one large golf umbrella, towels, paper towels, tissues, antibacterial hand-wipes, gum, floss, Febreeze fabric refresher spray, ear plugs, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, safety glasses, plastic shopping bags, garbage bags, a mylar cooler-bag, and other odds-n-ends.
