Small survival/first aid kit for lifejacket recommendations.

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T Man

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After watching a show where an experienced boater died because he wasn't wearing his life jacket, I promptly went out and bought a decent one that fits me and is comfortable. I keep the required amount in my boat, but never used to wear them because they were uncomfortable. My new lifejacket has 2 pockets in it, approx. 6"x6"x2" I keep a map of the area I am in in my right pocket, but I would like to outfit it with some sort of bailout/emergency supplies. I have a bailout dry bag in the boat with a fairly comprehensive first aid kit, several methods of fire starting, and a few survival supplies in case the boat becomes disabled somehow but I am still able to safely land it, what I want is recommendations for a small survival kit for a worse case scenario. I am smack in the middle of the country with no USCG around, and no one uses VHF radios, so carrying a handheld is out and an EPIRB is too big. Most swimming distance is minimal - less than 1/2 mile at most, most of the time it is on bodies of water 200 yards wide or narrower.

The perimeters:
-Must be light weight.- I dont want to wear a lifejacket with 20lb of gear hanging off of it.
-Must be able to provide shelter, fire, and potable water for 2 for 48 hours with items in the kit
-Must have BASIC first aid items for trauma and hypothermia

What I have so far:

-Attached to the left front shoulder I have a stick knife for emergency line cutting.

In the pockets

Survival:
-Leatherman Multi-Tool
-Matches in waterproof container with whistle
-50' of paracord
-Small bundle of lint for starting fires
-Magnesium fire starting block

First Aid
-Tourniquet
-Gauze
-Aluminum "Space Blanket" for hypothermia treatment
-Superglue for minor abrasions
-Alcohol swabs for treating minor abrasions



What am I missing? Again, I have a full first aid kit, and survival supplies in a dry bag in the boat for most emergencies. This is the bare bones kit. Are there any more effective methods for starting fires that are as compact as dryer lint? I have been caught in a downpour where we had to take shelter in a cave and start a small fire for warmth. We had a heck of a time doing this with wet wood.
 
I've always heard that cotton balls coated with petroleum jelly works very well as a fire starter. I've never tried it, so I can't testify as to whether or not it works.
 
a flask with high proof whiskey. Flammable, sterile, plus it can help you sleep even in an uncomfortable situation. :D
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=329676#p329676 said:
wingsnhammers » Today, 00:41[/url]"]I've always heard that cotton balls coated with petroleum jelly works very well as a fire starter. I've never tried it, so I can't testify as to whether or not it works.

+1 A small pill bottle filled with coated cotton balls - you can light them in the rain
 
That sounds like a pretty good kit. Since your like me and are out in the middle of winter, I'd say the #1 thing to have on hand is a reliable way to start a fire. If you go overboard in the middle of January, you'd better find a way to get a fire started quick!! I like the cotton ball idea. Something I'm going to incorporate into my kit. Once you get a fire started you'd want to get water and shelter figured out. You could use the blanket for shelter. The flask idea is a pretty good one. It could also serve as a pot to boil water in for drinking. The only other things I keep on hand that you don't have listed is a suture kit and some NSAIDS. If your banged up and need to hike out of wherever your at, some advil/aleve may help you get out a little more comfortably.
 
Space Blanket
Extra Glasses (if you wear them) in case your regular pair falls overboard (Murphy's Law dictates this will happen at worst possible time)
Ditch the matches and magnesium rigmarole and substitute 2 Bic lighters.
Strobe and batteries for SAR
I would ditch the toruniquet and gauze and in their place carry a sharp knife which can cut a tourniquet or bandage out of clothing and also do a lot more.

Think about how it would go down.
Exposure will get you first (inside 24 hrs)
Lack of fresh water second (but will probably take > 24 or 48 hrs unless you're in the Sahara or Florida Keys)
You need a way to signal SAR people.
TELEPHONE
 
para cord ,with a stone tucked behind blanket it can be tied around to secure fabric without damaging in normalish weather.And a multitude of other uses worth a few wraps for sure.
A couple hooks too can work when you do other things after using an inner strand of paracord if the irony of losing reels happens,and it has.Confirming what you have on, you have with. I prefer butterfly bandages to sutures ,the smallest swiss army knife has scissors to cut then from surgical tape /tape or band aid.,a tube of crazy glue can tack a bad cut and still allow some drainage but in the wrong hands could make things worse.
Seems you have a solid start, a thinking mind!Stay calm. :wink:
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=329675#p329675 said:
T Man » Yesterday, 00:24[/url]"]
The perimeters:
-Must be light weight.- I dont want to wear a lifejacket with 20lb of gear hanging off of it.
-Must be able to provide shelter, fire, and potable water for 2 for 48 hours with items in the kit
-Must have BASIC first aid items for trauma and hypothermia

What I have so far:

-Attached to the left front shoulder I have a stick knife for emergency line cutting.

In the pockets

Survival:
-Leatherman Multi-Tool
-Matches in waterproof container with whistle
-50' of paracord
-Small bundle of lint for starting fires
-Magnesium fire starting block

First Aid
-Tourniquet
-Gauze
-Aluminum "Space Blanket" for hypothermia treatment
-Superglue for minor abrasions
-Alcohol swabs for treating minor abrasions



What am I missing? Again, I have a full first aid kit, and survival supplies in a dry bag in the boat for most emergencies. This is the bare bones kit. Are there any more effective methods for starting fires that are as compact as dryer lint? I have been caught in a downpour where we had to take shelter in a cave and start a small fire for warmth. We had a heck of a time doing this with wet wood.

Fine grade steel wool works nicely, but you need to make sure it stays dry. I recommend "Aloksak" waterproof bags. They are not cheap, but they have been tested by the USN to be waterproof to 200 feet, so, putting some steel wool in one of these will assure it stays dry. Your magnesium match is a great tool, as well. I have one in each of my survival kits. Another great firestarter that is readily available in nature, look for a pine tree that is bleeding sap, this stuff burns like gasoline. Also, 'fat lighter' (the heart of the pine tree) burns readily, you can take your knife and make fine shavings that will ignite and burn, even in high humidity. Often, you can find a piece of fat lighter sticking up from an old dead pine tree. The rest of it will have rotted down, but the core usually remains standing.

Another good firestarter is potassium permangenate, which you can mix with glycerin, brake fluid, or even anti-freeze, to generate an exothermic reaction which will start a fire. The other great thing about K2MnO4 is that it can be used to treat water. Just 4 crystals per liter, just enough to turn it pink, is enough to sterilize water. 10 crystals per liter, will turn it purple, which is too strong to be used for drinking, but makes a great antiseptic wash for cuts, wounds, etc.

You said you want a means of procuring potable water, but I don't see any kind of container on your list. You've got to have something to put the water in to be able to treat or boil it. Granted, it's pretty hard to go anywhere in the world, even out in the wilderness, without finding evidence of humans, specifically, trash, such as cans, or plastic and glass bottles. And you can even boil water in a plastic bottle, without the bottle melting, so, most of the time, it should be fairly easy to scrounge something up, but you might want to consider adding some type of container to your list, like a canteen cup.


I think you have the other basics covered, only thing I might add would be a mil-spec poncho, and about 25 ft of para-cord, daisy-chained so it takes up little space. With the poncho draped across the para-cord tied between 2 trees, you can make an emergency bivouac.

Hope this helps.
 
A small bottle of Iodine tablets will kill almost any nasties in reasonably clean fresh water.
 
Potassium permangenate will do the same.

K2Mno4.jpg

Also, consider a sweetwater guardian filter. It's a portable, compact, hand-operated reverse osmosis unit, about the size of a soft drink can.

They say it's so effective, you can take a bucket of pee and filter it then drink it. Haven't tried that one, though, the thought of drinking my own pee, even filtered, is kinda..... :sick:
 
I just watched a couple of this guys videos the other day. Some pretty cool ideas that might work for you. Especially the water proof straw containers in the second video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad9N2LxYpXU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiB9kUPRXZ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTnAp0BX3SU
 
Here is one that won't add an ounce of weight...complete a written float plan every time you go out, and give it to someone who will know if you don't return on time. It may seem dumb at first, but getting the authorities looking for you as soon as possible if something goes wrong can be critical. I have 4 or five already made out for those locations I frequent, and just update and reuse them as needed. Sometimes I change plans mid-trip, but at least a search party would have some idea of where to start and what to look for.
 
+1 on the float plan, even if it's as simple as calling someone right before you launch and telling them your location, and which way you're going. Some of the places I go are pretty remote, and it would be nearly impossible for anyone to guess where I could be, since I move around on all the rivers in northeast South Carolina. I could be on the Santee Delta, then again, I could be on the Pee Dee as far inland as Cheraw.

When I launch, I try to run upstream of the ramp, then run back down, whenever possible, especially in an unfamiliar stretch of river. That way, if the engine quits, etc, I can always drift back down.
 

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