Minimum bush survival kit

Anyone that's ever spent a cold night out wrapped in a space blanket knows how good they are.........

Like you said they're great for reflecting the heat from the fire, just don't get them too close.

I like to line the back of my lean-to with one to reflect heat, kinda like a campfire oven. Helps with the "burn on one side, freeze on the other" nights, along with any drafts. With a 6ft long fire in front, bank behind to reflect, it's not too bad. Firewood up though.
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I've used my space blanket as a liner on a lean-to on an unexpected overnighter as well. It works great.

Replace your space blankets every 2 seasons as the reflective coating will separate from the plastic film if it gets too old. That's a bad thing if you're wet and toughing out an overnighter because the chopper crapped out.
 
Lionhill said:
This?

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LH
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I have one of those too. Never had the need to use it, knock on wood




as for space blankets I normally have 2 packed, one for reflecting the heat from the fire fire into the leanto and the other to line the roof of the leanto to reflect the heat down on my sorry ass :) works great.
 
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My bare minimum survival kit has to have at least waterproof matches and a lighter (to conserve to the matches) and a good knife. That's it, that's all I need to survive.
I will most likely already have a rifle of some sort, my day pack (full of extra goodies & camera).
I will most likey be well equiped for clothing before I walk out the door, so if I need a bandage or a turnaque, I will sacarfice something. My boots are heavily insulated and my feet never get cold ever, sometime too warm, but that's better than cold.
In my day pack you will always find;

Binoculars
two knives
Camera and 8 extra batteries & media cards
headlamp - same batteries as camera
Water treatment kit & water bottle
small saw, and pruning clipper
Matches, lighter
bandades
Extra wooly, toque, gloves
scissors
Paper & Pencil or pen
twine & plastic bags
Ear plugs
eye wash/drops
Money
tooth brush
Wine key/bottle opener
extra box of ammo
Condoms
chewing gum
Marking tape
and of course a pair of two way radios, one I leave in the car or truck set to my frequency so that if I ever get into trouble SAR will know what channel to reach me on (again same batteries as the camera). The vehicle is the usual starting point in finding someone.

Those are just my basics, then there is everything else that is optional to me.
I could survive just with my basics for the rest of my life, if I had to.
The country can supply shelter, food and water, & fuel for fire, among other things that have been left behind from industry or plane crashes (shelter & metal) or torched stolen vehicles (metal).
Having things like this around you can turn into "MacIver" any day, if you can't then don't go there.
Put your kids in Boy Scouts, take them to the wreckers, teach them neat tricks of the trade, there are more ways then one to do anything.

BE PREPARED, folks

I used to carry one of those Canadian Forces can tine emergency stove kits with me but I haven't been back to the place where I left it yet, (2 years know) I should probably go get another one. I was cooking away when a nice Blacktail came around to see what I was cooking, and the chase was on, so I forgot about it for a day or two and remembered about a couple of days later when I was backing everything up, but couldn't figure out what I had done with it, because it was always in the pack unless it was in use.
I think I will go for a walk on my next day off, sometime in March.
 
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Space blankets do not breath and trap moisture so you wind up wet. They are, as mentioned by a number of you, a great reflecter in the back of the lean to. Another idea that I have used, is to place a number of good size rocks near the fire. After a while pick one that is the right temp. and cuddle up to it. They can hold heat all night. I used that trick on a horse back, elk hunt, when it turned too cold for our sleeping bags. I wrapped the rock in a towel. Careful not to pick one thats too hot. One of us had a smoldering towel.
 
Not sure if it would breathe well or not.
Looks like a space blanket inside of a garbage bag,but still looks more durable than the blanket by itself.
 
grayrc said:
Of course, in the pack he's using for a pillow there's a tent, sleeping bag, food, water, etc... ;)

/gc
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Hmmm...I don't trust anything that thin to keep me warm below freezing :D . Travel light, freeze at night. You could stuff dry grasses or leaves into it for more insulation if possible without a fire. You'd want it opened up if you had a fire in front of you though.
 
Had some students out on a survival exercise 3 years ago by Caroline on May long weekend. They (5 of them aged 16 to 17) built an elaborate shelter, utilizing several tarps , with shelves and seats etc. I slung a rope at about a 30 degree angle from about 6 feet up one tree to the base of another about 12 feet away on a hummock of raised ground; draped a tarp over the rope and tucked the ends under. For heat I had a 90 lb Labrador retriever.

Anyway, the second night it starts to snow. May, so its wet sticky stuff like just poured concrete. I tell the boys to make sure they keep knocking the snow off their shelter or it will collapse. They offer me all kinds of assurances that "Yes, we will", and "We'll set up a watch...Yadda, yadda, yadda."

Midnight, snug in my shelter, I hear, "Mr. MacDonald!!"
"What!!!", I yell back.
"Our shelter collapsed on us. We're all soaked!!" (except one fellow who had had the presence of mind to build a raised bed)

"Everyone Okay!!" I yell back.
"Yeah!!!"
"You got a fire going!"
"Yeah!!"
"Lotsa wood" I ask.
"Yeah!"
"Good. See you in the morning!":D

Cold hard night for them, but a better lesson than I could have ever given in a classroom.
 
Interesting ideas and thoughts on this thread. I am suprised no one has mentioned bringing an entrenching tool yet. Very handy to have, one of those.

Further back in the thread, someone mentioned about using a fisherman cough drop tin as a little container, that is a brilliant idea, could boil small amount of water in it and if utilised correctly the lid can be a signalling device. Same idea as using a tobacco tin, pretty good thinking.

I also distinctly remember someone saying about using the SAS survival handbook, browsed through it once. However the book that I would recommend to anyone is BUSHCRAFT by Ray Mears. Is a beast of a book, pretty large (especially the hardcover edition) but it is a treasure trove of information. Also, if anyone has a chance watch his TV series, get to see the stuff praticed in real life rather than just a bunch of pictures. I mean if anyone wanted to get a lot of knowledge and know how, they can't do any better.
 
I'm surprised no one mentioned it yet.

Shotgun, bird shot and slugs. Never know what you might see out there, and maybe even bag a deer to eat.
 
the_big_mike said:
I'm surprised no one mentioned it yet.

Shotgun, bird shot and slugs. Never know what you might see out there, and maybe even bag a deer to eat.
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In always carried a .22 as a trapper, never a shotgun unless I was purposely going after bears......
Cat
 
I have a general purpose kit that is small enough to take on any hike but has enough in it to make a difference. I pack it in an aluminum box about 9 x6 x2. I have copper wire in it to make a bale for the tin to use it as a cooking pot.

I have basic first aid supplies including a Tensor bandage.

It has a magnesium bar with sparker strip as well as matches in a waterproof container and army heat ration packs for fire starter as well as a candle.

It has a couple pouches of soup, instant rice, boulion cubes, instant coffee, tea bags and dextrose candies. It also contains a space blanket (no you can't sleep wrapped up in one or you will wake up wet!)

Then this aluminum box it in a nylon pouch with a belt knife, compass, signal whistle, about 60' of braided nylon line and 10' x 12 lightweight plasic tarp in it.

No, it doesn't have everything I could possibly need, and yes, some of it is redundant on any given day but it convers the basics and I don't have to think about it, I just throw it in the pack and its there. Total weight is about 3.5 lbs.
 
my standard hiking/ hunting kit is

3L water
8" folding saw
folding buck knife
14" hand axe
small first aid kit
GPS
50' manila rope
small snatch block
TP
flashlight
batteries for fl and gps
small rifle cleaning kit
beef jerky
granola bars
metal mug
matches
victory scotch
victory smokes
zippo
socks
sweater
toque
gloves
survival blanket

also my lunch for the day and any extras for the season. In my pants pocket are compass, leatherman and firestriker. It may seem like alot of crap to carry but I have used everything in there at some time and I'm still under 20lbs. I also train with that pack on or a 60lbs pack so when I'm out all weekend hunting I can take the strain of the gear I need without issue.
 
Socks
Sharpening stone
Good bush knife *k-bar style or better*
space blanket
a few meal bars
20-30ft of para cord
10ft of coiled copper wire
magnisium bar with flint
socks
one of those colapasable survival shovels
some fish hooks and a thing of dental floss
basic first aid supplies
22lr
socks
colapasable 2 litre water jug
1 litre of water
oh and did i mention socks
 
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