Survival Kit for My Patriot

Many years ago, I thought that it would be a good idea to have a “survival kit” in my car. I am frequently out of the road for business, or camping on the weekends. It started out small, and has grown to encompass more items over the years.

I really got serious about the survival pack when I got my Jeep Patriot. It was the first 4WD vehicle that I had owned and I decided to go much further off the beaten path than I had ever dared.

Going so far in the back country, I started thinking, what would happen if the car broker down, and I needed to survive for a few days until I could either hike out for help, or someone would come looking for me.

I recently bought a day-backpack at an army surplus store that looked rugged, and had multiple anchor points on it. I also have a waist pack that locks onto the backpack (it wasn't made to link up with the back pack, but using some old quick releases and heavy duty thread, I made it work). Included in the mix is a waterproof duffle bag and some waterproof blankets

I am wondering if there in anything glaringly obvious that I am missing. All the items in my kit I have had to use at one time or another. Some where used for mere convenience, others were used in an “urgent” situation. I have never had to actually use any of this stuff to survive or for a life threatening emergency.

You can see pictures of the whole set up here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Spencer.Hutchins/SurvivalKit?authkey=Gv1sRgCPak1p6rnPOw_gE#

Front Pouch of BackPack – First Aide Kit
(Some of the items are non first aide items, but they fit well in the kit)

Variety of band aids
Dental floss
Tylenol/ibuprofen
Ice packs
Heat packs
Gauze bandages
Sunscreen
neosporin
Flint steel w/ Vaseline cotton balls
Sewing needles
Waxed Thread
Pocket knife
Small led flashlight
Lighter
Permanent Black Marking Pen
Signal Mirror
Various size rubber bands
Medical Tape
Meclizine Tablets(for motion sickness)
Hay Fever Tablets
Sanitary moist towelets
10 safety pins
Matches
Toothbrush
ToothPaste
soap

Bottom Front Pouch of Back Pack

Gloves
Multi tool (I also carry a Gerber multi tool in the glove box)
CZ 75 w/ spares

Main Pouch – (small zippered inside pocket)

5 granola bars
3 Tins of Sardines

Main Pouch –

Pants (ExOfficio)
Socks
Cotton T shirt (probably should change to a poly tshirt)
Heavy duty woven shirt (ExOfficio)
Underwear
Flashlight
Mini binoculars
K-Bar Survival Knife ( USMC surplus)
Rope
Folding saw
Knit Hat
18 oz bottle of water

Main Pouch – Independent Zippered Mesh Bag

Bug Spray
Old School Compass on a lanyard
75 Zip ties (6 inch)
Whistle on a lanyard
Knife sharpener
3 x lumi sticks
Mylar survival blanket
Lighter on a lanyard
2 x 33gal trash bags
1 small can of butane to refill lighter

Outside of Backpack

Multiple caribeeners (not for climbing)
Combination lock
Small Axe
Machete

Even with all this stuff in the backpack, there is still room for more!

Waist Pack

Wool Sweater
Toilet paper
Fingerless gloves
Perscription sunglasses
Pocket Knife
Gum
Mints
300 watt power inverter (I know my patriot has one built in, but most other cars don’t. I can count the number of times I have had to use this portable model)

2 x WaterProof Blankets

6’ x 6’ One side is waterproof nylon, the other side is polar fleece – I used these more often than anything in the kit. I live in Seattle. Things get wet, kids get wet, everything gets wet!

Various Bungee Cords

1 Water proof bag
About the size of a large duffle bag. It’s great to pack things in and throw up on the roof rack

1 Water proof jacket – It’s just a shell really, but it works. (ExOfficio)

Roof Rack –

I use this all the time. Mine is a Black Widow. I bought the normal sized version first, then decided to get the extension. It looked great, but the front 2 feet of the basket was severely under-supported due to the limitation of the roof bars. So..I was able to scrounge up some 1’ diameter solid aluminum bars and to reinforce it. It is now rock solid.

I know that you can't plan for every situation and I should probably have jumer cables or other stuff in the car. Let me know what kind of gear you have stashed in your car for life's unexpected diversions

Speezy
Seattle

I am just curious as to what you do that requires that much in your survival bag... I mean really an axe and a machette? Honestly I thought my medic bag was over kill...

You might want to add a battery pack/jumpstarter, fuse kit and tire repair kit for the Jeep. Survival guidelines call for 1 gallon of water per person per day. I have a filter and UV sterilizer from REI which work very well. I have enjoyed several wilderness trips of 30 or more days and water was always the biggest hassle. That stuff is heavy!

From a previous post of mine: We just got back from a trip to Colorado and we packed most of these items. Add or delete items as you deem necessary.

Backcountry Equipment

The TEN Essentials (and more)

__ 1. Magnetic Compass/GPS/Topographic Map(s)
*Notice Compass comes before a GPS unit.

__ 2. Flashlights and extra batteries

__ 3. Extra Clothing
Winter Coat, hats, gloves, rain gear (large trash bag, if needed, can be used.)

__ 4. Sunglasses

__ 5. Extra Food/Water

__ 6. Matches in waterproof container

__ 7. Candles/Fires starter

__ 8. Pocket knife (Swiss Army knife style?)

__ 9. First aid kit (Snake Bite Kit, if Applicable)

__ 10. Space blanket (again, large heavy duty trash bags will do in an emergency)

Other Things
__ Duct Tape!
__ Medications/prescriptions you are currently taking
__ Bug Repellent
__ Extra 2 quarts of engine oil
__ Tool Kit (rachets/wrenches/screwdrivers)
__ Extra water/coolant for radiator
__ Toilet Paper
__ Small Army Type Shovel (with serated edge)
__ Dry Socks (wool best in winter)
__ Hose clamps (various sizes)
__ Tow Strap
__ Hiking Boots
__ Leather Gloves
__ Hats (wide brim best)
__ Zip Ties
__ Radiator Stop Leak
__ Multi-Fit Hose/Hose Patch (to repair broken radiator hose)
__ Cell Phone and Charger (They don't have coverage everywhere!)
__ CB/Ham Radio
__ WD-40

Other Things Continued

__ Waterless Hand Cleaner
__ Off Road Tire Patch Kit
__ Extra Coat Hanger (you’ll find a use for it!)
__ Extra pair of glasses, if you wear them!
__ Binoculars
__ Bungee Cords
__ Can Opener (hand operated--not electric!!!)
__ Spare Key (on person)
__ Tank Sealant Putty
__ Hand Held Mirror

I am not sure what type of soap you already have but a bar of soap has many uses other than just hygiene. I have heard stories from patching small gas tank leaks to fixing a noisy belts...

If I was in the militia...I would carry around my M4 with me.

For Jeep Jim -
Ya..I know some of this is probably overkill, But once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout. Be prepared. As for the small axe and machete...wind storms in the puget sound can get nasty...especially if you are deep on a forest service road someplece. But you are right, it probably is over kill.

For HoosierMud -
Thanks for your list. Duct Tape! I've been meaning to put that in but keep forgetting. Gonna do it right after I hit the send button.



Speezy

I didn't say over kill was a bad thing... like I said I carry a military issue medic bag... fully stocked.

Flee To the Hills!!!---The Russians are Coming, The Russians are coming...!!!!

I've got some rope a shovel a bag of lye and some plastic tarps that's the only reason I would be going to the woods for that long It's against my genetics to go camping for that long hehe.I like going camping for the weekend or maybe a week but that's it I have city blood but I love my patriot though

You may not need every one of these items, however I really like the idea of a Survival Kit. Great ideas here. I have an advanced medical pouch along with a basic tool kit ect. Not only can you get yourself out of a jam, but you may be able to help someone else who finds themselves in some trouble.

Good grief. I read the replies to this thread and it just...

You know, sometimes I like to laugh at unprepared idiots who diss others who do prepare ahead of time for bad situations. I like to laugh at them because I know that when something happens, these very same people will be helpless and crying for their government nannies to come rescue them because they couldn't be bothered to be responsible adults and prepare themselves. Often what could, with the right kind of gear, have been a minor annoyance becomes a matter of life or death.

Today is not one of those times though. Today my sense of humor has been depleted. So I'll just say to all of you who turned their nose at the original poster: WHAT A BUNCH OF SISSIES!!!

Right. That said, let's get down to business, Speezy. First of all, how do you plan on maintaining hydrated? All I saw was one water bottle, and I'm not sure if that meant a full one or just a container. Personally, I like to keep a minimum of two six-packs of half-liter bottles in the Jeep at all times. (Yes, during winter they freeze but I keep the means to thaw them in the Jeep too.) They often come in handy in every day life, too. (Dog pukes on seat, knocks drinking bowl over, people run out of drinking water, etc. etc.) But that's just me in The Land of Thousand Lakes (actually, there's more like a million of them here) and pretty clean drinking water in remote locations. If you go for a water filtration device or similar (very much recommended), whatever you do, LOOK CAREFULLY AT WHAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVICES DO! Most people just grab "something" and figure they're good to go, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact if you're looking at creating potable water in a fairly urban situation things can become complicated. My personal plan is to go with a three-tier filtration system (or four, depending on how you count them): Pre-filter (this can be just a piece of cloth, coffee filter or whatever - this is just so the real filter doesn't get clogged up by dirt and stuff), a ceramic filter (removes bacteria, some other "larger" (0.2 microns and up) junk), active carbon (for removing chemicals that made it past the ceramic element), and possibly UV light or purification pills (to kill any viruses that made through the active charcoal filter). And of course, once you have potable water you'll need a way to store or carry it too... Water bladders and similar might be more convenient to store than bottles.

As for your first aid kit, it's really more of a boo-boo kit than what I would call first aid kit. When I think first aid, I think more along the lines of serious injury or injuries. That is, more izzy-d's (Israeli combat bandages - very good stuff, recommend them!) than band-aids. I'm not saying that a boo-boo kit is not good to have, too, but it is important to recognize the difference. Gear for serious injuries needs to be quickly accessible at all times, waiting a minute for a band-aid on the other hand never killed anybody. (It's actually a good thing to keep the "serious stuff" and your boo-boo kit separate, so I'd recommend you keep your current kit as-is. Just stop thinking about it as first aid. )

Got a holster for that pistol and at least one magazine carrier? You might not want to enter into every situation wearing that backpack...

Is that Ka-Bar good for normal camping stuff? A machete is kind of big for a lot of chores and folding knives are always less sturdy than fixed blade knives. A good utility fixed blade is a very good thing to have. Also, what kind of saw did you say you had? A lot of the smaller ones offer fairly poor performance - if you've got one that works well, would you mind telling me more about it? For something fairly light that folds into a very small space, I sincerely recommend one of these: http://www.unbelievable-saw.com/ Using one to cut anything larger is pretty hard work, but damn does that saw cut well! It's like a chain saw where you are the engine. Of course, a large bow saw fits nicely into the Jeep, but the chain saw is easier to carry as part of a survival kit (in fact that's where I keep mine - in the survival kit in my backpack).

Food-wise, your set didn't sound like all that much. Maybe toss a few M.R.E.'s or those dried hiking food packs in there too? Hiking food needs to be cooked though (and it needs water...), but a simple Esbit stove and an aluminium container will cover your basic nutritional heating needs. I do recommend extra fuel for the stove, though - you can go through fuel tablets quite fast... (That Esbit stove can also be used to thaw snow, or those frozen water bottles, etc. Very handy to have around especially during colder weather.)

Switching cotton to synthetics - hells yes! Cotton kills, doncha know? (Well okay, depends on the conditions. But if you spend time in cold and damp conditions, cotton really is a bad idea...) And that applies for more than just the t-shirt you mentioned, too - for example underwear that won't dry out is not much fun either... The only downside is that synthetics can be unpleasant when combined to fire - especially fleece. Also clothing-wise, I noticed you had a hard shell jacket, but what about trousers? One cheap alternative is rain chaps that you just slip over the trousers you are wearing. Also, do you always wear the kind of footwear that can get you through a couple days adventure? If not, a good pair of hiking / combat boots might be a good idea?

As for the butane canister, I think I'd just rather go with a second lighter myself. Handy to have a spare in case the lighter itself breaks, as opposed to just running out of fuel.

Maps! Not sure if you just didn't list them, but maps are always a very handy thing to have. I've been in situations where a compass is just dead weight (too much iron ore in the ground...) but a good map got me out of there.

Communications. Got a charger for your cell phone? I like two-way radios too, since they are not dependent on cell phone towers maintaining power.

You wear perscription glasses, right? It would be optimal to have a spare pair of glasses in your Jeep, too. Damn things just tend to be pretty expensive to buy just for stashing them around, though...

Those blankets you mentioned sound rather interesting. Any further info? And if you have the money, you might want to take a look at a company called Kifaru and their lightweight blanket called Woobie. Bloody expensive, but really, really great stuff! I bought two myself and not a moments regret over the price. The one I gave to my girlfriend has been in daily use ever since I gave it to her... (In fact that is the only downside of these blankets - your wife/girlfriend, children, dogs and cats will all want one for themselves too. )

Oh yeah, and definitely get some jumper cables too! I've used mine something like three times in the 18 months I've had my Patriot - always to help out someone else. Also, tow strap, shackles, and all the rest of the off-roading basic recovery gear. The use of those tools is not limited to official off-roading safaris only, you know... And if you lack sturdy recovery points, get them!

All in all, sounds like you have a pretty good set of gear. Good for you! I hope my observations were of some use. As you noticed, I mentioned several issues that you've probably have covered - I just felt it better to mention them anyway. Hopefully you won't read any kind of "I know more about this than you do"-attitude into my post, I'm no survival expert but rather just a regular guy trying to be thorough in my reply. And I look forward to hearing about those couple of pieces of gear that I mentioned - the blankets and the saw. Who knows, they might end up in my kit.

Hey Tony 1911-

Thanks for the thoughtful insight.

The blankets are actually 2 left of the 200 that I had made in China about 8 years ago. I copied them out of a Woolrich Catalog. I imported them..before I had any real buyers...and got stuck with them sitting in a warehouse all this time. I already had a business going..and didn't have time to really follow through with this new venture. My wife and I and another business partner were going to call the business "Seattle's Best Blankets"..with the catch phrase, "Into every life, a little rain may fall." I finally unloaded all of them about 8 months ago. My FOB cost was about $9.50 a piece, with another 5% or so for duty. The one that I saw in Woolrich was selling for $70.

The blankets are Nylon which has been coated on the back side with heavy poly urethane..very similar to a rain coat. On the opposite side is polar fleece. They are darn handy to have around....and in Seattle, they have been tested and proved time and again! I gave one to just about everyone I know. I don't think that there is a week that goes by where I don't think of some use for them.

Water...maybe a purifier. It rains so much in the PNW that I really don't worry for my needs longer than 24 hrs.

MRE's..a couple of those would fit easily into the pack.

You are right about the first aide kit. It's a boo-hoo one, but has come in very handy..mostly for other people. No items for actual emergencies though. I need to re-think that.

I do have a cell phone charger for the car..but I have been thinking about two way radio's as well..you know..those ones that have like a 7 mile range if you are in a flat valley. They are small and cheap and would easily fit in my bag. Good idea.

I do have a hip holster for the CZ. 1 15 round magazine in the gun, 2 others as spares. I am thinking of getting a shoulder holster, or a chest holster though. Keeping it on my hip keeps dragging my pants down! (I wear a belt, but don't like it tight) Although..I should say that I do have a pair of suspenders in the kit..but I was using those to clip onto the waist pack...I could use them for the hip holster /pants as well.

Actually, with the execption of the CZ (thank God), most of the gear in my survival pack has been used to help others..that's how I get my ideas for what to put into the pack. I happen upon some poor stranded soul and realize that I have this, and that...but am missing something that would sure come in handy for the particular situation. So I think how I can add it to the pack.

Good info. At some point we all have choices to make about what we can reasonably carry, and still get "normal" cargo usage out of our Patriots. With my luck, just as I decide to take someing out in lieu of some other item, the one I took out will be the one I need.

Speezy

If you are going to be spending ANY time in the mountains, remember to take this gear with you--even in the summer!!!!! In any high mountain range, it can and does snow any day of the year!

This is in April, 2008, during our trip to Colorado. Silverthorne is about an hour west of Denver on Hwy I-70. For most people who don't live in the Rockies, we start thinking spring and nice weather. However, in the Colorado, March/April are two of their snowiest months.

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/album.php?albumid=68&pictureid=650

Rskitall said:

I like going camping for the weekend or maybe a week but that's it

Click to expand...

It is exactly why you should be prepared. Thinking you might only be somewhere remote for a day or two can be fatal!

Rskitall said:

Are you a part of a malitia? Are you preparing for civil war? DO you have a 55 gallon drum of gas on your trailer.Are you originally from Idaho?Hehe had to bust your chops

Click to expand...

I just hope you aren't one of the people that first responders have to risk their lives in getting you out of situation that could have been prevented by common sense.