Survival: The Fisherman`s Friend Survival Tin

"Survival tins" are ubiquitous ("ubiquitous"? How very hipster of me!) and everyone has their own ideas how they should look like or what they should contain. Their usefulness is often disputed but I stick to mine as I can`t see anything wrong with the concept of having a few useful items, not exceeding 100 g weightwise,  on me at all times.

My line of thought in this regards is: "What would I like to have when I am locked out on a rooftop somewhere?" (May favorite horror scenario gracefully provided to me by the film "American Blackout" from National Geographic.

As I have done quite a lot of "spring cleaning" and went through a long line (*) of scattered survival sets in my car, back pack etc etc etc I thought I take the chance and show off the content a bit.

(*) This actually had me worried as I thought I am starting to be a borderline hoarder or obsessive EDC`er.

This particular tin actually started its EDC life as a mini-tackle box....

I kind of like the design...

And here`s whats in it: The tampon and the compressed napkin

(both for wound dressing and water filtration) stay in the tin, I just 

neglected to make pictures of them. Also on the lower right corner

you`ll see a few Mirco Torches

Printed survival instructions I took from an old

"commercial" survival tin. The tin was rubbish

but the instructions are sound. They also serve as

anti-scratch cover for my....

...credit card sized Fresnel lens.

Excellent for making fire as shown on the video at

the bottom of this post.

Lens and instruction in place.

As part of the spring cleaning I exchanged the water purification tablets.

These are good until 2023 now.

The band aid`s are in a good shape and can stay.

Striker surface for my micro torches

SOLAS signal whistle, toothbrushes and mirco torches (in tin foil)

Loperamide and Paracetamol are exchanged and good until 2023.

A little demo video on how to make a fire with a fresnel lens:

Survival: The Canteen Survival Set

I found a brilliant Stanley canteen, with a full steel body, at an outlet store for a ridiculous low price.

The only "flaw" i could find is a small dent on the canteens front.

Lucky me!

Anyhow, I had the canteen lying around in the car for a long time and thought that a nice, wide mouthed canteen like that could be used for storage for some useful items.

My new favorite canteen

It is special because it is...CLEANABLE.

Audience: "Uhhhhhhhh!"

Lots of storage space for some good stuff "just in case"

Im starting out with a nice, large & signal colored draw string bag:

For carrying and signaling.

Tampons: For water filtration and … just in case!

Compressed napkins for Capillary Filtration

Tealights for light/heat & romance

Rolly "toothbrushes"

10 Taharmayim water purification tablets

Nice little flashlight.

The usual: Paracetamol, Loperamide and activated charcoal.

(Activated is a MUST in every set!!!)

Firestarters...because why should I make it hard for myself?

Signal whistle (SOLAS)

The most important thing in the whole kit:

Blister cushions. They cost but are worth their

weight in gold! If you can`t run, you can`t fight!

A Gentleman`s Guide To Travel Necessities: The Knife

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of a good knife, must not be in want of another one!

- Lars Austen

A true gentleman must be in possession of a good knife. Period.

It must not be a crude and barbaric device, thirsting for blood and with the promise of tales of battlefields never visited, forged by bearded ruffians with destruction on their unloved minds.

Also it must not be a thuggish blade, hidden in the pockets of person with no self-respect, emitting cheap thrills and cowardice befitting the holder 

A gentleman of station should hold a knife befitting his standing and possibly the trade he proudly represents. Cheap adornments must be avoided under any circumstances. 

In the case of the writer, sincerely Yours, it is the Wichard safety knife which has been a faithful companion on my exploits on the seven seas. It is simple, but the viewer will find more details hidden in plain sight and as such grow in the esteem of the admirer.

It has a sharp but sturdy blade which will not be dented upon exposure to other items, than soft rope or the occasional string of chewing tobacco, and a glowing handle which will helped the humble writer out of more than one pickle in a stormy night: Rescuing poor souls lost at sea.

Thus this blade tells a tale of nobility, resilience and bravery.

And it is mine.

Exquisite workmanship, both on blade and sheeth

A good sturdy blade with serrated edge for the tougher materials

And the beforementioned glowing handle which...

...really comes to its right in snow.

Survival: Playing With Matches

5-6 years ago I bought some cheap (!), allegedly waterproof, containers on eBay as I then was going through an obsessive "survival tin" phase.

I used the containers for a bunch of Micro Torches and since then never really used them again, apart from having them in the car for some years and bouncing them around in a backpack when actually DID remember them.

I was curious what age & vibrations did to the micro torches and especially if the silicone grease, which I used as additional sealant, had any effect.

Let`s find out!

Here they are: I think they have cost me less than

2 $ a piece on eBay. With shipping. 

Bit like opening a time capsule. The tissue paper I used 

as padding and moisture absorber seems to be dry, although 

it has a greasy feel to it from the silicon grease.

Yeah, less grease next time!

Let`s take a look at the goods: The matches look ok but the striker surfaces

(which were in the tube OUTSIDE the tissue padding to avoid unintentional

ignition) look a bit stained from the grease.

I take the striker surface that looks worst off and..no problems here!!

This is 3 (!) minutes after.

5-6 minutes after.

Also: It is cold, lets see how they do as fire starters!

(Yes, I know. I need to clean my fireplace!)

Case closed! To the right side of the flames you can still see about 6 cm

of the micro torch and the fire is going really well!

Some micro torche`s wax seemed to have become brittle over 

the years, I don`t know if it is due to shitty craftsmanship or 

time/exposure. I keep the ones looking like new... 

...and add some normal matches. As a real Scandinavian

there is only ONE match. One match to rule them all!

I roll the micro torches twice in the tissue before I add the matches.

Just to avoid that the matches will rub against the torches and

cause the wax to get brittle.

Im also adding new striker surfaces. 

(This time wrapped in cellophane)

Im curious if the containers, which I never tested,

actually ARE waterproof. A 36 hours immersion test will show!

Bone dry!