Nobody likes getting caught with their pants down, unless you are just plain weird. But being caught off guard happens to us all, does it not? No matter how good you are, no matter how thorough you are, occasionally something is going to happen that you did not expect. Don’t let that unexpected moment be during a life and death situation.
I think we can all agree that homesteading and preparedness go hand in hand; further I believe that a common thread amongst homesteaders is the love of the outdoors. One of my favorite things to do, though I don’t get to go as often as I like to anymore, is backpacking. I love getting in the truck and driving down some dirt road in the middle of nowhere to get to a trail head that leads out into the middle of a wilderness area. There is no place I would rather be than in the back country hiking along a river that nobody ever sees. There are day that I have been backpacking and I do not see a soul. But one wrong slip, one wrong turn or a severe unexpected weather change could turn an enjoyable two night trip in the woods into many days and nights out there, possibly without food or water. This is the scenario I think about every time I head out to the woods- whether it be for just a simple day hike, fishing trip or a backpacking trip.
One of the simplest ways I find to be prepared for such a situation are survival tins. A survival tin is a simple small metal box containing basic survival gear to help you live through a potentially deadly situation. The tin itself does not have to be any particular shape or size but I would use a metal container rather than plastic. The metal container can double as a pot to heat water over a fire or to cook food in and the shiny interior surface can be used to reflect light and can therefore be used as a signal mirror; a plastic container would not be able to do those things. The survival tin that I use for backpacking is a G-Shock watch container. I also have a larger camouflaged survival bag that I keep in the truck every time I drive through the woods. The reason why I use a small tin for backpacking is because of weight and the larger truck bag would be too heavy although the truck bag does provide more space for what I would call “luxury survival items” like a fishing net and pocket chainsaw.
The contents of your survival tin should include fishing lures and fishing line, fire starting gear, some small first aid supplies, a whistle, space blanket or survival blanket, a couple of iodine water purification tablets and, if you still have more space a small pocket knife and a small compass. I wouldn’t get too caught up with the pocket knife and compass- I keep a multi-tool on my belt when I am backpacking and there is always a compass and a fixed blade knife in my pack. Every time I return from my backpacking trips I keep the survival tin, knife and compass in my pack so that I don’t forget them on the next trip- they are never removed. My survival bag for my truck contains all of this plus a fishing net, pocket saw, additional first aid gear, signal mirror, water bottle, power bars and rope.
Now you can buy pre-packed survival tins in the store but I would recommend building your own. For one, it will probably be cheaper that way but also you will be able to custom taylor your kit to your needs. Plus you will know that everything you are putting into your custom kit is of good quality and that it probably won’t fail when it is needed the most.
I plan to write a lot more on preparedness in later posts. Being prepared and aware is what I call the sheepdog mentality rather than having a victim mentality. Remember, there is a difference between awareness and paranoia. Enjoy your trip but always be aware and prepared for such a survival situation to occur- it may be your life or your child’s life that depends on it. As always, thanks for reading.
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