SURVIVAL KIT

ESSENTIALS
PART OF THE
AHEIA “O.W.L. SERIES”
OUTDOOR WILDLIFE LEARNING

MODULE #3
 SURVIVAL KIT ESSENTIALS
A survival kit is often an item you aren t sure when you ll need it, until you need it.

In some situations, having a survival kit might just mean you re a little bit more comfortable, but in others it
could be what allows you to make it home safe. There s a number of different criteria to take into
consideration when designing your survival kit and considering what best suits you is most valuable.

In this book we will be explaining the importance of a good survival kit and giving you a piece by piece break-
down of what we consider to be the essentials when putting one together!

Following are some ideas and pictures for you to con ide A emble all ma e ial and le b ild a
survival kit with these considerations and others that may be even more specific to you.

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 The Shell
A crucial first step is determining what you re going to be using to contain your kit! Something to consider is
that while this is the package to the kit, it could also serve a purpose in a survival situation. Another important
thought is of course the size and weight You don t want to feel burdened by bringing the kit along or you may
sometimes opt to leave it behind, but you need something that can carry enough supplies to be effective.
Below are 3 different options you could use.

This survival kit is made from a small tin, which can double as a
cooking device or potential for boiling a small amount of water.
It's small enough to fit in a pocket, so you won t have reason to
ever leave it behind.

This option is to build a small belt pouch to carry your personalized

survival kit, or if you would rather, buy one of many commercially
available belt pouches. The tin described above fits in this belt pouch.

This option is fairly self-explanatory. The use of a water bottle

provides a strong waterproof seal and can be used to carry
drinking water or other materials if the need arises.

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 What works best for you?
Because of the size, weight, durability, and multi-use, we are going to build our kit in the tin. The water bottle
style may work better for you, but we have used the tin style kit for years and made thousands in our different
programs, and at the time these photos were taken this particular kit was around 40 years old! A great benefit
to the tin is that small wires can be fashioned to hold the can over flame or coals (these wires fold up and are
stored in the tin). This is an important tool for survival as it gives you the ability to purify water by boiling it in
the tin. After heating up the tin we can place a stick under the wires for removal from the heat.

N le alk ab ha e an in ide

Ye all hi fi in ha li le can

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 Let's break down the specifics of the contents above!

Signals
Tools to signal will be something you want in the kit. There are many flare pencils and survival mirrors
available on the market. We will also mention tinfoil for uses including reflecting light for signals.

Here is an example of a small flare pencil and 3

small flares that when fired present good locating
information for searchers.

Fishing Equipment
Fishing lures are small and can be very handy in providing food. A supply of fishing line is an important
companion here as well. You don't need a lot, but a variety of lures and line size will be helpful and take up
very little space.

You can see in this photo just how easy it is to compact

a few valuable pieces of fishing gear into a small bundle
ready to be added into your kit.

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 Fire
Often the first thing associated with survival (and rightfully so) is fire. One of the most important pieces of
your kit is a fire starter or other methods of lighting a fire. A fire will cook food, warm you up, dry your clothes,
signal for help, provide light and security and much more. If you are not using strike anywhere matches,
ensure you have at least a portion of the striker from the original packaging. A flint and steel is a great option
since it can still be relied upon under wet conditions.

Pictured here alongside the matches and piece of striker is a

reliable Flint and Steel that can be purchased from AHEIA, part of
our collection of different fire starters.

Cutting Tools
Having a cutting tool can be helpful. Safety razor blades with one side protected are wise, as well as a
pocketknife with a couple blades. There are a number of uses these could come in handy for. We all know
having a multiblade knife is helpful for only carrying one tool that has multiple uses, and this is especially
useful when putting together a survival kit.

Here we have included a small multi knife as well as

a safety razor blade. Both very useful and compact.

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 Tin Foil and Plastic
A supply of tinfoil is both a helpful cooking tool and great reflective surface for signaling. Plastic has a
thousand uses and plastic bags can be used to keep the contents of the survival kit together when the can is in
use or carry a small supply of water.

Here we have packaged up both materials nice and

small in order to fit within the kit. Both of these are
great multi-purpose items which is important to
consider when questioning if an object is worth its
space inside your kit.

Wire
Snare wire in various sizes and colors as well as strong string or thread, whatever you can fit in your kit is a
necessity. These can be used for snaring, securing equipment and tools and even repairing your boots or other
gear.

We mentioned when selecting our container

that it was easy to rig up the tin with some
wire and have a cooking device that can
prepare food or make your water drinkable.

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 First Aid
While a survival kit is not a first aid kit, carrying a few essentials is wise. Any necessary medications,
antihistamine for insect bites and/or allergies, and pain killers can come in very handy. Moleskin for blisters
and a few Band-Aids are a good idea. We will be building an emergency first aid kit in another module and
suggest that you carry both. For your survival kit, personalize it as you see necessary.

Especially when also carrying a first aid kit you won t be

needing much in your survival kit, however it doesn t hurt
to carry essentials for injuries like splinters and small cuts.

Nails and Arrowhead

Nails can be used a number of ways including to fashion a weapon or secure wood. An arrowhead could make
a good point on the right size piece of wood and be used to secure food. Both take up a reasonably small
amount of space but serve several purposes.

You don t need to be too specific on what size of

nails you bring along, but use what makes sense
for your own kit.

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 Pencil and Paper
Paper and a pencil can are helpful for leaving messages in the event you need to leave your location, and you
can also do some journaling to help pass the time. Boredom is a tremendous factor inhibiting survival. Pencils
are better than pens as they can be sharpened and don't run out of ink or freeze.

Just a few bits of paper and some sort of small

pencil are all it will take to serve its purpose. You
might cut up a larger piece of paper into sizes that
fit better for you.

Compass
A compass is an essential survival tool, but make sure you know how to use it and don't wait until you are lost
to learn. They come in many sizes, so find one that will best fit in the container that you choose for your
personal needs.

Carrying a map of the area you are in is a

great habit to have. You might not fit it in
the survival kit, especially if you go to more
than just one area, so the map might have
to go in your pack.

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 Food
While we can survive without food for several days or longer, small sources of nourishment are easy to carry
and can also provide a tremendously calming influence in your survival situation.

We recommend oxo cubes, tea bags, coffee, and other

such packets that are available in a variety of flavors and
sizes. You can use your tin to boil up some water for these!

Tape it
Once everything is assembled and neatly stored in the can, you can wrap the edges with strong tape that will
waterproof your kit as well as may come in handy in a survival situation.

You wouldn t want the contents of your kit to

get wet as it would certainly shorten the
lifespan, plus tape always seems to come in
handy.

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 Test it
As you can see, this survival kit has been used. It's a good idea to test it and familiarize yourself with the
contents rather than wait until a survival situation presents itself. The effectiveness of your survival kit is
based off your ability to use everything inside of it .

It doesn t go in easy, but it all fits into this tin!

Considering what best suits your needs when building your survival kit is important to ensure you re building
the most effective kit possible. This kit is a basic kit including a wide variety of items in a small space. If you
chose a larger container, maybe incorporate a thermal blanket or poncho. If you spend most of your time in a
certain area, maybe you can adjust your fishing gear to better suit that particular area. Having a survival kit
can almost always come in handy, whether you re out camping, hiking, or hunting, or going on a road trip and
end up broken down without service. Even not in a survival situation a small kit of the essentials can come in
handy, maybe you somehow forgot your fire starter at home or need to bandage a small cut.

Ok let s assemble our materials and start assembling a survival kit for you! It may just save your life one day!

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 AHEIA offers numerous resources and training to ensure
the safe and responsible use of the great outdoors.

Our mission is to

Make wildlife and fish part of the value system of every Albertan.
Courses, manuals, seminars and workbooks, such as this, proactively educate the user to be safe and
to enjoy their wilderness experience while perpetuating Alberta’s vast natural heritage.
This workbook is one in a series of informational, entertaining and proactive materials
produced for Conservation Education.
For more information, or to review additional resources, please visit our website or contact us directly.

Alberta Hunter Education

Instructors’ Association
911 Sylvester Crescent SW
Calgary, Alberta T2W 0R8
Telephone 403.252.8474
www.aheia.com

Working to Conserve Alberta’s Wilderness Resources through Education and Communication