BOAT (Bug-Out Altoids Tin)

[GeneralDiscontent]

Here's my take on the BOAT. I had a small fishing tackle container I bought for this, but I decided to use an actual Altoids tin instead - it just feels more like a challenge that way

I had seen some "Pocket Survival Kits" in the store, but they cost $20 or more and I thought "I have most of that stuff around the house", so I passed. I wound up coming across a seller on eBay that had similar kits in different sizes for $4 - $12, so I bought one, put the contents in the Altoids tin, and added some stuff I had handy.

The kit:



(I used wintergreen 'cause they're naaaaasty. I don't even know where they came from - the tin's been knocking around in my kitchen cabinet for a couple of years now, so I dumped the mints and used the tin).

The contents:



-LED Flashlight
-Mini Compass
-Whistle
-Mini Swiss Army Knife
-P38 Can Opener
-3 Small Black Safety Pins
-3 Sewing Needles
-20 Feet of Nylon Outdoor Rated UV Resistant Thread
-1 Sewing Pin
-1 Regular Bandage
-1 Small Bandage
-1 Spot Bandage
-1 Square Medical Gauze
-1 Alcohol Prep Pad
-4 Strike-Anywhere Matches
-1Mini-Bic Lighter
-1 Firesteel Rod
-1 Cotton Ball
-20 ft. of 20 lbs Fishing Line
-20 ft. of 10 lbs. Fishing Line
-1 #6 Fishing Hook
-1 #8 Fishing Hook
-1 #10 Fishing Hook
-3 BB-Shot Sinkers
-1 #14 Fishing Swivel
-1 Razor Blade
-1 Mini Glow Stick
-3 Advil
-3 Water Purification Tablets
-3 Feet of Wide Electrical Tape

I wrapped the electrical tape around the barrel of a Bic pen, cut it to size, and used the hollow barrel to store the sewing pins and mini-glowstick. I stuffed the end with the cotton ball:



Soon I will add some cash (I didn't have much on me when I made the kit ). I have a length of paracord that I did have wrapped around the tin, but I decided I didn't like it - the Altoids tin provides nice "camouflage" that is lost if you wrap it with paracord.

[KA-BAR]

hey all, morgan here form ATAC.

instructor Avery Kerr has started a really cool disscussion on survival over at BSP. he is also thinking about running a land nav/survival course, and i for one got really interested. i consider my self a pretty outdoorsy person, infact i am capable of getting very primal about a survival situation, and skill sets i possess are:

fire starting
shelter building
food gathering
weapons and tools.


now i am not a mastercraftsman at any one of these areas, but i am competent enuff to pull it off.

well instructor Kerr has brought up a unique project for us all to challenge ourselves with, and that is the soap dish survival kit.

"what is that?" you may be asking yourself....


well, a soap dish PSK ( personal survival kit) is a kit that all of the items will fit into a soap dish, everything you can stuff into it, that will make surviving that much easier.

major areas of intrest are

fire starting
first aide
food and water
shelter
tools
signaling for rescue

soooo....



okay here is my first lvl 2 "soap dish" PSK.



Contents starting from top left to bottom right:

Green plastic Soap dish container ( not water tight ), contemplating painting it tan to match the rest of my kit, and cutting a groove in it to install a rubber O ring for a seal, then it will be water tight.

4x small plastic bags for packing items.
1x Large garbage bag for water storage, waterproofing, makeshitf poncho, water still or temporary tarp.
2 Ft. square of Tin Foil.
1x Tea Bag ( green tea ).
1x Chicken bullion.
1x multi vitamin pack.
2x small nails.
3x needles ( small, med. and Large ).
4x small wire split rings.
1x signal whistle.
1x MAG firestarter.
4x water/wind proof matches + striker.
1x 2.5"x3" buisness card sized magnifying lens ( first aide and fire starting ).
30' 25 lbs test fishing line.
1x panfish jig.
5x #7 fishing hooks.
5x Tin splitshot.
4x saftey pins.
2x metal carbiners ( improved handles for wire saw, utility ).
2x metal split rings ( handles for wire saw ).
2x Ranger Bands ( holds container closed ).
3x cotton swabs ( first aide or tinder ).
1x dose of ibruprofren.
1x dose of extra strength tylonol.
1x antiseptic wipe.
1x C soap wipe.
3x strip band aides.
1x halls cough drop.
1x neosporin gel.
1x micro multi tool with 10 functions.
1x jig saw blade ( 18 teeth per inch ).
2x metal spools of 30'+ of spiderwire.
1x wire saw.( can be a saw, snare or garrot.)
1x small pocket knife/ bottle opener/ LED light.
1x P58 can opener.




packed




this 65 Pc. kit took 2 days to complile and assemble. it was done for less then 25 dollars out of houshold items, or items bought at a local supermarket.

the kit still has room in it for:
1x signal mirror.
1x golf type pencil.
some water proof paper.
small xacto type scalpul blades.


this is small enuff to fit into a GP molle pouch and be put onto a vest or backpack.





Morgan

[clayton1]

Since altoids come in red and green flavors, one could really build 2 kits, one (red) contains first aid gear, and the other (green) contains the rest. They actually take up almost the exact space of an ar-15 magazine. But here goes mine made in 20 min around the house....
1 mini led flashlight (keychain size)
1 p-38 can opener
1 mini bic lighter
1 single edged razor blade (the kind you get to scape paint off windows)
2 nonstick bandage pads
1 firesteel type thing (magnesium/steel thingy)
8 psuedo-ephidrine allergy meds (mild uppers) in a blister pack
9 excedrine migrane pills (painkiller/caffeine pills)
10' silver 20 gauge wire coiled in the bottom of the can (snares or ancient roman surgical staples/suture)
half full tube of neosporin with a resealable cap
3" piece of hacksaw
whole thing is closed with a large hair tie and wrapped in 7 feet of braided nylon line.

I know it seeps really first aid heavy, but fixing up me and mine to be able to get on with plans seems to be very critical. Was quite fun to look long and hard at what I do and dont have rifling my house for 20 min.

[cauldron]

I love this thread and I love looking at all the kits. I have made a few myself over the years. Some I have given away, and some are still floating from car to car or jacket to jacket. I'll take one apart some time and show it off here, but I wanted to add something else right now.

Otzi the "Ice Man" was discovered in the Alps in 1991. He had lots of cool stuff with him, and a big mystery that still goes on today. One of the things he wore was a belt wraped around him twice, holding his leggings and loin cloth up. There was a hafted stone knife and a flint working tool attatched to it as well. (About 72 inches long, tapering from 2.5 inches tapering to .25 inches at the ends.)

There was also a small 8" by 2" pouch sewn to the front of the belt that contained an Altoids tin. Sort of... He did have a small survival kit with him. Inside were a 5 items: a small bone awl, a flint scraper, a drill, some tinder, and a small flint blade. Not much, but enough to remake everything else he had, if given enough time.


1: The bone awl could be used to make holes in germents to sew them up and make repairs, or to make new clothes.

2: The flint scraper was 2.63" by 5" and had been used to cut grass and other things. It could be used for scraping, cutting and planing. The SAK of the day.

3: The drill was 2 inches long and tapered from .5 inch down to .25 inch.

4: The tinder was True Tinder Fungus. (Fomes fomentarius) about 2 square inches of it. It also has medicinal uses.

5: The very small flake of flint. like a small razor blade, this was used for fine cutting, carving, or notching.



There were traces of iron pyrite in the fungus, but none was found near him. He could have been carrying a live coal, or since he was moved and disturbed when he was found, maybe it got over looked or lost over the years...

There is a lot to still be learned from Otzi, but I thought his Altoid tin was cool. 8)

[Fenris]

You can easily waterproof a BOAT by wrapping electrical tape around the seam and hinges. I think the right type is Scotch 300, since it can be reapplied after taking it off(I may be wrong about the name, just check around the tape isle).

-fenris-

[GeneralDiscontent]

I upgraded my BOAT to a cool little Witz Sportcase that I found at an outfitters shop while I was on vacation:



It's just a little bit bigger than the Altoids tin, is waterproof, and comes with a breakaway lanyard. It has slightly more storage space, so I was able to put a chunk of paracord up in the lid.

I also bought some mini-ziploc baggies for another project, and used a few to organize similar items in the kit:



(Pills (gonna add Benadryl later), fishing items & thread, first aid supplies).

[Jaxathon]

a Gerber clutch or Gerber shortcut would fit well in there I also think that a winchester knock off of the swiss army knife would fit well Pics included.

I personally would go with my winchester over the gerber because it has more functions and it is a good tool as well it takes up a little less space than the gerber. so you can pack in more stuff. but Its not my multitool =p I always have one on me reguardless of what im doing..

I only pilfered this altoid can just for this pic but now I think I will actually make this kit just so I can have it if i need it.

[Jaxathon]

another thought. Instead of a big whistle you could go with a loud dog toy squeaker. rip/cut it out of the toy for a smaller whistle to attract attention. and it provides more room in your kit for more things you might need. Also if you dont already have a sewing needle you can use one as an improvised compass. but you should have a compass anyway.

[jay_imok]

is there any concern with packing a magnet near a battery? i know not to pack a magnet near my compass, so the BOAT with the magnet doesn't have a compass. but does a magnet & battery next to each other matter in a small box such as this?

does a battery have any effect on a compass?

anyone have a use for the small, individually wrapped straws which come with fruit juice boxed drinks?

is there a concern with self ignition of Bic style lighters? the label says "120 degrees" but it might get that hot in a closed car in summer. how about matches? what's their flashpoint?

or am i worrying too much about this stuff?

thanks,

j

[bltjr1951]

Calling it a 'survival tin' or 'bug out tin' is misleading in my mind though.

Call it a Combat Survival Tin, then you can sell it for $25 like these guys:

http://www.ustacticalsupply.com/combatsurvivaltin.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jay_imok]

looks like some handy gadgets in the box; wonder how much the government pays for them?

be they couldn't stop a bullet!

[canuck]

or am i worrying too much about this stuff?

Yes, but then again I was never a fan of the tin in the first place.

[jay_imok]

or am i worrying too much about this stuff?

Yes, but then again I was never a fan of the tin in the first place.

so where does the exploding lighter and combustion take place in your bob?

[canuck]

or am i worrying too much about this stuff?

Yes, but then again I was never a fan of the tin in the first place.

so where does the exploding lighter and combustion take place in your bob?

Pelican case, I believe.

That's not to say it has been volatile or that I have any worries about it though.

[Hambone]

I noticed some of the bugout tins have some literature included, probably instructional or first aid information. Does anyone have this available for display? I'd love to see how they condensed it.

[bark-eater]

http://www.ratcutlery.com/Survival/survivaltips.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Allen]

Walmart is selling a Tin of "Sweet Tarts" candy in an Altoids size tin
that's twice as thick, if You need a larger tin. It's 96 cents.

Cheers!

[Irwin J. Finster]

Came about this topic just now, and having read about such mini survival kits before often enough, I decided to give it a go myself too. I thought such an altoid tin might be a pretty nice base for such a kit, but haven't seen them for sale here in quite a while. So I decided to google altoids to find out if they were avaliable anywhere locally, and stumbled upon this:

http://www.nuts4chic.com/2006/Columnist ... ltoids.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I defiantly have to get altoids now!

(BTW, I don't think the link above is against the forum rules, for there are no pictures in this article and it's out of an womans lifestyle magazine anyway - nothing pornographic).

But hey, if this really works, I might end up making several such survival tins............

[Allen]

You'll probably have to delete it.

Cheers!

[jay_imok]

"Sucrets"

a little different shaped tin. good to have a little variety.

[bltjr1951]

"Sucrets"
a little different shaped tin. good to have a little variety.

Whitman's Cloisonne chocolates tin.
Band-aid tin.
Plastic fishing box.
Used deodorant container.

[don vito]

zippo tins are on the small side but perfect for a mini psk or a fire kit.

[Hambone]

Thanks for the link, bark-eater, this is just what i was looking for.

Has anyone found a good deal on wire saws? I've looked around on the web and ebay, and they sure seem pricey.

[Allen]

Thanks for the link, bark-eater, this is just what i was looking for.

Has anyone found a good deal on wire saws? I've looked around on the web and ebay, and they sure seem pricey.

Everyone I've ever used broke pretty quick.
I carry a folding tree pruning saw in My BOB.
It folds up to about 6" and cuts small trees pretty quick.

Cheers!