BOAT (Bug-Out Altoids Tin)

[Oneswunk]

Working on one right now pix later.

[Merovech]

Bumping and tagging, making one now... my wife came home with a tin of Dark Chocolate Altoids and they were in a ziplock and I had stolen the tin before the groceries were all in the house

[Bonecrusher Doc]

A couple links for BOAT lovers:

Belt pouch for your Altoids tin.
Good quality signal mirror that will fit inside tin.

EDIT: Forget the Brigade QM link. The same signal mirror is available for less $ on the website that has the belt pouch.

[Veritas]

I enjoy this thread better. Well, Erik's thread started out really cool...anyway, I have switched my BOAT all around now, and it probably should be posted in this thread. I just stopped by to say this:

I just got one of these: BCB Survival/Mess Tin

The website is pretty cool, they actually gave me free shipping to the US, which I could hardly believe. I can't remember if I saw this tin on here or another site, but here are my first impressions:

Overall, I like it. The tin itself is kinda gimmicky, but it is perfect for a more advanced looking BOAT. It is not waterproof, although on some sites they claim that it is. It does have a rubber gasket around the top, but it is easily unseated and allows water inside. If you just let it float and don't put pressure on it, it will not leak. In my test I put it in the sink for a while and checked the inside (filled with paper towels) and it was dry. However, when I tried to weigh it down with a soup can I saw some suspicious bubbles, checked inside, and there was water.

A big plus for this tin is the sturdiness with which the lid locks down. I had been using ranger bands to hold my old BOAT together, but this does not need them, the "rollers" or whatever they are work well for keeping the lid on.

[sheddi]

I can't remember if I saw this tin on here or another site...

It may not be where you first saw it, but on the previous page of this thread I give a breakdown of the contents of BCB's Ultimate Survival Kit which comes in one of these tins.

I agree, it's a good tin for this purpose, and it fits nicely in the thigh pocket of my cargo pants.

[Veritas]

It may not be where you first saw it, but on the previous page of this thread I give a breakdown of the contents of BCB's Ultimate Survival Kit which comes in one of these tins.

I agree, it's a good tin for this purpose, and it fits nicely in the thigh pocket of my cargo pants.

HA! I am pretty sure it was your post that gave me the idea. I should have just read one page back!

[Jeriah]

Ok, these B.O.A.T.’s and similar survival kits have peaked my posting.php?mode=quote&f=14&p=859992curiosity. I’m having trouble figuring out what they’re for and why they seem to be so popular here. Other than the challenge of getting a lot of cool neat stuff in a little can what value do they have?

I can see where a kit like this could be useful if you were dropped out of a plane with nothing in a remote area, but what are the odds of that? I would think that in most cases people aren’t that far from civilization. And if they were, wouldn’t they have their vehicle, BOB, manpurse, purse, etc? All of which have room to carry the typical BOAT items in larger quantity.

I don’t see myself having to catch a fish, cut down a branch, build a fire, boil a tin full of drinking water, cook my fish and eat it with my sugar packet unless I was literally in a plane crash or something.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all about being prepared for damn near anything. But it seems that I’m always closer to more and better equipment than could be put in a tin.

I guess my question is, when and where do you actually use these?

Wow, I started this thread and haven't checked on it in a while...I've got some new thoughts on this topic, now, and some of them pertain to your questions.

Here are my thoughts on these:

First of all, these kits as commonly used, are an ideal thing to have in the wilderness. Some people live full time in the wilderness, others work there (forestry jobs etc.), other regularly drive through it, and many of us enjoy hiking, camping, etc. If you get lost, the stuff in this kit can save your life.

The name, BOAT (Bug-Out Altoids Tin) is somewhat misleading, and is really just a funny name. These are not really for "bugging out" per se, as that implies leaving your home or work, and escaping a hazardous area for somewhere safer. The normal manifestation of these kits is as wilderness survival kits. They're the kind of thing an aviator would keep in his survival vest in case of a crash. Therefore they're the kind of thing you should have with you if you're in the woods; keep it in your pocket in case you lose the rest of your gear. You'll probably never use it, but if you do, it could save your life.

But, I've been thinking lately, that there may be other types or applications of the BOAT concept. For example, think of the things that could really pull your bacon out of the fire in your everyday life. These are the things people ask to borrow/have, or the things you kick yourself for forgetting: a phone, a lighter, a knife, money, ID, bus pass, etc. Now, my phone is in a pouch on my belt and wouldn't fit in a BOAT anyway, but it wouldn't be too hard to stick a lighter, a utility knife blade, some cash, a spare ID of some kind, and maybe a charged-up transit card in there. Actually the cash can take the place of the transit card if you have the right denominations, see below.

Re: cash, obviously you don't want to pack a ton of coins, but it could be useful to have exact change, too. So, I'd recommend the following:

1x $100 (if you can afford to spare one)
4x $20
1x $10
1x $5
4x $1
3x quarters
1x dime
1x nickel
4x pennies (or a second nickel)

You may choose to eliminate the dime, nickel(s), and pennies, to save weight, and/or replace them with or add a 4th quarter. The tradeoff here is the ability to make exact change, vs. the extra weight of a few more coins. Your call. The cash is really the important part, now that payphones are almost nonexistent. Seriously...when was the last time you saw one? I can't recall. Payphones were the reason I always packed change before...now it's a moot point. Just keep your phone charged and on you. Re: the cash, though, these bills should allow you to make any amount of exact change, so for example you can pay a taxi driver what you want them to have, instead of trusting them to make correct change for you (I've had a bad experience with this before). The $100 is ideal if you can afford it, and could come in handy if, oh I dunno, you want to take an unexpected hottie out to dinner on a whim. But the $20s are enough for most situations: one or two will get you a cab ride most places you need to get. The smaller bills are, again, just so you can make your own change so you don't get ripped off, or annoy a business with a large bill first thing in the morning.

A lighter or matches allows you to be a good Samaritan to smokers, as well as to light a fire if you're freezing to death, or help out at a campfire or BBQ. Seriously: it's like mankinds most basic tool. Don't be without it.

The utility knife blade you can use for anything you'd use a normal knife for; obviously a full knife is better but this kit is for if you lose that.

Think of what else you use constantly, and see if there's a tiny equivalent you could pack in your BOAT. This would be an urban version of the wilderness BOAT; you'd still want one of the latter if you were going hiking for example.

[marcos67450]

Crossing with another thread someone made (his was about a BOB bag for survival/school) this BOAT would be ideal to carry at school in case shit happens when you're at school and to keep you alive while you get home (or wherever you have your real BOB)

[Veritas]

I like that idea Jeriah. It's kinda like taking all your EDC stuff and putting it in one easily accessible spot.

It would also let you get more creative with the contents. Since the purpose is not to survive on it, but to be some sort of urban MacGuyver, you could put things in there that would be extraneous in the bush but handy in the classroom/office/etc.

On a different note: I have a small lure in my BOAT right now, but I am considering removing it. To really work correctly it should be reeled in, and I honestly would rather have some hooks that I could bait and leave instead. My first initial thought was that it was like metal bait, but I have tried fishing with it on regular fishing trips and can't catch anything with it using a rod and reel. This lends me to believe I have an even slimmer chance of catching something if it is just tied to a tree limb.

Has anyone else ever considered putting a lure in the BOAT? I don't see much use for it now, and am switching to a few hooks.

[Woods Walker]

Holly necro! I have been working on finishing off my regular and small Altoids tin kits so just going bump this thread.

[colorsafe]

Good gravy...this was a fun one! Glad to see it back on the rack.

[Woods Walker]

Yea it is a good thread. I have been looking for strike anywhere matches for my Altoids kits and finally ran onto them at ACE hardware. That plus some nylon cordage finished off the larger Altoids kit. Going to post up some photos when done with the mini kit.

[angelofwar]

tagged

[Merovech]

I have discovered the Altoid Smalls Mini-Tin and Im excited.

[Woods Walker]

I have discovered the Altoid Smalls Mini-Tin and Im excited.

CVS had a buy one get one free on those. Thinking about using one as a mini charring tin for a traditional flint and steel kit as well. Given the larger hinge gaps I don't think there is a need for a small nail hole but will test it out in a day or so.

[colorsafe]

Dual (edit: triple, and counting) purpose built into the foundation...I like it. Looking forward to seeing that work out. Makes me rethink mostly wearing wool and synthetic

[bacpacjac]

Here's one we threw together this morning so that dear old dad could have something in his pockets during a hike. It's not as small as a regular Altoids tin, but holds bigger stuff too. It's got a rain poncho, duct tape, Altoids smalls tin with PJ cotton balls, full sized BIC, SAK Farmer (with P58 in sheath), Gerber Vise mini multi-tool, 3XAAA LED flashlight and button compass all in a tobacco tin secured with ranger bands. Of course, I could get more goodies in there if I used smaller stuff but this is what we had laying around.

[Merovech]

I have discovered the Altoid Smalls Mini-Tin and Im excited.

CVS had a buy one get one free on those. Thinking about using one as a mini charring tin for a traditional flint and steel kit as well. Given the larger hinge gaps I don't think there is a need for a small nail hole but will test it out in a day or so.

I actually did that... I really need to make a post for my fire kit.