Best Survival Tin Kit//Esee Survival Mess Tin homemade kit

[@NorthernKitty]

Pretty happy with all the advice you give, except: "I'm not a big fan of space blankets..." Oooooh, I would never be without several!! They can be used either to reflect heat away or toward you, can be useful in signaling or marking, and can even be used as wind/draft barriers and evaporative barriers. Use them as your ground sheet below your sleeping bag, to keep your bag dry and reflect heat back at you. You can use them either as shelter from rain or for rain collection. You can cut one up in a pinch to wrap foods or loose materials or things you want to keep fresh or dry. I have survived a brutal Lake Superior winter by sandwiching these between layers of cloth both for wearing and for sleeping - they were literally a life saver for me, sleeping in 30-below-zero conditions. If you're not a big fan of space blankets, I don't think you're using them right. The word "blanket" is misleading - people think you wrap yourself directly with it as a substitute for a traditional blanket, and while you CAN do that in a pinch they're not terribly effective that way. But use them as liners (clothing liners, ground lining, tent lining, etc) they are worth their weight in gold. It's hard for me to imagine you not LOVING them, being a "Great Lakes" prepper.

[@Brianms62]

For water gathering go to Walmart and purchase breast milk storage bags. They hold a litre. They are pleated so they stand up when full. They are heavier weight material and have double zip-loc closures.

[@mulatokudzava7797]

Good idea, thank you!

[@mulatokudzava7797]

@You WILL Eat My Turds Great idea, thanks for sharing your precious experience!

[@tinamite22]

@@mulatokudzava7797 OOof total burn. LOL

[@treadheadpete4770]

Nice idea, thank you!

[@treadheadpete4770]

@You WILL Eat My Turds your youtube name is hilarious!

[@finnmcool2]

The altoids survival tin began as an exercise done by the Boy Scouts. In my day it was a Sucrets box survival kit. What people forget is it is just an exercise to teach prioritization and to teach the difference between what you need and what would be nice. It was never intended to be a final product.

[@jamescooper2618]

True, but still a viable idea for a few small pocket items, or mini kits to go inside a pack, like a repair kit, or some Band Aids, etc.

[@cynthiarothrock4255]

Dad taught it to keep from overloading pockets. if you couldn't get it into the kit leave it AT home . Unless its medical. Like an inhaler.

[@adamlarsen1566]

I was under the impression that John Lofty Wiseman coined the pocket survival tin (see: SAS Survival Guide). The idea being that is essentially "first line" (pocket) survival gear if you've managed to lose everything else.

[@puppiesarepower3682]

All the Scouts I know have no idea how to turn a screwdriver. They only know how to screw it up.

[@melneeds6358]

Enjoyed your thoughts. I have a similar " Grab and go " kit ( Essee Tin) and everything else I need is on me everyday. Don't let the negative people influence you, it was a fine video of "your" thoughts. Thanks.

[@jamescooper2618]

Altoids tins are best used to make "component kits" like a fishing kit, sewing and repair kit, personal meds kit etc.

[@kendalkenny1843]

char cloth

[@riskinhos]

why?

[@jamescooper2618]

@@riskinhos Why not?

[@riskinhos]

@@jamescooper2618 because it's made of tin and it's a piece of shit. it's neither durable or reliable and gets damaged easily. the best ones are made off titanium. you can drop them off a mountain drive them over by a car the contents will remain intact. good luck with that with shitty tin boxes

[@riskinhos]

@thopkins22 yes.

[@dancurtis461]

I like painting all my stuff camo to make losing them in the woods so much easier. Instead of walking 20 yards off trail, I can just set it down beside me and not find it 5 minutes later. So much easier. #lifehacks

[@pgtrish]

🤣

[@simonh6371]

Back when I served in HM Forces (Army) some of us tried to be ultra-warry by painting things like our tobacco tin (like an Altoids tin, but actually containing cigarettes and lighter to keep dry) camo, even the small can openers. A Royal Marines instructor laughed at us and said that if the enemy were so close for that cam to be effective, you'd already be dead.

[@jamescooper2618]

A good reason experienced bow hunters use bright colored feathers and paint on their arrow shafts. So they can see/find them in the shadowy forest.

[@Itried20takennames]

On many of the tarp and other survival kit videos like this, someone always comments “why is it orange, what if I don’t want to be seen?” The statistical reality is most people will use it, if they ever do, after getting lost on a hike, not for hiding from zombies, etc.

[@LosPeregrinos51]

@@simonh6371 A workmate joined the TA and bought himself the camo patterned Parker Jotter ball pen. On a weekend exercise he sat down to make some notes, put it down and it "disappeared". Of course it might just have been a sticky fingered squaddie rather than excellent camo!

[@greenwolf401]

Why not put the tape that's on the bottom, on top. It's still protected and isn't in the way if you want to use the bottom for cooking.

[@triskalion9627]

He said he polished the top to be a mirror... And anyway with such a small can it will still burn even when above unless you ofc remove the top

[@grizzlycountry1030]

@@triskalion9627 which is why he said put it on the top so when you cook with lid off.

[@triskalion9627]

@@grizzlycountry1030 yea but preferably when you cook u want to cover it so stuff cooks faster anyway idk he did that I'm just trying to get in his head

[@shastaham7630]

1. He polished the top, but taped a mirror inside. So he could put the tape on top. 2. He might be able to cook with the lid on even if it has tape on it. Not being exposed to direct heat means the tape might not be harmed.

[@thewatcher611]

I agree. If you have a metal container, and you are not thinking of boiling water as its major use, then you are not thinking. At least he has a metal container. And no, I don't think the tape will burn if it's on top, provided your fire is an appropriate size.

[@kimjackson1052]

Maybe it's just me, but i have a couple mints in my kits.. I use them to get a focus factor, to take my mind off of things that can distract me. The sugar is an energy source as well, even if it's a small amount. *I like the idea of the plastic wrap to line the tin, it can be useful in more than one way. Thanks for sharing, great kit!

[@Patriot4TheTree]

I understand your rationale about making this a tin designated for a toss under your car seat. In combination with your edc, you could weather a lot. Things I would change. 1. Add some fishing tackle including eye hooks to make a pole. 2. Take out one of those space blankets. 3. Add a Life Straw. 4. Get rid of the pen and pencil and add the small Sharpie. 5. Get rid of the orange string and wrap the outside with 550. Keep the bank line. 6. I myself, would put in the multi-tool but find the beefiest folder I could find. Gerber makes a rubber handled folder for like $30. I think it's called the Gator. Nice idea and vid.

[@Skellanuts]

I LOVE how well rounded you tried to make your kit. I truly respect the effort. Obviously all kits are based on individual needs and mindset. I see your as way more practical then some out there ive seen on KZbin. I do have some opinions though I would like to offer. It's mostly based on mindset. I totally get wanting to be as well rounded as possible and find as many ways to be as well rounded as possible. However, in my opinion, when you pack smaller.. and smaller.. and smaller... I have always tried to go as practical as possible.. in a 80l buyout bag for instance.. I have the room, and as long as I can still carry it for a credible amount of distance I will take it.. then again.. if its only a 20-30l pack, obviously I won't take things with me that might be of value under certain circumstances. I'll just take what I need. If I take something the size of a small pocket size tin.. well.. Im not going to try and cover every basis I can imagine. Just because.. if I am down to that one pocket size survival kit and I either lost everything else or was caught out with nothing else other then the supplies in my pockets well... I wouldn't want to have so many things I couldn't function properly, or be lopsided by having such a large tin while having nothing in the other pockets exc. I like the concept of your tin, but I do think there is a really good purpose for the altoid size tin. Yea you can't carry as much.. but functionality wise? idk.. I mean... I have made over 5 of these tins big and small in my time.. and my favorite over my experience (being out in the field and just carrying it around whenever I go hike or whatnot and not try and survive on it) I have perfected my carry method by carrying something that's about a 1/4 inch bigger in all diameters of an average altoid tin, but its made of stainless steel so its tougher and if you need to boil it won't be potentially harmful. Also obviously you can make char in your container. My entire kit inside that kit consists of the following : Tops fire starter (fire rod) 6 eco stormproof matches with striker in plastic bag, kevlar cord 50 feet, burn cream, antiseptic wipes bandaids, and sail needle with surgical line, aqua tabs, Swiss army knife evo grip 18s (locking blade with saw exc) I carry that one because it has tweezers for ticks and splinters, it has a toothpick for dental hygiene, it also has an awl and a saw) I only wish it had a secondary blade but it does have scissors for multiple uses, but it works. I have a fire steel striker that's about the size of my pinky finger, along with a sharpener for my knife blade around the same size, two of those plastic whirlpool bags for water, a signaling mirror, and last but not least some fishing wire (could also be used for snares) along with some fishing hooks and tiny weights. I only put in what I truly couldn't go with out of which is food, water, tools, and repair kits (which is also medical) grant you.. shelter is number 1 on my list.. but the reason I don't include that in this tin is because.. it is literally a tin.. made to fit in my pocket. What fits in my pocket would not be a reliable or realistic sense or shelter.. yea it may help better than nothing.. but would it supplement for something reasonable in a bad situation? in my case definitely not.. Id rather make shelter off the landscape.. debris shelter.. heck.. there are a bunch or structures more then there is woods in most places.. there are ways to shelter yourself regardless. It would just suck.. Yet.. the same amount of work would have to go into building a viable shelter regardless... Tins are only a supplemental kit. Nothing more. Shelter is just to bulky. Yea.. navigation could be a factor.. but button compasses are not reliable enough most times, and big compasses are to big.. unless you keep it separate in your pack or pocket. Then you would need a map generally away. The last thing I carry is my pathfinder m34 scout canteen and cup set. I carry that for 3 reasons. 1 water is so important that I don't trust my whirlpool bags alone, but incase worse comes to worse and I don't have anymore aqua tabs to purify it.. I want a boiling option, as well as something that won't be punctured. 2 because the cup allows be to cook. The altoid tin won't be realistic enough to boil with or cook with in any capacity to survive whatever your situation is. You need something extra. 3 simply because you can carry dirty water and purified water and not stop forever between the 3 containers and also because it will be carried in my other pocket that is opposite of my survival tin so it will be an even weight while I trek or run for my survival. I know this is long winded, but I felt like it was necessary.

[@robbabcock_]

Tea lights are actually fantastic items for a kit! You can use one for a Palmer Furnace (sit on something to get off the ground, drape a space blanket around you like a cape and close at the front with a candle burning between your feet- it will be around 30 degrees warmer than outside), and maybe the best application is as a flame extender. If you're trying to get a fire light and everything is damp or wet a candle can save your ass! Terrific kit! The Altoids kits are kind of wishful thinking, more survival theater than realistic survival gear. If you were in a true survival situation with just what fits in an Altoids tin you'd be in trouble! Your kit is about the best kit of that size that I've ever seen. It's very thorough, again considering the size. About the only thing I would add is a few matches. Yeah, you have several sources and a BIC is usually reliable but I have been in weird situations (usually on humid days at high altitude) where I couldn't get my BIC to work even when warmed by pocket carry. Five or six UCO matches and a wee bit of striker will give you about the most certain 20 second of flame each you can find on this planet. The only thing that can foil them is a wet striker. I think it's critical to have at least one space blanket and two is better. The SOL ones are vastly more durable; not as durable as canvas but better than the cheapies. Better still is one to pitch as overhead cover (ie a lean-to) and one as a ground cloth/water barrier. You can wrap up in it but they suck as blankets IMO. But a good one excels as a tarp although obviously you'll only get a couple uses out of it. I've had to use a space blanket as a tarp with a small stick fire out front to ride out a 39 degree F night with no coat, just a T-shirt and jeans! And I was so warm I almost used a second blanket to shield me from the fire. That reflective tarp overhead and pitches in a lean-to really does bounce heat down on your body to form a very effective micro-climate. Great kit! Subscribed!

[@jeremiahjensen8864]

I bought three of those ESEE tins. They fit perfectly inside a Maxpedition Jumbo Versa-pack

[@grumpyoldphart7325]

Go to your local food store and take a few of the plastic bags used for vegetables and fruit. They hold water, if filled you could use your yellow bag to support and protect the bag when filled.

[@elliotthelocksmith8198]

FYI USPS Flat Rate bags are water proof and they can be folded down to a pretty small size

[@balaamsass5540]

A pencil and tin foil; that reminds me of my very first survival situation - making an emergency weed pipe.

[@debbiecurtis4021]

I've now got a dozen prepper bugout tins. Today I bought a green rainproof jacket, very light weight. I'm going to embellish it with mini ferro rods and strikers, mini manual chain saw, handcuff key, and mini canisters to store tinder, cotton wool with Vaseline, and lint from a dryer.

[@rescueraver]

Good kit, using a tin really smart but putting a bag in there to carry the contents good idea most people forget that. Just my 2 cents. Put some beef bullion cubes and a pack of dried soup mix, a beef jerky stick and a packet of peanut butter. You can go three weeks without food. But cold can make you burn more calories. If you don't have to worry about food you can focus on other aspects of survival.

[@MrByTheMile]

which is why i implement the 11th C which is CALORIES

[@brokenpencil57]

Your soup, jerky and peanut butter is likely about 400 calories (3000+ needed for stress, exercise and cold). That doesn't add any real survival value besides some mental comfort and takes precious space. Consider adding a Tiny Card (ASIN: B07V216PLR) that has tons of survival info including which plants to gather for more practical sustenance.

[@mackie32x4]

thanks for the beef cube idea. that stays in any weather!!

[@peterlamont647]

Finally, some other people point out what I keep seeing missing in all these kits. My main comment on this video was that you could write down how badly you're starving to death(and you can even choose between pen and pencil) lol. Bullion cubes, hard tack/crackers vacuum packed, textured soy protein vacuum packed and some gruel(oats ground in a coffee grinder/salt/sugar). Rice. Toss in some tea bags too. With that, you could have a 10 day supply of food(runny soups and thick gruel for breakfast) and it wouldn't take up 1/3 of that kit. Heck, you could also vacuum pack 10 teaspoons of instant coffee...then throw out all the duplicates in the kit. Store your multitool outside the kit(why put it in there when you have already reasoned it can be in your pocket?!) If you have to survive for 2 weeks, you already are 10-14 days ahead if you have food! With a kit that size, there is no excuse to starve to death. I mean, what the hell is he planning on cooking in that mess tin? his own leg? lol I was thinking maybe even a small bag of corn starch too, thicken up that runny bullion and TVP/rice/hardtack soup. Maybe even make some gravy with the cornstarch. Yes A trucking man, 11th C you are absolutely right. Calories. Oh I forgot GUM! 400 calories is better than starving completely. Your body can use it's own fat to make up the difference, but having some ready calories makes a HUGE difference. I know a woman who did eat 400 cal a day for a year. She lost a ton of weight and her atherosclorosis was completely cured(which is why she did it).

[@richroc7]

I’m color blind as well & I buy blue knives myself for the same reason. I would pack a larger ferro rod and a small tub of Vaseline for extended emergency stays because you never know how long you’ll be stuck in the wilderness but it’s jmo 👊🏼

[@Jack-leg80]

You seem to have put a good bit of thought into this kit. I would like to suggest that you carry this on a belt. If you put this in a pack I recommend you use a spare kit. This is a good video because you give the reason for your choices for contents. Also a good idea is to bend a couple of wire hanger to use as a stand. As for the belt pouch, this tin will fit into the Army's 100 rnd saw pouch

[@johnr.bonnett5695]

In addition to skipping the first four minutes, I found it helped to set the playback speed to 1.5X to move it along quicker... ;-)

[@fastacker2]

Great minds think alike. I did the same thing

[@stevieonh]

9 months later and your advice still rings true!

[@shadesofgray5476]

Good idea. Thanks.

[@robertbrawley5048]

I think these small kit are worthless

[@jasong9502]

Leatherman wave is the best multi tool ever made... that’s way to go!

[@evillabrador1]

Trangia makes a same sized mess tin. I agree about the size of an Altoids tin. Tobacco tins are a better size for a small pocket size kit.

[@lanegardinier760]

Great video! I also use those aluminum mess tins as kit bases, I got a set of two that nest for $5.00 on clearance at Sierra Trading Post, they fit perfectly into 2 molle first aid kit bags I got on Amazon and hold a lot of useful gear. One bag is essentially a fire kit and the other a cook kit but both are complete mini survival kits, this is a really economical way to go.

[@nickmartino2839]

Great kit!!!! I like having sharpies in all my kits... not only will they write on almost anything but if you need to leave a note say on your car or truck where a pen or pencil will fall short.. even with paper it can blow away or get wet but a sharpie you can easily leave a note on any of glass

[@brianmurphy6760]

I think it is a good kit, and similar to mine. I keep mine in a USGI sustainment pouch, which fits perfectly with room to spare. With the two combined I am very confident in the ability to get home. If you get the pouch get the M81. They are cheap, and have a D ring on either side so you can fashion a shoulder sling to carry the entire kit. I can also keep a field stripped MRE IN IT SO THIS WITH THE POUCH IS MY GO TO. good kit! I am with you on the space blankets. They are a great alternative if you want to die with a false sense of security. I use a tent floor for a survival tarp. Compact, and super durable with tie out loops. One Tigris makes an good affordable one.

[@brotherd89]

Few fish hooks and line , maybe a wire saw , but the contents of a survival tin possibilities endless comes down to personal choice , the mess tin size you used is pretty way perfect for purpose,

[@ShineBright__]

I definitely like the personal survive kit rather than others which are filled with stuff you don't need also very expensive !

[@timbo4374]

Pretty decent kit for a bugout bag or get home bag. Using this as your core kit, you can throw it into your bag, then you can adjust your clothing or food, whatever you need according to your season and environment conditions. It makes putting your bag together much easier. Not a good alternative to a pocket kit, as it won't fit in your pocket, but you can always carry one of those on you too if that's your thing. The multi tool you chose is a good option. Like you, I always have my SAK Fieldmaster on me at all times, and I also carry a modern folder on me as well. I rotate through the modern folders I own, but the SAK is ALWAYS on me every single day, regardless of where I'm going or what I'm doing. If I know I'm going into the woods, I'll have a fixed blade on my belt, but your kit is great for a leave in the car kit or bug out bag as the core kit you can build the rest of your bag around.

[@patrickschwartz5790]

Maybe someone already advice you to this, but to keep water in your yellow bag just spray it with some silicone stuff, like the one to keep a camping tent from taking the rain.

[@shawnb1287]

patrick schwartz how about a small trash bag in the dry bag then you can hold water without worrying about the dry bag leaking

[@redmudpei]

I have an altoids tin 'comfort' kit on my esee 4 sheath pouch. Advil, tums, a lighter, some bandaids, chapstick, stuff like that. For headaches, small cuts, heart burn, stuff that isn't serious but can ruin a fun day of hunting.

[@rickc4317]

I like it. Good logic and well done. Thanks for sharing. The only thing I would mention, and it's not important, that you might be interested in adding, or putting into your pack, is a few Wysi Wipes...little tablets of dehydrated cloth you just add a few drops of water to and you have a cloth wipe.

[@Greatlakesprepper]

hmm i'll check them out. thanks for watching

[@philoeolivarria448]

You can boil water in a plastic water bottle......in case you dont have a pan........very good set up...especially using a bigger tin....great video. Thanks

[@timschutte8310]

you did a good job. it's nice to see a young person like your self thinking about an emergency situation. put some duck tape, surveyers red ribbon tape and some fishing supplies in with it. great job.

[@Greatlakesprepper]

I have about 20' of marking tape and a few feet of duct tape in the kit. I should add some fishing tackle in. thanks for the reminder

[@Jedidiah-r1m]

Most solid mess tin kit I've ever seen by far and I've seen a few

[@GreatBigRanz]

The Signal is a great addition, even if does take up space and weight. My stick is that i almost NEVER use the saw or the file in any of my multitools.

[@prostarmansd]

A lot can be done with just the pot, cordage, lighter and Leatherman. You could really do a good Mors 2kg kit with that tin.

[@craigmooring2091]

I think you did a pretty good job. You covered the 10 Cs plus some first aid supplies. I recently made such a kit myself in a tin that is about 4" by 6⅔" by 2'" that has a clamping lid. I think yours is deeper than mine, but we made a lot of similar choices. I also have a baseplate compass for the same reasons. I have one tea candle. It can also be useful for starting a fire. I decided not to include wire but I have enough rubber tubing for a slingshot (or siphoning, fire blowing, straw, etc). I put in the Wazoo survival belt fishing kit and wire saw. I would mostly use the latter in a bow saw, so I added a medium SAK that has a decent saw blade. I included more things for starting a fire, but less for cover. I, too, have decided an Altoids tin is far too small to make a serious survival kit. That space blanket is very minimal as a cover item and it would take up most of the space in that size tin. It's a decent size for an escape kit, but you really want that stuff stashed where it is not likely to be found if you need it rather than in a tin in your pocket. Or it could be a decent fire kit container.

[@raykiii]

The kit is very good. Esee makes great kits, but I think you have higher quality tools in yours. I like your planning. The yellow bag is a stroke of brilliance. The only things I might add are a fishing kit and construction type trash can liners. The fishing kit to have another way to catch food. The trash liners for stuffing with leaves to get off the ground or a poncho. Liners have many uses. Thanks for sharing.

[@mrhalfstep]

If you added the multi tool mainly for the saw, as you stated, there is a cheap, plastic handled, but very small and effective saw, sold in big box stores and on Amazon called the Coghlan Pocket Sierra Saw. It doesn't look that rugged and many "bushcrafters" are going to turn their their noses up, but I'm telling you that it is worth the $7 to $8 price tag for inclusion in a kit like this. It has a 4 inch blade and it's geometry is similar to a Japanese flush cutting saw's blade, lots of very tiny teeth. It works way better than you would ever imagine it would, just by looking at it, and it is very lightweight because of the use of plastic pretty much everywhere but the blade. You won't be able to mistreat it, but if circumstances have knocked you down to the point that you're depending on crap that you threw into a tin box, you should probably be as gentle as you can with ALL the gear that you pit in there. And I did enjoy hearing you rationale for each item.

[@nealgrey6485]

I thought of this when I saw the wire in the kit (about 13:57). In the 50’s, in Alaska, Dad had a “snare line”. This meant he had rabbit snares in different places along a rabbit run. These ‘runs’ were quite visible in the snow-like a beaten path, really. We purchased the snare wire at the Copper River Cash Store, and it was a woven metal wire. Much like some stainless steel wire that I see at the hardware store. It had a balance between being strong but flexible enough to slide closed. Dad did not like to kill, but he had 8 hungry children to feed. He went to check the line each morning, always carrying his 22 rifle. The rabbit may not have caught his head in the snare, but a hind leg. This poor animal had to be shot. Buy the way, if 4 rabbits were caught, we had a good meal that evening.

[@lindawolffkashmir2768]

Camel Snus tins can also be used to make small kits. You could designate them for fishing, fire starting, medicine, small kits for trade, endless uses!

[@lizkemp1210]

Shred 2 inches of the gorilla tape and loosely lump it together. It will catch a spark and stay lit for about 5 minutes. My name is Liz and one day I'll start my own channel of crazy camping knowledge.

[@trash9378]

Where's the channel Liz?

[@Lightfur]

Where’s the channel Liz?

[@puppiesarepower3682]

Liz, we have no cats. LoL! 🚫😾🚫 PUPPY POWER!!

[@spooky4985]

Your kit is pretty damn good with two, very light and VERY usefull additions missing. A pack of size 16 micro barbed stainless fishhooks and 100 feet of 10-20 Lb dacron line. The line can be wrapped around your pencil. Combined with your bankline, these two items can save your life, particularly if you are close to the coast.

[@mannihh5274]

For your yello bag: you're absolutely right, a blue one (royal blue working best) won't get lost in the woods, it really sticks out. Combine it with a slightly bigger plastic bag to carry water, so you stress the bag and not the plastic during transport. For writing I use an unlaquered IKEA pencil I soaked in wax. Along with a sharpener I can make nice thin, curled shavings as an excellent fire starter. That Petzl head lamp is awesome, just the right thing for me! Don't need much light, bright ones would just blind you for minutes. For coiling your micro-cord watch reallybigmonkey1, coiling it tangle-free in figure-of-8-loops! Your flagging tape should be royal blue too. Tea-lights are great survival tools, so many uses! Never go out in the wild without some. Bic lighters are my favorite fire starters, but mine are white, so I can see how much fuel is in there , covered with small innertube for ranger bands or as a fire accelerator. Aluminium foil hardens and gets brittle if you bend it, so after folding it to fit in your can, don't forget to heat it or it might break when you unfold it. My favorite small survival knife is a Victorinox Outrider, that I picked up lately as a merchandise special edition from Bosch for only 20€ - awesome! Big frame with ~4" blade and saw, scissors and all the other good stuff. Missing some dental floss and a sailing needle as well as a fishing kit.

[@MasterK9Trainer]

The bag inside is a good idea. I don't like the idea of having a container of small items and then dumping everything out. Seems like you're asking for problems and may loose items. Also that little Petzel light is neat. I can see attaching it to other things. It's so small one can pack a few of them. The one thing I'd add would be a water filter. Or at least a bandanna and possibly a small metal cup to drink out of. You can add some powdered drink mix as well. The main idea is that you can use all those items with your tin to procure water or cook. You might want a good spork to eat with. The bandanna of course has many other uses.

[@fletchdad8755]

MasterK9Trainer There are collapsible plastic cups that would fit in the tin.

[@MasterK9Trainer]

@@fletchdad8755 Yes, they also make collapsible silicone cups, but it all depends on the space of the container and if one is willing to carry items in a pocket, a larger kit or pack another small box, tin, pouch or whatever they choose. I'm just offering him some ideas, but you know we can spend all week discussing options and what to include.

[@jovenalasis4468]

If you still would like to put a Swiss Army Knife in that ESEE kit, you might want to consider the Victorinox Huntsman.

[@danokitemanotoo1791]

Nice kit. Mine is in a Maxpedition Thermite drop leg pouch that also holsters my 9mm & an extra magazine. It isn't much bigger than my ESEE Tin which fits inside with some oatmeal and honey as well as my ESEE Izula as well as a couple pamphlets on wild edibles and poisonous plants. It holds a Gerber suspension as well. I also have a sawyer mini with a straw and a spork

[@trentnichols5075]

I don’t have one of those little mora fixed blades yet but I will by the 5th of next month. I am putting together a kit in the ESEE tin & I think that little fixed blade with a comfortable handle is a great choice. If you have some carving to do the extra control you’ll have with that knife would be great, not to mention that if you need to do a good deal of cutting like making stakes or figure 4 deadfalls would be a lot easier on your hands & wrist. Most of the other things you you out in your kit are right on the money as far as I’m concerned. Including the tee lights ! Nice kit.

[@nealgrey6485]

I use the Altoid tins for specific items. An 0000 steel wool pad. Homemade fire starter (cotton balls: 1/2 dipped in candle wax, and the top coated with Vaseline--petrolatum for our British friends). As a tin to make and store char cloth . I've put spare ranger bands in a tin--but you get the idea.

[@robbabcock_]

Preach it, brutha! ;-) Great looking it. As you say there's simply no way to get all that stuff in an Altoid's tin. The mini tin is a good thought experiment, a way to distill your thinking about survival. But IMO it simply isn't large enough to provide the capability I would want in a bad situation. I think your kit is compact enough to carry without a lot of trouble yet comprehensive enough to be really useful. The multi-tool is a good idea since you have the room, if for no other reason to have a pliers to cut the wire. Multi-tools are more useful in civilization than in the woods but having the pliers and saw in addition to a backup blade is a good idea. Tin foil is great. I use not to make containers but more in firecraft. It's great for keeping your tinder/shavings dry and confined. The space blankets are good for shelter but also as tinder- many people don't know it but they're extraordinarily flammable. Cordage is always good to have as well. I love the inclusion of a full sized compass, much better than a button! Should a PSK be totally self contained or designed to work with your EDC? Both approaches are probably good, I think it's good to have redundancy and of course if you lose your EDC knife or didn't have it along for whatever reason you might be stuck with just what's in your kit. So ideally it has everything you might need. Having some medical/first-aid stuff is great. Maybe not 100% survival essentially but it adds an element of safety. All in all I like the kit! Nicely done.

[@carlbernsen1290]

Thanks for the video. My two cents worth: If this is a last ditch kit, to use if you lose your main bag of gear, think about ways to avoid losing your main gear in the first place. Keep it as light and compact as possible, add a retainer cord or strap so if you set it down it can’t fall into a river or off a cliff! Don’t set it down then wander off and lose it. With this mini kit: Pay more attention to the shelter aspect. It’s better to conserve calories by keeping warm and dry than trying to gain calories by fishing and snaring. Signalling with a mirror is very difficult without an aiming device, even if you know exactly where to aim your flash, and impossible in tree cover or on a cloudy day. The ditty bag is a good idea, you can waterproof the seam with thinner silicon, or use the stand up bag inside it for water carrying. It would be even better if the kit was in a bag, inside the tin, so you don’t risk losing something when you empty it out to boil water. Space blankets are not insulation, they reflect a small amount of radiated heat for a short time, until they become wet inside. (See Mors Kochanski). A compass is of very little use without a map. The marker tape is a good idea, if people knew how to blaze a trail and backtrack they often wouldn’t get lost in the first place. It takes about 10 times more energy to build a warm, dry natural shelter and gather firewood for the night than it does to carry a lightweight tent and sleeping bag. Finally, to everyone who makes survival kits, test them. Go out for two nights with some back up camping gear and try sleeping on a cold night in the rain, using just that mini kit. It’s the only way to know if it will work. Then try doing it one handed, to simulate a common injury when using knives outdoors. For my calculations see below, after Greg’s comment.

[@gregkukulski6482]

Was the “ten times more energy” comment based on anything verifiable or just a line thrown out to make an opinion seem like fact? When I was a much younger man and backpacked with the Young Sierrans, we carried a fair amount of kit even for our two night out weekend trips - doubled walled tents, ground cloths, sleeping pads and bags, stoves and fuel, nice meals ... We weren’t going out to experience “survival” in the wilderness, but camaraderie in the outdoors - away from our desk jobs and city life. Many would say this is “roughing it” because we did NOT have electricity, cell phones, the internet, hot showers, flush toilets, etc. We would have “survived” quite well based on the amount and quality of gear we carried on our backs into our tiny areas of seeming “wilderness.” Real survival - life or death - is more dependent on what you carry between your ears and in your heart than what you carry on or with your person. Still, if you want to do attempt something like Shackleton, you best have all the will, knowledge and kit you can muster. Maybe you’ll survive, if that is God’s will. All these other kits and concepts are better than being “naked and afraid”, but involve trade offs between not just what you can afford, but between what you reasonably can carry AND WHAT YOU WILL CARRY AND HAVE WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME INTO A LIFE OR DEATH SURVIVAL SITUATION. Mors probably came up with the best compromise - for the boreal forest - with his two kilo survival kit. Always good to be prepared. But when your time comes, when God calls you home, you won’ be able to hide under the mountains or the ocean’s, no matter how much survival gear and knowledge you have. No one survives forever - the way the secular world thinks. So be good and do good. Then you’ll be best prepared.

[@carlbernsen1290]

Greg Kukulski It’s a fair question. I knew that pitching a lightweight tent and setting out a foam mat and warm sleeping bag was quick and easy, and ideal in a real emergency, but I wondered how much energy it took an average person to carry them all day, compared to walking with a very small kit and then building shelter. My own experience is that building a proper rain proof debris shelter or well covered waterproof lean-to from natural materials takes about 3 hours of work. From watching many experienced people online that seems to be the norm. As far as I know there’s no specific study been done of calories burned while building shelter and gathering firewood, so I looked at types of exercise which have been studied and chose ‘light aerobics’ as a fair equivalent, with all the continuous raking, bending, lifting, dragging, carrying and walking that shelter building involves. Collecting firewood for the night takes about another hour or so of similar exercise. Average figures from medical and university studies of people with different body weights and fitness levels are available online and give approx 460 calories per hour. 1844 calories in 4 hours. Then I looked at how much additional energy is needed to carry a pack, over and above the energy used while walking. Again, the figures from military and medical studies are online. An excellent page with an explanation of how the military study load carrying and an ‘energy vs load’ calculator is called “The ultimate backpacking calorie estimator” at outsideonline. I allowed 11 pounds of kit, being plenty for lightweight shelter, insulation, food and water, and the most weight the average person would want to carry ‘just in case’ on a wilderness day hike. It burns approx 25 calories per hour extra. Then I multiplied that by 6 to assume 6 hours of actual walking in a day, to allow for rests, lunchtime etc. That’s 150 calories extra to carry an 11 pound pack. This assumes walking on generally flat or undulating ground, not climbing. So it turns out that carrying moderate weight on your back while walking requires not very much extra energy compared to just walking, if the terrain is not too steep, and the weight is within normal ‘lightweight hiking’ range. But 3 or 4 hours of the kind of work needed to gather materials and build a solid shelter capable of keeping us dry and gathering firewood to stay warm uses up a lot of calories. I rounded down, to keep the comparison more fair, since light aerobics is constant movement, but I was surprised to see the huge difference in energy used. At least 10 times more energy required for 4 hours of work than is used to carry 5 kilos on your back. 4 hours light aerobics = 1844 cal Carrying extra 11 pounds for 6 hours while walking = 150 cal Even if we think ‘light aerobics’ is twice as much effort as shelter building, that’s still a 5x energy difference. Factor in 3 to 4 hours useful daylight lost to building shelter, and 3 to 4 hours more exposure to cold, wind, rain etc with added risk of hypothermia, and the poor quality of interrupted sleep as a result of waking repeatedly due to getting cold as a fire burns down, which uses more energy and prevents restorative deep sleep, and the case for carrying proper shelter and sleeping gear becomes even stronger. As a side note to anyone hoping to get back all those lost calories from eating wild food, you should know that fish (not oily) contains around 125 cal per 100g Cattail root only 25, whereas pine nuts have 600 cal per 100g (same as pemmican) and coconut oil 840 cal. So carrying highly calorie dense food with you is way better in the short term than trying to catch it or dig it up. 1 kilo of pine nuts gives you 2000 cal per day for 3 days. You’d have to catch, or dig up and cook 1.6kg of fish or 8kg of cattail root every day for the same calories.

[@grlpeterson]

Inside a laptop hard drive is a perfect mirror finish round silicon disk with hole in the middle. Perfect for signaling.

[@randallkelley3599]

For me it's a get home kit, up to 40 miles, (ranch is 35 miles outside nearest city). So, Victorinox knife, water/container, water pills, small commercial bivi, rain ponchos, three aaa lights, one cr123a light, extra batts, some first aid, lighter, and a few extras. Food comes in a backpack just for mre's, stove, etc. I can do 35 miles in two days. This does not include personal protection devices. Light fast and easy for me. And I always wear walking shoes when I leave the ranch. I think some day we will see an EMP, or electrical outage for the long term. I also have a butt load of stuff in my truck, which i can take or leave. My luck I will be in the city when it happens.

[@SouthernOhioprepping]

A very well thought out kit. Check out the survival blankets from Titan survival. I have 3 atm, and they are a ton better then the others I have had.

[@amypeterson4615]

A very nice kit; well thought out. I like your two "shelter" items (mylar blankets). You don't see those too often in a personal survival kit. Plenty of cordage too.

[@mikelgeren149]

At least one tea candle for the versatility . Wax zippers , blade edges , and all the other things people use them for . Two better than one . 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bigg490]

He finally opens tin after 4 minutes. YAK YAK YAK

[@Jesusandbible]

Putting in two swiss army tools instead of the one bigger one has the advantage if you lose one you still have the most important tool of all, a knife and hopefully a saw too.

[@allendeanhuscusson459]

Thank you for being my friend you have invested time in helping others survive great information do you think a sharpening tool,stone they make some very compact 3 sided with hook sharpener,try the Swiss army ultimate it has everything you need except a ferro rod

[@Diana-fw1bu]

Fantastic kit. Esee survival gear and their knives are my absolute favorites. Great channel and content, just subbed!

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

I have two out those leather man freestyles. They're not common but I love them.

[@tryingndoing]

Thank you. Very informative, good ideas, and certainly NOT too long!

[@joshdonaldson4587]

Good basics to your kit. Look into a wire saw. The breast milk bags are an excellent suggestion. Add extra flints w your flint wheel and maybe look into a magnifying glass.

[@ellanvanninbushcraft8388]

Good video, on the small compass. If you look at the NATO SAS button compass, they are not cheap, but they are brass and not oil filled.

[@Greatlakesprepper]

i'll check them out. thanks.

[@donaldgupko9002]

Good video but cut your quick tinder in half, you can double your fire starting in the same amount of space. Also add some multi vitamins in your med kit.

[@derptothemaxclearly]

Holy crap... The "official" esee kit has an MSRP: from *$287.60*. I can't see how in the world that kit is worth anything close to that price. Yours are way better lol

[@anthonyp7051]

That’s comparable to how I roll. Love everything ESSE which is the icing on the entire cake

[@skeptic9876]

great practical kit it especially the 2 emergency blankets fro shelter and cold protection. I think this is what most survival kits are missing mostly due to using too small a tin, some things for you to think about : sun block high UV cream lip balm moisture and UV protection small spray of mosquito/bug repellent mosquito net head covering emergency poncho ( small compact disposable ones) ok now you need a bigger tin :D

[@robertmiller2629]

I like the way that you made this kit and the size of it it would fit very nicely in my haver sack. As for your choice of multi tool I found one fairly inexpensive at Wal-Mart of all places in their hardware section ( $9.00 ) that has a very effective saw if interested. Also I agree about the use of button compasses as I also lost a lot of them but found a way around that by wrapping a strip of glow in the dark tape around them or blue gorilla tape it works very well. Keep up the good work. Again very nice kit.

[@dannynimmo3052]

you can't navigate with a button compass either. Most of the stuff you got there is just play purties, some of its good but I might do it a little different guess that's part of the fun everyone just kinda makes it their own:) thanks for sharing that

[@frankmueller7660]

I just waisted 30 minutes of my life to understand that a bigger tin fits more item - great !

[@nathanalan9944]

LMFAO

[@christophdollis1955]

Then it wasn't a waste.

[@natesalinas3508]

Wasted?

[@Bruce6001]

I would make that into a fishing kit, that bag would be great for carrying fish around till you get to a safe place to cook them in a 🐜 out situation

[@waveman0]

I find Altoid tins best suited to dedicated type kits, so fire, fishing, etc etc. As you say they are too small to fit in enough gear for a comprehensive survival kit. Another good intermediate sized kit is based on the Maxpedition Mini Pocket Organizer type container, not as good as a metal container I suppose but still great for a cargo pants pocket sized kit.

[@AMERICANPRIDE1100]

You can use the yellow bag to put all your gear in if you need to cook in the pan plus you can put the whole kit in in it and tie the bag to your belt easier to carry

[@timothydavis1101]

Nice video. Some might think it was a little long but if you're on utube watching survival kits videos I think you have the extra time. You seem very knowledgeable but I do feel the need to point one thing out. Blade length and sharpened edge are different. The small Mora might have more cutting edge. Just a thought.

[@vitocarbonara7770]

Very good....you need to find some space for a twix or a snickers!! Very nice video

[@pranicmegan]

Why, YES I did enjoy the video :) THANKS !!! You gave me some great ideas for my own kit.

[@captainfragger6295]

Now this I understand. My only problem with other people survival kits is they are too lazy to pick out the stuff they want and tend to get a lot of useless if not dangerous junk. And regardless of anyone's opinion of what you should have in your kit the bottom line is it works for you and you just can't do any better than that

[@johnfuller6338]

Needs couple hooks, line, large eye needle, line could be one of the strong new Kevlar lines, good for fishing or sewing.

[@kenbarrett2500]

Whistle , bank line , compass , tinder quick and big lighter all good

[@Rooster1172T]

If you're going to store a bic lighter loose like that, get an according size shrink wrap and cover the flint wheel and button and cut it off or tear it when needed cause bics are prone to releasing gas if in a tin or pocket even and rendered useless

[@moosa9850]

Thanks alot mate, great and informative, especially for inexperienced people like myself, just one thing i may want to add is diarrhoea tabs, eating or drinking something dodgy as what causes liquid loss. thanks once again.

[@mariatorres9789]

I waz wondering where the Pepto Bismal tabs were. Critical med.

[@CITYPREPPER016]

Nicely done thanks for taking the time to show us.

[@charliev4546]

I've been watching quite a few survival tins and I must say that I think yours is one of the best I've seen without a doubt, ill probably add a small fishing kit.. you should make duplicate tins exactly like yours and sell them.. i would legit purchase one, Mail it directly to my house lol, seriously.. thanx for your video I watched it all the way through..

[@artthemouse2795]

Your practicality and outdoors wisdom amazes me. It's one of the best emergency kits I've seen, but if you can... throw in a couple sterile 4X4's. Not all boo-boo's are small. Where did you get the tin/kit? I like that very much... small, practical and comprehensive. Well done!

[@paulwhitehead3002]

Use the altoids tins for individual kits fire,first aid and so on keeps them separate from each other and have a drink roll with pockets to store them in ten kits all told

[@ra7538]

You can also use the Altoids ten for making char cloth

[@jaychristianson7110]

I would definatly wrap some tape around the top of the tin where the lid connects to the top to seal it up better and more tape to use.

[@tom-dr1ym]

the best kit is the one you make for your needs

[@CoryCDS]

As far as cooking goes i always try to find a thin wide rock and set it next to my fire get it really hot and you can cook on it ive cooked lots of steaks on rocks

[@Wayneawebb]

Finally @4:51 you open the damn tin. Thankfully just BEFORE I totally lost the will to live..... GOD only know whats in store for the next 27 minutes.

[@Wayneawebb]

@Paul Revere If the opinion of an arse is needed I can fart tyvm .. Just saying that almost 5 minutes before getting to the point is a waste of life.

[@garygoldstein327]

Why not add a wire saw to your kit In addition to a good multi tool with a wood saw? Those mylar blankets really do work well along with a blanket to cover the mylar wrapped subject. I had an emergency where my car became my shelter as it got real cold and by trial and error learned the best way that night how to effectively keep warm with it inside a long london fog like overcoat. Good to make room for a snack bar or strip of wrigley's sugar free gum. So many uses for the sticky gum (once all the flavor is chewed out). And the foil wrapper. & a small barrel pencil sharpener that doubles to make a pealed branch tip for tinder to lite a fire.

[@KaylynnStrain]

you can signal with the space blankets, nicely done !!!

[@chrismarker8236]

This seems to be more of a somewhat modified kit. I noticed the flagging tape, compass, brass wire, whirl pack, tender wicks and a few other items come in the kit. Overall I like the mods, and I have a similar setup. I did include a good wire saw, immodium, and some to mine. Look for cookie tins at the local Dollar General or Dollar Tree. You can get some interesting tins cheap than you can buy an empty can and you get to eat the cookies!

[@andyd2960]

I'm a bit late to the show but, I found that the electric ignition Bic lighters are more water resistant. The trade off is that it doesn't throw hot Sparks for lighting tinder without fluid.

[@larrytanner7340]

Good job! You’ve got great ideas in there (e.g. yellow bag). 👍👍

[@mackie32x4]

Love the dump bag. Will add to my arsenal!

[@ToNzHoLtZ]

why is it you do not like space blankets?they work so well !

[@crookedtool]

Apparently he likes them enough to add double.

[@hobbyhermit66]

You mentioned catching trout. Did I miss the fishing kit part? Anyway, I keep about 20 feet of 4# monofllament and a couple of 'Cubby Grub' 'Mini-Mites' in my kit. Each one comes in its own little tube, and they come in a variety of colors. Great for crappie, bluegill, and other pan fish. Might also consider oven bags. They can usually handle 400°F, so could be used to boil water or bake your catch in.

[@davidkay7389]

Informative and practical video

[@551taylor]

If you replace your tin and lid with British Army mess tins, you will have two tins with handles that nest inside each other for very little loss or gain in volume, and minimal gain in weight and they are stronger too. They won’t be waterproof in themselves, but the contents can be kept in sealable food bags that give you an extra source of water carry. Or you can ask your local butcher to vac-pac stuff to reduce volume and waterproof it. You could even vac-pac the entire kit, cos why open it in a non-emergency situation?