My Altoids Tin Survival Kit

[SentientTootsieRoll]

Greetings!

I was at the grocery store a few weeks ago, waiting for the people in front of my to have their items checked out. To help pass the time, I glazed over that section of the checkout aisle with gum, mints, candy, etc. and Altoids caught my attention as they sounded very intriguing to me. I hadn't had some in years so I decided to pick up a pack. When I finished the tin of minty freshness, I began wondering what creative contraptions I could get myself into with it. Initially, I was thinking it'd be cool to build a Raspberry Pi in it. I found out that it was too large to fit in the Altoids Tin, so I scrapped that plan and decided to make a survival ration/kit instead! It was heavily influenced by the WWII survival rations. Here is the result.

Its contents are:
- 1 Nescafe Coffee (Caffeine and hydration.)
- 2 Sugar (Keep blood sugar up.)
- 1 pack of windproof matches (In case I need to start up my portable stove should I have it with me.)
- 1 pack of Water Purification Tablets (In case I don't have any water and need to get some from a questionable source such as a creek.)
- 1 pack of assorted Charms (Help quench thirst and keep blood sugar up.)
- 1 stick of Wrigley's Doublemint (Same reasoning as Charms.)
- 2 Beef Bouillon Cubes (Keep sodium content up, also a small source of protein.)
- 1 Tootsie Roll midgee (Keep blood sugar up and to possibly keep morale high.)
- 1 Rubber band (Used to tie everything together. When packing the kit, this also came in handy to compress the coffee and sugars so everything could properly fit.)
- 1 CR1M hand can opener (What an amazing tool! In addition to having an embedded P-38 and bottle opener, it has a spoon. What more could you ask for? Useful to preparing boullion cubes and ingesting other sources of food.)

Everything all packed in nice and tightly. This part was a little easier said than done. I'm pretty happy with the end result.

I used the ever familiar Julian Date system to mark today's date on it for future reference (17242). I don't expect this to last more than a few years but I'll keep it on hand for far longer than that just to see how well things hold up.

I then decided to wrap duct tape around it for insulation and to help keep it waterproof, limited as it may be.

As you can undoubtedly tell, I recycled a lot of the components from ration components I had laying around. The only parts I purchased brand new from the store were the Charms, Doublemint, bouillon cubes, Tootsie Roll and the Altoids tin. This thing was packed to the brim but I did manage to get it to close without it opening itself back up.

Do any of you have an Altoids Survival Kit? If so, please feel free to share it as I'm interested in seeing it. If not, maybe I influenced you to build one. Go for it, it's a lot of fun and very affordable! Even if you have insufficient funds, I'm sure you could throw one together using items laying around the house.

[Seth711]

Very cool. I'll have to look into something similar. I guess I'm very unprepared, I just leave all my military issued medical supplies in my truck. Other than that, I have no chance.

[SentientTootsieRoll]

I wouldn't say you're unprepared due to not having an Altoids survival kit. I have a "bug out" bag (although I really hate that term for some reason) ready to go. It includes three layers of clothing including a parka, first aid, rations (six 2016 MCWs, in case you're wondering), sleeping bag, and a few other things for security and survival. I designed my survival kit to be a route of absolute last resort in case I have no food or water nearby. I don't actually think I will ever need to use any of these things but it's fun and interesting to put together. I'm fascinated by the thought that goes into survival and emergency preparation.

[oneredflag]

Good use of ration odds and ends as well.

[Seth711]

I wouldn't say you're unprepared due to not having an Altoids survival kit. I have a "bug out" bag (although I really hate that term for some reason) ready to go. It includes three layers of clothing including a parka, first aid, rations (six 2016 MCWs, in case you're wondering), sleeping bag, and a few other things for security and survival. I designed my survival kit to be a route of absolute last resort in case I have no food or water nearby. I don't actually think I will ever need to use any of these things but it's fun and interesting to put together. I'm fascinated by the thought that goes into survival and emergency preparation.

I've always had a deep interest in a "bug out bag" just never put the time and money into making one correctly.

[Treesuit]

SentientTootsieRoll,

There are several websites out there that may offer more ideas to what you have there. Some examples are way over the top crazy, but kind of fun to look at what others have as well. Me, personally, I have two. One for backcountry one for the city, and I keep constantly re-thinking them. The backcountry one I have, I keep in a cargo pocket. That being my last ditch, "I have nothing else to work with" kind of tin. For my civilian job I work outdoors all the time and the weather can go from one extreme to another especially in the last spring, early summer. Eastern WA state being no exception (I think you know what I mean)

It's good to have something in your pocket, along with a simple knife, to get by. Mind you, I don't plan on getting into trouble but I have soemthing that can get me through a 24 period if need be. If you want I can point you in the direction of several great websites that will get you thinking.

The city one I carry in the truck, its got more personal items in it than back country stuff. Main point being is that a city version will be totally opposite than a back country one with a few simple things that overlap. I tend to think about what I may need and then do research before I stock my altoids tins. Then I go practice with them in the outdoors. Once your in the outdoors then you can fine tune what you want.

If you need further though, try this: survive on what you have, fight with what's currently on you, get resupplied from your rucksack. Or in layman's terms have a three layer system, with your altoids tin being the very last.

[JT1991]

That's really awesome!

[Treesuit]

STR,

I did notice that you have a lot of sugar(glucose) based items in there, is that for a quick fix of energy? I know you mentioned morale booster on some items but with sugar based foods you may get a sugar "high" before crashing and that may leave you in worse shape than before. Have you though of an alternative such as something protein based? That would help out in a longer dire emergency.

[SentientTootsieRoll]

The city one I carry in the truck, its got more personal items in it than back country stuff. Main point being is that a city version will be totally opposite than a back country one with a few simple things that overlap. I tend to think about what I may need and then do research before I stock my altoids tins. Then I go practice with them in the outdoors. Once your in the outdoors then you can fine tune what you want.

If you need further though, try this: survive on what you have, fight with what's currently on you, get resupplied from your rucksack. Or in layman's terms have a three layer system, with your altoids tin being the very last.

Doing a dry run is something that I've been needing to do for a long time. I've thought it out pretty heavily so I'm sure I'd be okay with my pack as it is. I've taken it on some camping and backpacking trips but I haven't tested it extensively. Like you said, it would be in one's interest to make sure everything will you last you in the event something bad happens. Unfortunately for me, I am limited by my work and school schedule so a full dry run just isn't feasible for me.

I did notice that you have a lot of sugar(glucose) based items in there, is that for a quick fix of energy? I know you mentioned morale booster on some items but with sugar based foods you may get a sugar "high" before crashing and that may leave you in worse shape than before. Have you though of an alternative such as something protein based? That would help out in a longer dire emergency.

Good point. I'm thinking the bouillon cubes would be an alright protein supplement, limited as they are. If you look at a lot of the WW II emergency rations, they are often packed with Charms and other sweets. I think they were designed those to help with thirst and moral support, I designed mine to be the same.

It's important to note that I wouldn't eat it all up at once. I'd spread it out as much as possible. In addition to that, it's fairly limited in contents so hopefully that wouldn't lead to a sugar crash. Suggestions as to what I can and should include in my Altoids kit are certainly welcomed and encouraged. I plan to make a few more so that leaves room for improvement.

Thanks for the comments, all!

[Treesuit]

STR,

I too have bouillon in my tin but in powder form making it a bit slim. I also choose some low sodium so in case I need it I don't have to try and find a water source or gather water 'cause I'm thirsty. Also protein bars are good for a meal supplement. I know the brand tiger's milk makes pretty small bars about the size of the tin top lid. Nothing to say your couldn't duct tape one to the top

I might suggest a tea packet is good to throw in too.

A month ago I found out that the MRE beverage bags are convenient to have. I have one in my back country tin rolled up pretty tight, secured with a twisty tie, and with a little work I got it to fold around the inside. If you look at the bag, its marked off on one side to show fill lines, and has a zip lock top. Pretty good idea if you need to collect water and measure the amount for water purification tabs.

Lastly, I didn't see any band aids thrown in. I have maybe two to three stuffed in mine of different shapes. At least if I gouge myself with a sharp object I can try and close the wound off. One or two thrown in won't take up much space.

I hear ya on the time limitations. Trying out new things or camping supplies is one of my dream jobs. Luckily for me I do work in the outdoors, but I haven't found myself in any life or death situations. Usually, I'm not that far away from the truck where my three day assault pack is stashed, and I have a radio. I would suggest going to one of the local campgrounds nearby. If you need help PM me and I can give some suggestions. There are some near your area that are close and primitive where you can try out lots of things and still get back to town within a hour or two.