I spent most of the week laid up with a bad knee. Naturally that meant more time surfing the web so I bought some stuff for my survival kit I’m putting together from The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. Yes, I too am shocked at how long it’s taking to recover this time. Even today (Sunday) I’m not back to 100% in the knee, and both ankles are sore. At least I can walk and drive now. Anyway…
Shemagh. Cody’s book calls for a bandanna. The shemagh is a little bigger so I figure it will work better as a head wrap and sun protection so I decided to substitute it for the bandanna. Depending on how much room I have in my pack, I might throw in a bandanna along with it, or maybe a second shemagh.
Grabber All Weather Space Blanket. This is heavier duty than the cheap little space blankets you can get so it can be used for a ground tarp or to make an emergency shelter. Cody’s book recommends the one that’s blaze orange on one side (for signaling) but I cheaped out and got the blue one.
Grabber Outdoors Original Space Blanket Gold/Silver. The cheap little space blanket mentioned above. I followed the recommendation in the book and got the silver/gold combo. These things reflect heat really well. They can help retain body heat when it’s cold and protect you from the sun when it’s hot. Also good for signalling. The price was right so I got 2.
SOL Howler Rescue Whistle. Plastic, pea-less so they won’t freeze up, and supposedly loud. Haven’t had a chance to test them yet.
Coghlan 2×3 Survival Signal Mirror. This was another case of me being cheap. The book recommends a 3×5 mirror, but that size costs almost $30(!!!). Even at that price, it’s lexan and not real glass. The Coghlan gets the best reviews I could find (and I read a lot – who knew something as simple as a mirror could be so complicated?) and only cost $10. Just be aware that if you order from Amazon it won’t come in retail packaging. It is the genuine Coghlan though.
3-Pack Credit Card Fresnel Lenses. I haven’t had a chance to start a fire with them yet, but they do focus the sun. Maybe next week…
Two 32 oz. Nalgene water bottles. A few weeks ago I bought some stainless steel water bottles. They’re nice, sturdy, insulated, and heavy. The Nalgene bottles are light weight and probably sturdy enough. I’m trying to keep my kit somewhat light, so Nalgene it is. The SS bottles will go in my Get Home Bag.
Well, that’s about it for this week. If my knee continues to heal I hope to test out some of my fire starters soon. What did you do to prep this week?