Making a survival kit, part two

June 3, 9:50 AMWilderness Survival ExaminerAlex Dundas

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Reflective blankets can be lifesavers

In the first part of this series we established that the Rule of Threes is a good jumping-off point when putting together your own survival kit, and we addressed the first rule: You can live three minutes without oxygen.

Moving on, rule number two states: Three hours without shelter. This rule will, in fact, inspire the bulk of any decent and useful survival kit. First, put a reflective blanket (aka “Space blanket”, but Space is actually a brand name) in there. They’re noisy, they tear if you give them so much as a dirty look, they have no insulation… In other words, they’re not perfect. That said, they’re pretty great at what they’re designed for, which is blocking wind and precipitation and reflecting body heat. You can also use them in shelter-building. The blanket alone may be enough to see you through a long, chilly night out. But we’re not going to stop there.

Three different fire starters

Getting a fire going is a great help both physically and mentally. It can be tricky though, and generally relies on expendable materials, so put three different methods of starting a fire in your survival kit, such as: magnesium stick, matches, and a lighter. Try them in that order. Save the most foolproof--the lighter--for last. Try the hardest--the magnesium stick--first. This will keep you from being frivolous with your supplies, and ensure that the longer you’re out, the easier your fire starting methods will become. You’ll need a knife for the magnesium stick but you should have one anyway (more on knives later).

A credit-card magnifier

 And how about a fire starting method that is theoretically inexhaustible? Your friend and mine: the sun. Throw a pocket magnifying lens or one of those flat credit-card-sized magnifiers in your kit and whenever the sun’s out you’ve got a way to start a fire that doesn’t use any of your supplies. It weighs almost nothing and takes up very little room. And, yes, that makes four fire starting methods, but four is a good number for the outdoors: four seasons, four points of the compass, and the like.