10 Day Car Survival Pack for ~25$US

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Just a bit of potentially useful information in an article I sumbled across; thought I'd share with my fellow creatures in this community.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago104.html

Semper paratus.

Good fortune,

- Icarus loves duct tape...

are you a Survivalist?

Cool! Thanks...still some areas not far from here you don't want to end up going off the road in...they wouldn't find you for months...that's if they even bothered to look for you.

im going to be needing that in about three months, $25 a week comes out to like $100 a month for food. since im on somewhat of a strapped budget this is looking like a fantastic deal!

To some extent, yes; a larger view of this would be that I place great value in the ability to be self-reliant, the opposite of being dependent on others, insofar as we may take steps not to be in certain ways. I share this bit of info both because it is useful (and the kit is surprisingly inexpensive), and also perhaps to stimulate thought of such things. I mean, really, who ever sits down and puts careful thought and planniing into an emergency survival kit for your car? Not necessarily me; but there are others who do, and they share that information, and now I am pleased to share it with you and the members of this community.

It is interesting to consider, what would happen if all of the things taken care of by society were to suddenly vanish. There are many events, both man-made and natural, that might cause such a thing. This need not be Armageddon; it happened in New Orleans recently; no grocery stores, no gasoline stations, no electricity, no running water, no fire department, the police all run away, mass anarchy. If society were to disappear for the next 10 days, how would you fare such a thing? Would you become sick for lack of food or medicine? Would you grow dangerously cold, possibly freeze? Would you die of dehydration? If you did have adequate supplies, are you prepared to defend them?

These are not things that I sit and worry about; but I do think about them, as I like to be prepared. What I wouldn't want to have happen in that situation is for my only option to be to sit cry for help, cry for others to save me, for then I am at the mercy of such a thing happening, and my fate slips right out of my hands...

Good fortune,

- Icarus encourages self reliance...

double post and no delete button

Last edited by wsmac on 13 Dec 2007, 1:20 am, edited 2 times in total.

a substitute for the sterno if you just want to heat the interior of you vehicle can be this:
1 - roll of toilet paper with the cardboard tube removed (non-perfume type paper)
1 - can big enough for the roll to just fit inside, with a snap on plastic lid (coffee and other food items come in these cans)
1 - 16oz bottle of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
Matches or a lighter

Scrunch up the tube and remove from the toilet paper roll.
Press the roll down into the can.
Pour the whole bottle of alcohol into the can slowly while the roll soaks it all up.
Snap on the lid
Store in your vehicle with the lighter/matches

If you're stuck in cold weather and have to stay put for a while, you can open the can, light it and run it for your heater.
The alcohol burns first instead of the paper.
Try this at home before you actually need to depend on it.

Any chemistry majors here? What is released when burning the alcohol?

I taught wilderness survival for 7 years at HSU through their Center Activities Program, also taught it to Americorps, and in local schools. I do not like the "Survivalist" applied to anyone who is just smart enough to prepare for hard times like natural disasters, man-made disasters, etc.
I'm not talking about the folks who are gearing up for WWIII when the 'blue helmets' come over to conquer the U.S., or so they believe.

That's a nice little kit the guy put together especially since it's one you will be buying all your ingredients for.
I do not like any pre-packaged survival kit at all, and I have quite a few in my storage.

@wsmac: plastic can?

what about the bottom of the can? won't it melt?

No, the alcohol is burning off at the top of the can. The paper does not burn and no heat is transferred downward until the alcohol is almost all burnt off... then the paper catches fire the object is to not let that happen... by the way.

So, can you answer my little quiz? What is the byproduct of burning the alcohol?
Sorry... no prizes... just the satisfaction that you know something important.

That is an awsome list, and never have I ever considered something happening where I would need to survive if something bad were to happen to my car. I drive up north for camping, and sometimes I need to drive a mile or 2 into the wilderness where I assume if my car does not work I can just call AAA annd have them come out. I have plenty of camping supplies and feel I dont need to rely on anyone but myself for about 2 weeks before I need to stock up on food, other then that I have enough of everything I need to survive a disaster for a while, including a winters worth of heat, tho I loose everything if my house is gone.

Indeed incas, I dont like the idea of relying on anyone for my survival eather, and if something were to happen we must assume we only have ourselfs to keep us alive. Being a camper and outdoors man I have plenty of supplies and clothing, but never occures to me to bring anything extra cause I like to pack as light as possible. Next summer I may compile some items into an emergency box for my car, I am glad you thought of it cause I sure as hell did not until now.!

Thanks man, maby you have saved my life someday

Oh, i agree. i think people are in denial. i see in myself the ability to go overboard with this, if i ever sat down and paid much attention to those nagging feelings of doom. my MIL is a survivalist. I remember when i first met her, she had two entire rooms dedicated to socking away supplies. something like 2372783 bottles of shampoo and whatnot. she gives interesting suggestions as an ER RN. one thing she told me was that she fills all of her painkiller prescriptions (even if she has no intention to take them) and saves them for just such an emergency where they might come in handy.

thank you for sharing

- Jaded is always open to another organized obsession

Every week go through your grocery store ads. Its not too hard to live off of $25 a week and actually eat pretty good if you plan well. Look for things like pasta, canned fruits, cereal, and 2 for 1 deals. You can find some good deals with coupons and special weekly deals too.

I make decent income now, but I used to have to be pretty careful with money. It bothers me to spend more than a couple bucks a meal if i'm eating at home.

I just read an MSDS and it says CO and "unidentified organic compounds" may be formed during combustion.

I already keep some survival tools in my car:
-sleeping bag rated to -5F
-large tarp
-flares
-pocket knife
-flashlight
-lots of maps

Having re-read the posts, I just wanted to clarify a couple of things...

1- the can must be metal and the plastic lid is to keep the alcohol from gassing off during storage (although some of those lids are not air-tight), and to extinguish the flame by dropping down over the top of the can.

2- as with any other burning material.. ventilate any enclosed areas where this is burning.

I have used this heating method and it has worked for me.
Be sure to ventilate properly and be sure to try this out in safe conditions at home before putting it into your vehicle for emergency use.

Kurtz's survival kit:

swinging dick, quantity: 1 (one), size: large

I went through an ice storm in 1998 where all the electrical towers crumpled like toys. Six inches of ice covered everything, bringing the nation's capital to a standstill. The army was all over my little village, people were getting robbed because they left their houses, couldn't even use the toilet without melting water to flush it.

We had a woodstove, but many didn't. I thought is was amazing how quickly our advanced civilization was canceled out by some frozen water. For weeks after the power was back on I forgot that I could turn on a light with a switch.

People went nuts, stealing from each other. Phones were down, cops were unreachable. Mayhem. People were robbing abandoned houses and setting them on fire.

Government is a joke.