Winter Survival Kit

First let me say Sorry Once again I have not posted in awhile. Once again I’ve been busy. I could go on to tell you why I’ve been busy, but not only do you probably not care; it’s nothing more than an excuse anyways. On to what you really read these posts for.

Yesterday a winter storm came through the central/south central US and dumped a fair amount of snow and a lot of ice to the south of me. Once again I realize that it is a little late in the year for this, but it took this storm to remind me to mention this to you. Like I have said in the past, for me this stuff all comes to me by memory, years of training and instinct. This storm took out power to thousands and stranded hundreds on the roadways (I was temporary one of them during a white out). I do not worry much about this stuff as I rarely travel much beyond the state where I live, but I do travel from time to time. When I travel I always carry (especially during the winter) ten days of supplies with me. Ten is kind of an arbitrary number used because that is what fits into one duffle bag (this is what I call my winter kit). The important part is to have at least three days (per person) of food, water and basic supplies in case of an emergency. Now basic supplies can mean many things. Think of where you live and what an emergency in your area may mean. Also for people who really want to take this to the next step, all these items plus more will fit in a standard military rucksack or in a hiking backpack.

In my winter kit I carry twenty MREs (Military grade “Meals Ready to Eat”). This is two meals a day. Each one of these meals has 2000 calories for psychically active personal. Plus they frankly do not taste as bad as they used to. You can live off one of these meals every other day if the situation may last that long. Look at the people they are still pulling out (10-11 days after the quake) from the earthquake in Haiti. They are staying alive by drinking toilet water or eating a snack like half a Twinkie every other day. There are all kinds of stories out there of survival where people barely survived because they did not have the supplies on hand to meet their needs. You never hear how long the people who did not have the supplies they needed live before the pasted; you just hear that they are dead.

That brings us to water; I personally do not want to live off toilet water unless there is no other choice. In my winter survival kit I carry a gallon of water, and iodine tablets to purify any water source I come along. Look once again to Haiti. The main thing they do not have access to is clean water. They have access to water, but it is polluted by broken sewer lines among many other things. This again is why I also carry iodine tablets. Water is the hardest thing to carry on your person in a long term survival situation. Iodine tablets are small and portable. As a side note the water is wrapped in a terminal blanket that will keep it from freezing a little while longer if you lose heat or are out in the elements, yet another reason for the iodine tablets. I also change the water out for fresh water every two weeks; I mark it on my calendar so I do not forget. You can live off stagnant water for a short time if you have no other choice, but I would not suggest it otherwise. Stagnant water can be dangerous for drinking because it provides a better incubator than running water for many kinds of bacteria and parasites.

The next thing in my winter survival kit is clothes. I have two complete set of winter clothes plus waterproof winter boots. When I travel or even move around town, I do not wear practically warm clothes or winter boots (unless there is snow on the ground). There are many reasons for this, the main one being the fact everything is heated and you would overheat fast in winter clothes. In an emergency you may not have heat and will need the warmer clothes. I also carry ten pair of socks. There is nothing special with the socks as they are just standard athletic socks. My waterproof boots are good to -30 degrees Fahrenheit and you do not want your feet to sweat much in the winter. The additional pairs of socks are for when my feet do sweat I can change them out for a dry pair. If your boots are not rated for 30 below or especially if they are not waterproof you probably want to consider wool socks. Wool socks will keep your feet decently warm even when wet, but you do not want your feet to be wet for too long.

The other things I carry are a pair of fire starters. I carry one Bic lighter in the bag (actually a package of them) and an alternative method of fire starting (one that can be done without fuel). I personally carry a bow drill, but play with all the types of fire starting and figure out the best method you are most comfortable with. The bow drill uses the same principle as a hand drill, but the spindle is driven by a bow, which allows for longer strokes. With a well-built drill, fire can be rapidly created even in wet conditions. The final things in my winter kit are a sleeping bag and first aid kit. However, these items are always in all my vehicles and not actually in my kit.


So here is a list for my winter kit all of which fits in one duffle bag (one for each person)…

20x MREs
1gal water
1bottle iodine tablets
1x terminal blanket
2x changes of winter clothes
1pair winter/waterproof boots
10pair athletic socks (see above why athletic socks)
1x Bic lighter
1x alternative fire starter
1x first aid kit (standard for any vehicle)
1x sleeping bag (this does not fit in the duffle bag with the rest)


As a minimum I suggest the following (per person)…

3x MREs
1litter water
1x terminal blanket
1x changes of clothes
1pair additional socks
1x Bic lighter


Finally keep in mind this is just what I carry in my winter kit. I carry other things on my person and in my vehicles (which relate to survival), some of which have been mentioned on this weblog, but also others that may be or will be mentioned in the future. More to come…