EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1

The Mentos Container Pocket Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #2

The M&M’s Minis Container Pocket Straw Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #3

The $3 Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #4

The Keychain Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #5

The Paracord Bracelet Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #6

The Shoe Sole Kit

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #7

The Cell Phone Belt Pouch Kit

In general, survival hacking becomes necessary due to a lack of preparation, planning, or both. There is no hacking substitute for proper gear, solid plans, and tested knowledge. One of the best ways to prevent having to hack your way out of a sudden and unexpected survival scenario is to carry some tested survival gear on your person. This is known as an everyday carry (EDC) kit.

At a minimum, you should consider the core four categories of survival when building a personal EDC kit:

Shelter

Water

Fire

Food

Many survivalists include first aid, tools, and self-defense as core categories as well.

An EDC kit is nondescript, often fitting in pockets, on a key ring, in a purse, on a belt, or in a combination of places. Larger EDC kits can include fanny packs or even backpacks.

An EDC kit can get expensive if you let it. In keeping with the theme of this book, I’ve decided to dedicate this chapter to EDC on a budget. Look at it as the hack version of an EDC kit. Following, I outline 7 different kits to illustrate that there is no right or wrong EDC build. I hope these spark your own creative ideas, and you can share those with me via e-mail at [email protected]. Who knows, I may ask if I can feature your idea in a later edition of this book!

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1: THE MENTOS CONTAINER POCKET KIT

As mentioned in A Perfectly Minty Lighter Box hack in Chapter 3, an empty Mentos gum container makes an excellent disposable lighter box. I took this a step further and turned one into a full-on survival pocket kit.

CONTAINER: EMPTY MENTOS GUM CONTAINER

At 3¹⁄₂" × 1¹⁄₂" × 1", this container is rigid, nearly crushproof, and waterproof. It easily fits in a jacket pocket, glove box, or purse. It’s lightweight, durable, cheap, and can be opened with one hand. With the label left on, it’s also disguised as a container of gum during an unexpected pocket dump.

CONTENTS

1 3' duct tape. Wrapped around the outside of the container is 36" inches of duct tape. This can be stripped and used as cordage and also makes very good fire tinder.

2 Ranger band. Stretched around the outside of the container is a Ranger band. A Ranger band is simply a crosscut piece of bicycle inner tube. This can be used as weatherproof fire tinder or to hold additional items to the outside of the container.

3 Mini Bic disposable lighter. This is one of the most reliable fire-starting tools available. It will work in nearly every survival condition except extreme cold and very high altitudes. Even then it’s not completely useless because you can still strike sparks into tinder from the striking wheel.

4 Folding razor knife. You can use this little 2" knife to process cordage, clean wild game, gather wild edible plants, and carve trap sets.

5 Small spool nylon thread. This was given to me by a friend who works at an automotive manufacturing factory. This is the thread used to sew dashboards together. It’s some seriously strong stuff and fits perfectly into the kit. It can be used for fishing line as well as for shelter lashings and guylines.

6 3 fishing hooks. Sandwiched between 2 pieces of packing tape, I’ve included 3 fishing hooks of different sizes. Become comfortable with sourcing live bait, natural bobbers, and rock sinkers. Improvised hooks are very difficult to make and are not effective.

7 Water purification tablet. Stuffed in a crack is 1 water purification tablet capable of purifying 1 liter of wild water. This is sealed in a waterproof foil casing by the manufacturer (Aquamira).

8 6" cotton wick. I cut 1 6" length of cotton lamp wick in half to make 2 3" sections. These off-the-shelf cotton lamp wicks make excellent fire tinder when shredded. It will ignite with just sparks from a ferro rod or broken lighter. Of course, it can also be used to make a crude slush lamp (see the Ladle Slush Lamp hack in Chapter 7).

9 Sewing needle. This large sewing needle can be used in conjunction with the strong nylon thread for gear or clothing repairs.

10 Grade #0000 steel wool. This very finely shredded steel wool makes an incredible fire starter. Whether with a spark from a busted lighter or short-circuited with a battery, it burns red hot and can be placed into a tinder bundle and blown into flame.

11 Hunting arrowhead. This small- or large-game-hunting arrowhead can be used as an arrow point, a spear point, or even a frog/fish gig. The edges are so sharp that it can also be used as a knife if necessary.

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #2

EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #2: THE M&M’S MINIS CONTAINER POCKET STRAW KIT

This kit is unique in that every item inside (except three) is contained within sealed plastic straws. I’ve mentioned using candy tins in previous hacks (see Makeup Aisle to Fire Tinder and Wallet-Sized Fire Squares, both in Chapter 3), but here I’ve taken it a step further and used straws to contain every survival item except for the water bag, magnifying lens, and mini ceramic knife.

CONTAINER: EMPTY M&M’S MINIS CANDY CONTAINER

Like the Mentos container, this one is rigid, nearly crushproof, and waterproof. It easily fits in a jacket pocket, glove box, or purse. It’s lightweight, durable, cheap, and can be opened with one hand. It measures 4" × 1" in diameter.

CONTENTS

1 2 fire straws. These are plastic straws filled with petroleum jelly–soaked cotton balls. The straws are then welded at the end by heating the plastic and then squeezing with a pair of pliers. They can be cut open and used as tinder and will ignite with even the spark from a broken lighter.

2 Fishing straw. This sealed straw kit was given to me as a gift and contains spider wire, hooks, a sinker, and even a little bobber. It’s the most compact little fishing kit I’ve ever seen and fits perfectly in this kit.

3 Mini ceramic knife blade. This mini ceramic knife blade is rust- and corrosion-resistant and can be used for a variety of small survival cutting chores.

4 3 match straws. Three sealed straw containers with 1 match each. I have glued a match-striking surface to the underside of the container lid.

5 Water purifier straws. Two straws with 2 1-liter water purification tablets each.

6 1-liter water bag. This water bag can be used in conjunction with the water purification tablets to source and purify fresh drinking water.

7 Fresnel lens. Even though matches are included in this kit, a plastic Fresnel magnifying lens slides perfectly along the inside wall of this plastic container. It takes up hardly any space and makes an excellent fire-starting tool on sunny days.

8 Seasonings straw. One straw filled with a mix of salt and pepper. Every wild meal tastes better with salt and pepper.