How to make a survival kit

I have often thought about a small survival kit that I could carry in a tobacco tin.

It would be small enough to carry in the pocket of my barbour coat. Although unlikely to be needed in an extreme survival situation it would be very useful if you went out for a long walk.

When I made my first one - it got used within a few days when one of the kids fell over and needed a plaster!

Survival kit candidates

• Cigarette lighter
• 2 large safety pins
• 3 plasters
• Antiseptic wipe
• Small pen knife
• 2 fishing hooks
• Fishing line
• 2 coffee sachets
• Sachet of sugar
• 2 Tea bags
• Cotton wool
• Short pencil
• Three sheets of paper
• Needle and thread
• Small torch (like a mini maglite)
• 2 boiled sweets
• Possibly an emery board

I’m not sure that all of these would fit inside a survival kit. The kit enables you to do a number of useful things.

• Light a fire (the cotton wool could be useful for helping to get the fire going)
• Catch a fish. You can make a pole fishing rod out of a long stick. (Turning over a few stones should help you to find a worm).
• Minor first aid
• Make a cup of tea or coffee (provides that you have access to clean water). You can use the base of the tobacco tin as a cup and possibly a saucepan. You could also find a coke can that could also be used for boiling the water.