We were going to use this category to wax poetic about the early 90s Leatherman multi-tool that we wear on our belts at all times but, hold the blog press here, self-sufficiency geniuses Stephen Box and Enci gifted us with a category-busting set of tools that, get this, fit within a tiny 30g (1.5 oz) Altoid tin!
Believe it or not this pocket size Altoid tin contains the following items:
1 inner tube piece – a section of a bicycle tire that can be used as a tourniquet, bandage, or slingshot
1 boot lace – always handy to have a section of string
1 saw wire – you can cut wood with this sharp wire
2 finger rings
1 can opener
1 duct tape (40cm) on straw
2 saw blades – these attach to two screws on the bottom of the altoid can so that the can functions as a saw handle
2 fasteners (#6-32 x 3/8″)
2 Exacto blades #11
1 needle/thread
1 upholstery needle
2 needles
1 red LED bulb – the bulb and the small hearing aid batteries fit in a tiny hole in the side of the Altoid can, thus turning the can into a flashlight – the red bulb is so that you can read in the dark without ruining your night vision
2 batteries for LED
6 match heads (sealed in wax)
1 striker for match heads
6 fire-starters made out of lint and wax (we’ll describe how to make these in a future post)
1 tin foil
1 rubber glove – for gathering or distilling water or for one-handed first aid
8 water purification tables (in straw) – see our earlier post on water
6 safety pins – for, among other uses, creating a sling with a shirt for a broken arm
2 medicated Bandaid strips
1 package first aid cream
6 aspirin
1 baling wire
4 fish hooks (snelled #2/#8) – for fishing!
4 split shot sinkers – also for fishing
1 snap swivel (#10)
1 filament (10 meters)
Beyond having enough items to repair virtually anything, this tiny kit can be used for signaling, trapping, fishing, filleting small animals and first aid.
A tip of the SurviveLA hat to Box and Enci for producing an innovative response to the problem of how to lug around basic essentials!