Pretty happy with all the advice you give, except: "I'm not a big fan of space blankets..." Oooooh, I would never be without several!! They can be used either to reflect heat away or toward you, can be useful in signaling or marking, and can even be used as wind/draft barriers and evaporative barriers. Use them as your ground sheet below your sleeping bag, to keep your bag dry and reflect heat back at you. You can use them either as shelter from rain or for rain collection. You can cut one up in a pinch to wrap foods or loose materials or things you want to keep fresh or dry. I have survived a brutal Lake Superior winter by sandwiching these between layers of cloth both for wearing and for sleeping - they were literally a life saver for me, sleeping in 30-below-zero conditions. If you're not a big fan of space blankets, I don't think you're using them right. The word "blanket" is misleading - people think you wrap yourself directly with it as a substitute for a traditional blanket, and while you CAN do that in a pinch they're not terribly effective that way. But use them as liners (clothing liners, ground lining, tent lining, etc) they are worth their weight in gold. It's hard for me to imagine you not LOVING them, being a "Great Lakes" prepper.

For water gathering go to Walmart and purchase breast milk storage bags. They hold a litre. They are pleated so they stand up when full. They are heavier weight material and have double zip-loc closures.

Enjoyed your thoughts. I have a similar " Grab and go " kit ( Essee Tin) and everything else I need is on me everyday. Don't let the negative people influence you, it was a fine video of "your" thoughts. Thanks.

The altoids survival tin began as an exercise done by the Boy Scouts. In my day it was a Sucrets box survival kit. What people forget is it is just an exercise to teach prioritization and to teach the difference between what you need and what would be nice. It was never intended to be a final product.

Altoids tins are best used to make "component kits" like a fishing kit, sewing and repair kit, personal meds kit etc.

I like painting all my stuff camo to make losing them in the woods so much easier. Instead of walking 20 yards off trail, I can just set it down beside me and not find it 5 minutes later. So much easier. #lifehacks

I understand your rationale about making this a tin designated for a toss under your car seat. In combination with your edc, you could weather a lot. Things I would change. 1. Add some fishing tackle including eye hooks to make a pole. 2. Take out one of those space blankets. 3. Add a Life Straw. 4. Get rid of the pen and pencil and add the small Sharpie. 5. Get rid of the orange string and wrap the outside with 550. Keep the bank line. 6. I myself, would put in the multi-tool but find the beefiest folder I could find. Gerber makes a rubber handled folder for like $30. I think it's called the Gator. Nice idea and vid.

Maybe it's just me, but i have a couple mints in my kits.. I use them to get a focus factor, to take my mind off of things that can distract me. The sugar is an energy source as well, even if it's a small amount. *I like the idea of the plastic wrap to line the tin, it can be useful in more than one way. Thanks for sharing, great kit!

Why, YES I did enjoy the video :) THANKS !!! You gave me some great ideas for my own kit.

In addition to skipping the first four minutes, I found it helped to set the playback speed to 1.5X to move it along quicker... ;-)

Great video! I also use those aluminum mess tins as kit bases, I got a set of two that nest for $5.00 on clearance at Sierra Trading Post, they fit perfectly into 2 molle first aid kit bags I got on Amazon and hold a lot of useful gear. One bag is essentially a fire kit and the other a cook kit but both are complete mini survival kits, this is a really economical way to go.

Why not put the tape that's on the bottom, on top. It's still protected and isn't in the way if you want to use the bottom for cooking.

A pencil and tin foil; that reminds me of my very first survival situation - making an emergency weed pipe.

Tea lights are actually fantastic items for a kit! You can use one for a Palmer Furnace (sit on something to get off the ground, drape a space blanket around you like a cape and close at the front with a candle burning between your feet- it will be around 30 degrees warmer than outside), and maybe the best application is as a flame extender. If you're trying to get a fire light and everything is damp or wet a candle can save your ass! Terrific kit! The Altoids kits are kind of wishful thinking, more survival theater than realistic survival gear. If you were in a true survival situation with just what fits in an Altoids tin you'd be in trouble! Your kit is about the best kit of that size that I've ever seen. It's very thorough, again considering the size. About the only thing I would add is a few matches. Yeah, you have several sources and a BIC is usually reliable but I have been in weird situations (usually on humid days at high altitude) where I couldn't get my BIC to work even when warmed by pocket carry. Five or six UCO matches and a wee bit of striker will give you about the most certain 20 second of flame each you can find on this planet. The only thing that can foil them is a wet striker. I think it's critical to have at least one space blanket and two is better. The SOL ones are vastly more durable; not as durable as canvas but better than the cheapies. Better still is one to pitch as overhead cover (ie a lean-to) and one as a ground cloth/water barrier. You can wrap up in it but they suck as blankets IMO. But a good one excels as a tarp although obviously you'll only get a couple uses out of it. I've had to use a space blanket as a tarp with a small stick fire out front to ride out a 39 degree F night with no coat, just a T-shirt and jeans! And I was so warm I almost used a second blanket to shield me from the fire. That reflective tarp overhead and pitches in a lean-to really does bounce heat down on your body to form a very effective micro-climate. Great kit! Subscribed!

Good kit, using a tin really smart but putting a bag in there to carry the contents good idea most people forget that. Just my 2 cents. Put some beef bullion cubes and a pack of dried soup mix, a beef jerky stick and a packet of peanut butter. You can go three weeks without food. But cold can make you burn more calories. If you don't have to worry about food you can focus on other aspects of survival.

Nicely done thanks for taking the time to show us.

I like it. Good logic and well done. Thanks for sharing. The only thing I would mention, and it's not important, that you might be interested in adding, or putting into your pack, is a few Wysi Wipes...little tablets of dehydrated cloth you just add a few drops of water to and you have a cloth wipe.

A very nice kit; well thought out. I like your two "shelter" items (mylar blankets). You don't see those too often in a personal survival kit. Plenty of cordage too.

Trangia makes a same sized mess tin. I agree about the size of an Altoids tin. Tobacco tins are a better size for a small pocket size kit.

Go to your local food store and take a few of the plastic bags used for vegetables and fruit. They hold water, if filled you could use your yellow bag to support and protect the bag when filled.

Good job! You’ve got great ideas in there (e.g. yellow bag). 👍👍

You seem to have put a good bit of thought into this kit. I would like to suggest that you carry this on a belt. If you put this in a pack I recommend you use a spare kit. This is a good video because you give the reason for your choices for contents. Also a good idea is to bend a couple of wire hanger to use as a stand. As for the belt pouch, this tin will fit into the Army's 100 rnd saw pouch

I have an altoids tin 'comfort' kit on my esee 4 sheath pouch. Advil, tums, a lighter, some bandaids, chapstick, stuff like that. For headaches, small cuts, heart burn, stuff that isn't serious but can ruin a fun day of hunting.

Thank you. Very informative, good ideas, and certainly NOT too long!

I bought three of those ESEE tins. They fit perfectly inside a Maxpedition Jumbo Versa-pack

The Signal is a great addition, even if does take up space and weight. My stick is that i almost NEVER use the saw or the file in any of my multitools.

Fantastic kit. Esee survival gear and their knives are my absolute favorites. Great channel and content, just subbed!

A lot can be done with just the pot, cordage, lighter and Leatherman. You could really do a good Mors 2kg kit with that tin.

you did a good job. it's nice to see a young person like your self thinking about an emergency situation. put some duck tape, surveyers red ribbon tape and some fishing supplies in with it. great job.

Most solid mess tin kit I've ever seen by far and I've seen a few

Thank you very much for this video. Very much enjoyed it. Shall be watching again for research notes! Warm regards from the UK. DP, subscribed.

A very well thought out kit. Check out the survival blankets from Titan survival. I have 3 atm, and they are a ton better then the others I have had.

I have two out those leather man freestyles. They're not common but I love them.

you can signal with the space blankets, nicely done !!!

I think you did a pretty good job. You covered the 10 Cs plus some first aid supplies. I recently made such a kit myself in a tin that is about 4" by 6⅔" by 2'" that has a clamping lid. I think yours is deeper than mine, but we made a lot of similar choices. I also have a baseplate compass for the same reasons. I have one tea candle. It can also be useful for starting a fire. I decided not to include wire but I have enough rubber tubing for a slingshot (or siphoning, fire blowing, straw, etc). I put in the Wazoo survival belt fishing kit and wire saw. I would mostly use the latter in a bow saw, so I added a medium SAK that has a decent saw blade. I included more things for starting a fire, but less for cover. I, too, have decided an Altoids tin is far too small to make a serious survival kit. That space blanket is very minimal as a cover item and it would take up most of the space in that size tin. It's a decent size for an escape kit, but you really want that stuff stashed where it is not likely to be found if you need it rather than in a tin in your pocket. Or it could be a decent fire kit container.

That’s comparable to how I roll. Love everything ESSE which is the icing on the entire cake

Love the dump bag. Will add to my arsenal!

I definitely like the personal survive kit rather than others which are filled with stuff you don't need also very expensive !

Great kit!!!! I like having sharpies in all my kits... not only will they write on almost anything but if you need to leave a note say on your car or truck where a pen or pencil will fall short.. even with paper it can blow away or get wet but a sharpie you can easily leave a note on any of glass

well thought-out; thanks for the video

Your practicality and outdoors wisdom amazes me. It's one of the best emergency kits I've seen, but if you can... throw in a couple sterile 4X4's. Not all boo-boo's are small. Where did you get the tin/kit? I like that very much... small, practical and comprehensive. Well done!

Nice gear, thanks for sharing!

Holy crap... The "official" esee kit has an MSRP: from *$287.60*. I can't see how in the world that kit is worth anything close to that price. Yours are way better lol

Shred 2 inches of the gorilla tape and loosely lump it together. It will catch a spark and stay lit for about 5 minutes. My name is Liz and one day I'll start my own channel of crazy camping knowledge.

Pretty decent kit for a bugout bag or get home bag. Using this as your core kit, you can throw it into your bag, then you can adjust your clothing or food, whatever you need according to your season and environment conditions. It makes putting your bag together much easier. Not a good alternative to a pocket kit, as it won't fit in your pocket, but you can always carry one of those on you too if that's your thing. The multi tool you chose is a good option. Like you, I always have my SAK Fieldmaster on me at all times, and I also carry a modern folder on me as well. I rotate through the modern folders I own, but the SAK is ALWAYS on me every single day, regardless of where I'm going or what I'm doing. If I know I'm going into the woods, I'll have a fixed blade on my belt, but your kit is great for a leave in the car kit or bug out bag as the core kit you can build the rest of your bag around.

I've now got a dozen prepper bugout tins. Today I bought a green rainproof jacket, very light weight. I'm going to embellish it with mini ferro rods and strikers, mini manual chain saw, handcuff key, and mini canisters to store tinder, cotton wool with Vaseline, and lint from a dryer.

Few fish hooks and line , maybe a wire saw , but the contents of a survival tin possibilities endless comes down to personal choice , the mess tin size you used is pretty way perfect for purpose,

I’m color blind as well & I buy blue knives myself for the same reason. I would pack a larger ferro rod and a small tub of Vaseline for extended emergency stays because you never know how long you’ll be stuck in the wilderness but it’s jmo 👊🏼

Nice kit. Mine is in a Maxpedition Thermite drop leg pouch that also holsters my 9mm & an extra magazine. It isn't much bigger than my ESEE Tin which fits inside with some oatmeal and honey as well as my ESEE Izula as well as a couple pamphlets on wild edibles and poisonous plants. It holds a Gerber suspension as well. I also have a sawyer mini with a straw and a spork

Preach it, brutha! ;-) Great looking it. As you say there's simply no way to get all that stuff in an Altoid's tin. The mini tin is a good thought experiment, a way to distill your thinking about survival. But IMO it simply isn't large enough to provide the capability I would want in a bad situation. I think your kit is compact enough to carry without a lot of trouble yet comprehensive enough to be really useful. The multi-tool is a good idea since you have the room, if for no other reason to have a pliers to cut the wire. Multi-tools are more useful in civilization than in the woods but having the pliers and saw in addition to a backup blade is a good idea. Tin foil is great. I use not to make containers but more in firecraft. It's great for keeping your tinder/shavings dry and confined. The space blankets are good for shelter but also as tinder- many people don't know it but they're extraordinarily flammable. Cordage is always good to have as well. I love the inclusion of a full sized compass, much better than a button! Should a PSK be totally self contained or designed to work with your EDC? Both approaches are probably good, I think it's good to have redundancy and of course if you lose your EDC knife or didn't have it along for whatever reason you might be stuck with just what's in your kit. So ideally it has everything you might need. Having some medical/first-aid stuff is great. Maybe not 100% survival essentially but it adds an element of safety. All in all I like the kit! Nicely done.

I thought of this when I saw the wire in the kit (about 13:57). In the 50’s, in Alaska, Dad had a “snare line”. This meant he had rabbit snares in different places along a rabbit run. These ‘runs’ were quite visible in the snow-like a beaten path, really. We purchased the snare wire at the Copper River Cash Store, and it was a woven metal wire. Much like some stainless steel wire that I see at the hardware store. It had a balance between being strong but flexible enough to slide closed. Dad did not like to kill, but he had 8 hungry children to feed. He went to check the line each morning, always carrying his 22 rifle. The rabbit may not have caught his head in the snare, but a hind leg. This poor animal had to be shot. Buy the way, if 4 rabbits were caught, we had a good meal that evening.

I don’t have one of those little mora fixed blades yet but I will by the 5th of next month. I am putting together a kit in the ESEE tin & I think that little fixed blade with a comfortable handle is a great choice. If you have some carving to do the extra control you’ll have with that knife would be great, not to mention that if you need to do a good deal of cutting like making stakes or figure 4 deadfalls would be a lot easier on your hands & wrist. Most of the other things you you out in your kit are right on the money as far as I’m concerned. Including the tee lights ! Nice kit.

Maybe someone already advice you to this, but to keep water in your yellow bag just spray it with some silicone stuff, like the one to keep a camping tent from taking the rain.

I like the way that you made this kit and the size of it it would fit very nicely in my haver sack. As for your choice of multi tool I found one fairly inexpensive at Wal-Mart of all places in their hardware section ( $9.00 ) that has a very effective saw if interested. Also I agree about the use of button compasses as I also lost a lot of them but found a way around that by wrapping a strip of glow in the dark tape around them or blue gorilla tape it works very well. Keep up the good work. Again very nice kit.

I've been watching quite a few survival tins and I must say that I think yours is one of the best I've seen without a doubt, ill probably add a small fishing kit.. you should make duplicate tins exactly like yours and sell them.. i would legit purchase one, Mail it directly to my house lol, seriously.. thanx for your video I watched it all the way through..

I find Altoid tins best suited to dedicated type kits, so fire, fishing, etc etc. As you say they are too small to fit in enough gear for a comprehensive survival kit. Another good intermediate sized kit is based on the Maxpedition Mini Pocket Organizer type container, not as good as a metal container I suppose but still great for a cargo pants pocket sized kit.

Very good kit thx for the ideas.

I think it is a good kit, and similar to mine. I keep mine in a USGI sustainment pouch, which fits perfectly with room to spare. With the two combined I am very confident in the ability to get home. If you get the pouch get the M81. They are cheap, and have a D ring on either side so you can fashion a shoulder sling to carry the entire kit. I can also keep a field stripped MRE IN IT SO THIS WITH THE POUCH IS MY GO TO. good kit! I am with you on the space blankets. They are a great alternative if you want to die with a false sense of security. I use a tent floor for a survival tarp. Compact, and super durable with tie out loops. One Tigris makes an good affordable one.

You can boil water in a plastic water bottle......in case you dont have a pan........very good set up...especially using a bigger tin....great video. Thanks

Nice kit. Customize it to your needs. Love it

Your kit is pretty damn good with two, very light and VERY usefull additions missing. A pack of size 16 micro barbed stainless fishhooks and 100 feet of 10-20 Lb dacron line. The line can be wrapped around your pencil. Combined with your bankline, these two items can save your life, particularly if you are close to the coast.

Needs couple hooks, line, large eye needle, line could be one of the strong new Kevlar lines, good for fishing or sewing.

Whistle , bank line , compass , tinder quick and big lighter all good

The kit is very good. Esee makes great kits, but I think you have higher quality tools in yours. I like your planning. The yellow bag is a stroke of brilliance. The only things I might add are a fishing kit and construction type trash can liners. The fishing kit to have another way to catch food. The trash liners for stuffing with leaves to get off the ground or a poncho. Liners have many uses. Thanks for sharing.

I use the Altoid tins for specific items. An 0000 steel wool pad. Homemade fire starter (cotton balls: 1/2 dipped in candle wax, and the top coated with Vaseline--petrolatum for our British friends). As a tin to make and store char cloth . I've put spare ranger bands in a tin--but you get the idea.

The bag inside is a good idea. I don't like the idea of having a container of small items and then dumping everything out. Seems like you're asking for problems and may loose items. Also that little Petzel light is neat. I can see attaching it to other things. It's so small one can pack a few of them. The one thing I'd add would be a water filter. Or at least a bandanna and possibly a small metal cup to drink out of. You can add some powdered drink mix as well. The main idea is that you can use all those items with your tin to procure water or cook. You might want a good spork to eat with. The bandanna of course has many other uses.

FYI USPS Flat Rate bags are water proof and they can be folded down to a pretty small size

Very nice kit, even if you seem to get lost alot))))) I've seen some survival cards that would be nice for your kit

I would make that into a fishing kit, that bag would be great for carrying fish around till you get to a safe place to cook them in a 🐜 out situation

I think needles and Imodium would be good addition.

great practical kit it especially the 2 emergency blankets fro shelter and cold protection. I think this is what most survival kits are missing mostly due to using too small a tin, some things for you to think about : sun block high UV cream lip balm moisture and UV protection small spray of mosquito/bug repellent mosquito net head covering emergency poncho ( small compact disposable ones) ok now you need a bigger tin :D

I just subscribed to your channel and hello from New Hampshire.

thanks enjoyed the vid

If you still would like to put a Swiss Army Knife in that ESEE kit, you might want to consider the Victorinox Huntsman.

He finally opens tin after 4 minutes. YAK YAK YAK

Very nice!

I would definatly wrap some tape around the top of the tin where the lid connects to the top to seal it up better and more tape to use.

Informative and practical video

Great video 👍

Camel Snus tins can also be used to make small kits. You could designate them for fishing, fire starting, medicine, small kits for trade, endless uses!

Can use dry bag as primary water filter as well

At least one tea candle for the versatility . Wax zippers , blade edges , and all the other things people use them for . Two better than one . 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

For me it's a get home kit, up to 40 miles, (ranch is 35 miles outside nearest city). So, Victorinox knife, water/container, water pills, small commercial bivi, rain ponchos, three aaa lights, one cr123a light, extra batts, some first aid, lighter, and a few extras. Food comes in a backpack just for mre's, stove, etc. I can do 35 miles in two days. This does not include personal protection devices. Light fast and easy for me. And I always wear walking shoes when I leave the ranch. I think some day we will see an EMP, or electrical outage for the long term. I also have a butt load of stuff in my truck, which i can take or leave. My luck I will be in the city when it happens.

This seems to be more of a somewhat modified kit. I noticed the flagging tape, compass, brass wire, whirl pack, tender wicks and a few other items come in the kit. Overall I like the mods, and I have a similar setup. I did include a good wire saw, immodium, and some to mine. Look for cookie tins at the local Dollar General or Dollar Tree. You can get some interesting tins cheap than you can buy an empty can and you get to eat the cookies!

Nice kit you have there Sir! I've had my ESEE Tin for about 4 years now and it has evolved in that time. I carry a lot of the same stuff as you have as well as a Sawyer water filter, some Water-Proof matches and an ESEE Fire Steel (for flint fires & bow drills). I carry mine in a Maxpedition Thermite leg pouch which affords me some extra cargo space, so I have my ESEE Izula and another compact FBK as well as lots of cordage and a pouch for a spare 9mm magazine. Also a couple of survival pamphlets (wild edibles & dangerous plants/animals) and a bandanna in the thin leg pocket. There's also room for a couple packs of instant oatmeal and a compact Esbit folding stove w/ fire related stuff inside in the bottom of the large pocket. Also the saw in mine is a wire saw that I've learned to use pretty well. Like yourself I always have a Vic-nox & a multi-tool with saws on my person as EDC's!

Now this I understand. My only problem with other people survival kits is they are too lazy to pick out the stuff they want and tend to get a lot of useless if not dangerous junk. And regardless of anyone's opinion of what you should have in your kit the bottom line is it works for you and you just can't do any better than that

Great vid

Good little kit thanks for sharing ATB

Cool kit

Thank you for being my friend you have invested time in helping others survive great information do you think a sharpening tool,stone they make some very compact 3 sided with hook sharpener,try the Swiss army ultimate it has everything you need except a ferro rod

Very cool thanks

great kit

Inside a laptop hard drive is a perfect mirror finish round silicon disk with hole in the middle. Perfect for signaling.

Good video, on the small compass. If you look at the NATO SAS button compass, they are not cheap, but they are brass and not oil filled.

For your yello bag: you're absolutely right, a blue one (royal blue working best) won't get lost in the woods, it really sticks out. Combine it with a slightly bigger plastic bag to carry water, so you stress the bag and not the plastic during transport. For writing I use an unlaquered IKEA pencil I soaked in wax. Along with a sharpener I can make nice thin, curled shavings as an excellent fire starter. That Petzl head lamp is awesome, just the right thing for me! Don't need much light, bright ones would just blind you for minutes. For coiling your micro-cord watch reallybigmonkey1, coiling it tangle-free in figure-of-8-loops! Your flagging tape should be royal blue too. Tea-lights are great survival tools, so many uses! Never go out in the wild without some. Bic lighters are my favorite fire starters, but mine are white, so I can see how much fuel is in there , covered with small innertube for ranger bands or as a fire accelerator. Aluminium foil hardens and gets brittle if you bend it, so after folding it to fit in your can, don't forget to heat it or it might break when you unfold it. My favorite small survival knife is a Victorinox Outrider, that I picked up lately as a merchandise special edition from Bosch for only 20€ - awesome! Big frame with ~4" blade and saw, scissors and all the other good stuff. Missing some dental floss and a sailing needle as well as a fishing kit.

Good vid and kit. The kit has all ur essentials and it was well thought out. I think food was the only otem not mentioned. Perhaps a granola bar? Or beef jerky. Other then that 👍i appreciate the vid thx for sharing.

I'm a bit late to the show but, I found that the electric ignition Bic lighters are more water resistant. The trade off is that it doesn't throw hot Sparks for lighting tinder without fluid.

Use the altoids tins for individual kits fire,first aid and so on keeps them separate from each other and have a drink roll with pockets to store them in ten kits all told

There are also four Chemical Testing as well a water to chemical ratio for cleaning pipes that's how they make sure they're dilution is proper or improper

Very good....you need to find some space for a twix or a snickers!! Very nice video