Beltkit

[Limeyfellow]

I left my hexi cooker in Britain rather than risk it on the plane with the trioxene tabs. I sometimes even miss it. Most the time I use a small coleman's stove for cooking and heating water. I been considering trying that gel material that replaced trioxene that you squeeze out the container and light sometime.

I really love magnesium firestarters. Those things work amazingly well.

My wife is a nurse and has an impressive first aid section For firstaid on shorter hikes I tend to take those US military pouches with the plastic inserts to keep my stuff waterproof. Its big enough to hold bandages, plasters, antihistimine, antiseptic, ibuprofin, burn gel and wipes and such and a pair of latex gloves. Sometimes it amazes me howmuch you can get in those buggers.

When out camping and long hikes, I tend to take a better kit with my medical shears in, and a bunch of other stuff in a small bag. Works fairly well. You can get fairly good kits not though I had all the stuff and more at home.

I tend to carry a Buck butterfly knife and a craftman multitool with me most places I go so they are usually along with me. If I need a bigger blade I have a choice between the MOD survival knife or the kabar depending on which my wife wants. When I go camping in the middle of nowhere I also have a foldable entrenching tool and a three piece axe that fits into a nice pouch. In that case I also will probrobly have a telescopic rod with me when weight is not so much a problem.

I use one of those survival tin kits. They are fairly nice things and fit snuggly out of the way on a shoulder strap.

Out in the nowhere around here I tend to prefer a rifle to a handgun. I tend to take something I can rely on. Usually this is my Lee Enfield. Its a bit heavy but I don't worry about failure with it at all and know it will take a beating. I also have other rifles and shotguns. Been having a problem with coyotes sneaking up on people and one guy was nearly killed by them and they seem to have a taste for peoples dogs and cats, the odd rabid bobcat around here too and had one of them attack me. The non rabid ones tend to stay away. There are bears but generally they haven't bothered me. Not really so much a problem in Britain Of course in the state parks around here its a no no to be armed, but up in the mountains and many places its legal and tends to be fairly normal.

The rest of my stuff is pretty much the same as everyones else and when doing long hikes alot of the stuff doesn't come with me due to weight concerns. Rather than a half shelter I tend to take a lightweight dome tent. They can shrink so much nowadays they are not much bigger than half shelters and I don't tend to have to worry about concealment and quick movement.

I did give a good nikwax cotton fabric waterproofing to the pattern 58 webbing and that keeps the water out nicely for a few seasons and keeps it from swelling up really heavy. I could use more US alice stuff but I just love those big front pouches of the p58. With the alice stuff I do have where the clips won't go I tend to use the molle adapters that I got a bunch off for free to slip over the 58 belt. The only thing that annoys me with the p58 webbing is it sometimes digs into my lower sides though I might try attaching some foam there and its weight but the stuff is nigh undestructable and holds pretty much everything I need.

If anything I have too much stuff I can take and get lazy, but it all depends really what I am going to be doing and could even have the truck and my telescope and many other things with me and the radio normally goes with me if I can find anything playing but awful country music.

[Royal]

i think he means the one on this page, thats a pocket rocket isnt it? one of the sgt's on our annual camp had one of them, was lovely sharing his freshly cooked pasta mmm lol they are pure class id buy one if we were allowed to use them.

This...



Isn't an MSR Pocket Rocket, this is...



This one shows it with the hard case - great bit of kit for keeping in your vest or webbing for quick brews on exercise or out on the hills, but crap on Ops - 'cos you can't get the gas cylinders (or carry them on mil flights).

[kayaker]

Limeyfellow,
Thanks for your input. Interesting to read whats favoured on the other side of the pond! Your equipment list is a little heavy for my liking but it’s like the wife: personal preference. On the civvy hikes I don’t use any webbing or vests and left the traditional 58’when I left the ACF. However a great idea of the nikwax! One to pass on to all the Army cadets who have to suffer under the 58’ Foam padding on the inside of 58’ kidney pouches might help…

Good point about the shelter: on my next winter hike it will be a mountain tent coming instead of the trusted basha: im turning soft

I found the MOD knife bulky and back of the blade too thick: the Wilkinson Survival Knife designed with help of RM isn’t any better… Mora has my choice. Again, knife is like a wife…

My PSK is from BCB – standard survival tin: but look at the pic on page one and you will notice that a number of items are either chucked or replaced by superior counterparts, like the Silva button compass.

[kayaker]

brandenburger,
Managed to check out the pictures on your site this morning: looking good! Your based in Germany, right?

[East Scout II]

brandenburger,
Managed to check out the pictures on your site this morning: looking good! Your based in Germany, right?

Nein..Nicht Deutschland.....Did you ever make it to the Archive group? I sent ya a link so you could join that one to and check out the more current pictures.....Anyhow, Really glad you joined up.

[East Scout II]

Good point about the shelter: on my next winter hike it will be a mountain tent coming instead of the trusted basha: im turning soft [/SIZE][/FONT]

I found the MOD knife bulky and back of the blade too thick: the Wilkinson Survival Knife designed with help of RM isn’t any better… Mora has my choice. Again, knife is like a wife…

My PSK is from BCB – standard survival tin: but look at the pic on page one and you will notice that a number of items are either chucked or replaced by superior counterparts, like the Silva button compass.

Getting soft comes with age...........Easier to put up with the elements when your a energetic young buck..After i hit thirty i slept in a tent MUCH more often and seemed to use more insulating layers quite a bit more...

As for blades...Id never go anywhere with out my Marine K-Bar(modern version) and my Swiss Pocket Mountaineer..

[FozzieBear]

This...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93...s/MVC_032S.jpg

Isn't an MSR Pocket Rocket, this is...

http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/images/pocketrocket.jpg

This one shows it with the hard case - great bit of kit for keeping in your vest or webbing for quick brews on exercise or out on the hills, but crap on Ops - 'cos you can't get the gas cylinders (or carry them on mil flights).

http://a1072.g.akamai.net/f/1072/206...dia/527661.jpg

yeah thats why cadets cant use em, something about health and safety and the gas cannisters, bunch of wankers lol but yeah that thing boiled water in a minute flat... much better than the hexi burners.

[kayaker]

Nein..Nicht Deutschland.....Did you ever make it to the Archive group? I sent ya a link so you could join that one to and check out the more current pictures.....Anyhow, Really glad you joined up.

really glad to be a member. I had about eleven emails from the site so quickly browsed through them. The pics are great although I havent noticed any link to archive...just getting to grips with the site as well.

As for knifes: its the man in the machine. I carry my old and trusted Vicorinox Champ. Still cant quite swap it for a multitool..

[East Scout II]

Most of our pics are stored here..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MD_SERE_SURVIVAL_ARCHIVES

[iacco]

iacco,

A hard case is a good idea. However, this way it accepts the shape of the beltkit pouch and wont crack. What I would like is a transparent case so I can see where everything is stored without having everything thrown out first!!

Hope all helps.

Hi Ryan
First of all, thank you for your reply to my question.
My First Aid Kit is inside a clear plastic box (former ice cream box).
You are right when you want to avoid items falling down all around while you are using your kit.
For this reason, the upper layer of my kit is a clear plastic bag (from vegetables taken at the supermarket). This way, the procedure is:

1. unwrap the box (I tape it for sealing)
2. take off the bag, open it and put near the box.
3. take the most of the items from the box to the bag and work on the inside of the bag (insulated from the floor).

the next layer of the box is made of gloves (2-3 pairs) so you have them available as second item immediately after the bag.

About the clotting capability of the tea powder, I heard this (strange) idea when navigating searching for alternative to Quick Clot (that is quite impossible to find in Italy).

Anyway, a real clotting element seems to be the cayenne pepper (don't laugh please). This has been confermed from many sources and I have the (sad) occasion to try it when working on my motorbike.
It really stops bleeding and it is great added to the wound dressing as first layer. I suggest to add the cayenne pepper in a film can (taken from a film camera).

Well, also for me this is a great thread!

[kayaker]

Thanks for all the suggestions mate!! Nice surprise to read your reply after work. All valuable tips that get the mind going 100mph.

I use a zip "sandwich" bag which is sold in the local shop (a Tesco superstore!). Finding them stronger to the vegetable bags you mention. It allows quick opening and closing multiple times without ripping, an important factor when out multiple days.

Ref the gloves. I only pack non-sterile (meaning that they are not clean: only protecting the first aider from contamination by providing a barrier). The bush is a dirty environment and therefore any wound will be contaminated (not infected) anyway. I've got a of sterile gloves at home though: the home environment allowes them to be put without contamination.

New to me about the pepper! Will bear that one in mind. Can you not order quickclot via the web? Good idea to pack a couple when in the wild (on Royal's recommendation) But doubt you will be on the surgeon's christmas card list if applied to a casualty on the high street.

[EsoognomEhT]

Anyone seen anyone with one of those jetboil things?

[Sabre]

A couple mates have them. They like them enough, they boil fast, but I think they take up too much room for what they are. I prefer my pocket rocket and metal mug for quick brews. I use a primus stove and large trangia pans when out in civvies, they're much better for cooking large meals (the best kind of meals!) for two or more, or for washing.

Jetboils cost about £60, for half that you could get a decent gas stove. For a little more you could get a primus multifuel stove (£80) which burns LP gas, white gas, petrol, deisel, kerosene, donkey fat...etc etc...I know which I'd rather have.

[kayaker]

Sabre,
you mention when out in civvies you bring a pans. What meals do you cook? Sausages Garry Rodes style? Not liking dishes I go for the freeze dried meals...

[Sabre]

Well, I used to eat those pasta and sauce meals you can buy. They're fine for a couple days hiking in the UK, but they just don't provide enough energy or protein for more demanding work. I often go to Norway and climb mountains/glaciers and those pasta meals aren't enough. Last time I went I tried some dried bolognaise and instant mash. Basically you make up some bolognaise sauce and then spread it out thinly on a baking tray and dry it in the oven on a low heat for a day. You can make quite a lot in one day. Just make sure that it is completely dry by pressing it; no water should come out. Then just bag it up into daily portions and take it with you. When you come to prepare it, you need to soak it in water for a while for it to re-hydrate. Then just heat it up well and serve with some instant mash (made with milk powder to make it taste nicer). The key points are to make sure the meat sauce is completely dry, otherwise it won't last, heat it up well when you prepare it on the hills (hence a large bottomed pan is good) and also make it quite spicy because the sauce will lose a lot of its flavour by drying it (perhaps bring some seasoning/spices with you to address this). Funny that you mention sausages, I often take a good salami out with me as it is a good source of calories and protein. A pack of cheap sausages isn't worth it as they'll cook down to nothing. A good salami can be eaten cold on the hill or after and will provide a tasty change to endless chocolate and flapjacks.