Bodie and I put together an Altoid survival kit for each of us about a year ago (when he turned six). It turned out to be a wonderful father-son activity, and Bodie stayed excited about it for many months. It was really fun, for him and for me. Even now, it is part of the hiking and camping ritual for him to pack his kit in his backpack.
Google “Altoid survival kit” and you’ll find many hits, with variations and recommendations etc. It’s a thing. There are tons of ways to do it, and tons of people who feel much more strongly about it than I do. I will be the first to admit that a survival kit in such a small package is of limited usefulness. On the other hand, it is the only thing small enough that I have never been tempted to leave it behind—and whatever gear you have with you is obviously worth more than all the superior gear that was left back in the car.
As a father-son activity, it was fantastic. Perhaps the most important and valuable aspect of the whole thing is that the process provided ample opportunity for conversations with Bodie (and Jasper, to a lesser extent—he was four at the time) about what emergencies one might encounter in the outdoors, and how one might use the individual items in the kit.
For example: one of my primary worries with the kids in the outdoors is getting lost. Our kids are roamers. Part of that is indirectly encouraged by Karen and me: we have been adamant with all of the boys from a young age that they have nothing to fear from animals in the woods. I do not want them to be needlessly and uselessly afraid; fear is insidious and wrongfully prevents many from getting out in the woods. Bodie will be the first to inform you that “the most dangerous animal in the world is the human.”
However, their lack of fear causes them to be pretty comfortable with wandering far from camp. Karen and I need to regularly remind them to stay within view of camp. In the Altoid survival kit, the compass, the mirror, and the whistle are all intended to deal with getting lost. Bodie and I have had long talks about how to deal with being lost, listening for sounds of camp, using the whistle, how the mirror is used for signaling aircraft, what the compass means.
Another aspect of the kit is that each item is precious: because of the limited space, and especially precious to a child because they are all equally “adult” items. My kit and Bodie’s kit are the same except for the knife (I picked a bit more dangerous one, see below). Bodie (justifiably) feels like he’s carrying around genuine outdoor survival tools, and that gives him a measure of pride and confidence.
As for the contents, selecting your own customized items is part of the process. Discuss what you might buy with your kids, and let them be part of putting together the amazon shopping list—it’s exciting and they feel empowered to be included. The arrival of each item in the mail provides excitement. After the kit is completed, caring for it (keeping it stocked and not losing it) is part of the education. A place for everything and everything in its place. Just like my first aid kit, I bought most items in sufficient quantity to put together many kits. I have three boys after all, and I look forward to doing a kit with each of them as they get old enough.
FYI. The interior dimensions of the standard Altoid tin, not including the rounded corners are 2-9/16 in wide x 2-1/8 in high x 13/16 in deep.
Each of the items listed below is linked to the exact amazon product I purchased. Here is a link to an Amazon list containing all the items.
Our Kit Contents
Altoid Tin
I bought a case of them, so I have enough for every member of the family.
“Ranger band”
This is just a super beefy, wide rubber band that is essential for keeping the tin closed.
Packing list
I cut a piece of paper the right size to lodge in the lid, and then wrote on it every item that should be in the kit. It’s easy to take something out and forget to replace it, and then really hard to remember whether you have everything from your original list.
Flashlight (“nano” LED light)
This is probably the most valuable item in the kit (in my opinion). If you get stuck out after dark on a moonless night, it can be really difficult to simply walk back to the car without a light. The Streamlight brand linked to above is a few dollars more than the insanely cheap imported ones you can get, but I know that they keep working and so it’s worth that extra little peace of mind to me. Obviously the flashlight is a huge hit with the kids, they love them. The hard part is keeping them in the kit… Bodie is good about that sort of thing.
Knife
I have three options for you:
Boker Lil Friend Arrowhead
Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD
Spyderco Ladybug
This is the only item that differs between Bodie’s kit and mine. I got the tiny little swiss army knife for him (he picked it out—they offer it in tons of colors and patterns which really appealed to him), and the multiple tools do have some advantages. But the blade is thin and weak for my tastes, so I found a fixed blade that fits (the Boker). It is not easy to find a blade that fits, let me tell you. The smallest spyderco knife also fits, taking up a bit more space, though it might be the best option, as I can actually get three fingers on it, and I consider swapping out the Boker for it from time to time. I think the CRKT Mk5 also fits, but I haven’t checked that personally.
Mini Lighter
Yes, firesteels are hardcore and more robust. But let’s be honest, a lighter is way simpler, faster, and easier to use.
Duct tape (wrapped around the lighter)
I used the gorilla tape brand, but I think whatever decent duct tape you have on hand is perfectly fine. I linked to the “Duck” brand which is also top notch, and again there are tons of colors to pick from which is another opportunity to get the kids involved.
Vaseline packed cotton balls wrapped in plastic wrap
There are many different firestarter tinder bundle dojobby options out there. Whatever. I bought a tub of vaseline and a bag of cotton balls and I have enough raw materials to last me forever. Just knead as much vaseline as you can pack into the cotton balls inside a ziploc bag. I only keep one in the altoid tin, wrapped in saran wrap to keep the mess down (the saran wrap is not for waterproofing; they are waterproof as is). As an aside, I also jam 5-8 at a time into old film canisters and keep two canisters at a time both in the car and in the camping bin, as I like to use the greaseballs to start the campfire. The kids are almost old enough to start the fire themselves that way (as opposed to using crumpled newspaper), and it emphasizes the need for precision when firestarting. To use it, you first pluck out a little bit of hairy threads, and then it will light right up.
Thin firesteel
Yes, in addition to the lighter I also bring a firesteel. Mainly because it is miniscule, taking up almost no space in the altoid tin, and is inexpensive. The edge of the knife is used for scraping it.
Cash (tightly rolled up)
Yes, it looks like this is my emergency coke straw, which I neglected to explain to my six year-old son. And no, it doesn’t help much in the middle of the woods. But if you run out of cash anywhere in civilization, having a few twenties on hand could make a big difference.
Ondansetron
Most people will leave this out, but I happened to have one left over from a prescription and so I included it. Ondansetron is an anti-nausea medicine that can work wonders. In the developing world, it quite literally saves lives. Having spent an entire night solo-dading with the boys, deep in the Jemez mountains, puking my guts out all night, and then every fifteen minutes while trying to pack up the car and drive home, I thought that putting this one little pill into my survival tin was a brilliant use of space.
Bandaids
Bodie has these in his kit (I don’t think I have any). Just as in the first aid kit, they are more for emotional support than any real practical medical use, but it’s perfect for kids. Bodie gets to be a hero and whip one out when his brothers get a scrape and want a bandaid.
Whistle
If the kids really do get lost, this could be the most valuable item in the kit. Even a young kid can make a lot of noise with the right whistle, and it is much more likely to be heard over a campfire conversation than a distantly yelling kid (there are already close yelling kids anyway).
Compass
I include this with reservations, as these miniature compasses usually don’t work. I have seen many duds. I think the friction impeding rotation exceeds the torque generated by the magnetic field. That said, I tried to pick the highest quality option I could find, and then go through and check them out. When building a kit with the kids you can’t avoid these cute little compasses. Also a great opportunity to introduce the cardinal directions, etc.
Signaling mirror
You’d have to be really lost, long enough for the planes/helicopters to come searching for you. But if that’s the case, this could be useful. Don’t bother with the complicated instructions that come with these things. To aim it, just hold your finger out to point at the plane, look through the hole in the mirror, and flash it across the tip of your finger.
Kevlar string
This stuff is strong enough to use for lashing together a shelter, which is what I intended it for. I coiled up as much as I was willing to devote space to it. And now I think I might go ahead and add some more besides. I had a hard time trying to figure out which product from the online images, but the link above ended up being perfect. It looks larger in the Amazon image than it is (see the string in my picture). I chose the 100lb version. FYI it is too thin for a bow drill (it will saw right through the wood).
Safety Pins
Good for removing splinters, among other things.
Paper (couple of pieces) & Pen
Handy. I cut two sheets out of a waterproof “Rite in the Rain” brand small notebook. For a pen, I pulled the insert out of a Pilot Mini G2 pen.
Can Opener
These things are awesome. Not sure what else they can do besides open a can, I’m sure someone can brainstorm other uses. But if you have a can of food and no can opener, this will save your butt. I bought the two-size economy pack. The smaller P-38 goes in the altoid kit, the larger P-51 goes in our car camping bin. I find it just as easy to open a can with one of these as with one of the conventional hand-turned kitchen versions.
Great info and great idea!