John D. McCann - Build the Perfect Survival Kit

Build the Perfect
Survival kit

Jone D. McCann

2005 John D. McCann
Published by

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004113680

ISBN-13: 978-0-87349-967-5

ISBN-10: 0-87349-967-0
eISBN: 9-780-8734-9967-5

Designed by Tom Nelsen & Kay Sanders
Edited by Joel Marvin

Printed in United States of America

About the Author

John D. McCann has spent years experimenting with the various components, configurations and construction techniques for making survival kits, and he has created some very unique ones. However, he continues to re-evaluate and refine his techniques in miniaturization and packaging. He enjoys teaching other people the lessons he has learned and truly believes that a survival kit can make the difference in an emergency situation.

Mr. McCann is the Chief Survival Instructor for the Wilderness Learning Center in upstate New York, offering both basic and advanced survival courses.

CONTENTS

PART FOUR APPENDICIES

DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I dedicate this book to my best friend and darling wife, Janice. During my extended trips from home for the purpose of survival training, camping and other such adventures, I am always greeted on my return with enthusiasm and excitement. She was the person who first suggested that I share my many ideas and designs for survival kits. She also endured stacks of survival components and kits laying everywhere while I designed, built and photographed them. Without her urging, tolerance and support, this book probably would never have been written.

Secondly, I would like to thank and acknowledge a good friend, Marty Simon. Although at first glance, he may appear as a crotchety old mountain man, he is truly benevolent as a friend and veraciously dedicated to the study of old, and research of new, survival techniques. He has taught me a lot about survival, and we have spent many hours discussing and sharing ideas on survival kit components and design. We have also spent innumerable days and nights in the wilderness experimenting with new ideas and concepts while sharing the best setting available: a good fire in a primitive setting.

NOTICES

It should be noted that a survival situation can be dangerous and even fatal. Although this book provides many ideas for designing and making survival kits for use in an emergency situation, a kit by itself will not assure your survival. Training in the various aspects of survival and the use of the components selected for a kit are essential. Even with that said, there are no guarantees. Neither the publisher nor the author claims that having a survival kit will ensure your survival in all situations, nor do they assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.

FOREWORD

The book you hold in your hands is remarkable.

It is remarkable for at least two reasons. First, a book on building survival kits has never before been published, and secondly, the book is very good. How often do we find an original work that identifies a glaring hole in the body of knowledge and then successfully fills the hole?

John is no opportunist in this book. What I mean by that is that he hasn't just created a bunch of showy kits and offered them up as do-this-and-you-will-survive kits. He has actually taken hundreds of products, tested them and then worked them to their limits and beyond. He has taken the surviving products and placed them in arrangements that allow them to form mutually supporting kits that are not only effective and usable, they are dependable and reasonable to assemble. They are also fun to make.

Not happy to leave us with functional and tested assemblies, John has gone into the philosophy of kits and explained the hows and whys of each piece of gear so the readers can decide for themselves just what they want in their own personal kits. It is in the customization of survival kits that we find true utility. A custom kit will be used while a kit in a can might languish in a glove compartment or pack, forgotten.

I've seen literally thousands of kits over the 35 years I've been teaching survival. Most of them are in a class I'd call keepers; you keep them till you need them. The problem with those sorts of kits is that when and if a need arises you might not recognize it and could fail to utilize the components to your potentially everlasting grief. This is because of the very human desire to conserve resources you don't really understand. Another feature of keepers is that even if you wish to employ them, you might not know how the components work or how they might work synergistically. John has solved those problems. When you finish this eminently readable journey through gear and application, you will know your kit, you will carry it, and you will use it at the least provocation. That is what a real survival kit is all about.

A survival kit is the epitome of innovation, and the book you hold in your hands will start you on the path to a new sort of creative thinking. Now, take my advice, bring the book to the cashier and buy it. John will take it from there.

Ron Hood

INTRODUCTION

There have been many fine books written on how to survive but none written exclusively on the subject of survival kits. Some books touch on the subject, stating kits are necessary. Some indicate they will go into detail about kits, but they usually dont. Others explain what the author or authors are carrying for a survival kit and usually only show theirs. However, everybody is different, and his or her survival kits should be also. Except for the basics, everybodys needs vary. For this reason, I felt a book dedicated entirely to the subject of survival kits was needed. This book is my attempt to fill that void. When you complete it, you will understand the reason you need a personal survival kit, how to select the right components for YOUR needs and how to package them for YOUR purposes. When you are done, your survival kit will be YOURS, not MINE!

Ive talked to many people about the subject of survival and survival kits. I am always surprised at how many people dont realize they can be thrown into a survival situation at any time. Normal everyday activities routinely place you in situations that can ultimately become emergencies. The vehicle in which you are driving could go off the road and down an embankment. You could be injured to the point where you cannot climb back up the embankment to safety. It could be days before someone finds you. The plane in which you are flying might crash-land in the mountains, and although you are only slightly injured, you must survive until you are found. A simple hike in the woods may lead to a survival situation when you become lost and must spend the night, or you fall down and break a leg. Activities such as backpacking, canoeing, snowmobiling, driving ATVs through the woods, cross-country skiing, hunting, etc. are all activities that could place you in a potential survival situation.