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sere kit

Active SERE kit: Concealed and ready for deployment

Active SERE kit: Concealed and ready for deployment

An active SERE kit differs from any other survival or task kit in that it must be concealed on your person ready for deployment, not unloading.

Survival in any form for any environment is an act of prevention and or recovery, best enacted by preparation.

A particular set of tools must be removed from a SERE loadout kit to be applied for field use, forming an independent and “active” deployment carry kit.

An active SERE kit is not a pack or pouch filled with many tools to be carried for universal use. It is a select few tools for a specific purpose such as escape/evasion and is integrated on to the person.

Read the full article here

*Courtesy of John Cain (Vinjatek)

Improved Pelican Case Special Forces Survival Kits

Improved Pelican Case Special Forces Survival Kit

During the course of my career as a Green Beret, I was issued many things, some I was made to turn back in to the Army and others I was allowed to keep. My Pelican 1020 Survival kit was one of the items I was allowed to keep: originally intended to keep a soldier alive during an escape and evade situation, it was rendered obsolete by a more modern idea, leaving it to a list of items that the military no longer wanted. I was giddy and thrilled, finding out the news that I was able to keep something. The Army was finally paying out dividends (granted, old crappy outdated dividends but payments nonetheless.) So I set out on a quest to perfect my little military nest egg in a vain attempt to stick it to the Man. As if saying, “You gave me what you thought was a piece of junk, Mr. Man, and I actually have the proverbial Cadillac of today’s survival kits. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it, DOD.” I finally got over on the military through decommissioned goods. I have no real need for a survival kit in my day-to-day life, but when staying out in the field you never know.

“I would rather have and not need than need and not have.” Sound logic to live by, people. I don’t want to call what I am doing preaching, but a few could take a note or two.

The survival kit as Issued to SF soldiers in 5th SFG(A) contains:

-One 1020 Pelican case
Water resistant, not proof. Used to house the following in a neat and orderly fashion:

-One small Write in the Rain pad (green)
To take notes with in case you slowly are going crazy in the field or you like coloring with a black pen (see the next point). In reality it is to take notes so as to not go crazy, make a calendar, or write down thoughts and ideas.

-One Write in the Rain pen (black)
To write in the notebook. The chassis of the pen is useful as a tube for whatever reason you may find necessary, such as a crike tube or a straw.

-One wrist band
To hold the compass (see next point).

-One wrist band compass
To navigate in an emergency, I repeat emergency, wrist compasses will get you going in a direction but are highly inaccurate. A wrist compass in trained hands is about as useful as a regular compass in untrained hands. Think I am wrong? Show up to Navigator and I or another cadre will prove it.

-One Leatherman Squirt multi-tool
Contains all the goodies that normally come with a Leatherman: knife, pliers, screwdrivers, scissors, you name it. Find a use for it; I’m not here to solve all of your problems.

-One signal mirror
This item is useful when signaling aircraft that are looking for you. Don’t go attempting to hail me on a Southwest flight going to my next Challenge because I will not see it. This is designed for low-flying aircraft that are looking down. There are much better ways to signal aircraft than using a mirror; I believe this was added to the kit to calm the lost person down.

-One flint and striker combo (spring-loaded)
This thing is a piece of junk. Yes, it produces sparks, but it sucks. There are many more on the market that are better.

-One blue light thumb flashlight
Flashlight, plain and simple. Don’t waste its battery, it will eventually go out.

-One snare wire
If you don’t know how to snare anything, learn. There are hundreds of books out there that will show you. Once you have learned from your reference, go put your knowledge to use and attempt to catch something.

-One laser pointer
I don’t know. It is stupid and useless; I just threw it away.

-One hand saw
Spooled cable with finger holds at each end. This thing is actually a good piece of equipment but be careful, it is delicate.

So, you have heard all my thoughts on what was issued to me. I try to carry this wherever I go in my GR1 except on airplanes, because TSA would blow a gasket if I tried to sneak this stuff through security. All of the items previously listed are extremely minimalist, which is important when packing into a Pelican 1020. There are certain components that are more important than others but they all serve a purpose. In order of importance: making a fire, then tools to make shelter/other tools like the Leatherman and cable saw, then everything else. It is that simple. Chances are that you will never find yourself in a survival situation with a survival kit; that is just the way things work, and it’s Murphy’s Law at its finest. So what you should use your kit for is the foreseeable future, like planned water purifications and fire starting when camping.

Getting into the “add to and take away section,” here are my upgrades, so to speak. I have taken away a significant amount from my kit, as should you if you have purchased a complete one (which will be a waste of money. It is a seller’s world in the survival kit game.)

Without further ado, my modifications:

Add:

-Iodine tablets
Let us not be ridiculous and think we are going to be boiling water every night to purify; yes, you can do that, but then you have to drink hot water or wait. Iodine takes 30 minutes and is completely effective. Don’t be a weirdo boiling all the time.

-10ft of 550 cord
If you ask me why I have 550 cord, you obviously have no place in the field. Go home. I’m kidding, but really, 10ft is the ideal amount to fit in a 1020 pelican case and not take up additional space.

-A Bic lighter
What is it, something like 3000 guaranteed lights? How can you say no?

-Sewing needles
You don’t need a kit; you already have thread through gutted 550. Just bring the needles; they may become your best friend.

-Same goes for safety pins

-Batteries
If you have a headlamp, carry a spare set of batteries for it. I want to reiterate, this kit will best serve you as a semi-emergency kit, not an “Oh my god I just crashed my plane and just happen to have my survival kit with me.”

-Upgraded flint and steel, and waterproof matches
Here is where mainstream REI and EMS actually come in handy. You can never have enough ways to make a fire. Fire is awesome, it’s warm, it cooks stuff, and it keeps bugs away.

Those are my would-be additions to the “new and improved survival kit by Chris.” Certain things you have to take into consideration, such as the size of your item. Just because it comes in packages of a dozen does not mean you are meant to have twelve in your kit. It is easy to get carried away with survival items; I could easily fill a GR1 with just survival items, but that is not the point. The point is to have a small case of problem-solving items that each have a purpose and that the user is well versed in using.

For the removals, number one is the signal mirror. Though a good idea, it is only useful when there is a low-flying plane nearby that is on the lookout. The same signal effect could be accomplished with a large fire, and in the case of an emergency you could just burn everything around you until someone spots you. That’s what I would do; screw the environment, it’s not actively trying to save my life. Number two, the laser pointer. Do we really have to go over this again? Those are my deductions. I would love to say there is more to it but it is indeed simple, stupid.


*Article and photo were used with permission of GORUCK News and written by Cadre Chris

My PACE Lid Loadout | Water Bottle Survival Kit

My PACE Lid Loadout: Water Bottle Survival Kit

PACE stands for (Primary, Alternate, Contingent and Emergency). For those of you military guys that will sound very familiar. In the Marine Corps, they constantly drilled into us being prepared and having multiple contingency plans. The theory behind the PACE lid is to have a place to keep those needed items in the event something unexpected happens and you need to deviate from the original plan.

I originally wrote up a short article on the PACE Lid when they were getting it off the ground with their Kickstarter campaign. Since then I have purchased one for personal use to see how I would run it. Depending on the time of year and activities I’m involved in will dictate the contents. Right now I only have 1 PACE Lid, so the contents will have to be rotated out as my needs change. Maybe in the future, I’ll purchase a few more to have them pre-loaded and ready to go depending on what I’m doing.

For the sake of this quick article, I have my PACE Lid setup for my trail running or minimalist hiking. I know all the trails I run and hike on, so for this specific loadout, I don’t need a bunch of survival items for signaling, fire starting and trap making. I’m more concerned with the condition of my feet and hydration.

The contents of my PACE Lid are as follows:

    • GORUCK Foot Blister Kit
    • Potable Aqua Water Purification Tabs

    • Prometheus Design Werx Button Compass
    • Compact Roll of Duct Tape

    • Spare set of shoelaces

    • Acme Tornado Whistle

My PACE Lid Loadout | Water Bottle Survival Kit

Head on over to the PACE Lid website today and get yours for only $19.99

T3 Utility Pouch, Slick, Medium | Provides easy access to medium mission essentials

T3 Utility Pouch, Slick, Medium | Provides easy access to mission essentials

“ Utility pouch? How could this guy write a whole article about Utility pouch!?” Nay Sayers beware because I’m about to drop some knowledge on you.

Utility pouch are used across all spectrums of the military, law enforcement, and civilians alike for…. utility! It’s just a pouch you can throw extra shit or turn into a bleeder kit. There’s has been a trend going towards slim Utility pouch for some time (meaning when its full it doesn’t become a 6” hump poking off of your kit or make one big snag hazard.)

The first Utility pouch I ever used was the old school horizontal Utility pouch with the zipper and little Velcro flap that you’ve probably seen around. It took up the entire lower portion on the back of my plate carrier, and if it wasn’t full, the stuff I would put in there would shift around and never really sat right. The zippers on it were garbage and would get stuck or be a pain in the ass for my buddy to zip back up under dark conditions. (This was a SOCOM issued pouch mind you, from a very popular manufacturer. not going to call out any brands.) Since that time, I’ve tried and tested tons of pouches from a bunch of different brands. A couple of take a ways related to Utility pouch:

If the pouch has a zipper, when its mounted on your kit you should be able to open and close the zipper with one hand. If your pouch has a shitty zipper and is a pain in the ass to open or gets stuck all the time, change it. Most of the stuff on my body is opened by feel only, as in darkness you don’t usually have enough natural illumination to look down and look for a pouch opening.  

Don’t use a pouch that’s a lot bigger than the stuff you are going to put inside of it. Shit will just shift around and why have something a lot larger than what you will need to carry? Ounces make pounds, pouches are no exclusion. Your kit should already be set up for what you need on your average mission. Now think about what you could need for a prolonged mission or engagement. If we are hitting targets during the day, maybe carry a smoke grenade, or if we were hitting a target hard, maybe a few extra bangers. Maybe the dog would need some extra food, you get the point. Don’t overthink it and don’t overpack. (Mine has an SSE Kit with mask, cuffs, bag, and gloves, a smoke (or 2 bangers,) a tape card, some 550 cord, lighter and a multitool. Little odds and ends that I might need throughout the duration of a mission or any event.

The T3 Utility Slick Pouch really hits the nail on the head as far as these things are concerned. The zipper structure is solid, it can be opened one-handed, and the zipper pulls are smooth and durable. The pouch I chose is on the medium end, sized at 6″x6″x3″. Even when loaded out it isn’t that wide which is exactly what I go for when setting up my kit. The material is 500 weight Cordura so durability isn’t really a huge question here.

A big one I didn’t mention early is the Molle attachment system. I HATE Molle straps that have stiffeners or button snaps. Not a big fan of the Malice clips either.  Other companies have a similar strap system to T3, but they define their strap system on their website.

*From the site: T3 Maritime MOLLE Closure System is how we secure our MOLLE items to one another.  It’s a simple hard plastic tab sewn into the end of each MOLLE strap.  After being threaded through the rows of webbing, the tab is tucked back under the last row of webbing to form a secure connection.  Unlike snaps, the T3 Maritime Closure System will not rust or clog with debris.*

If you’ve had snaps rust, you know how much it sucks. Also, you know how you can sweat like big trying to weave stiffened Molle straps. Complete pain in the ass.

Like everything T3 makes, this pouch is solid across the board and has everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t. If you’re in the market for anything nylon related I could not recommend them more, and hopefully, this gave you some insight as to why the little things matter if you’re in the profession of Arms.


Author – Tim M. is an Army Ranger who has served in Afghanistan and is currently a K9 handler for ARSOF. In his free time, he enjoys shooting, working out and hitting the trails with the dog.

IHK Ultimate Compact Survival Kit

Compact survival kits are somewhat of a popular item in this day and age. The most common one you probably hear about is the Altoid tin survival kit (common among the bushcrafting community). This is a great concept, but the issue I commonly have is the size of the tin and the quality of the materials inside the tin. Altoid tins work great for fire kits, but for a compact survival kit I tend to go in another direction. There is also another compact survival kit that is marketed as the kit used by SEAL Team 6 (I was not able to confirm this). Either way, I like the concept of having a smaller “last ditch” type kit to fall back on. They are nice to keep in the bottom of your hiking pack, EDC bag, or inside the glove compartment of your vehicle. If you ride motorcycles then this type of kit is ideal to keep on the bike somewhere.

Indy Hammered Knives makes the Ultimate Compact Survival Kit that is contained in a custom leather pouch. Inside the pouch is a decent sized stainless steel tin and a slip pocket to keep flatter items secured. The custom leather pouch is worth the price alone.

Kit Contents (courtesy of ihknives.com)

  • Premium Leather Pouch – 6” x 4.25”
  • 1.25 oz GI Milpak Fuel Gel (Diethylene Glycol) – Burns clean and odorless for 12-15 min)
  • 4.5” x 3.25” Steel “Antiqued” Tin (ideal for making char cloth with)
  • (2) #420 Stainless Steel Surgical Blades
  • Mini Fire Steel – Ferrocerium Rod w/ Striker
  • Small Water Proof Bag of Cotton
  • Safety Whistle w/ Emergency Medical Identification Card (inside)
  • 24” Key Ring Saw
  • 3 Feet of Copper Line
  • Magnifying Lens
  • (1) Wound Pad
  • (2) Adhesive Strips / Band-aids
  • Pocket Fishing Kit (3 Hooks, 2 sinkers and (2) sets of fishing line (13 Feet ea)
  • Aluminum Waterproof Medicine Capsule
  • Pocket Sewing Kit (2 Needles – 16 Feet of thread)
  • 5 Safety Pins
  • Candle
  • Stainless Steel Multi-Use Survival Tool
  • Available for $65 direct from Indy Hammered Knives
IHK Ultimate Compact Survival Kit
Contents of the Ultimate Compact Survival Kit

After Action Report:

Obviously from the video you watched the MikPak Fuel Gel wasn’t a success. Not only did it not work for me, but it left a mess in the tin (I would not want to put my contents back in without washing it out). Maybe it works for others, but for me I will be replacing that with the Mini Inferno Disks. I will also be adding a small folding knife to the kit. The small surgical blades that are included are great, but in an emergency survival situation I’m going to want an actual knife (especially if I lost my primary blade). All in all the kit is a great starting point. Depending on your skill level you may want to modify the kit contents (to fit your personal needs), but for your weekend hiker or camper, this kit as-is will be a great addition to your loadout.

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