Survival

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Waterproof Survival Kits - Myth or Reality?

Experience has shown us that when you're outdoors there's no such thing as waterproof - at least not totally waterproof.  Put any container that opens outdoors and eventually the contents are going to get exposed to moisture and damp.  Even if the seal is 100% effective, what happens when you open it and scatter the contents about a bit?  Even if you take great care to avoid damp, what about when you want to pack away your fishing kit or compass?  Each time you open your kit you are exposing the contents to moisture.  Over time this builds up and can become a big problem if you've not taken it into consideration early!

Rather than trying to achieve a 100% totally waterproof kit, a better, more feasible alternative it to create a kit that is capable of withstanding moisture and damp.  Here are a few ideas on how you can achieve this:

• Keep paper in your kit to a minimum.  Paper attracts moisture and quickly turns into a soggy mess.  If you must have paper in your kit, then make it the waterproof kind.
• If you want a writing tool, pencils are best.  Waterproof pen refills are also good if you have them (Spacepen refills are great for this if you really want a pen).
• Your fire lighting kit is important.  If your kit is wet then chances are you are wet too and you'll want the capability to make a fire.  Make sure each bit of fire lighting kit you have is waterproof.  Use candles, waterproof matches, Vaseline coated cotton balls and flint and steel.  Forget gas/petrol lighters - no matter how good they are they will fail when you need them.  Also, forget about trying to waterproof your own matches.  Your survival is worth more!
• The best waterproof tinder is Vaseline soaked cotton wool and strips of bike inner tube.  Keep these in your kit at all times!
• Keep corrosion at bay.  Steel rusts so make sure it is coated with paint of a light film of oil or grease.  Coat ferrocerium flints and flint/magnesium blocks with nail polish to prevent corrosion eating them away to nothing.  If you make this colorful it will help you find them if you drop them in the field. 
• If you have a penknife in your kit take special care to avoid corrosion welding it shut permanently!
• Keep a supply of small zip-lock bags in your kit to pack things away into after use.
• Wrap kit tins in the best quality waterproof tape you can find and use it liberally.  Good quality tape will be reusable whereas cheap stuff will be throwaway after one use.
• Keep any tablets (such as water purification tabs) in a zip-lock bag.

One final point - check your kit regularly!  Make sure everything is in good shape, works and all your tablets are still healthy and unexpired.

Also see our articles:

• Ten Essential Survival Items
• Combat Survival Tin
• A Survival Kit in a Drinking Straw
• Waterproof Survival Kits
• 72 Hour Survival Kits

Kingsley-Hughes

• Drinking Straw Survival Kit
• Survival Kit Contents
• Survival Signalling
• 10 Survival Essentials
• Waterproof Survival Kits
• 72 hour survival kits
• Vehicle Preparedness

Bushcraft Contents:

• Survival
• Fire Making