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Get your summer hiking survival gear ready for adventure. I go over the Grayl filter and why its a great option for hiking survival kits. Plus I go through everything I carry in my Maxpedition Jumbo Sling Pack.
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0:00
Today I want to show you a lightweight hiking kit that I put together that will get you
0:05
through any situation on the trail, so stick around
0:24
I'm out hiking around today. It is a super hot, sticky evening, and I wanted to take you through a lightweight survival
0:33
kit that I put together specifically for hiking, and it's all centered around the Grail water
0:42
bottle filter. These things are excellent, and I want to show you why exactly I love the Grail and
0:49
why it is becoming a staple in my hiking backwoods bags and kits
0:56
And I'm going to show you everything that I carry in this bag right here
1:01
There's enough stuff in this bag that will get you through any kind of emergency situation
1:06
when you're out on the trail, and even if you have to spend the night on the trail
1:11
especially for the summer months in the eastern woodlands, this kit is geared for it
1:16
It will work perfectly, but maybe there's some things that you can apply to your area
1:22
and your time frame, and hopefully that'll help you decide what you need to take when
1:27
you're out and about. So the kit I've put together today is all based in this Maxpedition Jumbo
1:34
The Jumbo has been around for a very, very long time. This is one of the versions that they came out with
1:40
I'm not sure if they make this particular version, but they are still producing the
1:44
Maxpedition Jumbo. They're still selling them. You can still find them on eBay. A good friend of mine gave me this one
1:50
Fantastic, lightweight hiking bag for sure. It's even great for urban EDC, carrying it around town
2:00
But what I like about it is in the summer months, and I've talked about this in other
2:04
videos, haversacks and shoulder bags for me work really well in the summer because they're
2:10
not overheating my back. They're easy to take on and off, and it also kind of limits me to the amount of stuff I
2:19
can carry, so I'm not over-carrying a bunch of gear. And that really was the point of putting this video together, is to show you that you can
2:26
put together a very lightweight, capable survival kit for hiking in the summer
2:34
This is the UltraPress, which I think is the smaller one that they make
2:39
I think it's like 16-something ounces. I'll have specs below. But if you haven't used Grails before, they are really well-suited towards hiking and
2:52
day trips and travel. Not so much for extended backpacking trips because they are heavy and they don't filter
3:00
a lot of water at once, but for emergency survival situations like this, when you're
3:07
out hiking and you may have to spend the night and you don't want to be hauling a
3:12
ton of water with you, and you know there's water sources in the area, the Grail does
3:16
perfect for that. Now, I'm going to show this in the video of how this thing works, how to fill it, and
3:25
how quickly it filters water. So I have this disgusting frog pond for my water source, and getting to clean water
3:40
it's going to be a little bit of a chore. There's not a lot close by without me getting in it
3:49
There's this little puddle here, but you can see it's very, very muddy
3:56
So ideally, it would be good to do some pre-filtering with this. Of course, there is all kinds of ooby-goobies floating around and mosquitoes
4:06
I'm going to press that through. Nice and slow. I don't know if you're going to be able to see this, but look at the clear water that's
4:29
coming out of this. That muddy mess that I got this water out of is completely filtered through, and now
4:45
it's safe to drink. See there? There's all that silt and that mud
4:51
So what I need to do is, I need to take this off. I need to rinse this in clean water when I get back home and make sure that this is all
5:00
good and clean. Let that air dry, and I should be ready to go again
5:07
Let's go through some of the survival items that I've got packed in here
5:11
A couple of things that go in every kit, no matter where I'm at, I'm always going to have
5:21
a Bic lighter and some Blistex or maybe some Burt's Bees, some kind of lip balm
5:26
Chapped lips suck, and starting a fire is essential, so having ready-to-go items like
5:32
this that I can get to quickly are really important. Up here, I have a new headlamp that I just got and I've started testing, and I've been
5:45
really impressed with this thing. Headlamps are so important and so much better than flashlights when you're out in the woods
5:55
hiking around. I think I've found my ultimate headlamp. This is the Fenix HW50R
6:04
It's a very lightweight headlamp. You're able to charge it via USB, but the thing is, it's very bright
6:14
It has just the settings that I need, not too many. What it has, what I consider probably one of the best features on a headlamp, is a red
6:21
light mode. I talk about this all the time in all my videos
6:26
There is just something fantastic about red light that it doesn't kill your night vision
6:30
especially when you're trying to do any kind of land navigation, map reading
6:35
It just helps with that, and of course, if you're in any kind of stealth situation, red
6:39
light is the way to go. This has that in it, and it also has blinking capabilities, so there is some signaling capabilities
6:49
What I like about this is, take this off the headband, and now I have a small, mini flashlight
6:55
that I can use as a task light. And if I don't want to use the rechargeable battery, if I'm not mistaken, this will take
7:11
a standard CR123 battery, which is a fantastic choice for headlamps and flashlights
7:18
Way better than a AAA or a AA. A couple of items that I like to have with me, of course, is some type of first aid kit
7:28
and it doesn't have to be extensive. You need something that's going to stop minor cuts and bleeds, scratches, punctures, things
7:35
like that. So, having a variety of band-aids, alcohol prep pads, some iodine pads to clean the wound
7:43
and sterilize it, a little bit of tape. Of course, I think it's really important to have some gauze pads
7:52
Gauze pads with good tape is going to be able to cover up and protect large scrapes
7:59
So if you fall and scrape up a knee or an elbow, you've got something that you can cover
8:04
that with and keep it clean and control the bleeding. Also, if you have blisters, that helps with that
8:13
You can tape that over a blister. Along with the items in my first aid kit, I have this little tick identification card
8:21
Not sure where I've got this at, but I think it looks like I got this at Ohio State University
8:28
But this is pretty handy just to tell kind of what's on you, what you've maybe been bitten by
8:34
And then, of course, in the summer months, you really want a decent pair of tweezers
8:42
And the little Leatherman tool here has a really nice set of metal tweezers and a pair
8:48
of scissors so I can cut gauze or tape. So this goes in
8:52
Another great multipurpose item is some type of duct tape. This can be utilized for making bandages, for treating blisters
9:02
You can cover the heels of your foot with a little bit of gauze pad and create a nice
9:06
cushion to protect your feet if you are experiencing blistering when you're hiking
9:13
I love this duct tape now because it's blaze orange, so it's definitely something that
9:20
can be used even in a signaling application. But for the life of me, I cannot remember where I got this thing, and I've had it for
9:28
a while. But I think if you look around, you should be able to find something similar to this
9:35
If I find something, I'll put a link down for you. But one item that I have shown and talked about in other videos, other kits, is a really
9:44
great multipurpose piece of gear that is very inexpensive, super easy to find, and that
9:50
is the Walmart Emergency Blue Tarp. It is a nylon cloth, so it's not the noisy, heavy, traditional nylon tarps that you find
10:03
at Walmart. I think it's around 5 by 7, which is just right for hanging it as a lean-to or even
10:13
creating an A-frame shelter. So it's enough to get you out of the weather, the rain
10:22
And what I like to use it for primarily is I use it as a ground cloth all the time, lay
10:27
it down if I want to sit on the grass somewhere, if I want to lay out stuff to look at, I
10:35
can do that. So that's what I'm going to use it today for. I'm going to put this on the ground so I can start laying out contents of this kit and
10:41
show you in a little bit more detail. But these things are super cheap
10:45
I mean, I think they're like 9 something maybe, or 10, I can't remember exactly, but they're
10:51
not expensive. And I've been able to find these at pretty much all the Walmarts that I go to in my area
10:56
And if you can't find them at the store, just go to walmart.com, order them online
11:02
They are available. But you know, this size of tarp folds down to nothing
11:07
I mean, it fits in this bag. And what's nice about it is it does have grommets
11:14
Now is this the most tough waterproof tarp out there? No, it's not
11:19
But if you get one, spray it down with some silicone spray, treat the seams, you can reinforce
11:26
the eyelets if you want to. But then you have a very nice lightweight option
11:31
Bandana is always a helpful item to have. Multiple uses, we all know that
11:37
Helps with water filtration, helps with blood control if you're bleeding, wipes sweat off
11:41
your brow. And of course, orange is a great choice because then you can use this as a signaling flag
11:47
if you do get stranded in the woods. So we've got that. Food
11:55
Now in most situations, food is not really that important. And it's a little overemphasized by some people
12:04
But if you're hiking, you're going to need calories because you're going to be expending
12:08
a lot of sweat and energy and you're going to need food
12:14
And food does not have to be very complex. Just some beef jerky, some meat sticks, and some energy protein bars is all you need
12:25
And you don't need a lot of it, but this is enough trail snacks for a day out. And then if I do get stuck overnight, there's probably enough in here that's going to at
12:32
least help. Of course, with this blue tarp, I need a way of securing it to a tree, setting it up
12:41
So I have 550 cord, but I also carry Bankline. This little card here, I believe I got this from Tough Possum Gear
12:54
These are great for winding up your Bankline and keeping it all secure and in one location
12:59
So now I've got a way of setting up my tarp and making a nice shelter if I have to spend
13:05
the night. Land navigation, super important. This is just a very basic base plate compass
13:14
I have a pencil. I have a notebook. But I also have some grid readers that go with this notebook
13:19
This is from Essie Knives. I always like to carry a spork no matter where I go, no matter what the situation is
13:24
You just never know when you're going to have the ability to steal somebody's food or snacks
13:31
But you'll see why I have a spork with this kit because it is going to come in handy
13:38
And then just a ballpoint pen. But probably one of the most talked about items in a lot of kits, of course, is tools
13:49
and knives. As outdoors people, we love our knives. I love knives
13:54
I have hundreds of knives. But for a lightweight summer hiking kit, you don't really need a super big blade
14:03
This Victorinox Ranger Grip is plenty big enough to do most tasks that I would need
14:09
it to do for an overnight in the woods. And what's great about it is it has a couple tools that a lot of the other smaller Swiss
14:18
Army Knives don't have. It has a really nice, decent sized saw, as well as, of course, the complement of can
14:26
and bottle openers and screwdrivers, tools. Another item that's super important is having some way of thermoregulating your temperature
14:37
keeping your body heat contained, keeping you warm in case you do get caught in a storm
14:44
a rain storm. There's always these tragic cases of people out hiking in the summertime
14:51
They're in flip flops and shorts and t-shirts. And then a cold front moves through, torrential downpour
14:59
Now they are wet. They can't get back to where they needed to go
15:03
They end up spending the night in the woods. And sometimes they pass away because they cannot regulate their heat
15:10
They're losing heat rapidly. Their skin is cold and wet. And even in the summertime, this can happen
15:17
There was a case in Missouri that was very tragic that happened. So it does happen
15:22
And one of the items that we can have in our kits is a survival blanket. But this one from SOL is probably one of the better ones because it's a little bit larger
15:33
it is in a resealable package, and it is windproof and waterproof
15:38
So it's a fantastic item. There's no reason not to have this in your hiking kit
15:42
Now this item, I'm pretty excited to show you guys because I think this is really the
15:46
heart of the survival kit besides that grail. You know, having a metal container is super important
15:55
You know, we're all familiar with the 5Cs, the 10Cs, and how the metal container is an
16:04
item that does many things for us. It gives us the cook to purify water and to even create char material
16:13
And I found this tin on Amazon. I've been super happy with it because it really fit a need that I've been looking for something
16:23
that is lightweight, big enough to hold a variety of small items, survival type items
16:31
but something that I could actually cook on. And I'm going to cut in some video of actually me using this with an S-bit stove
16:38
It worked fantastic. This kit is very easy to find, inexpensive
16:48
It is an anodized aluminum. So for an emergency situation, it's fine
16:53
Doesn't weigh a lot, but it fits in this hiking bag perfectly. And what's nice about it is it does have a handle
17:03
So now I can put that over a fire and get that off of the fire pretty easily
17:07
It has a lid, which helps with boiling, but that lid can also be turned into a skillet
17:15
But what's great about this kit is it holds a ton of stuff
17:21
And when we're talking about survival gear and survival kits, this is what you want
17:28
You don't want the little tiny Altoids tin kit that everybody used to put together back
17:31
in the day. You want a mess tin and you want it full of good stuff that's going to help you
17:38
And I've got all kinds of cool stuff in here. So first thing right off the bat, a nice quality ferro rod, an orange lanyard so I can find
17:49
it if I drop it. And of course, with a ferro rod, you need a means of striking it
17:57
So with this Swiss Army knife in particular, the saw blade is a great way to strike a ferro rod
18:09
And let me show you real quick. So there's the saw. Now you got to be careful because if you put too much pressure on it, that saw is going
18:14
to come back and close on you. But if you don't, you don't have to really put a ton of pressure to get it going
18:20
And if you do it more towards the back of the mechanism, it should do fine
18:25
But look at the sparks that come off of that, the back of that saw
18:31
And I'm not putting a lot of pressure on it. So those two items together, you can get a fire going
18:36
And of course, with a ferro rod, you should have some means of getting a fire going with
18:43
some manmade materials. Now in here is a variety of stuff that I've tested and used over the years
18:51
I've got these little tabs from Black and White Firestarter, a good company, and they
19:00
are kind of petroleum-based, resin-based cotton. I also have some of these quick tenders that you find in a lot of different survival kits
19:10
I think these might be from SOL. And then, of course, the fire tape, which is basically just a piece of paper material
19:21
that has been impregnated with kind of a wax accelerant. So you take off a piece of this, you scrape it with your knife and hit it with a spark
19:29
and it will start a fire. So I have several different ways of getting wood going to start a campfire
19:40
Even though I'm carrying a grail, I am going to carry some whorl bags and water purification tablets
19:48
I prefer the Katadyn tablets. I think they work the best and they tend to hold up really well in a kit
19:59
They don't deteriorate very quickly. So fill up one of these with some water, drop in a tab, let it set for an hour or so, and
20:09
you've got some purified water. Another thing you need to think about, of course, is signaling
20:15
Now I've mentioned this before, signal mirrors are kind of an interesting thing to have in
20:23
a survival kit, especially here in the eastern United States where there is just tons and
20:26
tons of woodland. These are not very effective. You have to be out in an opening to signal to aircraft
20:35
Helicopters and planes are not deployed very often in Ohio for search missions
20:41
That just doesn't happen. It has to be a pretty big situation for something like that to occur
20:46
But a signal mirror can be used to signal person to person
20:52
So if I can see the sun and I can catch the sun with this, I could potentially signal
20:59
to someone who is hiking towards me, who is looking for me
21:03
So I can use it as a ground to ground signal. A little bit of emergency teepee, not a bad item to have
21:16
Wire. Now, wire is an interesting item to carry. You have to know how to use it if you're going to do snares, and that's really not something
21:24
I would worry about too much in most situations. But also it is a fantastic repair item
21:31
You can hang things over fires. You can repair boots with the soles come loose
21:37
I mean, there's just a lot of different things you can do with wire, so there's no reason not to have a little bit of wire with you
21:43
Another item that I've put together and I like to carry is some of this Kevlar thread
21:50
and then a couple good size needles and of course some safety pins
21:54
That way if I have to repair my pants after I've torn them, you know, falling down or
21:58
something, I can do that. Of course, if it was a really horrible, horrible emergency and I had to sew myself up, I guess
22:07
I could do that. I certainly wouldn't want to, but that's a possibility, I guess
22:16
I think sometimes we've watched a little too many Rambo movies in the 80s and we think
22:20
we're going to sew up wounds and most people don't know how to do that and probably don't
22:24
want to do that because the risk of infection is really high. A couple comfort items that I carry
22:31
Since I have this kit to boil water and cook, I put some bouillon cubes
22:40
These are calories, they are salt, they are good to have making a broth at night to keep
22:45
you warm if you do get cold. And then, of course, a morale booster is some instant coffee
22:51
Folger still makes these little singles, so throw these in my kit
22:56
Of course, a whistle, super important. This is another SOL item. This is their Slim Rescue whistle
23:05
These are great whistles. They don't take up a lot of room. They always work, so definitely have a whistle in your kit for signaling
23:14
This is about the only wire saw that I have been using that actually, I think, does a
23:21
good job. This is from 5 Call Survival Supply. These I think are found in some of the military aviation kits, but there's actual teeth on
23:32
this thing. It's not just a piece of wire. And if they're used correctly, they do work in a pinch
23:40
I wouldn't want to cut a lot of wood with them, but if you need to get something, a
23:44
bigger piece of wood, you have that capability. Good old store matches, UCO store matches are fantastic
23:53
You can find these all over the place, and they make these flat packs that you can buy
23:57
that fit into kits perfectly. Here's an item that I just picked up recently, and I have not had a chance to experiment
24:05
with this yet, but I've seen good results with these. This is from Grimm Survival Tools
24:12
This little item actually has the ability to take found plastic water bottles and turn
24:21
them into cordage. This is going to cut the water bottle as you pull it through and create long, thin
24:29
pieces of plastic cordage. I need to do an experiment with these and actually show this in action, because I think
24:35
a lot of people would be interested in this. But I think it's a cool little item to throw into a survival kit
24:41
So further testing on this coming soon. A little signal panel, this is, I believe, another military issue type thing for aircraft survival
24:55
And then a small magnifying glass, so I can actually use that to start a fire if I have
25:00
to, but also it's great for map reading and looking at small cuts or ticks or things like
25:07
that, getting stuff like that removed. It comes in pretty handy. And then I always like to have some ability to maintain a knife blade
25:18
I think this is from EZ Lap or something like that. It's a sharpening card
25:24
So it's a diamond card, and I think this is like the medium grit
25:29
So I hope you found this video useful. Get out there, put together your kit, start hiking around with it, see what you like
25:37
If you're a backpack kind of person, that's fine. Use a backpack if that's what you gravitate towards
25:43
Of course, there's some really great hydration backpacks that have the ability to carry a
25:47
lot of water, but make sure you have some type of way of filtering water with water
25:52
that you've found in the area, because that's going to be key
25:56
And make sure you have some type of way of covering yourself and doing that thermoregulation
26:02
that we talk about, so you don't get caught in the rain and get yourself cold and then
26:07
eventually expire. We don't want that to happen. There's no reason to
26:12
You have the ability to make yourself safe. You are the only person who is responsible for yourself, so you need to take that responsibility
26:18
seriously and get out there and enjoy yourself. So as always, thank you so much for watching my videos
26:25
Really appreciate it. Make sure you check out the affiliate links down below
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I ran out of those. They've been very popular. People really love these and have been asking for them
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I finally got new ones in stock. They are in the Big Cartel site, link down below for that
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