Altoids Survival Tin

I never did show you what I made for my family for Christmas! But first, let's back up. Remember my Preparing for the End of the World post? I had a lot of fun putting together that Pinterest board, Survival Gear, and it has consistently been one of my most visited posts and repinned boards. Is it because the crazies spend the most time online or because there is real value here? Hmmm.... I'd say both.

Failed Mayan apocalypse aside, think about it this way. Ladies, what's in your purse? Guys, do you ever carry a pocket knife? Anybody keep sunglasses in their car? These are all examples of being prepared, just in case. Most of us have extremely urban needs and would find a portable cell phone charger much more valuable than a button compass, but at the end of the day, we all prepare for unforeseen difficulties.

My family enjoys camping, hiking, backpacking and all sorts of other outdoor sports. In general, we all enjoy differing degrees of preparedness as well. For Christmas this year, I wanted to bring these two elements together and create an Altoids Survival Tin for all our outdoor adventure needs.

Here's what we're dealing with:

• Survival Cheat Sheet borrowed from here
• 1 large black garbage bag
• 3 rubber bands
• 5 matches and striker
• 2 needles and thread
• 3 safety pins
• 1 fishing hook
• 1 water purification tablet, good for 1 liter of water
• 4 Advil
• 2 packets salt, 2 packets sugar
• 2 bandaids
• 1 square foot aluminum foil
• 1 stick of gum
• 1 sandwich bag
• 2 cotton balls
• 1 birthday candle wrapped in 5 feet of fishing line
• 1 small hobby saw blade
• 5 feet of duct tape

The orange strip of fabric didn't make it in to the final box. It was just a little chunky. The finishing touch was to wrap the closed box in about 8 feet of thin nylon cord. Some of the items may seem a little random, but everything in here including the tin itself has multiple uses. For example, the sugar can be either a quick burst of energy or can help stop bleeding for small cuts and work as a mild disinfectant.

I really enjoyed making these! So far I've taken mine skiing and will be taking it on a backpacking trip this coming weekend. It's cool to know that I have the potential for fire, shelter and clean water in my pack while out in the wilderness. Check out my various inspirations here, here and here. At the end of the day though, this is where it's at. True story.

If you think of various survival uses for the things I've included in the tin, please leave them in the comments! I'd love to hear your creativity!