An excerpt from U.S. Marine Corp, FMFM 8-1, Special
Operations, Figure 14, page 92, discussing a personal survival kit.
Just
like in the old song, time changes everything, but when it comes to survival
kits, that just isn’t true. This is
because the basic needs of someone who is “misplaced” in the wilderness are
the same today, as they were in 1800, 1920 or 1974!
The “Rule of Threes”, these are the priorities that a
survival kit needs to meet. Graphic by
the Author.
The
“Rule of Threes” is a way of prioritizing basic human survival needs,
and it is also a good way of deciding what to put into your survival kit. When you look at what the Marine Corp suggested
putting into a survival kit, you can see some obvious differences between it
and a civilian survival kit.
Civilian
vs. Military, What’s the Difference?
Modern
civilian survival kits are designed to keep body and soul together for 72
hours, or three days, since within 24 hours, 97% of “misplaced” people
are found by searchers.1
However, it isn’t quite the same in a wartime military survival
situation, because in that case you DON’T want to be found by the
searchers, who don’t have your best interests at heart. During wartime, to survive you either have to
self-rescue and find your own way back to friendly territory, or you must
signal a friendly aircraft, all without alerting hostile searchers to your
location. In either case, it will
probably take you longer than 72 hours to reach safety, and your survival kit needs
to reflect that. That is why one third
of the items in the U.S. Marine Corp survival kit , circa 1974, can be used to
obtain food, which is the last priority on the “Rule of Threes”!
An excerpt from U.S. Marine Corp, FMFM 8-1, Special
Operations, page 91, discussing the need individual Marines have for a
personal survival kit.
So, What’s in
It?
An excerpt from U.S. Marine Corp, FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, Figure 14, page
92, annotated by the Author.
We
know what the U.S. Marine Corp survival experts suggested that you put into
your survival kit, back in 1974, because they provided us with a list and a
picture. But what did they suggest you
carry your supplies in, and what items are different from those found in a
modern civilian survival kit?
The
container, a No. 10 Can?
A No. 10 can used as a bailing bucket, photograph by
the Author.
First
off, from the picture in the center of Figure 14, in FMFM 8-1, Special
Operations, and the very limited text which accompanied it, I am not
certain what type of container the Marine Corp experts recommended to put your
survival supplies in. I am guessing that
what is shown in Figure 14, is a No. 10 can, which is a standardized metal can that
is 7 inches high by 6-3/16 inches wide, or 17.8 cm high
by 15.7 cm wide, and weighs when empty about 9 ounces, or 255 grams. These cans are designed to hold 104 to 117
fluid ounces or about 3 to 3.5 liters.
Now one of the good things about packing your survival supplies in a No.
10 can is, it can be used to disinfect your drinking water by boiling,
especially if you attach a bale to it so you can hang it over the fire. And disinfecting your drinking water becomes
a priority if you are out in the wilderness for longer than 72 hours, or three
days.
Number 5 --
Nails
8d nails, photograph by the Author.
The
authors of FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, suggested that nails be
included in a military survival kit, since they can be used as spear points or
harpoons to gather food.
The
authors wrote that the nails should be cut in half, which I took to mean that the
heads of the nails could be cut off. However,
they didn’t mention what size of nails should be included. I suggest carrying 8d nails, which are 2-½
inches long, or 6.35 cm. Six 8d nails,
weigh just one ounce ,or 28 grams, and they can used for other things besides
food gathering, such as shelter building, or making tools, like a manak.
An excerpt from Polar Manual, Fourth Edition, Captain
Earland E. Hedblom, MC, USN, page 104 to 105.
Number 8 --
Harpoon or Shark Hook
An “Anatomy of a Fishhook”, by Mike Cline, June 2007, from
Wikimedia, HERE.
Hooks
and harpoons are food gathering tools and everyone knows that, but since I
don’t live anywhere near an ocean, I didn’t know what a shark hook is, and in
case you don’t either, here is what I found out.
Hook sizes, from “Fishing Hook Sizes - Why is a Size 8
Different from an 8/0?”, by Saltwater-fishing.com, HERE.
A
shark hook is a LARGE hook, often larger than your hand, and for sharks in the 3
to 5 feet, or 0.9 to 1.5 meter, range experts recommend a 5/0 hook, pronounced
five aught, while for sharks larger than 5 feet, or greater than 1.5 meters,
they recommend a hook between 12/0 and 14/0.
After
1998, circular hooks become the most often used hook to catch toothy fish,
because the circular hook will pull the line out of the fish’s mouth and keep
it from biting through the line. In 1974
however, J-hooks were the most frequently used hooks, and this is the type of
hook that the authors of FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, were most likely
referring to.
The
authors of FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, suggested that a shark hook should
be put into your survival kit because it could be used to make a gaff. A gaff is a steel hook attached to a pole and
the distance from the shank of the hook to the point, denotes the gaff’s size,
so the 9/0 hook in the picture above, if it was attached to a pole would make a
1-¼ inch, or a 3 cm, gaff. Either a
circular hook or a J-hook can be used to construct a gaff to snag fish,
burrowing animals, tree branches so you can pick fruit, etc.
Number 25
-- Hacksaw Blade
A hacksaw survival saw, with a paracord handle,
photograph by the Author.
The
Marine Corp survival experts who wrote FMFM 8-1, Special Operations,
suggested that a hacksaw blade should be included in your survival kit. A hacksaw blade weighs ½ ounce or about 14
grams, is 10-1/8 inches, or 25.7 cm, long, Unfortunately, a full-length hacksaw blade
will not fit into a No. 10 can and you will have to cut it down to fit. If you cut off the last 1-3/8
inches, or 3.5 cm, of your hacksaw blade, like in the picture below, you are
left with a saw blade that is 8-¾ inches, or 22.2 cm, long that fits diagonally
from the bottom side of a No. 10 can, to the opposite top side.
Photograph and graphic by the Author.
Additionally,
I would recommend wrapping the end furthest from the cut off end, with a couple
of wraps of duct tape and then three layers of paracord to make a handle. For more on this watch for a future article,
“Making a Survival Hacksaw Knife/Saw©”.
A
hacksaw could also be considered a food gathering tool, or rather, a tool that
lets you build food gathering tools, since it will cut through metal, wood, bone,
or antler! You can use it to fashion metal,
bone or shell spearheads, hooks, and harpoons.
Number 12
-- Cartridges
And
lastly the authors of FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, suggested on item
number twelve, that you include cartridges in your survival kit. They don’t say it, but it is obvious that the
cartridges should be for your primary firearm, the one you will be carrying if
you are “misplaced” This is an
obvious difference between a civilian survival kit, which is designed for
people who don’t regularly carry a firearm and therefore don’t include
ammunition, and military survival kits, which are intended for people who do.
Also,
as the authors suggested the cartridge “powder is good fire starter”. For more on using the gun powder in
cartridges as a fire starter read “Test Your Survival Knowledge, Part Two ©”, HERE.
Miscellaneous
lengths and details...
The
Marine Corp survival experts who wrote FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, unfortunately
left out some important details from their listing of supplies which should be
carried in a military, or for that matter, in a civilian survival kit.
Two feet, or 61 cm, of 24 gauge snare wire, photograph
by the Author.
Item
number three, “Snare wire; trip wire (for small game)”, the authors
didn’t mention how much and what gauge wire you should put into your survival
kit. Other survival experts state that the
best wire to catch rabbits or squirrels is a copper, brass, galvanized or
stainless-steel wire between 20 gauge and 24 gauge. Remember the smaller the animal the larger
the gauge, since the larger the gauge number is, the thinner the wire is, and
vice versa. Another thing to remember is
to attach some cordage to the end of the snare, this saves on wire if the
anchor point for the snare is farther away and the cord will prevent the animal
from twisting and breaking the wire. To
make one snare to catch a squirrel or a rabbit, you will need a piece of wire about
two foot long, or 61 cm, which means if you have ten feet of wire you can set
up five snares.
Item
number nine, “Fish line and hooks...”, the authors didn’t mention how
much fishing line and tackle such as hooks and sinkers, you should put into
your survival kit. Larry Dean Olsen, on
page 130 of Outdoor Survival Skills,
stated that you need 10 feet, or 3 meters, of line per fishing line that you
set up. Other experts have suggested
that 50 feet, or 15.25 meters, of braided fishing line should be carried in
your survival kit, as well as hooks and split-shot, this is enough that you
will be able to set up five fishing lines.
Item
number twenty-three, “Rubber tube (for straw or slingshot)”, but just
how much rubber tube should you carry, and what type? The authors of FMFM
8-1, Special Operations, failed to mention that mention that. Rubber latex surgical tubing with a 3/8
inch outer diameter and a ¼ inch inner diameter, (9.5 mm O.D. and a 6.4 mm
I.D.) makes both a great drinking straw and excellent slingshot bands. To make bands for a survival slingshot you
will need about 18 inches, or 45.7 cm of surgical tubing2 and if you
want to still have some tubing leftover for a straw, you will need at least two
feet, 61 cm, or better yet three feet, or 91 cm, of surgical tubing.
The leather pocket from a slingshot, photograph
by the Author.
If
you intend to make a survival slingshot, beside rubber surgical tubing, include
a leather pocket in your survival kit.
For more information on how to build a survival slingshot, look for a
future article called “How to Make a Survival Slingshot ©”.
The original excerpt from U.S.
Marine Corp, FMFM 8-1, Special Operations, Figure 14, page 92,
discussing what to put into a personal survival kit.
It
is instructive to look at a survival kit that is intended to help you survive
longer than 72 hours, and the items that the Marine Corp survival experts
suggested, like the nails and the shark hook are valuable when included in a
survival kit that is intended to help you survive for the long haul.
Don’t forget to come back next week and read “What Could It Be? ©”,
where we will talk about unknown, big summer beetles and what they are!
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
In fact, Devon O’Neill, who wrote in Outside magazine, quoted Paul
Anderson, a 42-year veteran of the National Park Service who spent 11 years as the
superintendent of Denali National Park, as saying “Our stats show 85 percent
of all lost people are found within the first 12 hours, and 97 percent are
found within the first 24 hours”. A
quote from ““They Can’t Cure Dead ©”, the entire article can be found HERE.
2
I measured the bands on my Daisy B52 Wrist-rocket, and they are each 8-¾
inches, or just over 22 cm, long, so you will need a minimum of 17-½ inches, or
44.5 cm, of tubing – plan on using 18 inches, or 45.7 cm of surgical tubing to
accommodate and wastage.
Sources
Anglers Gear, “The Circle
Hooks Comprehensive Guide”, https://anglersgear.net/the-circle-hooks-comprehensive-guide/,
accessed July 24, 2022
Hedblom,
Captain Earland E. MC, USN; Polar Manual, Fourth Edition, [National
Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MA, 1965], p. 37, https://ia800305.us.archive.org/33/items/PolarManual4thEd1965/Polar%20Manual%204th%20ed%20%281965%29.pdf, accessed 12/07/2019
Olsen,
Larry Dean; Outdoor Survival Skills, [Pocket Books, New York, 1976],
page 130
Saltwater-fishing.com;
“Fishing Hook Sizes - Why is a Size 8 Different from an 8/0?”, https://www.go-saltwater-fishing.com/fishing-hook-sizes.html,
accessed July 24, 2022
U.S. Marine Corp, FMFM 8-1, Special Operations,
[Department
of the Navy Headquarters United States Marine Corps, Washington D.C., August 13,
1974], page 130, https://books.google.com/books?id=j1U4jWVaoRsC&pg=PA187&dq=finding+the+north+star&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjoi9bjrYb5AhXHEmIAHS73B-A4PBDoAXoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=finding%20the%20north%20star&f=false,
accessed July 19, 2022
Wikimedia; “Anatomy of a Fishhook”, by Mike Cline,
June 2007, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomyofafishhook.jpg, accessed August 1, 2022
