James Mandeville's Survival Website:
Free Article on Making a Personal Survival Kit

Main Equipment Recommended by James Mandeville:

Looking for equipment for your survival kit? The following items have been field tested. Please note that Survival-expert.com and James Mandeville have no commercial interest in either the equipment manufacturers or the retailers suggested below. Theses are personal recommendations and links are included for information only:

• There are many ways to make fire in a survival situation but the concept behind the Personal Survival Kit is that you can easily light a fire immediately and have the means to make fire in the long term.
  
  
• To light a fire easily you need tinder material in your Personal Survival Kit and a means of igniting it. I personally prefer to carry light, disposable cigarette lighters rather than a heavy and bulky stormproof gas lighter. Nothing wasted, the empty disposable lighters can be recycled to make useful items such as fish hooks from the metal parts, floats from the plastic body; you are only limited by your own ingenuity.
  
  
• Finding tinder material is nearly always possible but there are times when it is difficult. Carry WetFire™ tinder blocks (illustrated below) in your Personal Survival Kit to start a fire fast, in rain, or high winds.
  
  
• For longer term fire making (after the first shock of being in a survival situation has worn off and you are settling into your new environment), fire making usually becomes an evening ritual. I prefer to carry a Swedish FireSteel®, illustrated below. If you can take the extra bulk in your Survival Kit, choose the Army model, do not bother to pack the striker plate that comes with it, the Firesteel works best with a knife anyway.
  
  
• Some people like to pack windproof matches, I cannot see any advantage in carrying a source of ignition that can only be used once
  
  

Originally developed for the Swedish Department of Defence, Swedish FireSteel is a flash of genius. Its 3,000°C spark makes fire building easy in any weather, at any altitude. Used by a number of armies around the world, Swedish FireSteel’s dependability has already made it a favourite of survival experts, hunters, fishermen and campers. Works with any tinder material, (char cloth speeds up ignition) but for rapid results use with WetFire™ blocks.

Specification and supplier:

Durability: lasts for from 3,000 to 12,000 strikes (Scout/Army model) Practicality: Works equally well when wet Ignition: Produces a 3000°C (5,500°F) spark

Manufacturer: Light My Fire AB, Västkustvägen 7, 211 24 Malmö, Sweden

www.light-my-fire.se

Silva Helios Stormproof lighter
(Useful if you are going to climb Everest or visit Denmark)

If you have to carry a waterproof storm lighter that also floats, then this is the one to choose. Withstands wind speeds of up to 25 m/s. Filled with butane gas; window on the side of the lighter shows how much fuel is left. Adjustable flame and piezo ignition that can be used over 30.000 times. I admit I own one but would not personally use it in my Personal Survival Kit unless it was being configured for a special use. In my view, more at home in one's general equipment.

Manufacturer: Silva, Silva Sweden AB, Box 998, 191 29 Sollentuna

www.silva.com

Specification and Supplier:

Weight (per cube): 0.2 oz (5.67g) Colour: White. Packaging: 8 individually foil wrapped cubes per package. Material Properties: non-toxic, leak proof, smokeless

Manufacturer: Ultimate Survival Technologies, 14428 167TH Avenue SE, Monroe, WA 98272-2915, USA

www.ultimatesurvival.com