Survival Hack for Sawyer Mini and Water Bottle

When I first bought this water bottle, I just was thinking to myself this would be a good water bottle survival kit.  At the time I was helping Jamie Burleigh develop curriculum for his Survival Masterclass.  He came across a great water bottle for the project, which had this taper to it.  I grabbed one of these as an additional option.  They are both plastic 32oz water bottles, and at the end of the day; both had aspects that were useful in addition to just holding water.  The additional one I chose, had this interesting lid, and it immediately jumped out at me with the thought...will the Sawyer Mini fit on the top small mouth.  

When I got home and tried...I was disappointed.  The Sawyer Mini would fit on it, but not well, it would sit cockeyed, it would not seal, the threads were not quite right and the mouth itself was too tall.  My Walmart special with the "metal" cover was not what I had hoped.  I toyed with the idea of cutting it down, and decided not to, I did not want to have something that more work had to be done to.  Eventually I wore off the "metal" cover from all the twisting and messing around with it, and just kind of used the bottle as an everyday bottle.  But for $5.00, it's a worthwhile water bottle.  

This thought had been bothering me for probably two years now, and I wanted it to work.  Not sure why, but I wanted it to have that capability.  After researching other caps, and purchasing some other wide mouth lids with small mouth lids attached and finding the same issue, I decided to get a new bottle and make the modification itself.  Recently, I decided to buy a new one and cut the mouth down.  Needless to say it works, otherwise I would not have written this article.   

Self contained storage

Why this obsession.  I don't really know, I just knew it could work.  I love the idea of having a "survival kit" which stores itself in the bottle, and the Sawyer Mini coupled with this bottle was the base to the kit in my mind.  This is just another option in the endless variations of kit and "survival hacks".

Now, how to do it.  

Simple; I used a bandsaw and just cut about 1/8 off the top of the small mouth.  Once cut, I used a small file to remove some of the cutting, and smooth it out.  I have been thinking of taking the heat gun to it to tighten up all the "loose" plastic.  There really is not, but after a good washing it is just fine to drink with.  If I heat gun the end, I'll make an update to this article.  Below you can see the difference between my old cap on the right and the cut down new one on the left.   

Comparison of cap(L) cut for pairing with Sawyer Mini and cap(R) in original form.

Once you have cut off the piece, you'll see that you are able to screw the Sawyer Mini on to this bottle no issue.  Attach your straw to the Sawyer Mini, and now you and drink straight from the bottle.  This will skip the hassle of collecting the water in the bag and squeezing it into your bottle.  You can still do that if you like, but this is quick water on the go, while using the bottle.  

                        Attach the straw to the sawyer mini                                            Set up to drink straight from bottle

    Drink from the bottle                                    Pour into another container

The only drawback I have found so far is that once you cut the small mouth down, it will leak when you take the sawyer mini off since the cap has it's seal about 1/8 up now not in contact with the mouth.  I am personally ok with that as this bottle is not used daily for carrying water.  This bottle to me is an emergency survival kit which holds not just the sawyer mini but other items as well.  It can be used as just a water kit, you can store water tabs, water bags, possibly two Sawyer Mini's, a mil-bank bag for filtering, however you want to use it.  This is just another option to your preparedness and water treatment arsenal.  Oh and yes, you can boil in it...so long as you get it above a fire to where it won't melt, but the slow heat can still boil in plastic without melting.  Hope this adds to your toolbox, and enjoy the outdoors!

Build an Everyday Survival Bag

In order to build an everyday survival bag, or as I’m going to start calling it, the Breakout Bag. Why? Because I’m breaking it out in an emergency. You have to prioritize how you may you use it. My plan is to always get home. In the event we do have to evacuate, I want my gear mobile. This is a double edged sword, as you have to think through various needs/wants/scenarios, and so on and so on.

For me, this particular breakout bag is in my vehicle all the time so that if I need to get home and for whatever reason I have to go on foot or spend a night or two out because the drive is too far. I need to be able to take care of myself and or my family if they are with me. I will do an article on what’s in my vehicle at a later date.

So do we need a Breakout bag? The perspective I look at this from, one extra layer of my vehicle kit that can go with me when I need to leave my vehicle (think modular). In theory, I could go on an overnight camping trip and not pack anything at all. I should be able to take that pack out of my vehicle and have everything I need. Does that sound crazy or practical? What does it hurt to have extra gear in the vehicle? I’m not carrying everything everyday, it’s stored for emergency use or if I choose to break it out for use.

WHAT ABOUT WEIGHT?

Right now this pack weighs out at 23 lbs, and that is with 4 S.O.S water bags, two bags of survival tabs and all other contents. 23 lbs with a quart of water and more than enough rations is a pretty good set up in my opinion. The best part is, the bag is not completely full, and that weight is with our Survival Master Class Survival Kit.

I did choose the LL Bean model simply for Gray Man type purposes, I wanted a very normal looking inconspicuous pack. So what’s in the bag?

Below are photos of the items (color may vary) that I used to put this Go Bag together. From left to right:

Row 1: LL Bean Continental Ruck, S.O.S. Emergency Water, CampCraft Accessory Tote, ORION 15 Minute Flares.

Row 2: CampCraft tin pouch, CampCraft folding saw pouch, Survival Tabs (food), and Tact Bivy.

Row 3: Brass match case/tube with compass, Emergency Radio/Charger, Silcock Key, and the Maxpedition Gear Beefy Pocket Organizer.

#getdirty #havelockchamber #outdoors #OWA #gobag #oldworldalliance #BOB #campfirestories #bugout #campcraftoutdoors #thesurvivalmasterclass #bugoutbag

Journals…more than just notes?

Are journals more than just for jotting down notes and drawings of your adventures?  

Maybe it is the prepper in me, but I augment my kit with redundancies, especially when it comes down to my journal or note taking “gear”.  

I utilize a Rite in the Rain notebook and cover made by tactical tailor.  I have been using Rite in the Rain for years, this is not a product recommendation, just stating that it is my trusted go to.  

Where I may differ from most is, that I choose to use a binder type book.  Meaning I can add, remove pages etc.  I find the versatility of this more beneficial, so I can get rid of scratch notes, scribbles and transfer the full note to a page and replace it in the book.  

Maybe I am an organizational freak, but I have it divided into sections where I or someone else can easily access the information from within.  

What I like about this it allows me to keep information that I find useful, not just what I discover or write down.  For example, I keep temperature conversions from between Fahrenheit and Celsius for both weather and cooking.  I keep food measurement/conversions.  Things I don’t want to try to remember and can easily refer to.  As I research, learn and get more confident in some other skills, I will include more wild edibles information, maybe with pictures for reference, medical remedies from wild edibles, and specifically list some of my medical issues.      

Now for the good stuff, what do I keep in there that is not written down!  

-Various needles for repairs.

-A magnification card (helps me to read small print, and other uses)

-A smaller rite in the rain booklet for navigation points

-Protractor for map navigation and or measurements (there is also a standard 7” ruler on the binder along with a metric ruler on the opposite cover)

-Several small safety pins 

-One 16P nail

-Pencils, Pens, and Marker

-Ready made butterfly bandage

-The zipper pull is an exotac tinderzip, it has a core that is a highly flammable, waterproof, and easy to ignite.

The paper can be used as tinder, or trail markers for travel/rescue, the ideas of how to use a simple journal can probably go on and on.  I have not weighed the journal, but if you are already bringing it and the small very light items added make the very little extra weight negligible.  

Traditional vs. Modern

Let’s face it, we’re all gear junkies. I like anyone else enjoy looking at knives, guns, packs, clothes and the list goes on and on for outdoors gear. I’m a huge fan of older gear because it has been time tested and has a nostalgia about it. My go to for the most part have been ALICE packs because that’s what I’m used to and they have been reliable in their use with so many folks. So on my journey back into the outdoors, I've found myself often stuck between traditional maybe even retro as opposed to modern packs. Who doesn’t love good waxed canvas or oilskin?

Is this an age old debate or a struggle for most?  Personally, I have been back and forth with this for a while now.  Recently, I was in the market for a new pack, and I had been eyeing a very traditional looking pack with a fairly high dollar value and described as an “heirloom” quality pack.  I still have a desire to own this pack for sure, I have researched it, asked about it, had friends who own that brand attest to how well made their packs are.  I also have friends who attest to the quality and functionality of a newer style pack and how well it performs.  Both have great reviews and fanfare, so I know either would be a great purchase.  So now is it about price point, or durability, or functionality, or customization?  It’s just a back pack, how hard could this be.  

Well we’re gear junkies, we have to dissect the type of fabrics and stitching, so we’re looking at every facet to poke holes in our decisions!   

To be honest, what it came down to for me was functionality.  A more modern pack is a little more customizable, a little more modular.  It wasn’t about cost (I’m always looking to not spend so much), or look, or even brand.  It truly became about what was best to suit my needs for a “buy once, cry once” type of purchase, to allow me to have what I consider the four season pack for me.  

I started thinking about this, and realized I struggle with this for most of my purchases for gear and equipment.  Is this knife traditional looking enough for me, am I looking for an optic or how well it’s made?  Does it hold an edge, is it durable, or is it the next catch all tool?  Sometimes we go down the rabbit hole of ridiculousness.  Does this rifle have the look I want, does that even matter so long as it shoots true?  Crazy thoughts sometimes.  The first rule of being cool is looking cool right?

I think the look of things appeals to us, a lot of us strive to learn the old ways, but does that mean we have to carry traditional only?  Does it make your experiences in camp any better or worse if you use a oilskin trap, and use an air mattress to save your back?  I think the old timers would have loved some modern comforts they were not privileged to have, like instant flame.  Just some thoughts...how do you feel about Traditional vs. Modern?