Cody Crone, a.k.a. Wranglerstar, challenged himself to build a survival kit for $10, shopping at the dollar store. The kit needed to do 4 things:
- Start a fire
- Build a shelter
- Be waterproof
- Provide 2 meals
Let’s review the choices he made.
Start a fire
$1 for several packs of matches. Cody opted for several smaller packs instead of getting one large pack of matches, because having several small packs is more versatile. $9 left.
$1 for a bunch of tea light candles. Matches can strike a flame, but holding the flame will really help you get your fire started without tinder. He originally chose a single candle in a big tin so that he could have the tin container for cooking, but later decided he wanted more wicks. $8 left.
Build a shelter
$1 for a plastic table cloth. He went into the store thinking of using a shower curtain, but it was out of his budget. He found a big orange table cloth for Halloween decoration. Being orange gives it the advantage of being highly visible so that he can be easily spotted by others. $7 left.
$1 for 200 feet of jute twine. Other stronger rope was out of budget. Jute isn’t super strong, so I would advise doubling it up if you use it for the ridge line of a shelter. $6 left.
Be waterproof
$1 for two sandwich containers. These can hold things that need to keep dry like your matches. They can also be used for foraged foods or even water. $5 left.
Provide 2 meals
$2 for two cans of beans and franks. Beans are a good choice, because they are very calorie dense. You get a surprising number of calories in a can of beans. The cans can be used for boiling water and cooking, which is a bonus. That made it possible to get the tea light candles instead of the single candle in the tin.
Extras
$2 for two kitchen knives. A knife is so important in survival because most other tools and materials can be manufactured using a knife. Sure it’s nice to have a fancy survival knife, but a cheap kitchen knife is plenty useful. He splurged for the 2-pack. $1 left.
$1 for a flashlight with batteries. Although not necessary for survival, having a flashlight is comforting for Cody. This was a personal choice he made. $0 left.
Are you wondering how to open a can without a can opener? You can open a can the Russian way. With a flimsier knife you can just pierce the top of the can over and over again around the perimeter.
Be flexible
Watching an exercise like this shouldn’t prompt you to go out and buy the same exact items Cody did. It should inspire you to utilize whatever is available to you. It shows you a little bit of his thought process in choosing what to pack.
You can put together a survival kit with stuff in your home right now.