to pack in. The packing rules this year are:
- Your Wilderness Survival kit must be brought in to the troop meeting on 2/11. This kit will be brought to the campout for you.
- You can't bring anything else to the campout except a 1 qt water bottle.
- You can bring anything you want in the can except flammable liquids and compressed gasses.
- No string outside the can.
This page gives some tips for packing your kit. New Scouts who are using a bigger can can use the same tips, but pack more food.
The first thing to do is to empty the can. Save the contents for spaghetti sauce or chili.
Next, take a pair of pliers and crimp the inside cut edge of the can, or use a smooth metal rod of some kind to flatten the cut edge. Be careful not to cut yourself on this edge.
You will be using the can to boil water and/or cook. Drill or punch two holes in the can near the lip so you can pass the ends of some craft wire through and make a bail for the can. Use at least 2' of wire so the can can be lifted off a fire safely.
Take the wire off, coil it up and pack it in the bottom of the can.
An emergency blanket is a good thing to have at night in the winter. It is compact, especially if it is new.
A piece of 1 mil plastic sheet will help make a waterproof shelter.
Note however that in the past Scouts have made shelters with just palm fronds, and when made well they are pretty water tight. (If not made well, they leak profusely.)
A knife is a useful tool. Saws are the best tools for cutting palm branches.
You will definitely need a way to start a fire. You should have something waterpoof--matches in a waterproof container, or flint and steel. The orange water-repellent container here has flint on the back that can be used with a knife blade.
Now for food. You don't have room for much, so make the most of it. Rice or broken up pasta is pretty dense. It is dehydrated, and unlike a ramen packet it doesn't have much air in it. You can add some spices or a flavor packet (helps disguise bad tasting water). If you have room, a granola bar or Slim Jim is tasty.
You have to have a way to purify water. Boiling it in the can is best, but you can bring tablets.
You may want some string to tie up plastic or tie together sticks to frame a shelter. It is possible to build a shelter without string, as in this lean-to with partly broken palm stems folded over the ridge pole.
If you use string, you can try kite string; the commonly available string isn't too strong, but it is very compact, so if you are careful with it you can put 20' or more in your can.
Finally, you should cover your can to keep everything in. You can use a cloth held in place with a rubber band (you are allowed a rubber band outside the can). The cloth can be used to filter big particles out of a dirty water source. Put a piece of tape on the can with your name on it.
