Hitchcraft – Hang’mups – Survival Module

I’m a firm believer in being prepared for a few different eventualities. It’s just hard wired into my brain to be that way. I always carry a blade of some sort, a flashlight, a lighter, a compass, a bandana, some cord, etc. Depending on the activity I will have several different layers of crucial gear. One rudimentary layer in my pockets, a more elaborate layer in a set up of some kind on my body, and then all the stuff carried in a pack. Not so important on a stroll to the grocery store, but very important when on a two week canoe trip in a very remote area where I likely won’t see anyone else the whole time. Horses for courses. From my own hairy experiences, and learning from others hairy experiences (the best way to learn), I know not to put all my eggs in one basket, and to have some redundancies built in.

I’ve had little survival tins of one sort or another for many years. For the most part I see them as a last ditch backup. I generally have a better version of everything in them, but if I lose something I will have a spare.

I also enjoy thinking of alternate ways of carrying survival kit around.

While I think they serve a potentially useful purpose I also see them as a fun mental exercise. The compiling of the components, practicing to become proficient in their use, and the puzzle aspect of getting it all to fit inside a small container: call me strange, but I find that an enjoyable thing to do. There are worse pastimes.

I’ve seen people carrying various gizmos and gadgets on their key ring. I tried that approach and didn’t like the huge lump that resulted. I liked the general idea, but I needed to find a more streamlined way to do it. Carrying stuff loose in the pockets is just a no go. But I’ve been playing around with para cord for quite a while now, making fobs and lanyards and dog leashes and hat bands and various other things. At some point an idea took hold and germinated into this.

To have a survival kit, not in a container, but on a carrier. That the carrier could also come apart and serve as one of the most useful and crucial items one can have.

I decided to try a paracord hanger, made with a snake knot. I started with one of these hooks, which can also be found in sailing shops. The 550 cord came from Supply Captain (I used +- 6 meters (20') of it). The small split key rings and the McGizmo clips came from Lighthound.

I wove and re-wove this about 4 times, to get the length and arrangement just right. I wanted everything to hang in as slim a bundle as possible, and it took a few tries to get it perfect. The cord tends to spiral when it’s braided into a snake knot, and I also wanted the items to spiral around it as they descended.

Working down from the top:

Fenix E0 – simple little AAA flashlight (review of it here) (I believe it’s discontinued)

Whistle/Spy Capsule – loud whistle with a small compartment that originally contained a small piece of paper that contact and medical info could be recorded on. Not a bad idea, but I chose to put Wet-Fire in it.

Long Spy Capsule – contains two pieces of Rite in the Rain paper, a 1" piece of pencil lead, an unknown length of Spider Wire, some fish hooks and sinkers, a needle wrapped in dental floss.

Sparky K1 Fire Starter – small magnesium bar, flint and scraper. I opted to remove it from the leather pouch to cut down on bulk.

SOG Crosscut multitool  – the scissors on it are quite powerful. I used it once to build a shelter out of two pine trees, using just the scissors to cut off the branches. Not the optimal tool for the task, but it worked. (discontinued - bummer)

Peanut Lighter – works pretty much like a Zippo, but an O-ring seal means the fuel won’t evaporate in 2 days like a Zippo

Small Orange Spy Capsule – containing Wet-Fire

Small Green Spy Capsule – containing MicroPur MP 1

Small Red Spy Capsule – containing Aspirin

Brunton 9067 pin on compass – getting the pin out was quite a tricky procedure, since I feared I might break the plastic, but in the end I managed it.

And then of course there’s also a decent length of 550 cord. And I guess if things really got that bad, I could probably find a use for the split key rings and the clips.

Every item got a shrink tubing cover to protect it in some cases, and also to prevent things from coming unscrewed. If it ever comes down to needing anything, the shrink tubing could also work as tinder.

The compass, multi-tool and flashlight are the only things on a clip since they were the only things I figured I would really need to actually remove. The spy capsules I can just unscrew to get at the contents, the peanut lighter I unscrew and it’s ready to go. The whistle and the Sparky, I can use while still attached, and the latter is pretty easy to get off. The compass I might want to have on a wrist loop or attached to the lapel of my coat. The flashlight is something else I might want to have in my hand, clasped in my teeth,  attached to a hat, etc. The multi tool is another thing that if I need it, I will want to easily move around.

There is a spare split key ring as well as a larger one at the end of the braid. In case I come up with something else I want to attach to it, or I want to tether something to it, I have that option.

It started out straight, but it’s a bit longer than the pockets I carry it in, so it’s taken a bit of an S curve over time. Just like the snake knots tendency to spin and the deliberate winding placement of the gadgets, the spiralling theme carries through.

All together it weighs 240 grams. It’s still a bundle, and it’s not the most comfortable thing to carry in a pocket, but it’s not that uncomfortable either. I definitely know it’s there. When I’m standing or walking it’s okay, but crouching or squatting is the time when I really notice it. It doesn’t have to be carried in a front left pants pocket. I’ve carried it on a PFD for instance. I have a design drawn up for some pants that have a pocket specifically designed to house this that runs down the side. That might make it a little more doable.

And here it is with the Hang’mups – EDC Module.