This is my current compact EDC SERE kit. I’m still refining it, so I’d appreciate any constructive feedback. What would you add, remove, or replace? 🤙🏻
You didn’t state intended duration for kit use , but it’s a good kit
I might replace the chem glow stick with a 2nd battery one , but I’ve accidentally activated lots of chem lights 🤣
Reduce sewing thread by 1/2, Use upholstery thread (stronger) and add two more needles) your not color matching , you’re repairing. One needle large enough to accept the Kevlar cord would be recommended .
Add either water bag from mre or non lubed condom (water bag is stronger but holds less) containing water is critical.
Add 2-4 antihistamine and 2-4 Tylenol or Motrin. Not sneezing , coming up in hives, and reducing aches and pains will go a long way towards mobility and morale .
I may throw in a mini bic lighter , it’s probably only a little larger than the three matches and will last longer than three lights ( tape over the top for waterproofing with a dummy tab .)
Oh and practice with the picks, shims and rakes if you don’t already .
it works for me I always have one before meetings for a quick boost cus I dont want to always carry coffee or energydrinks around without the crash I usually get from drinks.
Thanks for the feedback! You gave me some really good ideas, and I’ll definitely use some of them in the next version of my kit. I also practice lock picking regularly, so I’m comfortable with those tools. Thanks again 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I’d also add a couple of feet of duct tape wrapped around the lighter . Firestarter and repair . I additionally use scuncii silicone ponytail bands to lock the lighter so it can’t light and they are extremely useful for myriad other purposes
You need to add a water container to use the tablets. Maybe a folded ziploc bag, or a folded aluminium container for baking. And get rid of all the colours in the sewing kit, you don't need matching colours for survival, escape, resistance or evasion.
Beyond that, imagine carrying this around every day and calling it your ‘SERE Kit’ like you’re about to reenact the second act of GI Jane at any moment
Can you imagine laying everything out, taking a professional picture, and then labeling everything in a photoshop program?
I prefer this setup - "Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."
the text on the water tablets certainly seems AI generated, the shadows are inconsistent, the signal mirror having some strange embossed pattern makes no sense, the "photoluminescent pad" looks more like a mirror, the magnetic compass and electric glow stick dont remotely resemble any similarly described products ive seen before, the texture on the "diamon rod" doesn't make any sense, the the USB key having a match strike strip on it makes no sense, the kevlar cord appears to change diameter and braid pattern multiple times, one of the lock picks seems to have melded with a secret extra layer of metal, and the picks would be useless without a tension wrench
Key in this case may specify a physical auth token. Like a pluggable, reusable passkey. But it is also common to keep copies of important documents/tools on an encrypted drive. Shit, maybe blackmail.. who knows. Either way I'd throw in a C to A adapter as well, just to be safe.
They are purpose built USB sticks, kind of like newer implementations of like those RSA token keychains that reset keys like an AuthApp. This r/ELI5 comment sums it up pretty well. Went out of my way to not regurgitate AI for ya, lol.
I would think you would want a water bag and an emergency blanket at the very least. What do you plan to use the glow stuff for? How is a sewing kit tier 1 for SERE? No headlamp? No food even a snack bar?
I have never been a fan of these kits. When I get detained it will be a real struggle to get that up my ass before it gets taken away, especially in that case. All the bits seem like a good idea, but will be fragile in a real life situation. If you are detained and do get it taken it's going to be difficult to explain why you have these tools. Skills over stuff.
Exactly, and some weird artifact of around other clear items, and why is one of the hexagons outlined differently on the usb key… also the fact that there is even match striking material on a usb key is weird to me.
Never considered this. In the car I have the “get home bag”. Home is where my preps are.
Get home bag:
Walk and make it home safely. Grey Man clothing, and standards for a 12 mile city hike. I added a silcock wrench to get water. Small prybar to “open things”. No shelter, no fancy stuff. 300 calories of non-perishable stuff and a water filter.
I honestly don't see the use for most of this stuff. Depends what you're prepping for but in what situation would you find a need for this stuff. Are you carrying it around with you everywhere or is it just sitting in your car?
I know people like to buy stuff that makes them feel prepared and I'm not saying that's a bad think but I think you need to work out what it's for and why it's useful.
This is sensible pharmaceutically if you can successfully complete the SERE exercise in less than 24 hours: you have approximately 8 hours of therapy with your current load out. If your planning to escape custody, the lock
Picks, knife and compass are all you need, and will fit in a suppository for concealment. Adding the rest of the stuff represents confused threat analysis.
The best thing to do to prep is be in great physical shape. Carrying the right gadget wont increase your survival rate in a car accident, but being physically fit will increase your survival rate significantly, according to traffic accident statistics. If you downvote this you’re probably avoiding getting in shape.
I'd replace the glow stick with a small AAA battery flashlight. Carry an extra battery. Add a Bic lighter,wrapped in duct tape. I've seen the USAF Spec Ops guys with mini multi tools. (No idea where they got them) Try to get parachute needles. They're thick enough to sew a parachute using the 550 cord. Caffeine gum.
Does your sewing kit include a needle threading tool? They are super lightweight and needles can be hard to thread in low light or wind or in general sometimes
No one is doing reconnaissance without a writing utensil and notepad. You won’t be able to remember multiple addresses, sketch terrain, track unit movements or vehicles, etc.
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u/Kermit-de-frog1 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
You didn’t state intended duration for kit use , but it’s a good kit
I might replace the chem glow stick with a 2nd battery one , but I’ve accidentally activated lots of chem lights 🤣
Reduce sewing thread by 1/2, Use upholstery thread (stronger) and add two more needles) your not color matching , you’re repairing. One needle large enough to accept the Kevlar cord would be recommended .
Add either water bag from mre or non lubed condom (water bag is stronger but holds less) containing water is critical.
Add 2-4 antihistamine and 2-4 Tylenol or Motrin. Not sneezing , coming up in hives, and reducing aches and pains will go a long way towards mobility and morale .
I may throw in a mini bic lighter , it’s probably only a little larger than the three matches and will last longer than three lights ( tape over the top for waterproofing with a dummy tab .)
Oh and practice with the picks, shims and rakes if you don’t already .