BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

Kits and Planning · Guide

The Pill Bottle Survival Kit: 16 Things in a Bottle That Fits Any Pocket

A waterproof supplement bottle packed with fire, cutting, repair, first aid, fishing and cash: the kit that is always with you because it weighs nothing. What goes in, how to pack it so it all fits, and where it lives.

Quick facts

  • BottleA wide-mouth supplement bottle with a screw cap; most are waterproof
  • FireFire plugs plus a mini lighter, matches or a small ferro rod
  • Cut and fix
    • Small knife
    • small multitool
    • duct tape
    • zip ties
    • needle and thread
    • safety pins
  • First aid
    • Leukotape P
    • bandages
    • honey packets
  • FoodHooks and line; salt, sugar and pepper packets
  • WeightAbout 4 ounces packed

The bug-out bag is by the door and the grab-and-go box is in the truck, and the day something goes wrong is the day you walked out with neither. This kit fixes that. A supplement bottle, the wide-mouth kind with a screw cap, is waterproof, fist-sized and free, and packed right it holds fire, a blade, repairs, first aid, fishing and cash. It weighs about four ounces and lives in a pocket. I keep one in every jacket, every vehicle and every pack, and the kids each have one.

16ItemsEach does two jobs
4 ozPackedFits any pocket
$0The bottlePeel the label
1 yrCheck itLighter and honey packets

What goes in

Fire plugs, and a mini lighter, matches or a small ferro rodPlugs are compressed waxed tinder that catch a spark and burn for minutes, enough to dry damp kindling. Two ways to light them. Cotton balls with petroleum jelly are the homemade plugs and fill the empty space; the recipe is on this site.
Small knife and small multitoolA keychain knife for cord, food and tinder; a keychain multitool for the pliers, screwdriver and scissors. Both must be small enough to lie flat against the bottle wall.
Leukotape P, bandages, honey packetsLeukotape over a hot spot stops a blister, and it splints and holds dressings. A few bandages for cuts. Honey is quick energy and covers a shallow wound or a small burn; never for a baby under one.
Duct tape, needle and thread, safety pins, zip ties, carabinerTape wrapped around the lighter and the bottle. A needle with thread wound on it and a few safety pins fix gear and clothing. Zip ties splint, strap and secure. The carabiner clips the bottle to a pack or a belt loop.
Fishing hooks and line, seasoning packetsA few hooks and thirty feet of line wound on a card is a meal from any creek. Salt, sugar and pepper packets make it edible and put back what sweat takes.
Cash and a short USB cordForty dollars in fives and ones, folded flat against the wall, for fuel, a meal or a ride when the card reader is down. A short cord charges the phone from any port.

How to pack it

1Cash first.Fold the bills flat and curl them around the inside wall of the bottle, so they take no volume.
2Blades next.The knife and the multitool lie flat against the bills.
3Lighter and plugs.Wrap a few feet of Leukotape around the lighter first, then drop it in with the fire plugs beside it.
4Fishing kit.Hooks pushed into a scrap of foam or cardboard, line wound on the card, in a small zip bag.
5Small things in the gaps.Needle and thread, safety pins, zip ties, bandages, seasoning and honey packets, the USB cord coiled.
6Tape on the outside.Wrap duct tape around the bottle itself, five or six turns; it protects the bottle and takes no inside room.
7Fill the rattle.A cotton ball on top stops the rattle and is tinder. Screw the cap on and clip the carabiner through the cap loop or a zip tie.
Make several

Once the bottles are free and the items are bought by the dozen, each kit costs a few dollars. One in every jacket, every vehicle, the ATV, the tackle box, each kid's school pack. Check them once a year for a dead lighter and a leaked honey packet.

The checklist

  • Cash, folded flat
  • Small multitool
  • Small knife
  • Fire plugs
  • Mini lighter, matches or small ferro rod
  • Short USB cord
  • Fishing hooks and line
  • Duct tape, wrapped on the bottle
  • Leukotape P, wrapped on the lighter
  • Bandages
  • Salt, sugar, pepper packets
  • Honey packets
  • Safety pins
  • Needle and thread
  • Small carabiner
  • Zip ties

The next size up is the grab-and-go box for the truck, then the bug-out bag by the door; the fix-all kit is the house-sized version of the repair half of this bottle.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

How do I make a pill bottle survival kit?

Empty a wide-mouth supplement bottle, peel the label, and pack it heaviest first: cash folded flat against the wall, then the knife and multitool, then the lighter and fire plugs, then the fishing kit, tape wrapped around the outside of the lighter, and the small things (needle, pins, zip ties, bandages, packets) in the gaps. Wrap a few feet of duct tape around the bottle itself and clip the carabiner to the cap. Shake it; if it rattles, add a cotton ball, which is also tinder.

What goes in a mini survival kit?

Sixteen things: cash, a small multitool, a small knife, fire plugs, a mini lighter or matches or a small ferro rod, a short USB cord, fishing hooks and line, duct tape, Leukotape P, bandages, salt, sugar and pepper packets, honey packets, safety pins, a needle and thread, a small carabiner and zip ties. Every one of them does at least two jobs.

What is the smallest survival kit I can carry?

This one. A supplement bottle is about the size of a fist, weighs a few ounces packed, is waterproof, and lives in a jacket pocket, a glove box, a saddlebag or a kid's backpack without being noticed. It is not a bug-out bag; it is the kit that is with you on the day you did not bring the bag.

What is leukotape used for in a survival kit?

Feet first: a strip over a hot spot stops a blister forming, and a blister on day one ends a walk out on day two. It also splints a sprained ankle or finger, holds a dressing through sweat and rain, and repairs gear. Wind a few feet around a pencil stub or the lighter so it takes no room.

What fire starters fit in a pill bottle?

Fire plugs, which are compressed waxed tinder that catches a spark and burns for minutes, plus a mini lighter, a small ferro rod or a few stormproof matches in a straw. Cotton balls worked with petroleum jelly are the homemade version of the plugs and pack the empty space in the bottle. The petroleum jelly fire starter formula on this site is the recipe.

Where should I keep a pill bottle survival kit?

Wherever you are without the bag: a jacket pocket, the glove box, the ATV, a saddlebag, the tackle box, a child's school pack, the office drawer. Make several; they cost a few dollars each once the bottles are free. Check them once a year for a dead lighter and a leaked honey packet.

Keep going

Read nextThe Fix-All Kit: Tapes, Fasteners and the Small Parts That Solve Most ProblemsOne box of tapes, ties, clamps, links and connectors that fixes a leaking hose, a torn strap, a broken tent pole or a chewed wire before the store opens. What each item is for, what else it does in a pinch, and the hand tools that go with it.Tools and Repair · Guide

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Everything in Kits and PlanningNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

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Kits and Planning · GuideLast reviewed 2026-09-29

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