How To Make an Airplane Safe Survival Keychain

Late last year I made a How to Make a Survival Keychain post. Since then I lost my survival keychain (I think I left it in Singapore), and my lock pick set got picked up by Australian security. They took it off me because it is considered a tool. I also had my mini multi-tool taken off me by the Chinese.

Anyway, since then I have re-got (is this a word? — you know what I mean) everything and I think it is better now. Also, made some slight packing changes for when boarding a plane.

My New Airplane Safe Survival Keychain

Here is my new and improved survival keychain.

Compass and Whistle

This little item cost me a whopping $23AUD from the Wellington Army Surplus Shop in Perth WA (I’m home for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends).

Q. Why shell out so much when you can get these things online for literally $1?

A. So the friggin thing works!

Those little button compasses that you get online shipped from Hong Kong are EXTREMELY unreliable. This one is a Silva compass, a very well known company for quality compasses. Also, it has a whistle attached which saves some space.

This is bigger and more expensive (about 30x!) than a button compass, but it is made by Silva and will work for the long run, unlike the many button compasses I have gone through

Solar Powered LED Flashlight

Since the original post I did buy a little wind up flashlight for my keyring. It worked fine, but although it was the smallest one available, it was still a little bulky.

This solar powered flashlight I bought for a couple of dollars. I’m not sure how long it will last but its working well so far.

I think the important thing here, besides being compact, it that I don’t need batteries for it. I still carry my little waterproof one that I got in Croatia in my back pack.

Solar powered keyring flashlight. Less bulky than my little wind up one.

Waterproof Thumb Drive

Losing my Lacie thumb drive was the biggest deal, because I had all my work on it (don’t worry, I back sh*t up in multiple places).

This new Eaget thumb drive is apparently 32gb, waterproof and USB 3. The Lacie one was only USB 2. I haven’t tested it to full capacity but I’m assuming it is not fake memory or just fake in general, since I bought it from an Australian seller.

32 GB, waterproof and 3USB. I rate it better tham my previous Lacie.

Mini Multi-Tool

This got taken off me in China, but I haven’t had problems with it anywhere else. To be fair, although it has nothing sharp, it is a tool, so maybe the *Australians would have taken it also.

*Aussies were strict. They took my FRED and Lock Picks which I haven’t even had problems with in America!

The multi-tool I will not re-purchase. A had it for a while and didn’t use it.

The FRED (F*king ridiculous eating device / Field ready eating device) and the Multitool can not do anything that a good knife can’t anyway, and when I land in a new country I always look to procure a knife, since (in my mind) it is the #1 survival tool, and just really useful in general.

Magnesium Stick

Haven’t replaced this yet and probably will not. Sometimes it gets through customs and sometimes not. I think I have a spare one in China, so I’ll just put that on. If it gets taken off me that will be it.

As well as buying a knife when I land, I will (and do anyway) buy a lighter.

I keep small fuel ‘cells’ in my survival kit. They are definitely not allowed on planes, but I have never been picked up on them…go figure.

Para Cord

Can’t go wrong with Paracord. Ridiculously useful. Floss, sewing, repairs etc. I also keep some in my survival kit.

I followed this tutorial to make the keychain.You’ll notice in this picture that it is not attached to a keyring. Instead I tied an Alpine butterfly.

This is about a meter of paracord

Lock Picks

Technically these are not on my airplane safe survival keyring, but they are good to keep on you and take up next to no room. I guess you could wrap them in the paracord if you really wanted them on your keyring.

I was pissed when my lock picks got taken from me in customs, but I did manage to get some more online. Technically you can have lock picks in Australia, just don’t use them illegally. I told customs that it was a hobby, but they took them off me because technically it is a tool.

I think what I will do is split them up and put them in different areas of my bag. Actually, I don’t even think they will set the machines off. I’ll test it on my flight to Sri Lanka by putting one of the less used picks in my pocket and go see if it sets the screening thing off, then I’ll post an update.

The complete Survival Keychain next to a measuring tape for perspective

Well that’s my ‘new and improved’ airplane safe survival keychain. Do you have one? and if so, what do you carry on it?

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