Altoids Tins

At the Dokters office yesterday the Doctor noted 3 Altoids tins sitting beside my jacket and jokingly asked if I had a serious addiction to them as he diverted my attention and ripped out a very painful ingrown nail. After the sudden pain subsided, I told him no I use the tins for a number of things.

I smoke and I grow, shred and roll my own tobacco. I do buy boxes of filtered tubes for regular use and keep the pipe and papers for hard times. Altoids tin is the exact length of a King Cig. and the tin holds exactly 18 smokes.

The second always with me has a small 2 blade Old Timer folding knife, a long narrow bottle of lighter fluid, a zippo lighter, a pack of flints, and cotton balls. My version of a tinder/fire starter box.

The Third is a mini first aid kit. It has a 3 needle suture kit and a couple feet of suture. Gauze, bandaids, iodine, chlorine tablets, aspirin, a roll of cut in half medical tape, razor blades, little scissors and tweezers.

In the main bag and on the farm I use the tins to store small things. All of those little things that if not contained will migrate all over a desk drawer and disappear for all time eventually.

I keep a couple of them with strike anywhere matches and a strip of course sand paper. These like anything I want to keep dry or air out of I dip in wax and it seals the tin.

I keep my truck bag ammo stash in the tins 6-30 rounds per tin depending of caliber.

I keep my fishing kits in them hooks, line, and bobbers.

A sharpie marks what is in the tins on the metal below the hinges on the back. They pack inside of other containers and bags very well. It does help if you are semi addicted to them to keep a supply of tins coming.......... I like the Cinnamon ones myself The one for my smokes I have been carrying every day since 2004 and has a few dents but is still filly functional, so they are durable little tins as well. Anyway they make great containers for mini kits that fit easily and comfortably in a pant or shirt pocket, course someone might think you have a serious addiction to them

 

Omg! You are my brother from another mother I love those tins. I use them for everything from @Brokor 's bees wax mix to salve for pain and for purse sewing kit. I also use the upright ones for putting qtips in when i travel. The TSA doesnt like them but i dont give a damn as they keep things dry and tidy

Great post

 

Ah, yes, Thunder5Ranch! I know exactly what you mean.

Altoids tins are a hoot. There is so much you can do with them.

I'm just finishing up a book called A Curiously Small Survival Kit which will be on Kindle in about a week. It's all written, and I'll be tucking the last few photos in over the next three days or so.

The book shows how to put a LOT of useful stuff into a single Altoids tin. Not just what to pack, but how to prepare the special stuff, including a few items that have never been seen in any survival course, book, or anywhere on the Internet.

I started the project in a literal fit of rage after reading a so-called "book" on survival kits that must have been written by a certified professional card-carrying idiot. The author actually suggested using a safety pin as a makeshift weapon. You know--"Go for the eyes or throat, for maximum shock value."

Now, I'm a deadly, deadly man. I knocked out Chuck Norris once with nothing but a squinty grin. (Well, twice, actually. He got back up. The first time.)

I'd never use a safety pin as a weapon, mostly because I never could figure out how to take the safety off.

So I decided to write a better book. One that actually had a photograph in it. And one that might even have some original stuff in it.

To quote Dr. Everett von Scott: "Und I did!"

I'll post a heads-up on the book when it hits Kindle, for them as may be interested.

Here a pic of the cover:

("It's simple," I sez. "And elegant. With just a hint of mint...")

 

My version of the altoids tins, guess I got this from my grandfather when I was a boy.

 

Ahhhh my Grandfather smoked Prince Albert Thanks for that what a great memory you engaged

 

Yessir! I picked up as many as I could as a boy from rummage sales. The camp has half a dozen all kitted out for brookie fishing off in the bush. I've got 2 at home one for trapping snares and fire starting .. and the other , you guessed it fishing kit.

And these things are like weeds around here:

 

Altoids are my favorite

(Actually haven't eaten them in a long time.)

 

The blue butter cookie christmas tins are another favorite of mine Small, medium and large

 

I feel bad when I find a altoids tin it generally has Meth in it.

 

I have a few Altoids tins ,some hold flash drives and SD cards (micro faraday cage) and over the counter meds and things with sensitive packaging that can't take being crushed in the EDC bag .
I've got a 10 0z tin I'll be transferring my terabyte and other memory to . going to paint the inside with silicone as an insulator for the electronic cargo. and respective cords and wires can go in a small bag ,no need for EMP protection.
A friend of mine takes a lot of meds so I get the empties and put the Altoids in them and use the Altoids inner paper to line the inside of the bottle facing out so I can read through it and know what's inside.
Not necessarily a big fan of Altoids but I like the tins .

 

the large size caramel corn and specialty popcorn tins are a great size - always looking for those ....

 

Don't know if you have Fred's Stores up your way, but after the holidays I usually hit them and buy up the big clearance popcorn tins for $3-$4 per. Rural King sometimes has the same deal. I am also a fan of the Sams Club Members Mark Coffee Cans and love the coffee as a bonus (My friends say the coffee taste like rancid sewer water) but hey I like it and its cheap and you get a heavy steel can that is bigger than a standard coffee can to boot.

 

This topic came up on instructables.com a few times. If I remember correctly it was a contest with cool prizes too. Many were micro suvival tins but, some were ideas I never would have thought of. I saw one that was a tiny custom built weather band radio with with no battery. Ithink the idea was to use whatever battery you could find and use an ear bud to listen. I have an old beat up Eton weather radio that might be able to fit in an altoids can......... might be a good project to play with.

 

rarely buy the tins full - the empty tins some up in all sizes at garage sales - 10-50 cents usually ....

 

YEah but I like the popcorn and cookies so it is a win win fer me

 

there are a bunch of ham radio electronics projects built into those, I have a code practice oscillator/keyer I built from a kit. I've seen transmitters and tuners.