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Survival kit Individual, lightweight holster.


Ethanm
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Hi Everyone, Im posting my collection, just posted two experimental vests, in body armor section, check them out!

 

Like most items in my collection , this is VERY RARE. 

 

This is where I presume. I got the nylon carrier from a man on ebay that says he got it from a old friend in Hawaii that worked on the survival kit production. The holster just reads U.S instead of the regular stamping, and he said, it is a prototype. 

 

I finally have a survival holster kit together, I've always wanted one, and after I talked to Mr Mahaffey,  Thank you for the pointers,  James, I finally got a kit together.  

 

It contains 

1x Nylon carrier

1x RT60 Survival radio, working 

1x SDU-5/E distress light, working

1x Pilots survival knife w/ stone, factory finish

1x Survival contain 

1x auxiliary survival Container

1x Pen flare gun

4x, UNUSED, 1x used flares

 

I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but , buy Mr Mahaffey's book, if you can. 

 

Ethan

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1 minute ago, dmar836 said:

Looks pretty complete. Nice.

Thanks!  What do you think about the prototype part? It only has US instead of the other markings, as every other one I've seen,  especially on worthpoint have the regular markings. 

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The Leg Holster Kits are a hard item to find complete!   A lot of them are missing the meds and the water bags are very fragile after all these years. Hopefully yours has those! There is another thread you probably saw on the kit with several pictures of open components. The descriptions on the solar still are interesting. 

 

HOLSTER SURVIVAL KIT, INDIVIDUAL LIGHTWEIGHT, ARMY - SURVIVAL GEAR - U.S. Militaria Forum

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Just now, RWW said:

The Leg Holster Kits are a hard item to find complete!   A lot of them are missing the meds and the water bags are very fragile after all these years. Hopefully yours has those! There is another thread you probably saw on the kit with several pictures of open components. The descriptions on the solar still are interesting. 

 

 

They are very interesting, they were one of dream survival kits that I finally got together. With things like these, I try my best not to open them. 

 

If you're talking about Mashigs post, I saw those, and some other too, but they date back to 2010 and so on. 

 

I have a mystery survival vest coming in, full of contents,  that I hope to be a SARVIP, you will probably see the post next week.

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I wouldn't expect you to open them!  I have two complete and two partial kits.  I opened some of the components in one of the partial kits to photograph.  When I started collecting survival gear years ago, people told me "Don't buy partial kits, you will never find the missing parts, because those are the same parts missing out of all the kits!"  The meds are a great example of that.  It would have been a lot cheaper to have waited and found a complete kit rather than a couple of partials that are still just that, partial kits...

 

The age of the posts is one of the great things about the Forum, there is a wealth of information here with just a little searching. You don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you start a research project!!!

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6 minutes ago, RWW said:

I wouldn't expect you to open them!  I have two complete and two partial kits.  I opened some of the components in one of the partial kits to photograph.  When I started collecting survival gear years ago, people told me "Don't buy partial kits, you will never find the missing parts, because those are the same parts missing out of all the kits!"  The meds are a great example of that.  It would have been a lot cheaper to have waited and found a complete kit rather than a couple of partials that are still just that, partial kits...

 

The age of the posts is one of the great things about the Forum, there is a wealth of information here with just a little searching. You don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you start a research project!!!

I have an urge to fire the pen flare gun! I promise I won't. 

 

 

What do you think about my prototype thought?  The person on ebay I got it from said , it was a prototype from what the guy in Hawaii said, I have not seen *any* with the same markings

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Id really like to get one of these kits one day.   I have the plasticized checklist card for one, but thats it.  The mini -10 is probably harder to find than the kit itself, and I think it was you Bob that had one and showed me it.  Was the only one I had ever seen before.

 

The radio for them should be the URC-10A or RT-10 I believe.  I dont think the Army ever used the RT-60, not even sure if the USAF used them or if it was more of a overseas FMS item.   Cant say Ive seen pubs around for the RT-60.  I used to have one myself but I sold or traded it off.  Bob do you have any intel on the RT-60 use?

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The pen flares and launcher are under green duct type tape on the rear of the kit and are tethered to the kit through a couple of holes in the bottom of the packing base.  A metal mirror is under another piece of tape and tethered to the kit through another hole. You will find a lot of the kits are missing the launcher, flares, and mirror. 

 

Pen flares are a pretty easy thing to find, comparatively speaking, to a lot of the other components unique to the kit.  I have fired a few and they are a fun way to celebrate July 4th and New Years.  Give one a try some time, they're neat!

 

I am sure Rocket Jet did a prototype or two when they applied for the patent on the kit.  What I don't understand is why the would have only put U.S. on the prototype rather than stamping everything like you usually see on one?  I have packing bases with 3 dates on them, 7-67, 2-68, and 4-68.  Could that have been an earlier production holster before they stamped everything on them? The only Contract Number I have seen is engraved into the frying pan and that is a 1967 contract date, DAAG. 17 – 67 – C - 0056. Could the other information have been lightly stamped on them and worn off over time? 

 

Below are the inside of the kit showing the lanyards from the mirror and flare launcher. The overhand knot is big enough that they won't fit through the holes in the base.

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Flare Launcher and Flares

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Mirror

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There is no light , or other stamping on the nylon carrier other than U.S.  I believe it is one made before all the rest. I do believe it is a prototype,  as none of other ones , especially on worthpoint , that I've seen, have anywhere near the same marking. 

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I have only seen a few RT-60's and don't know much about them.  They are a duel frequency version of the RT-10, if memory serves me correctly.  I am sure the Army used them in some capacity, but the RT-10 was far more common.  Who is to say without conclusive proof that no aviation unit that was issued Leg Holster Kits was never issued Rt-60 radios to make the radio wrong?

 

I am kind of a purest when it comes to dates on kits and the only thing that stands out to me is the strobe.  The Leg Holster kits were only used for a couple of years, they came out in 1967 and in 1969 the contract was been cancelled in favor of the -21/P vest.  The strobes with the black rim just under the lens didn't come out until around 1972.  So, being the purest I am, you may want to look for an earlier strobe with an orange band. The batteries would have had an orange plastic cap rather than the brass one, and you are looking for an FG-1B flash guard.

 

Please don't take my later remarks as "dissing" your kit!  It is a great kit that is hard to come by and very collectable! I have been collecting survival gear for 35 plus years and little things like that catch my eye.  You have posted pictures of some great kits and have several pieces that are truly rare and unique. Again, please don't take my remarks as anything other than advice.  And you know what they say about advise, it is worth what you pay for it and you know how much you are paying me, NOTHING.

 

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Thanks for telling me about the flash strobe,  I'll try my best to get a earlier one. And you're good, I'm functioning on no sleep, so My words might be a bit weird. 

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I am glad you took my remarks in the spirit I meant them. You may very well have a one off holster or one of the earlier ones sent for test and evaluation!  I am not sure how we could ever confirm that, but it is a unique holster none the less.  

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1 minute ago, RWW said:

I have only seen a few RT-60's and don't know much about them.  They are a duel frequency version of the RT-10, if memory serves me correctly.  I am sure the Army used them in some capacity, but the RT-10 was far more common.  Who is to say without conclusive proof that no aviation unit that was issued Leg Holster Kits was never issued Rt-60 radios to make the radio wrong?

 

The RT-60 I had was later dated than any of these kits used,  not sure when they exactly came out but figured they were a later made item than these kits but again un sure.  Whats the contract date on this radio?  There was a 60 that had 243.0 and 282.8 (which is what I had) and a 60B version that I think was 243.0 and 121.5.   Some of them Ive seen with Navy contract numbers, but others I think were USAF.  Not really much info out there.   Being such a similar radio, I would have thought the Army TM covering the URC-10, 10A and RT-10 would have had this in it too.   To me they always seemed to be like a stop gap item for units perhaps in Europe to have a radio with both 243 and Nato Single Search with most of the newer PRC-90s going to front line units in Vietnam at the time.  Again just total theories, I wish there was some good evidence on it all, which in the end will make me kick myself for getting rid of mine.

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9 hours ago, mohawkALSE said:

The RT-60 I had was later dated than any of these kits used,  not sure when they exactly came out but figured they were a later made item than these kits but again un sure.  Whats the contract date on this radio?  There was a 60 that had 243.0 and 282.8 (which is what I had) and a 60B version that I think was 243.0 and 121.5.   Some of them Ive seen with Navy contract numbers, but others I think were USAF.  Not really much info out there.   Being such a similar radio, I would have thought the Army TM covering the URC-10, 10A and RT-10 would have had this in it too.   To me they always seemed to be like a stop gap item for units perhaps in Europe to have a radio with both 243 and Nato Single Search with most of the newer PRC-90s going to front line units in Vietnam at the time.  Again just total theories, I wish there was some good evidence on it all, which in the end will make me kick myself for getting rid of mine.

If I'm reading it correctly,  it Is 67 dated

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That fits the radio to the kit pretty good!  Here is a picture of my holster, radio (RT-10), strobe, and knife.  You will see what I mean by the orange rim under the lens.  The flash guard is over the body of the strobe.  The manual in the plastic bag is unique to the leg holster kit.

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I'll have to look at my 70 contract strobe, never even noticed the rim color on them,  always just looked at the decal with the contract date which i used to think were all that foil type on older ones  til I saw some late 60s ones with the clear and black like the later ones had.  Ive noticed the older flash guards are also slimmer at the ends than on the later versions.  Bob do any of your older flash guards have contract info printed on them anywhere or are the sterile? 

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3 hours ago, Survival said:

Here is a prototype container from E Bay which I did not get.   Belonged to a pilot that flew skycranes late in the war.....

 

 

 

I think hes the same guy I got the contents card from.   I recall he was a Crane pilot.

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On 2/18/2021 at 7:23 PM, mohawkALSE said:

Id really like to get one of these kits one day.   I have the plasticized checklist card for one, but thats it.  The mini -10 is probably harder to find than the kit itself, and I think it was you Bob that had one and showed me it.  Was the only one I had ever seen before.

 

The radio for them should be the URC-10A or RT-10 I believe.  I dont think the Army ever used the RT-60, not even sure if the USAF used them or if it was more of a overseas FMS item.   Cant say Ive seen pubs around for the RT-60.  I used to have one myself but I sold or traded it off.  Bob do you have any intel on the RT-60 use?

I own a RT-60 with a circa 1972 USAF battery inspection tag.

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