PSK w/ pictures

I like Altoids, very tasty.

This is usually in my slingpack, put I'll pull it out if I'm going to be someplace where the slingpack won't fit in. It fits nicely in my bag of tricks, now that I don't have to schlep the calculator, in my pocket, or in a SpecOps Brand X-4 pouch, along with a 500ml square Nalgene lab bottle and the PMK.


It's sealed with generic black electicians tape, and three ranger bands. It contains (by layer):


2x large eye sewing needles, taped to tin lid
~16" duct tape, wrapped around bit of plastic
12x strike anywhere matches, lacquered, in a carboard holder and zipper bag
2x alc. prep pads
2x tylenol allergy tabs
sparklite
2x cotten balls
3x tinderquik tabs
18x potable aqua tablets, repacked and labeled w/ directions
10x immodium tablets, repacked and labeled w/ directions
4x medium safety pins, held by a small safety pin
~8' brass wire
P-38 can opener
utili-key knife/tool
mylar oven bag, trimmed, and binder clip
2x inextinguisable birthday candles
fishing kit (in the breath strips tin)

• ~30' 20# spiderwire fishline, on a cardboard spindle
• ranger band
• 8 fishhooks (two sizes)
• 6 sinkers
• 2 swivels

signal mirror (the white thing in the bottom of the tin is the backing)

How it looks when you first open it


And how it looks with everything spread out


I need to add a compass to this, but I have no idea how. This thing is ready to burst.

The cotton balls are in here for a couple of reasons. One, I don't have enough tinder tabs to go around with all of these right now, and two, they stain almost instantly if there is a problem with the repacked iodine tablets. I know, everyone is switching to the chlorine, I have my own reasons for staying with these.

I would remove the medical items, because I know you also carry a PMK. If you remove those items, you can add a button compass to your kit.
Also try to add a whistle (or is it on your EDC?), more tinder and some waxed dental-floss.
and add some wind/waterproof matches(remove the strike-anywhere), waterproof note-paper, pencil

I carry the immodium here becuase I personally think it's more of a concern than finding my way in a place that if I make it to morning, I'll head in the direction of the town glow I saw last night. Bad water can hit you hard, even if you didn't mean to drink any of it when you fell in the river.

But if I find a good button compass, I'd probably move the allergy meds to the pmk. I carry it in my pocket any way during birch pollen season.

I've tried the dental floss route, not as happy with it as I am with the spiderwire, now that I've started running it over candle wax as I wrap it on the bobbins.

As for the matches, it's a preference. I like strike anywheres becuase I don't have to worry about the striker so much. Various lifeboat-type matches I've tried never work, at least for me, on a normal striker, and the little green tipped buggers aren't any better than a triple shellaced strike anywhere in my experince. It's a YMMV situation.

Nice little kit.... Did you ever try using the trick candle? They look like the same ones I had....trouble was, the ones I had only relighted 1 out of 10 trys.

Also, if your looking for a small button compass, you can't do any better (in my opinion) than a SAS / Nato compass I got mine from www.bestglide.com for about $30. and am very pleased with it. Don't let the small size fool you....It is a well made, very accurate compass..... no junk.

Regards,
Dread

Iron Raven,

I would like to hear about how you trimmed the oven bags. I have a couple in my car kits, but I want to put one in my mini PSK as well. How do you trim them down and do you know how much they hold after you trim them?

Garrett

Oh, it's easy.

Fill a nalgene bottle. Pour contents into the bag. Mark it. Repeat. Twist it closed as low as you can to the water. Use a pair of scissors to cut the extra length off, leaving enough to get a handhold on. Empty it and allow it to dry. Roll it up.

In my PSK I still have a first generation oven bag, the un-metalized mylar kind. In the other kits, I carry the current ones, I don't like them as much, bulkier.

Yep. They need a bit of windscreen and shelter from rain, but any tinder needs that.

As for the compass, I looked. Nice. But at 30 bucks, it would be half the cost of the kit! :P

Quote: "But if I find a good button compass,..."

Ironraven,

Check out the Suunto Clipper compass. About $10. It has a nice clip that allows you to clip it to a watch band, nylon pack strap etc. Mine came with a nylon wrist band. If you just want the comapass, it can be popped out of the clip for reduced size. The bezel is actually adjustable on this l'il gem.

Toss in a whistle too. I used to use the mini-fox 40 but have now changed to the Orion Marine Emergency Whistle (2-pack part # 976). It is less expensive and noticibly smaller than the fox 40 yet seems to be every bit as loud as the fox to my ears.

Good luck, TR

Actually, I was looking at the 14 and 20mm ones that John D McCann has on his website. They seem like they will offer the best form factor for this kind of kit.

As for the Clipper, I know it. I just hate things on my wrists.

Here is the kit I put together to satisfy my general needs for Southern California; contents http://tinypic.com/es6iyb.jpg , packed http://tinypic.com/es6kxe.jpg. I've been toying with the idea of adding a $100.00 bill US and or a Rand Dollar (1oz. gold coin)

You're better off with a dead white guy than gold. It's amazing the number of people who have no idea what to do with it, and it's heavier and bulkier.

BTW, just how big are those BCB tins? They look notically bigger than the altoids tins I use.