Thanks for the advice, I will have to add those tinder straws with vaseline/cotton! I forgot about making those, thanks for reminding me. I will throw a couple of those in there. I will also be investing in a Photon 3 LED and a wire saw in the near future. Again, I have the dual containers for different purposes....one is for waterproofing and keeping everything together, and the Altoids tin is for organization and can double as a standalone pocket kit. I will contninually be adding and substituting items for others of higher quality and I suggest everyone do the same. That is why we have these forums, to share and learn and help, I am glad to be a part of this great forum! Again, thanks for the constructive criticism.

quote "It is not meant to be a "pocket kit". " <br>doesnt the diffenition of PSK includes a kit that is carry on the person as a EDC ?<br><br>quote "always have natural ways to create a fire" <br>natures way needs lots of training, i dunno how experians you are, but if you gonna rely on it you defenetly needs training for that. if you don't, it will be very hard t learn in the field<br><br><br>quote: "The paperclips have some use too. You can straighten one out, sharpen one end to a point, and make a dart, hook, gaff, or small game spear. They can be bent and looped to form many small barbs for whatever purpose you may need."<br>that is seriously pushing the edge... don't over estimate a paperclip !!! if you bent them they break very easly...<br><br>quote: "Nature can easily provide me with that. Many plants and vines are contain very strong fibers in their bark, and if stripped properly can be woven into a very strong cord or even rope" <br>again, have you experians with that? if you don't it will be very hard t learn in the field<br><br>i do have to disagrea with Resqman about the gi can opener ( p-38 ) though. they are very versatile ( check this out http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/page52.shtml )<br>they can be used for much more that opening can's.. you can use it to open screw, wire stripper,etc...

Don't over estimate a human being. When put in a stressful situation, I can become very versatile and use things to my advantage. I do not have experience in weaving ropes and such out of plant fiber but I am sure and confident that if I had to, I could. You could have the best PSK ever but if you crack in an intense situation or make a foolish decision, it becomes worhtless, or even worse, USELESS or non-existant. I think the human brain is the best possible PSK ever, some people even carry it with them all the time. :)<br><br>PS: IMO, a PSK doesn't necessarily mean "pocket kit", it means "Personal" kit, my PSK could fill the contents of a backpack if I wanted it too, at least that how I view it.

well a psk is a EDC equipment, unless you always carry a backpack anytime/anywere its got to be pocket size...<br>( ok, it debatibel )<br><br>quote: "When put in a stressfull situation, I can become very versatile and use things to my advantage"<br>you can never predict how you will act in a survival situation, unless you are in one, so instead of becoming very versatile it could freak out, forget you knowledge,etc. even a good trained person can forget simple things in stressfull situation... so don't think that you can do thing you have never done before in stress, theorie is very diffrent than pratice.

Just a few suggestions would be to get a less bulky knife. You really don't all the functions on a leatherman type knife for normal survival needs. Another would be to add another fire starter like a sparklite.You should add more tinder like cotton and petroleum jelly or tinder quiks that come with a sparklite. You might want to have more than 8 portable aqua tabs if you were stuck in a situation for longer than 4 quarts of water you might be in trouble. You should also have only one container for your PSK, with two you can hold more but it is bulkier. Last but not least you should have some rope or cord like 550 paracord, it's thin but strong and the inside strands can be used for sewing, fishing line, to repair nets, etc. <br>Hope this helps with your kit.<br><br> Frank

[Q: How are rubberbands and paperclips useful in a survival situation?<br>A: A large rubberband can be used as a small tourniquet for a digit or hand.]<br><br>I would caution you in using a rubber band for this purpose. First, direct pressure and elevation should control the bleeding for the most part. If absolutely necessary, pressure applied to an appropriate pressure point should be the next step. A tourniquet (IMO) is a last resort, should be applied only by trained persons. Generally a wide surface area i.e. cravat, provides the more appropriate pressure than a narrow rubber band. The use of a tourniquet can lead to necrosis of the area distal to the tourniquet and can also lead to life threatening cardiac arrhythmias from toxins released from necrotic (dead) tissues. Pete

Not to sound rude but really you have been watching too much Survivor and seen Castaway too many times, your not going to suddenly know how to make rope out of vine or some other usefull skils if you have never praticed them before. What if your in an accident like a plane crash and can't make your grass whistle what are you going to do when the rescue choppers are flying over head and can't hear anything because you can make enough noise. What if your arm is broken and you can't weave rope, what are you going to do?? What if you can't keep a fire lit because your in a downpour of rain and you run out of matches, you need fire fast and can't get a natural way to work, what do you do? By the way rubber bands wear out some what easily so it would be my first choice for a tourniquet. <br>Not to sound rude or anything but you should read up on skills and pratice them before relying on them in an emergency.<br>Tom Brown writes some really good books on wilderness survival and tracking. (www.trackerschool.com)<br>Hope this was helpful.<br><br><br> Frank

I use to carry a P-38 on my keyring. They are verstile. Great thing to carry in your pocket with your knife. If I was building a PSK, they would probably not make the list of things I put IN the kit. Having one on my keyring makes better since to me.<br><br>I would rather use that space for fire, shelter, water, first aid, or knife.

I dont know man, what would you do, I would probably just say a prayer and rely on my faith in God to help me out of a situation like those in your scenarios. Also, I son't watch alot of TV, and I have only seen Survivor twice and thought it was Hollywood BS. I own CastAway on DVD and thought that Tom Hanks' character was a complete moron in it. He thru away half the stuff he found in the beginning. I would have completely stripped the pilot's clothes off and USED them. He buried them, why? I sais it before and I will say it again, my PSK is not finished! I will always and continually be improving it. Sheesh!

I meant to say "a temporary tourniquet", hehe. I would never allow a complete loss of circulation for an extended period of time. I was thinking more like for controlling blood flow long enough for a small suture during minor field surgery.