It was just a joke because you said you could just go out into the wilderness and skill would suddenly come to you like the people in Survivor and Tom Hanks in Castaway. <br>Sorry if I a fened you in any way but I was only trying to make a point. Anyway you should check out those Tom Brown books if you didn't already. He has good plans and illustrations for building shelters, tracking, and trapping. Those books can really teach you about survival they have taught me a lot.<br><br> Frank

http://www.equipped.org/etsbriefings202.htm<br><br>Here is the link to the ETS page about alternatives to using a condom as a water carrier for PSK.

Some reasonable trade-offs that others have made:<br><br>instead of 50' of duct-tape which is quite bulky try 10' or less and add some nylon twine and some heavy duty foil. <br><br>dump the extra packaging for the paper and take sheets that are cut to fit the bottom of one of the boxes (inner or outer). this will give you more usefully sized pages and store in less room. <br><br>Use foil tape (metal not duct) to "polish" one of the surfaces of a container for using as a signal mirror<br><br>dump the food and the first aid items - make a separate first-aid box and don't worry about food in a tool kit. this will allow you room to carry more tools for procuring and processing food such as more fishing line / hooks / weights and swivels etc or more snare wire or twine.<br><br>You will need more first aid items than you have here but you can't fit them in this container which is already too large to comfortably fit in you pocket. Break this down to something that is only a tool box for survival and creat another kit with first aid items. <br><br>I find that my EDC is much more than my PSK. If I tried to fit my EDC in one box it would be about the size of a small ammo-can.<br><br>I also carry a p-38 in my psk. I put a razor sharp edge on the long side of it and package it in the paper sleeve from a safety razor. I also carry two safety razors sharing a sleeve and two xacto blades in the psk. This gives me good blade options in my psk should I have to break into it. the safety razors and the p-38 can be used for skinning and slicing and whatnot, the xacto blades can be used as spear points and surgical instruments as needed. I also carry a leatherman wave on my belt at all times so I don't feel the need for a complex tool in my psk.<br><br>I currently carry this:<br>In my slacks, <br><br>Front pocket left,<br>PSK<br><br>front pocket right<br><br>FAK (in an altoids tin) that contains <br>credit card tool, <br>thermometer, <br>4X4 moleskin, <br>plastic gloves, <br>small tube of antiseptic gel, <br>7 bandaids, <br>3 xacto blades, <br>10 aspirin, <br>1 roll of tums, <br>CPR shield, <br>magnifying glass, <br>tweezers, <br>eye-glass repair kit, <br>folding scissors, <br>7 safety pins of varying sizes, <br>2 safety razors<br><br>Key chain (suspended from belt hangs discreetly into pocket) contains;<br>mini (keychain sized) butane torch capable of soldering temps, <br>mini multi tool (with pliers, phillips, flat, 1.5" blade, and 1.5" saw / serrated blade, led flashlight),<br>swiss tech utilikey,<br>swiss tech microtech 8 function tool (with pliers, small and large phillips and flat),<br>asp saphire light,<br>bison small whistle, <br><br>rear pocket left,<br>200+ ft nylon cord (similar to the sheath of paracord without the inner strands and much cheaper)<br><br>rear pocket right <br>wallet with<br>Brunton emergency pocket survival kit ( with disk compass, magnifying fresnel lens, first lifesaving instructions and survival instructions. family emergency instructions sheet with bug-out and bug-in procedures and contacts etc.<br>and of course credit cards and cash and pictures of loved ones.<br><br>on belt,<br>cell phone,<br>leatherman wave,<br>carrabiner compass,<br><br>in Filson #8 cruiser vest customed in wool,<br><br>mini mag flashlight (two AA size)<br>water proof canister of strike anywhere matches (50 or so)<br>spring loaded center punch (for opening uncooperative windows)<br>whistle,<br>led flashlight (1aaa size,<br>large bison capsule with pain killers<br>6 AAA flashlight batteries (alkaline)<br>mechanical pencil,<br>ball point pen,<br>leather bound journal (4X6 about 100 pages)<br>Agenda palm computer (linux based palm replacement)<br>Collapsable lugage ( about 12"X12"X6" when opened, 4X4X.5 when closed)<br>eyeshades<br>ear plugs,<br>piezo electric lighting butane refillable lighter,<br>book paper matches,<br>comb,<br>brush,<br>8 hothands2 hand warmers,<br>poly balaclava,<br>plastic rain poncho,<br>mylar space blanket,<br>laytex gloves,<br>9'X12' nylon waterproof tarp,<br><br><br>I am a software engineer, EMT, and cab driver so I don't worry about my fashion statement OTOH the vest carries this very well and few ever comment on what a carry unless I am providing just what they need at the moment that they need it. Then the comments run from "Thanks" to "what else have you got in there?"<br><br>Credit to Schwert for the idea and a more complete list. I learn from the masters here and only with thier help will I be prepared.

Great post mini! Very informative, thanks! It looks as if you are prepared, hhe.

MiniMe,<br><br>I knew you would enjoy the Filson Vest. Nice collection and distribution of items in your Total Body Kit (TBK).<br><br>How large a packet is the nylon tarp? I carry the Tacoma Mt Tube tent in the back pouch but would much prefer a tarp.<br><br>Randy<br><br>

Your PSK is good I will use the idea about the p-38.<br><br>Frank

Cyko;<br><br>Well, you asked for advice, and you got lots of advice from people that know far more about this stuff than I do. Whether or not you choose to take that advice is up to you. <br><br>I don't want to start a flame war, and I may be way out of line, but I find your attitude hard to understand. On the one hand, you have a "PSK" which is much larger and bulkier than most. On the other hand, you leave out items that most of us consider essential life-saving pieces of gear, on the grounds that you either don't have room for them, or are hoping to get lucky and find something that you will be able to use as a substitute. And to compound the problem, you seem to have very little interest in learning or practising the skills necessary to make use of these "found" materials.<br><br>Anyway, fwiw, here's my 2 cents:<br><br>>Q: Why two containers?<br>>A: Because all of the contents do not fit into the small Altoids can and the Pelican case is waterproof. <br><br>It would make more sense to me to just take the Altoids tin out of the Pelican case and carry it as a pocket kit. As the Pelican case is a vehicle or backpack kit, sticking the Altoids tin inside it just defeats the purpose of having the Altoids tin in the first place, which is its small size.<br><br>> The smaller contents are more organized in the Altoids can <br><br>Irrelevant, IMO, as I don't think you should be unpacking your PSK on a regular basis in the field. It's for emergencies.<br><br>>Q: Why only five waterproof matches?<br>>A: You should only have to start one fire, and KEEP it lit. <br><br>In an ideal world, you wouldn't need to start a fire at all. We don't live in an ideal world, which is why this forum exists. <br><br>>you always have natural ways to create a fire, not to say these are the easiest, but they are possible. <br>>Hopefully you don't get stranded in wetlands.<br><br>So if you get stranded in wetlands, you just give up and freeze because you didn't think to bring along a disposable lighter or a mag-flint block?<br><br>> A: A large rubberband can be used as a small tourniquet for a digit or hand. <br><br>Cyko, please - I beg you. Take a first aid course. There is no reason, ever, to use a tourniquet on a finger or hand. If you do need to make a tourniquet, a rubberband is not a good choice. (In response to another post of yours, ALL tourniquets are temporary. My rule of thumb is, if I were to use a tourniquet, I would assume that everything below the tourniquet will have to be amputated.) <br><br>Stick the Altoids tin in your pocket instead of your backpack and use the rubberbands to keep it closed.<br><br>>Q:Why don't you have any rope or cord?<br>>A: Nature can easily provide me with that. <br><br>Nature can provide you with pretty much anything, if you know what you're doing. The whole point to carrying a PSK (IMHO) is to give you time to make all these neat things that Nature provides, without freezing to death in the meantime.<br><br>>A: I love pepper on my food, as I am sure other men do too. <br><br>Fine. Carry a salt and pepper shaker. But it doesn't need to go in your PSK.<br><br>>Q:Why no whistle?<br>>A: I can use a blade of grass or a leaf as a whistle. <br><br>Same comment as others have made. What if you've got a broken arm and can't use your blade of grass? What if there is no grass, or none suitable? How much energy are you expending to make your two-fingered wolf whistle, compared to what it would take to carry around a Fox 40?<br><br>>A:If communication was needed, morse code is good to know. I do not plan to memorize morse code, so I included a chart. <br><br>If you haven't memorised the morse code, I can almost guarantee you won't be able to use it in an emergency. <br><br>>Q:Why the small band-aids?<br>>A: That tin can is packed! I have no room for gauze, gauze is a luxury!! <br><br>No, my friend. Pepper is a luxury. Gauze is no more a luxury than blood is, if you sustain a serious injury.<br><br>>> LOL, I wish I could fit a MASH unit in that can, but I can't.<br><br>Neither can I. But I can, and do, carry a basic first aid kit, with a couple of triangular bandages, roller gauze, and sterile dressings.<br><br>It never ceases to amaze me that some people will go to enormous lengths to learn "survival" skills, and put together the ultimate emergency survival kit, and then find excuses not to take a first aid course, or carry a basic first aid kit. <br><br>MHO only.

After all, it is ONLY your opinion. You do your thing and I will do mine.... I am gonna go read, good night.

why put a PSK ( the altoid tin part ) ( usually the backup kit ) in your main/primary kit ? i would carry 2 instead, if im gonna carry a backpak. primary kit in the backpak and the back-up ( PSK ) in your trouwsers. just incase...

The tarp is a packet approx 8" X 8" square and about .25" thick. Much bulkier than I would like but I haven't had the cash to replace the surplus tarp with a sil-tarp yet. they are much lighter and thinner for the same size and yet significantly more durable than the TMR plastic tube tents. <br><br>I am still amazed by your list and trying to learn. Going over your list again last night when I was making that post I noticed the brass matchcase with compass that you carry. I went googling since mine doesn't have the compass and found one at cabellas is that the one your carrying?<br><br>I find that the tarp slides somewhat side to side in the back pocket so I was interested in the other items you carry in your back. Watch cap and gloves. Do you find that this makes the sitting posture uncomfortable when driving. Do they keep the tent from sliding off to one side? Are they significantly bulky? How do you carry the cordage in the back so that it doesn't get bulky?