You are a better man than I. I gave up about halfway through the nonsense.

To me, an Altoids kit (I currently use tobacco tins, but am in process of moving to BCB Mini-mess-tins!) are "Better than nothing" kits.
You could even carry a tin with a knife & firelighting kit in it & that would be better than nothing.

Im sure many of us carry most (if not ALL) of the items that youd find in a kit, anyway, so the kit is just an emergency duplication.

My own kit(s) are geared towards staying warm & dry & being found, so, as well as the ubiquitous knife, several methods of firelighting, shelter (space blanket/paracord/bin liner), & signalling (mirror & whistle) feature heavily.

Admittedly, I DO carry a small fishing kit (Ive NEVER, EVER caught a fish, even with a fishing rod!), but I doubt if Id ever be in a survival situation that would need it.
Aluminium foil, & a cpl of stock cubes to make a warming drink would be of far more use in the (more likely in the UK) sceanario of a night in the hills after a fall or injury.

My priorities are PROTECTION, LOCATION, WATER, FOOD.

I usually have three tins packed at any one time, 2 carried on various jaunts & one that I call my "training tin", the trainer is slightly bigger, not as nicely packed as the kit is used regularly to practice firelighting, shelter building etc.

You begin by defining the word "definition." Your implication is that people are not being "honest" with themselves or others when they refer to the accumulated gear in an Altoids tin as a "survival kit" because it cannot encompass all survival situations. With all due respect, the word (not the phrase) you really needed to define was "survival."

From Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary - survival: 1 a: the act or fact of living or continuing longer than another person or thing b: the continuation of life or existence.

The long lists of gear on the pages preceding this response, and the careful thought and consideration that has been put into the assembly of that gear, would seem to me to provide an individual with a better chance of "living longer than another person or thing" in adverse conditions. Accordingly, your conclusion that "the “Altoids Tin Survival Kit” has no place in society" is faulty. The real conclusion should be that the Altoids Tin Survival Kit cannot ensure an individual's survival in every instance, but it can increase a person's chances of survival.

By the way, I enjoy the agitators on this board (very much including you TQS). The conversation never gets stagnant and everyone is pushed to reevaluate and rethink what they "already know."

Bingo!

Who would be that prepared?
Well, as it happens............
And a T-Shirt that says "Earth is mine. Go home."

Duckear,

Nonsense is as nonsense was.

Gee, I uh...I dunno. Maybe there is more to it than I originally thought. You sound upset, and my intention was not to upset, but merely to share that I think the size of the vessel must be determined by its contents, (rosary or otherwise, I guess, as I'm not Catholic, or of any other religion, as I do not seek Christ in religion, but in Christ), not the other way around.
My survival kit is my belt kit, and nothing will separate me from that. It has a sheath knife with a sharpener in the sheath pouch, a canteen w/ cup with water tablets in the canteen pouch, and a belt pouch with the other items necessary to ensure survival is a distinct possibility. I chose the size of the pouch after I assembled all the items with a little extra room to keep things loose enough for ease of accessibility in an emergency.
My backpack is my expedition kit, and carries nothing essential to survival, unless geography specific items are necessary that won't fit in my belt pouch, such as extra water in the desert, or an axe in the north woods. Barring the last exception, my expedition kit (backpack) exists only to further my enjoyment of the outdoors, as all basic survival situations are covered by my belt kit (survival kit).
Bear...? DeMille..? I don't know these people. I'm only an Earthling.

A large animal skin, a large stick, a sharp rock, and their brains.

If our ancestors could survive the ice age with these items, then anyone with any experience outdoors could figure out how to survive with the contents of an altoid kit if they had to.

The key is to have the basic knowledge that'll allow you to utilize what you have. No amount of gear will save you if you don't know how to use it.

Very true. With a little common sense, and knowledge, a Altoids Tin Kit, or the AMK PSK; along with a good knife can go a long way to keeping someone alive.

IMHO...

I hope I'm not stepping on toes here... but if your "Altoid Kit" can't provide for you in an emergency, then you need to change what you put in the kit!

If you think about the "Rules of 3" You can (with a minimal amount of knowledge and training (which I assume most here have or are gaining) get along with only a few items. These are the things that your kit should provide for you.

#1 - A Good folding knife
#2 - A small photon light
#3 - A Incendiary device (best would be a spark thrower like a Couglan or Doan's Magnesium/Ferro Rod.
#4 - Something to carry water in (A condom or smallish trash bag) I personally carry a quart breast milk bag which rolls up very small and is far stronger than either of the other options mentioned.
#5 - Some kind of "cordage" for quick fixes.
#6 - A few fish hooks and 40 foot of heavy line. It weighs nothing and doesn't take up any space. It certainly can be beneficial.
#7 - A few good antibiotic band-aids.


That's all you HAVE to have to survive. With these items you can do most anything necessary. Anything else is redundant, which is ok if you have the room, but definitely not necessary. For example, you don't need a razor blade if you have a good sharp knife. Needles probably won't be needed in a true "survival situation" but if they were, they could be replaced by a straightened fishhook. You wouldn't really need snare wire, since in all likelihood you aren;t going to be lost long enough to starve (and you can catch fish with the hooks in the kit). Most people can figure out how to stay dry in a downpour, but if it makes you feel more comfortable carry 1 or 2 large Garbage bags (I personally do). You probably won't need a compass in a true "survival situation" since you probably won't have a map of the area and basic directions are all that you will need. I could go on, but I think you get the drift.

Again, with the items listed above, you can meet all your emergency needs (Shelter, Water, & Fire). And in my opinion that is the purpose of a micro kit. Many people put things in their kits because others do. But remember, kits are highly personal. Only put in it what YOU need, and what YOU know how to utilize. And as the old adage says, don't include it if it doesn't fulfil at least 2 or 3 purposes.

- Soarn