Oh geez. I was trying to avoid sharing this, but here I go.

I DO thing the PSK is a tremendously powerful talisman. I went through an extensive education process, supplemented with field experiments, to select and assemble my PSK.

I swear I can FEEL the power in that sucker when I slip it into my pocket.

It's not as spooky as it sounds. It's just that the PSK does represent an important process and state of preparation and readiness. We put a lot of our persal energy into creating them.

That's what makes a powerful talisman.

Bear

As I see, each of us have own opinion about PSKs. Some think that PSK is for the last resort and should contain minimum required items, while some argue that the number of items in the PSK can be increased. I see the point of both sides and I was thinking, that it might be a good idea to have one small PSK on you all the time and still have another one, larger in size and more functional, may be even somewhere in backpack or car. The first PSK is used only as the last resort. The reason of having the second PSK is because since it is already assembled, you reduce your chances to forget some necessary items at home. At least it happens with me that I forget some items at home. They are not vital, but would still make my life easier and reduce travel expenses. What do you think? Regards

As the "P" stands for personal it´s no surprise that everyone has at least one opinion on his / her kit (I have three different kits for different purposes). IMO your aproach is reasonable. Have fun when you assemble your kits.

I too was inspired by BeachDoc and went for a second Altoids tin with just meds. It's become natural for me to carry a lot of stuff in my pockets. Live long enough and you'll use just about everything, either for yourself, or for someone else in need, though it may not be in true survival situations. I don't see the reward in being a minimalist with survival gear - life has too many bumps in the road. Regards, Tom

I understand and would probably have agree with u in many way, i feel relaxed and comfortable but still aware even though people lkaugh and mock eg, today i'm going to a city on bit of buisness(i'm hopinbg to buy a share in surgery) and it has took me 4 hours to decide whether it was wise to take a blade!

mark

Heh...Ah! Thanks, M a x. That's why I've been so confused by this thread! I've always assumed that the P stood for Pocket! I've always assumed that if it's not a pocket survival kit, then it was just an "SK", not a "PSK". <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

So, I'm reading this thread and thinking of other threads where someone writes something similar to, "I like to carry a bigger PSK as a fanny pack..", and I've thought to myself, "Well, then, that wouldn't be a PSK,... it would be an FPSK. Or they write something akin to, "I prefer to make my backpack into my PSK", and I've thought to myself, "But that would make it a BPSK then. That's totally different...". <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I feel better now. I get it now. I'll specify which kind of Personal Survival Kit I'm writing about when I use the acronym from now on.

FWIW, I can see carrying the extras and niceties in larger containers. That's what they're for, and that's what I do with them. But, for an actual pocket survival tin or kit, I have to agree with Presumed Lost ... it's just too small for anything but true basics.

My Altoids tin-style Pocket Survival Kit is no place for placebos, luxeries or "feel-good" morale-boosting tricks. It's got a very little bit of room for a few essential tools for a practical realist, and nothing more. And a small Pocket Kit is not the place for food of any sort, in my personal opinion. Food just takes up too much space!

My Fanny Pack usually carrys a water bottle & FAK, as well as extra items too large for my pocket kit. It's still not camping gear ... it's still just a minimal Survival Kit, but there's a lot more room for stuff in a fanny pack than a pocket tin. But I still don't pack any food in it. I've fasted for ten days before, so I guess I have different priorities.

Right now, though, I'm wondering if indeed it might not be reasonable to keep some small emotional support materials in there. I have not room for even a packet of salt in my pocket kit, but a fanny pack kit could carry a bullion cube & a tea bag with a packet of salt & another of sugar, easily enough. If nothing else, it might help me calm down whoever I might be with. To someone who has never gone a day without a meal before, a tin of hot salty broth & another of hot sugary tea may be just the thing to get them stable enough to deal with better. Hmm, yeah I like that...

My Backpack has the food, the utensils, the luxuries, the extras, the stuff to make my going fun and happy. That's where I keep my Camping & Hiking gear, including a larger FAK. And that's where I keep my food. For emergencies, I keep a nice flat Altoids' "Big Tin" in the very bottom with "Survival Gear" in it, stack the FAK on top of that and then stuff the "Camping/Hiking" style (fun & luxury) gear on top of those two items. The big tin can carry more than my pocket tin, the larger FAK can carry more than the one in my fanny pack, and this gear I'm saving for emergencies thereby stays completely sealed away and separate from the hiking, camping, sleeping & cooking stuff I'm constantly getting into while I'm out and about.

I have now even gone so far with this idea as to create a slightly larger PSK out of a Windmill Lighter tin for my jacket, coat or windbreaker pocket, to supplement the normal slightly smaller Altoids PSK in my trouser or pants pocket. (Can you tell by now how much I like, really really like, redundancy? <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />)

So, I'm a big believer in multiple "kits", each of a size determined by carry method, and each with contents determined by size. When I'm talking about other kits, I like niceties and extras, but when in the past I have talked or written of my PSK, I've automatically been thinking of my pocket kit - the smallest, most intensely selective subset of gear that I might be able to get my hands on in a crisis!

If I can't get to any of the stuff I carry in my car, I at least have my backpack. If I am away from my backpack, I at least still have my fanny pack. If I somehow lose my fanny pack, well heck, at least I still have this ultra-minimalist set of utterly basic tools and raw materials in my pocket to use for cobbling together some way to hang on for a little while... Eash level, by its nature, has less room and less tolerance for "morale" built into it, and that just seems obviously right and necessary to me.

hmmzz... doesnt PSK stands for personal/pocket survival kit ?
atleast that what i get of dougs review page of PSK's http://www.equipped.org/prsnlkit.htm ... ( look at the titel )

Well, the personal part serves better to explain the range of opinions on the kits <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. The pocket size is what makes it feasible to have it on you all the time (for me it was also a reason to have different kits). So I guess you´re right with your interpretation for that acronym (and you have a source prove it).

Exactly. That's why I now feel better. Because the ranges of answers make more sense to me now that I've updated my acronym. I no longer have to try to figure out how someone thinks they're going to fit a power bar (or more) in an Altoids tin if it's not a pocket kit as I had been thinking of it, but a personal kit (which would give a lot more options). <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Re-entering old topic! <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Yesterday, I finished reading Chris Ryan's last book called "Ultimate Survival Guide". If anybody does not know this author, here is some information about him http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Chris_Ryan.htm
I would not say it is a serious survival guide, but it is a very interesting to read book with good and simple explanations. I would recommend it to read, but probably not to buy- it is not priced as an average book. A few of his opinions are very interesting:
1. satellite or mobile phone and GPS are probably the first items that should be in the survival kit when you travel to a dangerous or isolated area. He claims satellite phone saved his life when he was in Siberia and might have changed many things if his patrol had one in Iraq. Of course, they may break down, and you should not rely on them only, but there are good chances that it will not happen, especially if you keep them in some protective cover. Other items, as I understand, are also important, but these two items are must for a dangerous trip.
2. Snares are useful. Even if you try to move fast you will still find them useful- you put them before you take rest and take them out after having rest. Therefore they do not slow you down significantly.
So, I am thinking now how to budget my money to get one Satellite Phone and GPS (I am thinking about it more than a year <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />). Plus I think to start learning how to make snares, but where to practice? I think it is illegal in my country <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />.
Regards,