Redundancy without unnecessary duplication is one of my current goals. For now I try to put progressively larger, more robust gear of a given category, in my kits starting with my TSA-compliant EDC, my Outdoor EDC, BOB, Car Kit, and Bug-in stash. The categories I am using now include: First Aid, Shelter, Fire, Water, Food, Navigation, Light. Signaling, Self-protection, Hygiene, and Morale.

As an example, for first aid:

- in my urban EDC I have a few bandaids, individual medications and a couple water purification tablets, one small gauze pad, and a small roll of tape;

- my outdoor EDC kit adds both a standalone PSK and for first aid a standalone PFAK with additional bandaids of more types, small medication packets including more types, several sizes of gauze pads, more tape, 4 “EMT shears, small tick/splinter tweezers, burn and bite ointments, 1 foldable particulate mask, etc.;

- my BOB contains a larger standalone FAK that includes bigger EMT shears, better tick / splinter removal tweezers, a larger medication supply, various medicated wipes, various wraps, more and bigger gauze pads and bandaids, superglue, foot treatment items, eye flush, etc.;

- my standalone car kit basically includes re-supply for all other kits with some medical tools;

- and my bug-in stash is similar to my car kit plus it contains all the first aid stuff that wouldn’t fit in the other kits.

By design, some of the stuff in the smaller kits may be duplicated if there isn’t something bigger and better. Some of the same bandaids are found in every kit, for example.

But where it makes sense, as the kits get larger the gear in them becomes bigger and better if I can find and afford it. Full size 7” EMT shears are only found in the BOB, car, and big-in kits, for example, and surgical scissors, clamps, etc. are only found in my car and bug-in kits.