This is a carry-over from another recent thread on another forum site that mentioned semantics, that I'd like to share here as well. I happen to like semantics. In the very least, my own understanding of a word keeps me organized mentally. Communities are made of agreed upon word meanings.

So, for me, there are definitely three different kinds of survival kits, and arguably four.

4.
My everyday-carry (EDC) is not a survival kit. It’s more like a convenience and “trust in the infrastructure” kit, with the added potential for limited improvisation. It includes my wallet (contains extra keys), keys, cell phone, Swiss Army Knife (SAK), bullet space pen, back pocket paper pad, spare change, clothes, sunglasses, etc. It doesn’t provide at all for first aid, except to call 911, and that my clothing and even my belt could be used to stop bleeding if necessary, I like to think. It also differs because it is distributed, not self-contained, and often changes. A well-rounded EDC is in many ways more essential than a survival kit, at least for people who live in the more civilized areas. Face it. Most people, myself included, wouldn’t rather carry a tourniquet, emergency bandage, and hemostatic agent, firesteel, field knife, poncho, water purification tablets, and canteen to work or grocery shopping instead of, or in addition to, a cellphone. Being the urban-dwellers and suburbanites that we are, we are simply too cool to carry our survival kits everywhere we go. On the other hand, more rural people might refer to what we would call a survival kit an EDC. A very interesting thread might be one that discusses what comprises all great EDC’s and why.

3.
The PSK (Personal Survival Kit) is, in theory, an anytime, anyplace I happen to find myself in a difficult situation kit. This can of course be a situation ranging from annoying to life-threatening. But because by definition it must be able to be carried at all times, it must be kept small and light-weight, and yet as all-inclusive as possible. So only the real essentials should be included. It should have a true first aid element, and be able to provide warmth, signaling, and water. It is usually assumed that a person will be rescued within 72-hours provided that someone else knows of the person’s general whereabouts and knows to make the appropriate phone call within a certain amount of time, and the person stays put and awaits rescue. So food, if included, is probably thought of as a luxury item for many, but because survival is mostly psychological, it never hurts to have some reassuring "now stay put restless wanderer" nourishment while waiting it out. Or something to that effect, I include a power bar. Everybody should have a PSK. My PSK is self-contained in several pouches and containers by way of a sturdy belt. The fact is, I do not always carry it. I wouldn’t look very cool around town if I did. In fact, I’d probably look like a paranoid goomfer.

2.
A Bug-Out-Bag (BOB), for me, is a survival kit that in case the neighborhood where I live becomes a danger, I need to bug out to a predetermined bug out location, where I will be as snug as a bug. It does not replace the PSK. It expounds upon it, and its main purpose is to allow me to get from point A to point B as effortlessly as possible, because the trek is assumed to be as dangerous as the neighborhood, at least at first. Everybody should have a BOB, and for some people, the trek might be a mile downhill, for others it might be ten miles through rough terrain. In case the BOV (Bug-Out Vehicle) gets stuck in the mud, the BOB must suffice. My bug-out bag isn’t very big (not much more than a large waist pack) because my only real danger here is tsunami and I am very near the top of the hill already. I can get to my hole in the mountain very quickly and wait there for as many days as I have stocked it for. When the chaos (which could include any number of things, such as looting and general mass criminal mayhem and the inevitable wide-spread panic of unprepared groups of people) of the event subsides, I can return, if my house isn’t destroyed. If it is, well, good thing I have a large subsistence stash and an Expedition Kit (EK) stashed at my bug out location. If martial law is declared, or if there are more people retreating to the area than I had originally anticipated, maybe it’s a great idea to get to my more remote location where I won’t have to worry so much about parkland “curfew patrols” and what-not. Without an infrastructure, I think humans are the greatest danger.

1.
What some call an INCH, I call an EK. It provides for more of a nomadic journey, with either no set destination, or the destination is so far away that the typical BOB will not suffice. An EK should make living off the land easier.

All survival kits are varying degrees of each other, and each requires a certain level of confidence (composed of many things including but not limited to: attitude, experience, ingenuity, item availability) to put together and successfully utilize. Plan, Prepare, Practice!!!

EDC: “Uh, yeah, AAA. I locked my keys in my car…”, “Let me get your phone number. No, I’ve got a pen…”, “Oh yeah, there’s a tweezers on my SAK…”, etc. Proficiency Difficulty Level (PDL): NOVICE

PSK: Infrastructure intact; emergency services and/or rescue is on the way; I'll chill here and wait for up to three days, maybe longer. “Oops! I forgot to tell somebody where I was going and when I’ll be back” is not really an ideal option with a PSK. I suppose a personal locator beacon could help with that. PDL: AMATUER

BOB: Oh S@#*t! There goes the neighborhood! It's time to put our bug-out rehearsal into action. We're on the move and we aren't looking back until the smoke behind us clears. Grandma's rural country lake house, here we come. PDL: ADVANCED

EK: Well, civilization is not worth living in anymore; martial law has been declared and we refuse to become slaves for the new world order. It's time to head for the distant backcountry and play hardball! Remote backcountry wilderness secret forest, here we come. EK’s differ from the other two survival kits, in that I think the most comprehensive one is one that is split up amongst a few individuals working as a team. Does everybody in the party need an axe? No. Two tents for four people is enough. PDL: MASTER

I have two rules:

1. BEGIN WITH THE BASICS.

2. PLAN, PREPARE, PRACTICE!!!