OK, here goes. This is what I have with me all the time, all bundled up in that trusty little tin. Any comments would be appreciated:

1 Altoids mints tin
5 Waterproof matches w/ striker strip
8 Waterproof Tinder Quick fire starting tabs
1 Flint/magnesium bar w/ metal striker
1 White mini-LED flashlight
1 Acme Tornado whistle
18 Potable Aqua water treatment pills, in small glass vial
1 2-quart plastic oven bag
1 Nylon tie for bag
2 1-foot squares aluminum foil
5 Safety pins, 1 XL, 1 L, 3 M
2 Needles, 1 L, 1 M
12 ft. Heavy-duty thread
10 in. Duct tape
5 ft. Waxed nylon cord
2 Adhesive bandages, medium
1 Button compass
3 12-inch wire fishing leaders/snares
2 1 inch Nails
1 Razor blade
2 Razorknife blades
1 Wire saw w/ pull rings
40 ft. 12-pound nylon Fishing line
4 Fish hooks, 1 L (use as gaff), 2 M, 1 S
4 Split shot
2 Fishing lures, 1 synthetic worm, 1 dry fly
1 10-inch drinking tube
3 ft. Electrical tape

you got:
1 Razor blade
2 Razorknife blades
what do you exsecly mean with that ?
add a gaffa and instructions if possible. overal a good kit for it size.

The razor blade is a single-edged blade. The razorknife blades are X-acto brand, No. 22, that you would find in a hoppy or craft store in the US. I would need to improvise a handle to be able to use them effectively, but they are VERY sharp!

Maggot,
This isn't just for you, its been gnawing at me for some time. As I build my kit and decide how to allocate my space, I can't understand why the fishing gear is ever present. There's an obvious reason I'm sure, as everyone includes one. This is how the math works in my brain, please tell me how it works in your's and the rest of the world's. It is no more than a 48 hour walk out of anywhere in the lower 48 (I can't remember where that number came from, there is even a chance that I assumed it and it sat in my head for so long It morphed into truth). So wouldn't the space be better allocated to items that would aid in maintaining proper body temp., water acquisition, fire making, and route finding? I get that it, the fishing kit, doesn't take up much room and many of its items have dual uses. I'm just trying to understand why everybody includes it in their personal kit and why one is in most commercial personal kits.
Thanks,
Biscuits

Geez, good question. I wouldn't know how to cook a fish if I caught one, and I still have fish hooks and line in my PSK <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I think you're probably right - you could walk to civilisation in 48 hrs from anywhere in the lower 48:

- if you could walk;
- if you knew where you were;
- if there were no obstacles in the way.

Why then do people still manage to turn up dead in National Parks?

You may have a companion who's too badly injured to move or leave, I suppose.

The only survival story I know of where fishing gear saved someone's life was one I read in Reader's Digest many years ago. A young man drove off the road over a steep embankment, the car landed on its roof, and he was trapped inside for a week or possibly more, if I recall correctly. No food, no water; the only things he could reach were the clothes he was wearing and a fishing pole in the back seat.

By hooking his T-shirt to the fishing pole, he was able to cast it into a nearby stream and "fish" for fresh water; that kept him alive until relatives, painstakingly retracing his route, spotted faint evidence beside the road that led them to the overturned car. It had landed in a position that was all but invisible from the main road, even by an observer standing on the shoulder and looking straight down.

Maybe it does fall into the category of "Why the heck not?" <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Aardwolfe hit it on the nose (ouch!) as far as why I have some minimal fishing gear in my mini-PSK. I may never, ever, need it, but ... my philosophy on survival kits, and survival in general, is that it is better to have a little bit of something than nothing of anything. The fishing line can double as thread, snare loops for small animals or birds, or even (!!!) fishing line. The hooks, well, the only dual-use I can see for them is snagging the next over-zealous, fat-fingered TSA screener I have the displeasure to meet.

A lot of commercial kits are based on military kits. There is an obvious difference between being in a military situation where you don't want to be found necessarily (and hence might be 'surviving' for a long time) and a 'civilian' situation where you are desperate to be rescued a.s.a.p. Personally, I carry fishing kit in my 'wild' PSK, but not in my 'urban' PSK. I carry one or the other dependant on what I'm up to.

Don't forget the psychological benifits of some equipment.For some fishing is a relaxing past time.It can give you the feeling that you are doing something for your situation and all is well.I've camped out many times with Uncle Sam(in the SEABEES)with no camp fires and was just fine.But in a survival scene it (a fire)can give alot of moral and security.
So IMHO some items are nothing more than Linus' blanket.A securityblanket,pure and simple.

That makes sense, the origins of the kit it-self. The need NOT to be found.
Thanks,
Biscuits

I think the story you mentioned sums it up, not because I may be upside-down in a car by a creek someday, but because EVERYTHING in the kit is dual use. Innovation is the key to "getting home". The fact that Maggot fit all of the stuff in his tin gives him that many options should he ever need to open the tin.
Thanks for the light bulb moment,
Biscuits