Hi all.
This is my PROPOSED IDEAL OUTDOOR EDC. As it is simply a proposed kit, I won’t take offence to any criticism that forum members have.

The reason I put this kit up on the forum is so that it WILL be CRITICIZED.

Click on the link to see my:
WOFT's Hip-pack survival kit
WOFT's PSK

All the time
Fox-40 Whistle (orange)
Kershaw Vapor 2
BIC Lighter
Photon 2 (white)
Bandana
Tissues/handkerchief
Asthma pump
First-aid rescue pouch (Resusi-aid, gloves, trauma-pad)
Fixed blade knife (to be decided – help please?)
Signal mirror
P-38 can opener (nice multi-purpose tool)
PSK
Hip-pack survival kit (if I go far away from camp)

At night
Photon Micro-lite (red)

Any comments? Many thanks in advance!

what no real multitool or SAK ? how are you going to open a wine bottle for some chicks ? <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> and maybe a flat roll of ducttape, very usefull !

If your fixed blade is primarily for cutting, I recommend a 4" scandinavian knife. My favorite brand is Martinii.

Well, what do I say to my mom when she sees me take a corkscrew with me when I go camping <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Good point. I do have a SAK hiker that has a corkscrew on it, but I think that the vapor is a more rugged knife for outdoor use. I also have a wave, but I am debating it's usefulness for an outdoor situation. The blades aren't as strong as I would like them to be.

Personally, I prefer a larger blade (5-6 inch). A lot of camping that I do is fairly minimalistic, ie. not in a public, commercial campsite. I therefore need a multi-purpose knife that can do 'dirty work'. more than cutting, but less than chopping. <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Also, I havn't seen any fixed blades locally that fit my criteria.

PC2K

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you flatten a roll of duct tape?

you don't ! the company ducktape sells flat rolls ducttape, but you can also made a flat roll your self, by wrapping ducttape around a piece of cardboard or wax paper.... if you atek more than one layer of cardboard you can stukc something between it.

OK. I've never seen a flat roll of duct tape in any local hardware shops. thanks.

Just show her the wine. That should change the annoying questions <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

How about some redundancy in the fire making department? I'm assuming you have some additional fire making gear in your PSK, but it might be a pain to have to unseal your kit just because your lighter ran out of fluid. <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

good point. I was thinking of using the hip pack in conjunction with the PSK, in conjunction with my EDC. If I needed a different method of fire starting, I would go into my Hip-pack, as much of the gear in it double as my hiking kit.

Still, Another method is always good. I don't like matches, as the box (and striker patch) get squashed and damaged, but I can always decant. I just find the common BIC cheap and convenient. Any suggestions?

I'm partial to the small plastic match cases with the flint strip on the bottom. You can usually pack a fair number of matches in the case, along with a piece of striker strip and a couple of cotton balls to keep everything rattle free. The case keeps everything nice and dry, and the cotton can be used as tinder. If worse comes to worse, you still have a nice flint on the bottom. Gives you a lot of bang for the buck.