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The Sock

I'm going to REI today to buy another of Doug's AMK kits. It will be part of a birthday gift -- in addition to his MK5 knife and e-Pico light -- that's going to a hiker friend who treks every year in the Himalayas.

Buy Doug's MK5 knife and his AMK personal survival kit and read the literature that's included with it.

That'll get you 90% of the way to having, and augmenting as needed, an appropriate PSK.

Good luck.

Your lucky. I have a Cabelas and Bass Pro about 10 miles out and they still don't seem to have that large a variety for camping/survival. Wish they'd throw a REI up somewhere out here.

When it comes to survival kits, I always think about the basic essentials first - your immediate priorities in a survival situation: First Aid, Shelter, Fire, Water, Signalling, and Food. To address these needs I carry a good first aid kit; a heatsheets emergency bivvy, heatsheets blanket, and some 550 parachute cord; spark-lite, strike anywhere matches in a bright orange waterproof case, bic lighter, magnesium and flint bar, candle (keep it in a baggie to avoid melting messes), tinder quik, fire starter sticks, some paper, and an ultra-thin piece of corrugated cardboard (check out your empty big mac box next time to see what I mean); a canteen or Nalgene water bottle with a stainless steel cup, water purification tablets, some coffee filters, and as a backup some heavy duty ziploc bags or baking bags; a good quality signal mirror, whistle, and some brightly colored bandannas (the bandannas are very useful for other things too); food bars of your choice (cereal bars and chewy granola bars are tops with us). Along with a knife and a sharpener, this is the stuff that should be kept on your person as Doug suggests, either in your pockets or on your belt (such as the knife and canteen). I also have a small led flashlight that I keep on my person (of course I hope to replace this with the doug ritter designed eq headlamp soon). Most of these items are in the Pocket Survival Pak I carry (check the contents list for the other items in it I have left out here like fishing kit, wire and duct tape), the other items ride in my other pockets (love those cargo pants and shorts). In addition, I have a small maxpedition pouch on my belt that carries some long term essentials and comfort items: a sewing kit with extra safety pins, some rubber bands and twisty ties, extra aluminum foil, wire saw, glasses repair kit, sunscreen, insect repellant, extra batteries, some tubing, and some carabiners and split rings. Yes it is tight but you can squeeze it all in there. If you can manage, you should also carry some rain gear (a good nylon raincoat and rain pants), some extra warm clothing (an extra sweater or jacket, gloves and a hat), larger compass (note the psp has a mini-compass), map of the area you are in, mess kit, some toilet paper and maybe some toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, cleansing towlette) as well. I usually put this and a folding saw in a daypack. As you might be able to tell, my kit is used in wooded areas with the potential for cold weather. Your kit should reflect the types of terrain you will be traveling in, the extremes of weather you will encounter and the amount and type of gear you want to carry. Make it as comprehensive as you can carry or as minimalist as you dare. As a final note, since you will be putting your own kit together, make sure you use QUALITY gear.

You want to see whats in my homemade kit, here it is.

For winter survival for 4th graders out skiing, boarding or
snow shoeing, we recommend at least-

Synthetic and wool clothes on, no cotton and include a warm hat.
Large heavy duty trash bag in pocket.
Plastic whistle around neck.

Since they are not allowed knives at school and the heavy snows
here preclude making a proper fire for most mortals, knife and matches are not included in school oriented survival trainings.

Other things we recommend-
mini flashlight
water and snack


You have to keep it simple for them, so they will remember
without a big list to refer to.

When it comes to a kit that I carry on me I don´t have a "sealed kit". I rather carry belt retention system with carabiner which holds almost every item I carry on me. It´s my EDC at the same time. I add to it or subtract from it as needed. The essential items always have their place secured on the carabiner though.

This photo is not up to date, some items are missing - e.g. knife and tinder. I will have to take another photo.


I like this setup, it´s secured, I can quickly get to the items, I can see the items all the time and check their condition, ...
Items that are too big to be clipped into carabiner are carried in various pockets. This way I don´t end up with one bulky kit in one pocket.
I also have second kit which resides in the backpack. It´s for some additional or redundant items etc. It´s waterproof and "sealed".

Mark F..major pile of gear,but more of a BOB than a survival kit.but thats fine,whatever you think you need,take.but what would you widdle that down to so it would fit into something the size of a Mac and Cheese box and carry tucked away unnoticed untill needed.

Good question canoedogs. I always find myself adding to rather than taking away from my kit. It is admittedly a lot of gear but as bad as it looks on paper (so to speak) it packs surprisingly light and well. With the noted exceptions most of it rides in my pockets (did I mention I love those cargo pants and shorts :-)).
I have always struggled to get a kit down to an EDC size. Currently I am experimenting with packing an Altoids tin with a small kit and just can't seem to fit it all in. I think maybe the tin will be just too small. I always go back to the six essentials - first aid, shelter, fire, water, signalling, and food - and I try to include something to cover each of these. I also continually hear Doug Ritter quotes ringing in my head: "Keep the most essential survival gear on your person" and "Your primary survival kit should be able to provide you with medical care, shelter, the means to summon help and sustenance. Most importantly, IT SHOULD DO THIS WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT OR IMPROVISATION ON YOUR PART" and so on.
I haven't forgot your question. I am still pondering on it. Let me get back to you and welcome any suggestions.

Here's what is currently in my Wilderness PSK.

Personal Survival Kit

PSK Container.

1 BCB mini-mess tin (Aluminium Roll Closure Lid) 300ml volume.
1 Lifeventure Passport Document Case with 3 foot Paracord strap 9-10 feet total length + 2 small Stainless Steel Lifeventure Carabiners (Caselogic HDD case works as well but no attachment points for the paracord strap etc)

Tools Kit.

1 Fallkniven U2 Folder.
1 Hacksaw Blade cut to fit Box.
2 Finger Razor Blades.
1 BCB finger wire saw.

Fire lighting Section.

1 Small Candle (UHO Citronella cut to size).
1 Firesteel Rod (Mini Model with Striker removed).
1 Ultimate Survival Wet Fire Tinder.
5 Cotton/Wax Balls Tinder.
8 NATO Lifeboat Matches in Waxed Cardboard.
1 Striker pad (for NATO Lifeboat matches).
1 small piece of fine gauge wire wool.
1 Tampon.

Water Section.

2 Alcosak Resealable 400ml Polythene Bags.
1 Unlubricated Condom
10 Lifeventure Water Puritabs.
10 Lifeventure Water Aftertaste tablets.

Signalling and Lighting Section.

1 Ultimate Survival Polycarbonate Signal Mirror.
1 Fenix LOP-SE AAA powered Torch (with SOS function) with spare AAA lithium Cell.
1 Paklite Super with Ultralife Lithium PP3.
1 Liveventure Aluminium Mountain Whistle.

Cooking Kit.

1 Esbit Wing Titanium folding Stove.
3 Esbit Hexamine Fuel Tablets Sealed
2 Stock Drink Sachets. (from British Army 24hr Operational Ration Pack)
2 Instant Tea Sachets. ((from British Army 24hr Operational Ration Pack
1 Sachet of Sugar

Medical Kit.

1 Miniture Lip Salve.
2 Antiseptic Alcohol Wipe (can also be used as improvised firelighter)
4 Ibuprofen Tablets.
2 Aspirin Tablets.
4 Antihistamine Tablets.
2 Waterproof Plasters.
2 Gel Foot Plaster. (Compeed)
1 small vial of Potassium Permanganate.
1 small vial of Bog Myrtle oil.


Navigation Kit.

1 Miniature Luminous Silva SERE compass.
1 Space Pen Refill Fine Black with 30cm of Duct Tape Wrapped.
1 Navigation Aid card.
4 Sheets of A6 Waterproof Paper.

Fishing and Snare Kit.

2 metres of 20 gauge Stainless Steel Wire.
4 small fish hooks.
2 Medium hooks
2 Snap Swivels.
6 Split Lead Weights.
15 Metres Monofilament Fishing Line. 5Kg Breaking Strain.

Miscellaneous.

1 A4 sheet of Aluminium Foil Folded.
1 Set of Survival Instructions. (Doug Ritter Survival Instructions)
3 Assorted Needles and 5 metres of wrapped high Kevar thread.