Wow, in retrospect I wish I hadn't waited so long! The Adventure Medical Kits Personal Survival Pak is a terrific kit! First off, the pak itself is very heavy duty and seals well. It's just large enough that it's not tough to get everything back in the pouch- that's great because it encourages you to get familiar with the contents.

And those contents- WOW! I purchased a subscription from Amazon.com; this means they'll send me a new PSP every six months. Subscribing saves a few bucks and shipping is always free (well, I'm a Prime member so it would be anyways). The long and the short of it is that the PSP ends up costing just over $22 each! I'm sure you couldn't buy the stuff seperately for that.

First off, the Spark-Lite is fantastic, as is the tinder. It's amazing the amount of sparks it produces. No, it won't make me leave my GobSpark Armageddon or Bunker Firesteels at home, but it'll be a tremendously capable backup. I was dubious that the Tinder-Quick would be worthwhile; why not just a cottonball? Well, now I see why! A little unravelling of the end and they light instantly, just like a cottonball, but they pack down much, much smaller. Ultimately I might end up buying more of the tinder if I can find a good deal on it.

The whistle is about $9 most places, too. I didn't give it a full toot (being indoors late at night) but I can tell it's gonna be a screamer.

I don't know how the compass will hold up long term, but out of the Pak it points north. That's a plus. And it's really compact. I'm pretty darned impresed with the mirror, too- that's another $10 item. Just the sparker, whistle and mirror are worth what I paid for the kit. Oh, the fresnel lense is very nice, too. And every item is packaged well. The lense has a nice little baggie. The tinder is in a ziplock type bag sized perfectly to fit. The mirror has film on both sides and a bag, etc. I'm confident everything in the kit will be there ready to rock if I ever need it.

How do you guys do it for that price? I might change my subscription and get one every month, just for gifts and stuff.

Kudos, Doug- the AMK PSP is a winner!

BTW, the kit is great as-is, but I found there was room for a couple of Derma-Safe tools, one knife and one saw.

Yup, after spending way too much money on shipping because I had lots of fun compiling individual items for kits, I finally came to the conclusion that the gear is Doug's PSP is really first rate top-quality stuff, price-competitive, and getting the PSP will save folks lots of money on not having to pay the shipping on all the individual items.

The PSP has the quality of gear that you'd end up using after first trying all the other junk out there. Not sure if you've used your Spark-lite yet, but it will surprise you.

Oh, and I like the recommendation that someone else made that people should actually buy two PSPs - one to keep packed for carry, and also have one to "play with", so you know how to use the Spark-lite, the signal mirror, etc. You may want to practice using the Spark-lite w/ PJ-coated cotton balls, just to save on the tinder. If you can light the cotton ball then you can light the Tinder-Quik.

Do add to the PSP the few additional items that Doug recommends, such as a brightly colored mini Bic lighter, a tiny LED flashlight with stay-on switch, and some water purification tablets (keep an eye on their expiration date).

I'd also recommend carefully putting a large-eyed needle in there somewhere. Its useful for all sorts of stuff.

Also, don't forget to carry a decent knife, a brightly colored bandanna, a small first aid kit, and - the most often forgotten gear - some kind of shelter (my preference is two large orange plastic bags since they pack small and are multipurpose - available from outdoorsafe.com if you can't find them elsewhere).

A PLB is also highly HIGHLY recommended. Don't underestimate what it can do for you. My decision to purchase one was made after I started thinking about what folks who have actually gotten into trouble would have been willing to pay for a PLB while they were in trouble. A no-brainer, at least for me.

Ken

Yes, I used the Spark-Lite to light a Tinder-Quick (from the PSK) and a plain old cotton ball. It works very, very well! I'm mulling over whether to buy one or two more of them or simply get a couple more PSPs. The kit is that good.

True, no kit that small could satisfy every desire you'd want in a kit. But it certainly covers the basics. I just recieved my Aqua-Pouches today, and I'm going to see if the 1 qt one would fit in the PSP if I remove the tinfoil.