I was a girl in the seventies so couldn't join Scouts no matter how badly I wanted to!

My parents weren't preppers but they were campers who grew up in the country with parents that survived the depression and WW2. My mom was the last in a long line of nurses, and my dad once survived a cave-in in a mine. I have a very vivid childhood memory of bugging-out during a train detrailment and subsequent propane spill. My mom took her own BOB and went to work while Dad bugged-out with us to my grandparents. I was just little, and I know they had very short notice, but it seemed to me that those bags were already packed and pulled out from under the bed.

We always had first aid supplies on-hand and a full panty and deep freeze. The camping stuff was always packed and ready to go, and there were always kits and blankets in the cars. Mom always made us take an extra sweater or jacket for "just in case", and Dad always made us keep our snowsuits on in the car in the winter because we had to "dress to survive not just to arrive." He gave me my first SAK when I took my first solo camping trip at the end of high school. He told me to always keep it in my pocket. I thought he only meant while I was camping.

I've always been a gadget girl but I never took these lessons to heart until the East Coast blackout of 2003. I was home in our 24th floor apartment with our newborn. He wasn't breast-feeding and I didn't have any water to make formula. I wasn't physically able to make it down the stairs to go look for some. My husband walked for hours to get home, wearing dress shoes and without water. He then had to climb those stairs three times to find out we didn't have water and then to go get some.

I couldn't take care of my child. That did it for me! 9/11 spooked me but this time I had someone else to take care of. I started google-ing, found ETS and never looked back.

I think I had to opposite problem Tyber. The adults around me seemed prepared for everything so I never gave it much thought as a kid.

I can relate. Back when I backpacked, I was often the only one with a full set of prepped (declination lines, location of basecamp, etc) 7.5 minute topos, a decent compass, and duck tape.

All my life, thanks to my dad.

Back in 2005 he and mom were down from Minnesota visiting me in Texas. Their car got rear-ended and totalled. The wrecker driver watched in amazement as dad transfered to my car wool blankets, tool kit, fire extinguisher(s), tow ropes, hatchet, crow bar, winter clothing, MREs, toilet paper, bottled water, emergency flares, buck saw, first aid kit, flashlights, CB radio, folding shovel, umbrella(s), ponchos, space blankets, Fix-A-Flat, fishing gear, spare walking shoes for him and mom, and assorted other survival gear that had been neatly hidden throughout their car.

I wish I could find my pictures of this car when they drove from Minnesota to Nome, Alaska. It looked like something out of "The Road Warrior". He had several spare tires and gas cans straped to the roof, the headlights were covered in chicken wire for protection, and he made his own brushguards for it (Subaru Outback). They were planning on taking "the scenic route" rather than the Alaskan Highway. They were both 68 years old at the time. They made it there and back with only three flat tires and a cracked windshield. Dad figures next time he'll figure out how to put chicken wire over the windshield too. He's 75 now.

I don't remember there ever being a time when I wasn't expected to have a knife, matches (occasionally taken away from me!), and some string on me at all times.

-Blast

Three things; becoming a father, working as a first responder (I kinda happened into that job) and living in the PNW (where we will, sooner or later get a CSZ caused Earthquake).

-Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" and the subsequent sequels for kits.
-"The Hobbit" for EDC.
-(more recently)Burt Gummer for full-blown, in-home preps.
-This site was the first time i heard the idea of a compact, pocket-sized kit.

Amazingly, my dad and Boy Scouts. When I had my 6th birthday my dad took me camping to Hinnager Flats (sp?) in the foothills of Pasadena, CA, where he had camped a lot growing up. I got a SAK Classic as my first knife (and or course, promplty lost it). That was my first "keep with me" gear. A few years later I joined boy scouts. Initially my 10 Essentials were in my backpack, and occasionally put in my pockets for scurrying around our campsites. A little after that (11 or 12?) I finally put it in a dedicated, surplus Army canvas pouch.

Around that same time, Boys Life (The BSA monthly newsletter) had an article about "make your own survival kit." It was based on a 35mm film can, and was way cool! I made one, had about 10 meters of fishing line, a few weights and sinkers, some matches, a razor blade, and my own innovation, morse code and the ground-to-air sympols written and taped with packing tape (so it's waterproof!) on the outside of the can. Carried that lil bugger everywhere.

I kind of stagnated through college, carrying basically a knife only, usually in my backpack, often just a SAK. But when I went to grad school I found a Pelican M6 and was super impressed by it's brightness and size! Henceforth, a flashlight was in my bag. It didn't help I got my first mugging in Philly, so the knife was dual purpose (in my mind).

After the Kim family got lost in Oregon I got real interested again. I found this site in a knife magazine (I get Tactical Knives at airports) and loved it! I had just moved to Missouri, out in what was relatively isolated farmland, and had started dating a new girl. Her Xmas present was a car-kit, made from locally available stuff, in a walmart plastic tool box. She put up with my quirks enough to marry me 2 months ago, and the kit is still in her trunk. There's also a wool blanket and 3 MRE's that have migrated there.

With that tragedy, I found ETS, had a mad flurry of making Stacy's kit, my car kit (a poor affair that was my first post) and a house kit. It was fun! Then I made a small altoid can kit as my second try at a small kit, which is still sealed and in my camping supplies. I made a small belt kit for day to day (which is now in my car... not on me... mainly work uniform restrictions). Funny, but I'm essentially back at a flashlight and knife daily. My car has a lot of cubbies, which are chock full of stuff. Being a truck, there's a large FAK and 2 wool blankets in the truck box too.

Long winded, but not sure which you'd consider my real "trigger" to start this mad affair.

Working 3 years in a Natural Gas Plant in the peruvian jungle.
(11 50 26.25 S 72 56 46.31 O)with frecuent helo flights and river navigation

Like many of you, my dad was the real start. He was a WWII pilot and had to walk home a few times. He was well prepared from growing up in a rural town. Living on a working ranch in the mountains with him out of town a lot (field work in the oil business) sharpened the interest and gave me a good guide. Got into SAR at 13 (Civil Air Patrol), the local fire department at 16. Started to fly in the rockies about that time, for transportation and search. At 18 I joined a mountain rescue group. I also worked for the local ambulance company and police department in college. A trip to the Antarctic for field work brought some new experience and training. A stint in the Army added to my training in jungle survival and interest in staying alive. It also introduced me to some of the world's heaviest and least useful commercial kits. Some 45 years of field geology and geophysics around the world, particularly in the arctic. LOTS of time as pilot or passenger in helo's and small airplanes over REALLY remote areas has kept up my interest. Many chances to "try out" various kits, sometimes even for fun, let me know what I was doing right (and wrong :-(.

All these things got me going and kept up my interest. I have only made a few hundred survival kits and bought as many more. I am still looking for the right one, though I now start with a Ritter PSK for small ones. First time I bought a kit I would willingly carry. Thanks Doug. Thanks to those of you here (the new ones thanks in advance) for helping me improve my kits. Like most of you I have a number of kits - Hurricane kit, house kit, car kits, bug out kits, aviation kits, field kits for different situations, rescue kits, etc. This site has helped me improve all of them.

Thanks to all,

Jerry

Years ago, spent 2 days up a mountain waiting out a bad storm. It did not take long to find out that the 10 essentials is not adequate enough gear for all circumstances.

Skip forward some years and after spending most of my life outdoors whether it be mountain climbing, short and long distance hiking, camping, fishing etc, my interest in outdoor survival gear has grown exponentially to fit whatever venture I was/am involved in to the point of having almost too much survival gear as evidenced by the growing pile in the living room corner..