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.