Additional items for the ritter PSK

Pretty Decent. Sad tho that there is not a single mention of Doug Ritter In the entire video and description...Looks like AMK gets all the glory once again...Not even the knife was mentioned as Ritter designed...oh well...

"Glory?" - Hopefully DR gets the royalties - that will put meat on the table.

SPARTA FIGHTS FOR GLORY!

Same thing can be said about the spark lite and fox 40 whistle most people think AMK Makes and designed them...sigh...

No slag on Doug here but I think the creator of the video was trying to emphasis his alternatives to the expanded PSK kit. Apparently he balked at the extra money for the expanded it and decided to improvise his own additions.

Many of them were well thought out, except I laughed at his mickey mouse imitation SAK he added. I've got a nearly identical one at a trade show -- it is a joke. Although he did say that it was no substitute for a good blade carried external to the kit. A much better choice for the micro knife would have been a Leatherman Micra or Squirt P4 which is what I added to mine. But that does add to the cost.

He picked an inexpensive squeeze light. I prefer a slightly more expensive Photon 2 which is smaller and doesn't use a momentary switch and pushed to activate.

I do like his additions of the Gerber bags and the water tablets and sewing kit though. Doubling of the fire tinder doesn't hurt. But his kit was so crammed that it looked like it could burst its seams pretty easily.

I wouldn't waste $2 or 1/2 oz on a light with no constant on. About the only thing the squeeze light is good for is getting your keys in the door lock. Aside from that he had some good additions. In one of my own Ritter/AMK kits I added a cheap LED that has a squeeze-on and a locking sliding switch, along with a bit more tinder, a real firesteel, a folding razor knife and micro saw, etc. I also added a 1 Qt folding water container.

A real SAK Classic is actually a pretty good tool. I EDC one along with a Leatherman Wave. Kept sharp, that small blade performs amazingly well. I probably employ the scissors as often as the blade in everyday use. The tweezers are definitely handy.

JMNSHO.

There are a couple of things about the PSP that bug me.

First off, I am not real sure just what it is supposed to be for. It seems to me its real utility is as something you keep in your pocket in the woods when you are out and about in case you get separated from your real gear somehow. That's about the only thing that makes sense to me for such a kit.

The second thing is the inexplicable inclusion of a scalpel blade that is completely unusable in the field. A 59 cent disposable Exacto type craft knife that comes with a short handle and a blade cover would have cost about the same, easily fit in the kit, and actually added utility instead of just taking up space and adding to the kit's quantity of items.

The rest of the kit seems pretty good for me in its role as a backup to my real gear that I somehow lost.

I don't think a fishing kit is all that useful, but the line might be. To his credit, Doug admits in one of his articles that this kind of stuff might be more marketing than useful.

There is not enough snare wire to be useful for much of anything as far as snares go, but it might be useful for other things.

The needle might be useful but ever try to sew with large thread and needle with even moderately cold fingers? Just about impossible.

One can nitpick at the choice of firestarter. I kind of agree with the guy in the video that a small butane lighter will serve most people far better in most cases, even though it has some issues of its own. Adding one to the kit makes a lot of sense to me.

If I had a PSP, I would add some doggie poop bags to it for water storage. They are amazingly strong for their almost negligible weight and size. And dirt cheap.

I would add a few water tabs of some kind as well. Does it bug you guys as much as it bugs me that people refer to boiling, water tabs, etc as purification means instead of disinfection means? Words mean things, and the tablets purify nothing. Nor does boiling.

I can't say I think much of the tiny knife added to the plus version. I have used such blades in the past and never liked them. To me they are not all that much more useful than a small handled Exacto knife.

The idea of adding Tabasco sauce packets to this kind of kit (as the video showed) seems about as useful to me as those who add a piece of hard candy.

To me a small light of some kind is an important thing to add. It gets very dark in the woods, even during the day.

I doubt it would fit in the PSP pouch, but an emergency poncho of some kind in another pocket might turn out to be the most useful item of all.

That's a proper SAK classic, not an imitation. I have one in mine.

Also: Adding the mini-BIC is a very good idea. Again, I have one in mine. In my view it's a better choice than matches. Gives you a substained flame. I've added a ziplock bag to mine and MP-1's. I'm seriously thinking about adding a hot drink and a sachet of sugar.

Over all I would rate that as a video giving excellent advice.

Feel free to disagree.

ILBob, respectfully: GO look at the main page and read through Doug's comments on the RSK. That should address your concerns.

http://www.dougritter.com/psp_index.htm

Regards,
Leigh.

The bottom line on all of this is to review the contents of any PSK, make additions that suit you, and know how to utilize the gear when and if the time comes. This is a very healthy discussion.

I personally prefer matches in a waterproof container to butane lighters in a tight situation, although I use butane routinely with my stoves. Matches have always worked for me in situations where I absolutely positively had to have a fire right away.

My advice:

Carry both.

A lighter and matches. Ferroceium rod as well.

There is no such animal as overkill when it comes to firelighting.

I rechecked the video - at first I thought it was an imitation like the one I have but his is the real deal which is much better than the knock-off. I still prefer using a Squirt which isn't much bigger.

Good Video, but for an extra $40 I would add the following;

Knife

Laser signaler

Flashlight

Windproof Lighter or Alternative Cheaper Windproof Lighter

and if room allowed a Folding Stainless Spork

The sewing kit and fishing line/kit are always useful additions, I would also include some 3M Steristrips, alcohol wipes, some NATO lifeboat matches and Striker Pad and a P38 can opener.

I probably have read the comments. I was not dissing him. You have to make choices about these kind of things and often the reasons for the choices mean you come out with stuff that does not seem to make all that much sense. Like the scalpel blade.

I don't think much of the idea of putting a single edge razor in such a kit either. Not any better IMHO.

ILBob, I honestly think your completely missing the point of a "Pocket" survival kit. Also I would love to see you process enough wood for a proper survival situation training session with just an X-acto knife. I will Admit any form of Handle lacking Razor blade, utility or Scalpel, isnt ideal for processing wood but for processing animals and Wild edibles Im sure it will get the job done.


Also I just purchased Lansinoh Brand Milk bags (6$ for 25) and already have great impressions. They are no different then a zip lock back in say thickness and side welds but it is a vertical shaped back and does have two closer zips. The first bottom one is sturdy well locking and Im guessing the main zip to hold the water in the second one above that is disappointingly weak infact weaker then a off brand storage bags lock. No idea why they would do this but would I prefer folding one or more of these up in a PSP over a condom? Yes....thousand times yes...

On a Side note These look like they would be great to store tinder and electronics such as cellphones cameras and Mp3 players in.

everyone on this forum has their own vision of what a kit should contain, and where their weight / size / cost / portability payoffs are. Any pre-made kit will have that decision made already, and the point will be the creators, not yours. Thats we spend so much time tweaking our kits.

In reality I think Dougs kit, a photon, a SAK and a space blanket is a pretty decent compromise that will be in your pocket when you need it and most people can afford and understand

"processing wood" means getting it ready to use as fuel for a fire, right? I have done it lots of times without using any tools at all. Sometimes I have used a big rock. Usually it takes about fifteen minutes or so to get enough together to last all night.

If I have logs that I can's break up, I feed them into the fire at one end, or burn them into two pieces. The critical step in fire building is getting the fie started and acquiring the tinder for that step. A chunk of esbit fuel or similar can simply that job.

Unless it is of poor quality, and those do exist, I don't believe a tool should be balked at. The tool that works for you is the tool you should carry.

Jeanette Isabelle