Yes. While the tin is a good start, I find it a tad too small, too metal and not water/dustproof. Currently trying out some slightly bigger kit sizes and materials...

I'm a fan of a psk in a pouch that's More camoflauged - a waterproofed digital camera case is my current favorite. Mine has a Ritter AMK PSK plus a few extras. (i.e. mini bic, keychain led, mag bar, SAK, extra tinder, etc.)

I gave up my Altoids too. Now I use a Maxpedition organizer and anything that needs to be waterproof is stored in Aloksak bags inside. The Maxpedition cases are water resistant and are teflon coated to keep it from getting grimy.

They make several sizes (inches)
Micro Pocket Organizer 3.5x5.5x1
Mini Pocket Organizer 4x6x0.75
E.D.C. Pocket Organizer 5x7.0.75
Fatty Pocket Organizer 5x7x2

They also make a lot of other organizer type pouches...
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/Organizers-c14.htm

I haven't used a tin to store my PSK in years - like the Otterbox I once carried around and the aluminum match safe kit, it just didn't accessorize well with my purse (not joking). At one point I was storing my PSK in an Aveda makeup bag, but now I'm back to the red Witz container.

Walmart has some Witz-like containers where the opening is on the long side (instead of the top, making it easier to access) that Izzy reviewed awhile back. They might also be good options for you.

LOL@ Christine and Izzy. I'm with you Christina. I get enough ribbing as it is without inviting it every time I open my purse. (the keychain and waterbottle clipped to it to a fine enough job of that.)

I'll have to check the witz out. Do I go to sports, pharamcy, jewlery or purse section of the store?

For me, the altoids tin represents represent a "survival-in-a-tin-can" magical talisman that has no place what so ever in my world. I was exposed to a flawed PSK concept at an early age - and instinctively disliked the idea that a few fishing hooks and a condom stuffed into an incredible tiny amount of space (altoids tin, or worse: Cheap "Rambo" survival knife copy) would somehow assume magical powers and prevent me from freezing to death.

My misinterpretation of the PSK concept doesn't fit the way I think, the way I pack or the way I organize my gear. Not then, not now.

Now, I've adapted and modified the PSK idea to fit my modus operandi. I now consider it a convenient way to carry some backup and emergency items that I would otherwise scatter all over my pockets (and forget the day I really need it). I never go anywhere interesting without it. Still, my clothing, my bivy bag and whatever else that is in my pack is more vital to my survival than the little Doug Ritter pouch that I've modified to my liking.

Somehow, the altoids tin still reminds me of the magical survival talisman concept...

i ran this photo awhile ago but for those who missed it here it is again. a reproduction ,with a few of the original items,of my 1958 Boy Scout "lost kit".we were told they were not to be survival kits but just something to tide you over until you were found,which of course would happen with no problem.



since then i never tried again to make up a pocket tin kit.

My list of containers abounds that I've used.
When I first started, I looked in vain for one of those BCB tins that Lefty wrote about in his book.

Since then I've used:
Altoids tins - impossible to keep dry
Plastic Sucrets box - almost as bad but too thick
Zip loc baggies - not durable but replacements are cheap!
Pill box - not 100% waterproof but not bad either
Fishing lure box - not 100% waterproof but not bad either
Bulk film canister (I used to roll my own b&w film from 50' and 100' rolls back in the '70s) - not waterproof and too large for pocket but makes a pretty good boiling container
Lock'n'lock food containers - waterproof but bulky
1040 pelican case - waterproof but very bulky for the volume

and today I use the Ritter PSK pouch. My problem is that after many uses, it doesn't want to stay 100% closed now so either I find a replacement pouch or another container.

Hey, no problem dropping the Altoid PSK if it works for your circumstances. That's part of the fun!

For me, the Altoid PSK is truly a last ditch, nothing left on me kit. It reproduces nearly all of the 10 essentials. one day I'll have to pull it apart and take pictures, but I'm afraid I won't be able to repack it!

A 2" locking buck, a fauxton light, some tinder, a sparklight, some hurricane matches and striker, a few water purification pills, tin foil, a ziplock bag, a few clothes pins and needles, some fishing line, a few inches of electrical tape, about 20" of orange paracord, a button compass... that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Like I wrote in a previous post, I don't carry "survival gear." to me, it's basic camping gear. The PSK is my nod towards the possibility of being seperated from my gear. It stays in my pocket whenever I'm in the woods.

What did you keep in your Pelican 1040? It must have been a comprehensive kit. The interior dimensions are 6.50" x 3.87" x 1.75".

Jeanette Isabelle

My understanding is that the altoids tin PSK was developed primarily for person in flight who would be thrust into a survival situation as the result of a forced landing or crash, perhaps having only the clothes on their back. For that purpose, it is way better than nothing. A bulkier, more adequate survival kit could hinder your egress from the craft, putting you in jeopardy.

On the other hand, if I am planning a wilderness trip of some sort, nearly all of my gear is devoted to some aspect of survival. In this situation, a dedicated altoids style PSK makes much less sense.

I do find an altoids container just about right for holding my backup fire starting materials, which is definitely a redundant item I will carry gladly.

I carry one.

The young and foolish try to pack an all singing, all dancing kit into one.

The older and wiser nub it down to a few useful bit's.

I carry in mine:

2 x Wetfire.
3 x Tinderquick.
4 x Wet n Windy's (lifeboat matches to you) with striker.
6 x Waterproof matches with striker.
1 x Sailmakers needle.
10ft heavy duty tread.
20 ft 30lb spyderwire fishing line.
3 hooks.
Button compass.
6 chlorine dioxide tablets.
6 ft sash cord.

I stash knife, mutitool etc in my pockets.

An excellent idea nuggethoarder - thank you. I have been struggling with the both the Altoid and a separate FAK.

The Micro seems small enough to fit in the cargo pocket, but large enough to store the contents of both without being to bulky.

If you use milspec pants, then all of the Maxpedition organizers I mentioned will fit in a cargo pocket - even the Fatty organizer. Some brands of tactical pants are not milspec and are too small for the Fatty or the E.D.C. organizer but will accept at least the Mini and Micro.

for what it's worth... you can get the following in a 4x6 heavy duty zip top pouch that holds 350ml of liquid...thickness is that of the miniBic and whistle

mini Bic, wrapped with 4' duct tape with button compass taped on
TOPS thin 3 chamber whistle
4 Katadyn ClO2 tabs
2 Tylenol, 2 Advil
3 Steri Strips
2 cloth knuckle bandaids
2x2 Blood stopper gauze
povidone iodine prep pad
6' duct tape on card
small ferro rod
heavy duty needle
20' 15# mono line
1L pouch (from food processor bag)
rescue flash signal mirror
AAA battery (for Fenix E01)

I went to the heavy duty zip top pouch originally to have the water transport capability... has been in a cargo pocket for 6+ months and shows no wear...as the active part of the hurricane sesason gets closer, switched the Vic Farmer out for a Vic Multi tool (wish it were titanium)

I keep the basic tin in my daily pack. But I use others as parts of other kits: fire kit, first aid kit, meds kit, fishing kit, water kit (oven bag & tubing), etc.

Sue

But.. but... but... it's curiously strong! (You knew this one was coming.)

Seriously, a part of the pleasure for me is making the tin empty. I like Altoid tins because they are a good disguise, and they are small. But there is always a trade off, I guess.

Da Bing

It was for a combined psk and a fak. I didn't use it for very long because the size wasn't practical. Back then my items were also a bit larger in volume. Nowadays I use it to store electronics in it especially when on the water.

Today my philosophy is to break the two functions into separate flexible pouches. That makes it easier to put one each into cargo pants pockets.

I use a small, clear waterproof bag, the type with a multi-fold velcro at the top. After a couple of years it has proven durable and has stayed dry.


I think that the idea of an Altoids tin is great - its a good (and often cheap) way to get people and kids engaged and thinking about equipment, how it can be used and what they would do in particular situations. For some people the exercise may stop there, for others they will naturally start to expand...

I guess that most people on the forum would have "survival" built into everything - key ring, wallet, purse, backpack, car, home, work etc ... but I would hazzard a guess many would have started with some kind of a mini-kit - like an Altoids ?

Altoids - Its like those soft drugs that go on to get people hooked on hard core-survival !

That's it: Altoids is a gateway container!

lol

Altoids ... the gateway kit.

Working with a sandwich sized Tupperware box. Nice and still fits in a big pocket

One advantage of an altoids kit is that I can store it in hubby's truck without him tossing it during a "clean out the clutter" exercise.

In some cases an Altoid Tin kit isn't much help, in others it might be just what you need. For example, what do you need for urban/suburban situations? You probably will not be collecting ground water or trapping pigeons in Rockefeller Center, or setting-up camp in the food court at the mall. Your employer will not take well to you making a fire in your cubical to boil water or generate heat.

When I think of the things I want to have on my person at all times, this is what I come up with:

• Flashlight
• Pocket knife
• First Aid
• Sewing Kit
• Duct Tape
• ID
• Cash
• Car key
• House key
• Public Transit Fare Card
• Hard Candy
• Water container
• Water purification
• N95 Mask
• Smoke Mask
• Multi-Tool
• Insulated Leather Gloves
• Warm, water-repellent jacket
• Warm hat

Water will never fit in my tin, but it fits in my hand, and nobody gives a second glance to someone bringing a bottle of water into a meeting. I can fit an oven bag or condom and some water purification tablets. But do I need them in my pocket? Or is it acceptable to keep them in my EDC?

Gloves, hat, jacket? Not in my tin. I can wear a jacket (and, in fact, my jacket can be part of my EDC transport system, as in Scottevest jackets) and stuff my other items in the pockets. I can probably even get by bringing my jacket to a meeting. Or I can stick a jacket in my EDC bag and have it "available," but not ever-present. Ditto for an N95 mask, smoke mask and multi-tool.

The rest of the stuff can fit into an Altoids tin. And in many cases this would be enough to get by on if everything else was lost. Not to survive for days or travel tens of miles, but to handle common crisis. I don't need my tin to be waterproof or dust proof, though I can wrap it with electrical tape to make it reasonably so. Nothing inside will be ruined by getting wet or dusty, at least nothing that isn't already sealed.

As has been pointed-out elsewhere on this site, even after the 9/11 attacks, walking just 15 minutes away from the WTC area you could get water, food and medical supplies. 15 minutes east or west and you could be on a ferry out of the city. 15 minutes north and you were on a subway or in a cab and heading for a train or bus out of the city, or for a hotel room to hunker down until things sorted out. Wildfires and hurricanes don't pop-up out of nowhere.

True, if you're in an earthquake or tornado prone area, things can go very wrong very quickly and without warning. Your EDC needs to reflect those risks. But I'm not ready to dismiss candy tin kits quite yet. Sure, they are limited, but sometimes they are all you need. And sometimes its hard to bring your EDC with you to every meeting. Ideally, that EDC would still be reasonably accessible, but in a panic even a dozen yards might still be out of reach. Something that carries easily in the pocket of my dress pants still has value, IMHO.

I still carry my basic PSK in a tin, though it's a tobacco tin sized container (quite a bit more volume than an altoids tin), which is just about the right size for a belt pouch or cargo pocket.

The reason I decided on a tin this size is because it's small enough to fit into a cargo pocket, but large enough to carry a water container -- in my case, a couple of rolled up bags with a 1 liter mark on them for use with the water purification tablets. You might be able to cram something like that into an altoids tin, but for all practical purposes you won't have much room for anything else. I really wanted something that had it's own water container available because if I was left with nothing but the kit, it's not easy to find a bowl in nature, and I wanted this to be able to serve as a stand alone kit, not just a supplement to my EDC.

I prefer this to plastic containers because although it's not as water resistant, the tin can be used to boil water in (I've tried it), though not a LOT of water. I realize one can boil water in plastic, but it is more challenging.

I prefer it to soft camera-bag type pouches for the reason stated above, plus it's a bit more water resistant than those pouches.

It's a tradeoff. Plastic containers are more waterproof, and pouches are more comfortable, but IMO metal containers have more uses.

Anyway, I know the odds of me needing to actually survive with nothing but this kit is almost nil. My EDC is pretty well thought out, and if I am going out hiking I will of course be carrying other supplies in addition, plus I try and do due diligence and inform others when I'm out and about. I've found that taking the time to create a well thought out PSK has the side effect of making one less likely to find themselves in a situation in which they need it in the first place... and that's fine with me!

You have to admit though...there's a certain nostalgia to the Altoids kit...and a good exercise in thinking of ways to modify typical contents

While it is nice to have a bit more equipment than one can stuff into an altoids tin, it is the perfect shape to carry essentials on body without any significant bumps or protrusions that can impede egress from confined spaces, like an aircraft fuselage.

I don't fly non-commercially all that often, but when I did, it was worth packing about two altoids with goodies, just in case, and keeping them on body, along with my belt knife and survival keyring.

I really like the tobacco tin container, since that gives you something to heat water in, and a lot more space, but the trade off is its bulkiness.

I like a larger belt kit like a cell phone or camera case. Carries slightly more and a full size folder.

...and reduces pocket clutter. Mines' about 3" x4 x2 . Very low profile, back of belt.

A small digital camera case is my preferred method of PSK carry too!

Double post. Sorry!

This thread, the Altoids tin challenge, and my son's Cub Scout Camping badge work, got me thinking about the now empty Altoids tin in the kitchen junk basket. my son and I just turned it into a little kit with:

-6 lifeboat matches*
-2 birthday candles*
*wrapped in 2 ziplock bags and secured with a little duct tape
-1 mini BIC
-1 scaple blade (wrapped in a little tinfoil)
-1 standard razor blade (wrapped in tin foil)
-1 white mini LED
-1 tube of lip balm
-5 cotton balls
-1 hard candy
-1 wool needle
-1 flexible straw

The tin has been wrapped in duct tape and is currently waiting for some paracord whipping.

Not the most robust kit in the world, and heavy on fire, but not a bad suplimentary kit for the car or hiking kit in the Canadian winter.

I think that one of the things we have learned about being prepared is to have a hierarchical approach to our kits.

The first step in the hierarchy is what we have in our pockets--however packaged. After that is what is in our EDC bag, whatever it is called (including a purse). Then it is what is quick access behind the driver's seat in the car, followed by something bigger in the trunk.

And, not to belabor the obvious, where you live changes a lot. North Dakota in the winter vs. southern Florida in the summer. extra warmwear vs. mosquito netting clothing.

Absolutely right on both points, Hanscom. The similarities are generalizations like shelter, fire, water, food, comms and protection, but what those mean and how they are prioritized will be individualized to each of us. We might all carry basics like water, fire, knife, light and whistle but what those are exactly will be different for each of us.

Hey All, I still carry an Altoids Based Kit (and even smaller) when I need to have the lightest back-up kit I can because of all the other work/play equipment I am caring. I do cheat on this though because I almost always have my usual EDC equipment on me also. I am working on a new Belt Pouch, Altoid Tin based Hunting kit that I started 2 years ago and must have finished by next fall. Later, Mike

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with

Ditto! Warning to all newbies - kit design and modification can easily become an addiction. A fun and useful one, but addiction no less.

for a belt pouch ...the remnants of my AMK (I EDC some of it) reside in an ammo pouch with bellows gussets (approx 5x3x2"), velcro full flap... holds Adventure Medical Kit, Heat Sheet, MRE beverage bag, Katadyn ClO2 tabs, full faceplate Silva compass with Ranger beads,wire saw, SAK with scissors and saw, Bic and firesteel

for EDC a generic multitool pouch... LM Juice S2, ClO2 tabs, water bag from food processor pouch, section hacksaw blade, safety pins, needle, small firesteel, duct tape on card, and straw with petroleum cotton ball... the rest of the EDC items, P38,Fenix,whistle,pill fob are on the key ring, a couple of cloth bandaids, non adherent pad, and small bloodstopper gauze in the wallet