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!