I do this because I'm a private pilot who flies over remote locations, and a backpacker and snowshoer who frequently is miles from civilization on challenging routes, including trailless peak ascents and bushwhacks.

So, my survival kit is meant to actually be used if things go awry, and I've in fact used it several times (never for a life-threatening situation or for being "lost in the woods," but for small emergencies and repairs.)

I don't plan, nor collect gear, for the "EOTWAWKI" scenarios, though I do occasionally think about what might happen with civil unrest or the declaration of martial law here after a terrorist strike.

- Steve