Might I suggest the ability to boil water.
I notice that you have fish hooks, but those are more of a long term survival item. If you dunk and come ashore, your immediate need is to warm up. The ability to get some form of hot liquid (be that tea, coffee, soup, even just plain hot water) into your system could make all the difference. (I know that the requirements to become a canoe trip leader according to the British Canoe Union are that you have to be able to get a fire going and a hot liquid into your system within ten minutes.)

I always include an aluminum baking tin (one of the small loaf tins. Unroll the rim, fold it to fit in a tin, bash it with a dead blow mallet, and put it in. I folded and unfolded three to see if the folding and bashing caused any holes to form. I didn't see any. (And in an emergency, duct tape will fix that.) I will try one again in a year to see how it stands up. I just find it much easier to unfold and put over a fire than trying to fold a piece of tin foil into a vessel.

Another thing to consider is some form of clothing to change into. Maybe some poly pro long johns, perhaps some socks and a balaclava and gloves also. Vacuum seal it into as small a package as possible. Carry it in the cargo pockets of your pants. While not much, some barrier against the cold and wind will certainly help. And also start wringing out your clothes as soon as practical to get as much water out as you can.

HTH

Thomas

Fire is the critical item here. Go at least double and triple would be a good idea. Something that will work with cold, wet, numb hands & fingers.
Dave

I think for an “on person/PFD” kit you are in pretty good shape. Don’t go overboard, too much bulk/many items could limit your mobility. While most of the suggested add ons, do not increase weight significantly, keep in mind items that might become wet and water logged could add significant weight that your PFD might or might not be rated to support. I am not a big proponent of using 550/parcord to lanyard items to you or your PFD, unless they are attached in such a way as to be able to break away if they were to become entangled from underwater obstacles.

I would add either a survival blanket or a large vacuum-packed heavy-duty trash bag to act as a vapor/wind barrier.

Pete

Another thing to consider might be upgrading your PFD to something with more pockets. I have a couple different versions that look like fishing vests with floatation. They are Type III PFD's.

I saw one recently in the Cabela's online catalog that looked like it would allow you to spread your gear around, organized in multiple pockets. The ones I have from Sterns are good, but, this one looked particularly interesting:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...;amp;hasJS=true

Particularly if you're doing something active, like paddling, you'll want to distribute the gear around, rather than having a big heavy lump in one spot. I have a vest/PFD like this outfitted for fishing and basic survival. When I go fishing on other people's boats I hope they are prepared, but, I don't assume it. I'll have to pull it out and put the list of items here.

Thanks to all of you for the input.
I should have been clearer about the kit size. With the exception of the knife and light stick, the kit contents need to fit in the single pocket in the existing PFD. That's the main reason for the CD mirror is it is thinner than the normal signal mirror. I should also have added that I always carry a Leatherman Wave, AA Maglite, and Doan magnesium block in a belt pouch.
The hexamene block is a firestarter as I have had variable success with the cotton/petrolium jelly type.
I agree an emergency locator beacon would be a nice, tho expensive, addition. It, and any bulkier gear such as maps, GPS, metal cup etc would reside in the Woodsloafer's day pack tied in to the boat.
I have been looking for a PFD that has more storage pockets, but I'm concerned about comfort and gear restrictions while paddling. I'll take a look at Cabella's. I am also considering a manually inflaitable type III PFD, like the Sospenders units. The waist belt could be replaced by a fanny pack belt and the unit inflated by mouth prior to running any rapids.
I'll let you know when I complete the level II kit and add the inside pockets to the Extrasport PFD.
By the way, a few years ago, I recall seeing a thin pack designed to be fastened to the back of a PFD. Anyone remember the manufacturer; it seems it was a PFD maker?

Extrasport has a hydration pack that will fit on many of their PFDs. I would think you could you use the outer bag for storage instead of the hydration bladder.

Retropack
Pete

When I suggested the Cabela's model, I forgot about an inflatable one that I saw also. If you want to consider an inflatable style, you can look at Mustang Survival's fishing vests, they have a few styles. Six pockets, manually operated CO2 inflation. Here's a reference page:

http://www.mustangsurvival.com/products/product.php?id=228

I haven't tried these vests in particular, but, Mustang's gear is good enough that I see Mustang survival gear on commercial fishing boats, and I've seen Mustang suits on Coast Guard vessels at Woods Hole on Cape Cod.

Take a look at the Lotus Designs EFT pack. It attaches to the back of the PFD and contains a hydration bladder.

web page

Actually picked this link from the ETS forum many moons ago

web page

It concerns hypothermia kits, pfd kits, etc...

That's a great link. Thank you.

-- Craig