I just discovered this thread, so sorry about resurrecting it.<br><br>I noticed most of the responses pretty quickly switched from 'are rectangular tins better than round ones?' to 'which rectangular tin is the best?' <br><br>I firmly believe that the most important aspect of a survival kit is that you have it when you need it. Read the story on this website (http://www.equipped.org/waldock698.htm) about the two small aircraft crashes, where a Wilderness Survival Instructor (*an INSTRUCTOR*) died of hypothermia after a plane crash in which he sustained only minor injuries. ("Them that can, do; them that can't, teach." :-) His carefully packaged survival kit was later found in the trunk of his car at the airport. A SAK in your pocket is better than the most carefully crafted PSK in a car 50 miles away.<br><br>I haven't thought of using a round tin, or of the Altoids not being watertight. The big advantage to the Altoids tin, IMO, is that will fit in a shirt pocket. Maybe that's not where I'd want to keep it, but the point is, if I have to exit a burning aircraft, I don't want to have to stop and look around for my survival kit, I want something in my pockets that will be there without me having to think about it. I may not even take time to grab my Mega-Keyring out of the ignition.<br><br>So if a round tin does that, and is reasonably waterproof to boot, who cares what other people think? It's not a fashion statement :-)