If you make you own you can fill it for start whit household items:matches,small knive(its better then nothing).

Thank you for replies.

Well, it looks like I will assemble my own kit. It was interesting to look at how much Doug Ritter’s kit will cost to assemble separately. It should cost me less to buy it ready than buying missing items. I actually already started thinking:
- I do not need fire-starter because I can substitute it with Bic lighter and have Swedish fire-starter which I still did not manage to use properly to start fire (mostly because I do not have proper tinder), but I need tinder,
- I do not need compass and signal mirror because I have Silva compass with mirror (do not find it useful while camping, it was more memorabilia to artillery compass I used while trained in the army),
- I do not need magnifying glass because I already have one similar, plus it will be in my SAK,
- I also have other items items like pencil, thread, fishing kit,
But still it looks like it will be cheaper to buy such small ready kit instead of collecting myself.
Could you give me your opinion about British Army Survival Kit? I live in the UK and it is easy for me to find British Army Survival Kit, but I am not sure if it is a good substitute to Doug Ritter’s kit, did not check the difference yet.
Regards,

BTW, you'll never manage to start a fire with the magnifiying glass of a SAK. It's too small. You can if the conditions are perfect with a fresnel lens the side of a buisiness card. And it's so thin that it takes no place in a kit so why not put one. Same for the scalpel blade. You can put a better micro knife but the scalpel blade is so thin that you may as well let it there.

Frankie

Buying Doug's kit has been helpful in several ways for me.

1. When I want something very small and light for skiing, putting in a glove box, etc., it's perfect.

2. It's a good starter kit that will get you thinking.

3. It's great for Christmas presents for friends/family to get them thinking...

I have more extensive kits I put together, and half the fun is obsessing over them.... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Another kit, other than Doug Ritter's that seems to be good value for componants to be used in making your own kit is the NRA kit when it's on sale. It seems, however, that the componants it offers are ones you already have (Blastmatch, tinder, Mirror, whistle). I wouldn't use it as a stand alone kit, but it's a good value if you need those particular componants. The container it comes in is very sturdy as well, though kind of bulky and heavy.

So far I have 3 pre assembled small kits that I have added to my gear.
My first was the Ultimate Survival Deluxe Kit I wanted a saw with a bit more grunt than the wire saws, and this is what I found available down here (Australia) and the other items make a nice little kit.
The next I adde was a BCB Combat survival tin. I'd herd a lot about these, and when they became available here I bought a couple. I ratted the wire saw for my already self assembled PSK tin because it was better than others Id found, but everything else I had already covered, so it was a waste, but I have a small stock of spares <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My recient addition has been the ETS PSP. There is a place over here importing them now (still waiting on the RSK Knife & the Photon) Ive found this a fantastic little kit. It fits better than a tin in my pockets so I carry it more than my other kits.
My only hassle with it is that the pencil is sharp, and being in my pocket it has damaged the foil and clouded up 1 corner of the pack with graphite. Nothing a bit of duct tape around the tip of the pencil wont fix, and it comes with enough to solve that problem <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I dont know what small kits you do have available to you, but I would recomend the ETS PSP, even if you have to ship it overseas. Look at the ETS page to see if they ship to the UK thats how I found them in Australia. The BSB Combat Survival kit is a good starter too, but the ETS PSP is better.

I followed a hybrid approach. A couple years ago, I first found this site, and started planning my kit carefully. I put together most of the necessities, but when Doug's kit came out, I immediately grabbed it.

Since then, I've been gradually adding and subtracting parts as taste and opportunity allow. That's probably best. At the beginning, you will not really be totally aware of your own priorities. Getting a nice kit will get you off the ground and ready for something, but it's important that you then keep an eye on your kit, upgrading what you realize you could improve on.

For example, I added a small piece of wet-dry sandpaper to my kit, along with some 550 cord, some gerber milk baggies, and a coupleother odds and ends. I can't say I've pulled anything out yet, but eventually I'm sure I will.

I just spent the past couple days doing an exercise on this theory. I took the contents list from Doug's Adventure Medical Kit Pocket Survival Pak and checked off the items I already had, which were most of them. I decided I would replace my basic mirror with the rescue Flash, and my standard compass with the 20mm button one. Those two items alone will cost me in the neighborhood of $20 including tax and/or shipping. The kit runs around $30.

So, I'll probably buy a kit, use the items I don't already have, and supplement it with ones I have that aren't in it. One thing I'm looking forward to doing is comparing the Blast Match I already have with the Spark Lite in the kit.

I bought the NRA kit on sale and agree that there are good components for a good price there. I would not call it a survival kit, but rather a base to build around.

As to the question of assemble or buy, I would answer both.

Buy Doug's PSK and carry it while you figure out how to put together the Perfect kit for you.

Obsession...oh yeah. How well I understand. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As my wife of 14 years this December 28th says to me, "You're not obsessing over this, are you?" She knows me very well. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I casually reply, "Hmmm...and what do you think I'm doing?"

"Obsessing as usual," she says, grinning.

<img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

-- Craig