Sue, my survival tin will hold about 500 or so Altoids if I was to use it for such a thing. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Bigger is better, until it gets too big. I CAN"T carry my surival tin with me as EDC becuase it is too inconvienent. But I do carry on my person at least one knife, one multitool, and one flashlight, every day. Medical and firemaking materials are all around me, even if they aren't very traditional.

Carry what you can when you can. Carry your head every day.

I roamed around on eBay today looking for handwarmers. The best deal I could find per unit was forty cents each.
Anyone interested in 110 of these critters can look at eBay
item 8 7 5 1 1 1 2 7 5 3. Cost plus shipping figures out at forty cents each. Expiration date 2011. This is a Buy It Now deal so there is no bidding. If you don't need this many, there are lesser amounts available. Some are out of reason on price and some not so bad. As I said, figure about forty cents each. On the search feature, key words are "HAND WARMERS".

Also priced these new, longer Trioxene Heat Tabs. They are scored for breaking into three pieces and last much longer than the originals. Several BUY IT NOW offers. Best deal I found is about 15 cents per tab which includes shipping.
Key search word "TRIOXENE". One such sale is number 6 5 9 6 7 5 8 6 6 8.

Boone

I'm not certain about others, but for me socially it can be rather difficult to carry around a hip pack and certainly a man purse is out. Sure, if I'm going out hiking or biking, a backpack, fanny pack or Camelbak isn't a big deal. But just walking through the mall or going out to eat?? Nada. I try to wear Cargo pants and carry a fair amount of equipment, but even that's not always possible.

My point is that the only equipment you can use is that which you have with you, and in some situations you can't have anything larger without looking the fool. I think that for the smaller kits like an Altoids tin, it's a safety net. They aren't an end-all to survival kits and I think everyone here would agree with you that more is better. There are times I could see a small kit in a pocket being useful, but more importantly, I'm worried about the times that I can't forsee. Plus, you can split up that fanny pack into a couple of large mint tins and put them in your pockets - much easier to get away with.

Just because it's a hobby (as you say - may never get used) for some it doesn't mean that it's any less important for us. I'd probably include myself in that since I don't go in the bush or fly my own plane, etc. Normal people find themselves in emergency situations all the time. Knowledge is most important, but even a tiny little kit can save your tail.

Like ironraven I carry a Spec Ops Pack Rat. Black, Cordura 1000, produced by a company that specializes in military accessories...

It would have Tim Allen grunting in a manly way.

If someone has a problem with a man carrying a "purse", then I say that the problem is theirs, not mine. I feel more confident in my abilities to handle unexpected situations by carrying some choice items and having them close at hand. If that's less than socially acceptable, then call me a social outcast and so be it. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I think your kit is way too small for a snowshoeing trip. Think worst case scenario: 500 meters from the parking lot, it's getting dark. You fall, stupid insignificant fall, but you've broken a leg or hip. You are alone ? You cannot move without excrutiating pain. You've got to spend the night there. Temp goes down to -20C or lower or it snows....

I carry a day pack, with bivy bag & blanket, extra mits, dry socks, tuque (toque) power bars, water ... Only thing missing is a camp stove of somekind, I figure I'll build a fire (ain't gonna get any sleep anyways ...) Survive t'ill morning when hopefuly someone will come you way on the trail.

Yeah, those are pretty cool looking... if you aren't in a suit or in a place where it matters if people think you are crackers (professional type workplace, social situations with your spouse, etc.).

Although for parental gatherings I think most carry enough equipment to start a third world country, so I wouldn't stand out. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Granted, you could stash a lot in a briefcase or more socially acceptable transport. Just make sure nobody sees your camo Pack-Rat and 5" fixed blade knife when you open the hatch! <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Salut frankspinz!

In my original post, I was only talking about my survival kit. Whenever I go snowshoeing, I bring my superb Osprey Switch 40+5 backpack. Built-in is a 100 oz hydration pouch that I fill up with water. I am also well geared up in regards to clothes, boots, toque, headlamp, etc. I always bring a small mat to sit down, spare mittens and toque, etc. I think I would do pretty good in the situation you describe. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

This week-end, I bought a nice 16 oz insulated bottle. I didn't want something bulky with handles, etc... so I chose this Thermocafe brand (Thermos) bullet style bottle. From now on i'll be filling this up with some hot chocolate or chicken broth for even more comfort. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Most of the time, my Rat sits in my backpacket along with a water bottle, often with spare socks. It could be put into a slightly more upscale backpack/back-breifcase, or into a double sided laptop case. If you were looking for something a little smaller, the smaller organizers that SpecOps and others make would be fine for concealing a PSK.

And I wouldn't use camo- black goes with everything.

So this goes in your pocket?

All my gear I'm talking about goes in my Osprey backpack, along with the survival kit I have pictured above and improved since that post, replacing dryer lint with cotton balls soaked with petroleum jelly.

In the summer, on fishing trips for example, this survival kit would still get the job done so it would probably come along unchanged.