You are right about the strikeing surface getting lost or damaged. I will take that in to consideration with my kits.
Thanks for the reply

One other thing I might suggest regarding MP-1. Lifesystems stock a neutralising tablet that removes the tast & smell from tabbed water. Not sure if it works with MP-1. I'll try it and let you know.

Good kit

He wrote

"The mirror I used came with the Ritter PSP. I left the protective film on the mirror side and used the duct tape for added protection and to insure that the film did not fall off with abuse."

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So, a small update...

I smashed 4 large bandaids in a nautical almanac (VERY heavy books) and then crammed them in there. Given this match debate, I thought "Hey, sparklites are pretty reliable, not too affected by water, and don't need anything special" so I added another Tinderquick (total of 6). Then I put a turn of electrical tape around my clear iodine vial, someone was kind enough to point out that the tabs degrade in light (might scrouge up an amber vial one of these days) - do you think that'll take care of most of the light issues - it's also stored in a dark box.

I do have a question about the reliablility of Otterboxes. The extra stuff I added made an already tight fit quite a squeeze, but I was able to get the latch closed with a little bit of effort. Is there any record of those latches failing? The box seems nearly indestructable, but I just wanted to make sure that even at supermax capacity the box will maintain it's integrity (and stay waterproof). Thanks

I've been using an Otter for a battery box for a while, and that is pretty well packed. Should be fine, but I've heard soewm stories about having to pry them open after a flight.

And the tape around the vial should be fine. In addition to the amber glass, I use a label around the vial that has all the directions for using PA. The bottom is open, just so I can tell quickly which vial I'm using- the Immodium in the other vial won't make bad water good. I figure that what little light reaches them during the monthy repack of the PSK should be too bad, becuase the origional bottle had an uncovered bottom.

Portable Aqua markets it under thier name PA+. It nuetralizes the iodine. I think it's just vitamin C, but I'm not sure on that, or if it will work on chlorine.

Yes they are & yes they will.
Might be a fallback source of Vitamin C if things take a turn for the worse. In many situations vitamin deficiencies are a major worry, even before you get to scurvy levels of Vit C diff.

Chew on some pine needles - they are rich in Vitamin C

04/04/06 at 22.40 BST. I have it from Ray Mears, who might be considered the definative expert in these matters, that the best way to obtain Vit C from pine needles is to put a quantity in a cup or container of some description and pour hot water over them. The resulting infusion is very high in Vit C. Don't ask me what pine needle tea tastes like as it's something I haven't yet tried. There are other Vitamin and mineral deficiencie issues as well. As I understand it your body needs various V&M's in order to operate properly. I don't know exactly how long you have before hitting that particular wall. Comments from the medically inclined members might prove interesting.