I have a confession - I do not have a super compact Altoids tin cleverly packed with everything necessary to cross the continent once my plane has crashed. How can this be? My modes of getting into outdoor trouble involve hiking and biking primarily, with a little kayaking thrown in. In all of these activites, one arrives in an emergency situation gradually, usually through a series of lousy decisions and/or unfortunate events, not the relatively quick transition that occurs when you are flying along peacefully one minute, and mired in the swamp the next.<br><br>As a result my "kit" is adapted differently. It is bulkier, somewhat larger, and more loosely packed because I often access the contents as the need arises. The one headlamp I carry is in there (for situations where I want something a little brighter than the Photon on my keychain) as well as my compass - rarely needed unless the fog descends. Contents vary depending upon the type of excursion and season, but alwasy include a core of the so-called "ten essentials." When you think about it, the entire contents of my pack constitute a "survival kit" of sorts, with items selected/deselected depending upon the anticipated environment. For me the advantage is that I continually use the gear upon which I will depend in a tight situation.<br><br>The ultra compact PSK fills a definite need, particularly for aviation, where one traverses multiple, contrasting environments while flying very short distances and there is a clear need to exit the plane unencumbered with a bulky bag. For the typical hiker/backpacker, those limitations do not apply.<br><br>I promise I will fill my Altoids tim with goodies one of these days. After all, I fly occasionally and I do want to stay on this list. Mea culpa, mea culpa.......