Never read his book, and (until now) never saw what he suggested putting in the kit...

I think I did pretty well anyway though <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Am I the only who carries spf 30 chapstick?
tiny and can be used on lips, nose face --essential, esp in winter

Teacher

Ditto.

What I'm going to say about it is that everything but the Mora and paracord can be had at any Walmart or Target I've ever been in. That means a lot for a first survival kit. It isn't great, but it is good enough.

Is there anything special that is needed in terms of cutting or tieing kevlar thread? I found both kev and specta, and... WOW! If it doesn't need anything special, it could replace everything smaller than paracord in my PSK, maybe even the snare wire!

It looks feels and acts just like regular string or heavy sewing cord. I did just that, I replaced the snare material, sewing thread and floss with Kevlar. I still keep the para cord but no longer have a need to take it apart for separate strands.

You don't have to go through ebay for the Spectra thread. Spider Wire (a brand name, there are others) fishing line can be found in any fishing department. 30lb test is same size as dental floss (and works as dental floss too).

I cut a piece of orange Kydex plastic, about 1" x 1 1/2" into the shape of a 2 diminsional thread spool (that's probably confusing, should post pictures) and wrapped 65 feet of line around it. I used it to replace the roll of nylon thread in the Ritter PSP. It's so flat it takes up less room than the nylon roll and there's 15 feet more of it. A real win-win situation, and it's got a million uses.

His book is a good read and does make you think, worth the money and time right there. And his constant hammering on the subject of hydration will make you truly understand the importance of proper hydration in any situation. I drink a lot more water daily than I ever used too since I read his book.

I've got Spiderwire, but it seems to want to unbraid and bunch when I've tried sewing with it.

Or should I try waxing it?

Get the teflon coated (stealth) style.

Of course to wax it you could pull it across a candle, or even your chapstick.