I suspect there's some truth in your comment that folks will build their "kits" just for the sake of building them. But there's really no harm, as far as I can tell, if one has an interest or hobby in building a kit. And it may, in fact, be useful in a life or death situation. I have had CPR training as a Scout and as a Scout Leader, but I have never been in a situation where I have had to put that training in practice. Was the training a waste? No. Neither is building a survival kit that may never be used.<br><br>But I do think it's important to build a kit or kits that truly reflect the situations one is likely to encounter. I don't fly and am not likely to be ditching in open water where I'll need to survive for days in a life raft. So all of the components needed for such a contingency would be a waste of space and weight in my kit.<br><br>But I do take hikes in areas where I may be isolated for a night, or two under extreme conditions. So I plan my kit accordingly. I also take into consideration that I'll usually have other gear with me on such hikes in my fanny pack. So I put in items that I typically don’t use in normal hiking situation, fishing hooks and line, for example. Routine items, such as certain first aid items (bandages, moleskin, aspirin, etc.) I have in a plastic, reusable case in my fanny pack, while painkillers and antibiotics are in the tin for a true emergency situation. <br><br>The same holds true for my car kits, which I am now assembling. I don’t live or travel in an area where I’ll need more than a few hours of relief, maybe overnight. So I’m adding elements that may prove helpful in those situations. Plus I already have other resources that I’ve always carried in the car, a roadside emergency kit with flares and a first aid kit.<br><br>This is a long-worded answer to your question, “What exactly, do/ did you expect from yours?” Well, I hope I never have to use any of them unless I’m trying them out for fun or training, like starting a fire without a match, which I did for the first time last month just so I know how to do it. But I also want to make sure that I have items available for my family and me should I ever become lost on a Scout hike, or the family car gets stuck overnight in heavy snowstorm.<br><br>Thanks for the thought provoking post.<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL