I am quite the other way around. I use the materials in my "PSK" routinely. For example, a Tikka headlamp is the unit in my PSK and in noraml outdoor activities, it is the first light I grab for. It is my backup light for caving and for planned night hiking/activity when a Petzl Duo moves up to #1.<br><br>Actually, it is confession time, I don't even have a PSK in terms of the well nigh manditory Altoids tin. Here's why.<br><br>As I understand it, Doug developed the minimalist PSK for a specific application - flying in aircraft over a variety of environments when an unscheduled landing could immediatly plunge one into a rather stark survival situation. The Altoids container is the ticket for this application, when you cannot count on getting out with anything other than what is immediately on your person. I recall a safety class, specifically on aircraft safety, where the survivor of a helicopter crash in Yosemite could have specifically used a minimal PSK of this type.<br><br>However, I don't fly in small aircraft much anymore. If I did, I would probably fill up my now empty Altoids can with the right stuff. I hike and bike now, and I can anticipate the environments through which I will travel. I pack for each trip with the appropriate material, using a modular approach. At the heart is my version of a PSK containing what are basically the traditional "Ten Essentials," actually about fourteen or so items. These are items I have learned to carry in just about every environment - compass and map, firestarter items, first aid kit, whistle, knife (usually on my belt), signal mirror, water and food(with huge variation in the amount depending upon the situation), shelter, etc. The items I use weigh about three pounds when the water/food load is minimal, and fit into a small fanny pack, which is worn around the waist on short excursions and thrown into a larger pack on longer trips. But no Altoids tin...<br><br>I regularly employ the compass, headlamp, knife, etc. in routine situations because when I am in a tight situation I want to use items with which I am thoroughly familiar. About the only exception is the firestarting material. I keep a separate lighter with my stove, reserving the items in the kit for "emergencies." My experience is that in most hiking and climbing situations, the emergency comes on gradually, the product of a whole series of poor decisions on the part of the victim. One should get in the habit of using a compass and map before becoming confused, rather than saying, "Oh goodness! I am lost. Better get out the map and compass." Thus I carry a bigger PSK, blended with everyday items, which works for me in the situations in which I operate. But no Altoids tin (aside from the one in my desk drawer at work, which contains....breath mints!).<br><br>Mea culpa, mea culpa....Perhaps I should sign on as "hereticdon" in the future.