Evening folks,

In a recent post I mentioned an extended walk in Panama due to our taxi driver dropping us in the wrong patch of the woods in 1989.

I also mentioned the Vietnam era issue butt pack from dad I had stuffed full of goodies.

While in Fort Worth on business today, I made the "necessary" trip to Cheaper Than Dirt. Low and behold I found that in 1991 they were still making the issue kit that I used to form my survival kit.
HERE

Now they list it as USMC, but I was handed it by one Government Issue ARMY supply NCO.




Granting that they are rather proud of it, I would swear by this kit as the basis of a kit larger than the Ritter PSP.

My favorite item would have to be the Camillius knife, but I really dont want to start another knife discussion.

The Finger Ring Saw is the ONLY one of its kind I have ever found useful, as it is repairable and has a spare blade.

While I profess to be no expert, and improvements in gear have come and gone since its creation, it's worth a look, as all of the included gear it top notch!

If you can withstand the rants, another gent has reviewed it
HERE

It also didn't hurt that I had a Ruger MKII integrally suppressed (don't ask, cause I will NEVER tell who gave it to me incase he is still alive) cause it beat the heck out of snare wire for a little extra snack.

As I am better with an M21 or M24 than a computer, I hope to get better at this with time. That said, if any MOD's want to let me know if I am dancing on toes please do.

Oh yeah, I have no ties to any of the aforementioned companies, except debt.

it's kinda bulky, but the extra packaging makes water carriers and tinder.

Edit....

And the going price is WAY high I think. Of course the 5 I already have were free, and the spare I bought today is for family training.

Each (All 5) of us has both this kit and a Ritter/AMK PSP kit as the basis of our BOB.

Nice looking kit, all things considered.

Re the Panama jungles, nasty place that...

The fishing kit normally goes north of $50 on eBay, so add in everything else and it isn't really all that high for what it is. And it looks good- I'd probably swap the knife for a LM or a SAK, but...

Yeah, the folks from the Jungle warfare training center decided we would only need an abbreviated couse after our OJT.

Hey IR long time,
The fishing kit may be $50 on ebay but wouldn't you agree it is $10-15 worth of gear at best (if you buy name brand lures).
For $99 this kit is way cool from a collector/enthusiast standpoint but way over priced and outdated. Those great Camillus knives never come with a usable edge so why pack into a PSK?
Besides we all know any wire saw is a gamble at best..
Cheers
Billy

Hard to tell from the pics, but the fishing kit is darn nice. $10.00 won't get it started. Yeah some is bulky (survival blanket), some dull (first thing done to all kits is open, inventory and sharpen), but its a start.

If someone gets any issue type kit, inventory is always a great place to start.

nice kit but overpriced for the collectors market i would think..i wonder how much good gear gets lost too someones WW Two display layout..i got a fishing kit a year or so ago on the Bay for $19..i guess i destroyed the collectors value when i opened it up to eyeball the goodies inside..
now there's a subject we could could bash around--military surplus V.S. new civilian gear..

As it happens I read Don Rearic's review some time ago.

Only things that that kit lacks is some decent cordage and a bottle of water purification tablets. Also, you should remember that the kit is intended to be used in conjunction with your pocket kit. I purchased a camillus knife separately some time ago. As it came, the edge was awful. But it sharpened up very nicely. That means shaving sharp. And its built like a T-34 tank.

Historically, pre-assembled kits are always expensive. If you want to spend the time assembling your own then great. That has its merits.

If you want an off the shelf kit that only needs a little bit of tweeking, then this comes a lot closer many I have seen.

Nope.

Name brand lures alone would run north of $10. Buy the line, hooks, sinkers, etc. Find GOOD needles. Add the metal case. I could probably build it for $40 or so, but I'd have a bunch of fishing gear left over to give away.