Hi all. I just got Doug's kit in the mail, and am relating my initial observations. Overall I think the kit is excellent, and a culmination of years of experience. I intend to get several more.
My only minor complaint is with the whistle. The slim Fox whistle takes very strong blow to sound it. I compare this to the ACR whistle which is very easy to blow. The Fox whistle is also larger than the ACR.
Some other quite subjective opinions:
* a swivel is only needed in fishing with a spinning reel, which a survivor won't have. The split shot aren't essential either. Doubling the number of fishing hooks would be more useful.
* In the survival document, medical care is listed at the #1 priority, yet it's the shortest section.
* Is the flash flooding of dry cannons a significant enough concern, for what is probably a temporary survival sitation, that it needs mentioning?
* How does "Your body is approximately 60% water" help the survival novice reading this document? The next sentence "Water is vital for your survival" seems more to the point. I'm assuming space is at a premium on this sheet.
* "drink to excess" What does this mean with regard to water? Can you quantify this?
* If the survivor follows the signaling instructions, he or she will be flashing the horizon for four hours. Is this what is intended?
* "abeam your position" is probably not going to be understood by the intended users of this kit.
I hope these are useful comments for discussion.