Reconsidering size of the survival kit

I came recently from a jungle trip in Amazonas. It was quite a short trip - 3 nights in jungle and 2 night in jungle lodge - though it allowed me to practice my survival skills and enjoy the scenery.
I had with myself survival kit based around the kit of Doug Ritter. And I found my kit not particularly adequate - the quality of items in the kit is good, but I have not thought how to carry it when I wear only swimming shorts and sandals, and this was most of the time. Therefore, I ended up with carrying only my Delica knife and a short length of cord around my neck.
Anyway, this trip revealed me quite a few things about my survival kit. I would say the most important in the survival kit is its compactness and ease to carry and if this problem is not solved, then the kit is near to useless, you would leave it in the camp with the rest of your kit. "It is better to have 22 calibre pistol in the pocket instead of 45 at home".
Therefore I am reconsidering my survival kit specifically for such situations - bearing in mind that you usually end up in a survival situation unexpectedly, I want to have something that I can have on me day and night. At the moment I am expeirmenting with putting SwissChamp on my neck with 2m paracord, but it is too heavy for comfort and I want to add compass, fishing kit, wire, whistle (I guess I will take it from my existing kit) and a waterproof lightweight lighter (in a stressful situation, when you are wet and cold, it would be very difficult to find tinder in a wet forest/jungle).
I also thought about other survival kit. For example, knife - I think it is a good idea to use your survival knife instead of having one specifically in a survival kit, because if you double items you increase the weight, hence you hamper your mobility. Another example is rubbish bin - if you have a sleeping bag and have to carry it with you all the time, I do not see much point to have rubbish bag: it is too large to carry on you, therefore it will end up in a rucksack next to your sleeping bag. So if you lose you rucksack with your sleeping bag, you will lose the rubbish bag as well.
If you are in a survival situation, half-panicing, I think there is a risk to consider that you may freak out and drop your gear off if you conclude it is too heavy for you to carry it to the shore (if you swim from a sinking boat) or restricts your movements (in case you need to run because of some emergency). Therefore, I copncluded that compactness and weight are much more important than I thought before.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks,

There's a rule of thumb for cooking that goes "You can always add more, but you can't take away." In the wilderness the opposite is true. You can always take away, but you can't add more.

I bring what I think I might need. If something proves to be more hassle than it's worth, I can drop it. You might see this as a waste of money. I see it as being better safe than sorry.

You've brought up an issue that we all need to think about. Everyone's survival kit isn't the right one for everyone for any number of reasons. One fundamental reason is that a survival kit has to be right for the situation. There is no 'one size fits all' for survival.

I would look at the Ranger Rick's Survival Necklace for a basic idea for this type of set-up.

http://www.therangerdigest.com/

M40 has some good ideas on how to modify this kit to make it better.

http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Ranger_Rick_SOS_Necklace.htm

And, you might want to consider a zippered belt to hold the stuff that won't fit around your neck:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/BLT501-2753-1965.html

Though really, I would switch to a swim trunk with a zippered cargo pocket, A PSK isn't THAT bulky.

As far as redundancy, yes, it adds weight, but also increases peace of mind. Knives break and get lost. Tents burn down, Sleeping Bags get soaked, etc etc. You have to weigh everything carefully and come to a comfortable compromise between light and fast and having a safety net. Personally, I'll blow a pound or two on a Plan B.

Well, it is a POCKET Survival Pak; if you choose to go without pockets, that's a choice. In that environment the contents of the kit might not be what you need. I'm not too sure how useful a signal mirror is under a triple canopy and I doubt the whistle travels far.

An observations though: If you are cold and wet, then you should not have been in swim trunks. If you are wearing something else, is the kit still too big? Maybe consider layering your gear rather than having it in a single pack. I wear shorts a lot here in SOCAL and I could easily distribute the contents of a Ritter PSP in my pockets and it would disappear.

So what specific items do you need? What do you anticipate needing to be able to do in a survival situation. Insect repellent?

If you find yourself wanting a kit that can be carried without pockets, perhaps you should eb thinking about something like: http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/pocket-survival-kit.html

You could get one of the 5 in 1 survival whistles (put some tinder inside), a firesteel, and sometype of knife edge, out it on a chain, and wear it.

The smaller the kit, the less you carry, and the less you will have. That's the big decision even with a lot of things, such as a BOB. How big a BOB do you need to carry what you need? How big is so big that you really will not be able to carry it.

There is no reason your EDC of kit cannot adapt and be differnet things on different days, changing with the activity and environment.

I like the idea of a belt pouch -- waterproof -- like these:

$30 fold over pouch similar -- just a pic

or this waterproof box

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=86055

I certainly agree that the content of the survival kit should vary depending on conditions.
However, how you intend to carry your kit is also important. Please understand me right, it is good to have the kit with you all the time, but most of the time we are in a civilised society, therefore we follow some dress code and don't want to look ridiculous.

I agree. I find it humorous that a guy wearing nothing but swim trunks is concerned with how to carry his survival kit. IMO, your clothing is the first layer of any survival kit. If you choose to go virtually naked into the wilderness, you need to get creative with the "outer layers" of your kit.

I really dislike stuff hanging on my neck. I'd opt for six pocket shorts that I wear in SOCAL a lot. The only time I'd wear just swim trunks would be at the hotel swimming pool and I'm not going to wear a survival kit while doing laps.

and----at some point your kit turns into the EDC..
and--not feeling too safe with just a EDC, your pockets
turn into a "kit"..which is lumpy so you put the stuff
in a pouch..which gets left on the dresser to many times
so parts of the kit get emptyed into the catch-all in the dresser
where the keys and coins go..and after a few years of
not needing anything but keys and a wallet everything
gets left behind untill you read about the guy trapped
in his car--office--bathroom--so you make up a new EDC.
which turns into a kit......

That pack is pretty cool.

How much weight is too much ? It seems to me that if you were wearing just swim shorts and sandals a small belt pack/pouch and a canteen wouldn't be too much to carry .
IMO it would be worth a little discomfort to carry a few extra things [ especially water and purifiers ] in a potentially very dangerous place like the Amazon jungle.
I personaly would NEVER go hiking anywear unless I was wearing some decent hiking boots/shoes no matter how hot it was . IMO wearing sandals was just asking for trouble .

That raises the question of where he was wearing just swim trunks and sandals, around the safety of the jungle lodge or in the jungle itself? Wilderness or swimming pool?

My thoughts...

My first one is you need pants (or shorts, if you insist) with pockets and a belt. No offense.

But as far as something on the neck... Why the SwissChamp? Is it becuase you had it around, or do you like the tool combo? It is a good sized SAK, maybe a smaller one like the Huntsman might do the trick, maybe with a small pair of hemostats to replace the very light pliers in the SwissChamp. Combo that with a small capsule, something bigger than a pill vial but maybe not something as pricey as the TAD Life Capsule. (Short cigar tube with a wire-and-tape loop on it?) Sparklite, a couple of tinder tabs, a needle, a couple hooks, a compass and bobbin of specta line or kevlar thread. You carry that WITH a PSK, so if you strip down for some reason you've still got most of you basics covered.

"...in the jungle itself?..."

My jungle experience is limited to Panama, but in those jungles, no shirt would equal being eaten alive by bugs, plus lotsa cuts and scratches. Shorts/swim trunks are bad too, same reason...

A victim of 50's and 60's movies about the jungles of south and central america. I was so looking forward to my first time in the rainforests of central america. My excitement it lasted about 10 minutes. Never again will I voluntarily enter a jungle, I hate bugs!!!!!

"...Never again will I voluntarily enter a jungle..."

Me either. Chances are, my Uncle Sammy won't make me do it again...

The future of PSK cases?

http://www.brasscompass.com/cigarsingleflask3.jpg

there are advantages to getting old and fat.

Oh, shiney! Me want!

-Blast

Agree, hence my earlier statement that "your clothing is the first layer of any survival kit".

Hey, I may be old, but no one has ever accused me of being fat...

Ok maybe not you but some of us, then again it's all relitive to what we were when we were young and dumb.

True, so true...

Omega, I really like these:
http://www.aquapac.net/

I've posted about them before, but it seems like no other forumites share my enthusiasm.. fwiw. I have several, and have never had a puncture or other failure. The one I use most is around 1.75 to 2 x larger than the Ritter PSP and hangs either on it's lanyard around my neck (safety lanyard) or on a belt with the integral belt loop. Everything is in it except a small neck knife (HAK knife) which is ON the lanyard. Although I usually have more emergency gear with me... this is my "last ditch" kit.

I evolved to this mode of carry after a near-tragedy of my own making on the water. I got snagged in the water and had to ditch my boots, pants (and the PSP, etc. in the pants pockets and on the belt). Couldn't save the kit and save my A** at the same time. MY BAD. However, from that point forward whenever I'm on the water the Aquapac is on my neck. Certainly, I could end up having to ditch that too - but I think I'd have a better change of saving it. I'll wear it IN the water, too: under a t-shirt, next to my skin. Looks a bit goofy (but I bet most of us ETS'ers get used to that observation from non-believers).

Anyway, I'd love to hear from others: What am I missing...why aren't there more Aquapac fans here??

Someone mentioned Nite Ize belt organizers on the forum a while ago, so I went looking......

http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=100

I really like what I see, though I haven't bought one yet. I think this is their largest belt organizer, but they have others, including 2 smaller models. Perhaps this belongs on the thread about layering survival equipment - EDC, bigger kit, BOB... but I was here and it seemed to apply.

My everyday and work garb does not lend itself to a lot of EDC. My BOB is too heavy for me to carry it far, (it's time to 'fess up, I'm a female) and in a "situation" would more likely supplement my car kit. I understand the person who said you are likely to leave a pouch behind, but if you know you are going into the jungle (forest, desert), or bugging out of home or office in an emergency, wouldn't a pouch be a logical carry? If you had to ditch the car and big kits, wouldn't a small, breakaway kit of essentials be a good thing?

I have used Nite-Ize products for years and found them to be of good quality. I have never used the belt pouch model you posted but I have used the 2 phone holders and the Pock-its belt pouch. It is this pouch that forms part of my EDC wilderness carry (multi-tool, light, whistle, mini-bic, ferro rod, wire saw). I think there was a post about this a few months ago.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Mike

Well, jungles are different depending on country. But there are a lot of reasons to be in swimming shorts and sandals: it is too hot and humid, you venture into the jungle thicket only a few times a day, but spend most time around your camp preparing wood for fire, fixing accomodation, or go for sightseening and fishing on a canoe (there is a lot fo shaded area in jungles where you can see a lot of animals, also more fish is in shaded areas, therefore you do not burn under the sun). You sweat a lot and therefore stay as much naked as you can. Even some light work during the day can cause overheating.
Aquapac seems to be a good idea - not too shiny to stand out too much.

My aquapacs have survived beaches and rainforests in Costa Rica, with no problems. They haven't gotten brittle in -0 degree F weather. The ONLY modification I've made is to make the neck lanyard break-away (using lamp wick - per Chris K's thread years ago). I've used the one they make for cameras on white water raft trips, and have been pleased. They don't protect much from impact, but the camera stayed dry (and can be operated within the pac). I quit carying the altoids tin or any other hard case after being dumped by a horse and wearing a tin-shaped bruse for a week or so.

But again YMMV. I don't hear from other users here in the ETS forums, so you have only my experience.

As I stated above, I only have one experience with jungles. And, for the record, I have no problem being naked as much as possible. But I would rather be wearing sweaty clothes than be eaten alive, or suffering the death of a thousand scratches...

As someone who is out in the field a LOT, I've never understood the desire to wear shorts in the rough...sandals either. So, like many above, I recommend pants...and boots. I've been in the amazons and other jungles and for longer periods and will return. However, I'm not a very heat-tolerant type of person. Yes, the heat and humidity is opressive. But I'm not making the trip all that way just to hang around camp. My favorite example of why people should wear pants is from a trip where two companions were warned repeatedly and decided to ignore the advice and wear shorts. Not only were they carved up far greater than me by briars, branches, nettles, but when we got near water, and the no-seeums commenced to swarming and biting (usually waist-level and below), they looked like they either had hyper-measels, or had walked in front of a fan someone had flicked red paint into. I received two bites...on my bare arms while kneeling over the water's edge. My companions had hundreds of bites on each leg. Old Bald Guy is correct...and those same scratches, nicks, etc can become larger, infected, or be all the reason you're noticed by something you don't wish to see or meet. And in jungle areas, no-seeums, sandflies, and mosquitoes prove larger hazards than no wind on my legs. These hazards go WAY beyond a little inconvenient bite. All of them can be vectors for far more serious illnesses and a little cloth barrier can go a long way towards prevention. Oh...and be careful of the candiru.

Anyway Omega - not to [censored] on anyone's parade, but I agree with the others that clothes should be appropriate, and that heat is not the entire story here. While I agree with your statement, "It is better to have 22 calibre pistol in the pocket instead of 45 at home", it looks like you left everything in favor of slightly cooler attire. I don't think the EDC gear that most folks carry will weigh them down while trying to swin ashore. I don't understand how you can't carry gear though. Many people use regular shorts rather than speedos or the swim-trunk style of choice. Many people wear a belt with those shorts. I try to use belt and pockets only as I can't stand anything around my neck. Don't be fooled by shade or clouds...you can get just as painful a burn in those conditions.

Items hanging around the neck seem to just get in the way or be a general nuisance.

I'm not sure I follow your dress code comment though. You were in the jungle. To me, bathing shorts in the jungle seems a mite ridiculous-looking. YMMV In town, you don't need full tactical gear and/or camo in order to EDC useful items.

Bottom line--I don't even go into temperate forests dressed like you describe. I don't so much carry a specific kit, as a variety of items either on belt, in pockets, or in a daypack (which I'll always have...even if I only plan on an hour or so). No amount of familiarity is going to help you if you sacrifice nearly all levels of preparedness. I do agree that we all do this in some ways that are appropriate for ourselves. I still enjoy cotton...but there are times when I carry backup garments.

...and to be truthful...I can't remember the last time I wore shorts...other than being airy or doubling as swimwear, I just don't find them as versatile as pants.

"...sandflies..."

I HATE those things! They seem to like to hit joints most of all, and itch is indescribable!!!