A PSK (Personal SUPPORT Kit) ........

Greetings to all,

As always, and like most of you, I am always adapting to changes in life and work.

Almost every month, I am driving a rental car 800-1000 miles to work and back. That means that I am driving for up to 18 hours, in winter, with very little "Emergency Equipment". I don't consider this to be wise.

I always have my EDC with me and I started collecting various little things along each journey. Things such as restaurant napkins, a plastic spork, condiments, a couple of bottled waters, etc. All of which is INSUFFICIENT for any survival situation during the winter.

A PSK (Personal Survival Kit) was too little equipment and a BoB was too much to carry around. A fellow ETS'er, (SBRAIDER) mentioned that he calls his PSK (Personal SUPPORT Kit). The Personal Support Kit, to my understanding is somewhere between a normal PSK and a BoB.

So far, and I'm quoting from memory, I've included the following in my Personal SUPPORT Kit:

Food: Beef Jerky and DATREX rations, (I am going to include a Claxton's Fruitcake shortly), restaurant condiments,

Water: an empty 1 liter water jug, water purification tablets, (I still pick up some bottled water as I drive along)

Shelter: 55gal trash bag, (I'm getting a fleece blanket), (I'm adding spare dry socks), Space blanket, Touque, insulated hunter's gloves

Warmth: Magnesium Firestarter, 2 Bic lighters, strike anywhere matches, 2 chemical hand-warmers, 4 Trioxane, dryer lint

Other: Signal Mirror, Whistle, compass, road maps, basic FAK, travel pack of Wet Ones, cord/shoestrings, 2 pocket knives, bug wipes, toilet paper, 50ft of paracord, Coughlin's "Survival Kit-in-a-Can"

Signals: Photon light, red laser

Help me understand why you don't just take a BOB?

Thanks.

Because a BoB is too big and too heavy, along with everything else that I have to carry onto the boat in some very rough terrain, at times.

There are things in my BoB that I don't want to be regularly carrying between my home and the boat, across many different state lines.

The fruit cake sounds interesting.. I checked the web site and it says 4 month life expectancy. I wonder if there is anything like that with a longer life.

A slimmed-down politically correct BOB?

Fleece blanket and spare socks are a must. Carry a spare hat (toque), spare gloves (old mittens work just fine), a spare synthetic t-shirt (in case you get damp/clammy). You could carry a sleeping bag but even myself, I don't go that far (I live in the province of Quebec in eastern Canada and our winters can be harsh).

You should also equip yourself with a powerful flashlight with spare batteries (something better than the Photon). A typical LED headlamp along with a 3-Watt Luxeon LED flashlight would be nice.

Small candle and holder of some sort (for warmth).

Basically, staying warm and being able to see in the dark would be my two priorities. Hope that helped!

I stopped carrying a fleece blanket - I find them too small (if they are over my feet, they don't cover my shoulders etc

I got a queen sized heavy duty wool blanket - last week, we had a slight cold snap, and of course, my kids had forgotten to take warm jackets to school - while waiting for the truck to warm, they were sure glad that my blanket could cover both of them

What you're describing is essentially a small GHB (Get Home Bag).

Jim

Seriously missing in your kit: Communications. Quite frankly, I'd skip most of the food and go with a GPS, a Cell phone and/or CB radio. If you really wanted to do it right, and are concerned about being on the side of the road unseen by other drivers, a SPOT messenger device would be a good thing.

Try living in PA, but doing most of your shopping in NJ. I sometimes have to leave a bag at the firehouse (Which is right at the bridge to NJ) when going to pick up cat food at the store on the other side of the bridge.

And let's not even think about the time I responded to a fire call and remembered only as we rolled up to the call - in NJ - that I was "packed up" with more than an air-pack. Fire? Whatever. NJ Troopers. Uh-oh.

DATREX (and Mainstay) rations taste like sawdust.

SOS FoodLabs rations taste like cookie dough.

I prefer the latter, although if you think there is any danger of you being tempted to eat it in a non-emergency, you might prefer the sawdust-taste as a deterrent.

I'm sure Bo carries a cell on his person

Thanks for your advice,,,I carry a mini mag flashlight as part of my EDC.

What is the real difference between a GHB and a BoB? Very little.

Take a look at THIS light.
It can be used in almost any configuration, and is darn versatile. There is one in each BOB, GHB, FAK my family has. Kinda pricey but really works.

Martin, thanks for your input. A cell phone is part of my EDC and this kit has maps and a compass.

i would cut out all the survival type gear and just take what you would need untill the hiway patrol shows up..i assume your on normal roads and not way out in the "bush".
a good sleeping bag--stop at a big box store and get a family camping type bag..something to keep the car warm if your out of gas and can't run the heater--a cheap Gaz stove and a few carts of Gaz from that big box shop should do it..you can heat cans of beans or whatever on that stove. a cell phone and a flasher for the back window should bring help..i think unless you venture way off the normal roads into the mountains or into the back woods someplace that just about any road in the US has enought traffic that help should be there in a few hours.if you need to travel in bad weather just stop and shop in case you get held up one one of those clogged up freeways that people get stuck in for days..but in that case everyone knows about it and help will be there..
i should have asked this first off--where will you be driving???--here in Minnesota a coffee can survival kit was something people would carry around but now with cell phones i don't hear much about that anymore..

I was also going to mention a wool blanket over a fleece. I carry one in my car, if nothing else than to stay off the hot asphalt in the summer.

Everything else seems pretty straight up. I get your point, what if your stuck on a cold interstate for hours b/c of an accident or road closure.

Depends on what you mean by "life expectancy". Here's a 97 year old fruitcake.

I've eaten several that were way past 4 months old and they were fine, YMMV

Exactly

Thanks to SBRAIDER, I've included 8 Tea Bags into my PSK under the food category. Done deal!

Gee, I thought I said 6 Beers!

Nice list you have there for some often needed "Support" Items

Yup, I would think about some thickish long-burning candles, and maybe one of those old fashioned Jon E hand or body warmers I used to put in a pouch inside my coat when I was a kid freezing to death in Iowa.

Jon E warmers

All appropriate warnings re: carbon monoxide strongly recommended.

make sure you put the right fuel in those warmers..i got mine out and fired a couple up for our "dog hikes".. i used cheap
lighter fluid and the stink was nasty--

Try Canned Date and Nut Loaf, it is still available and lasts as long as any other canned goods. The aluminum can does not add much weight either.

> Seriously missing in your kit: Communications.

I'd add my vote to that. A CB radio or a ham radio if licensed. I know everyone has cell phones now, but if there's some freak snowstorm or traffic accident, dial tones may not be forthcoming. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, CBs are pretty much useless, but there are tons of hams on the repeaters, and you can always get hold of someone to pass messages for you.

People may be in dead cell zones, but a handheld radio with a magmount antenna on the roof (or a pocket J-pole) will probably still get the message out.

Cell phones in most urban areas are great, but having only one means of communications is a problem if you're in a survival situation.

This is my latest updated version of my Personal Support Kit. I still have a couple of items left to procure, which will happen by Sunday.

Food: Beef Jerky and 6 DATREX rations, SunMaid Fruitcake, restaurant condiments,

Water: an empty 1 liter water jug, water purification tablets, (I still pick up some bottled water as I drive along)

Shelter: 55gal trash bag, (I'm getting a fleece blanket), 1 pr/dry socks, Space blanket, Touque, insulated hunter's gloves

Warmth: Magnesium Firestarter, 2 Bic lighters, 3 small boxes of strike anywhere matches, 6 chemical hand-warmers, 4 Trioxane, dryer lint, 2 large cans of Sterno, 8 tea bags,

Other: compass, road maps, basic FAK, travel pack of Wet Ones, cord/shoestrings, 2 pocket knives, bug wipes, toilet paper, 50ft of paracord, Coughlin's "Survival Kit-in-a-Can", enameled steel cup, plastic spork, (still have to get a Sterno stove)

Signals: Photon light, red laser, Signal Mirror, Whistle,


This in addition to my EDC!

I would add something like the nuwick candle to the warmth section if there is a room for it. Just a suggestion.

Bo,
Looks like you get the idea of the Personal Support Kit. IMHO as you know it is not meant to be a BOB or GHB, but to have a few things you might like to have while traveling in a handy setup that shouldn't cause any problems with LEO'S, if they start looking at it, nor cause any issues with Federal laws about what you can carry on the job.
Suplimented with your EDC, you are pretty well set.
Stu

Bo,

I know I suggested this before, but here it is again on sale. Inova 24-7 Light
This is really quite a piece of gear. Works great in all of the carry configurations shown. Either as a work light or a beacon while changing a tire on the side of the road I love it. YMMV

I made a short run that included crossing an 18 mile bridge yesterday. I was able to easily grab my Personal Support Kit (in a hunting vest) and sling it around the back of my seat.

As I expected, the ice slush was about 1"-2" thick on the shoulders of the bridge. The roads were wet with no ice, except for along the shoulders of the road.

Having this Personal Survival Kit, in my hunting vest, will definitely meet the requirements for a highly mobile kit, when I am in transit to and from work in a rental car.

The weight and volume is small enough for me to carry it with the rest of my "stuff" when I have to walk a 1/4 to 1/2 mile out a long dock to get onto my boat!

"...still have to get a Sterno stove..."

Sterno used to make a little aluminum sleeve that sat on top of the sterno can, it worked pretty well for warming stuff, just don't count on actually cooking much. Or you can simply make one from an empty can ...

the Sterno company made a heat intensifer back in the 50's?-40's??--anyway you find them on Ebay..a thin wall pot and a holder for the fuel can..i never had any luck boiling anything with a Sterno stove but maybe a windshield would have helped.

I have one of these and it routinely drains the 123 lithium cell while just sitting in my truck console turned off. It drains it in a matter of months or so. I've removed it from my truck for this reason and use another light that does not drain batteries.

I should add that this is the 2nd one of these lights that I've tried. The first one failed before I got out of the Fry's parking lot. I will not place myself in a situation where I have to rely on one of these lights in an emergency.

Contact Inova and tell them. I bet a new one will be sent out with apologies. I have had 7 of them since they first came out and 2 more for the last 8 months and have never had an ounce of trouble. I bet there is an isolated issue with the switch or something.

Please let me know what they say if you contact them.
Your second post came up while I was typing. I have been told FRY's gets seconds some times, might that be part of the problem. Having said that all 9 of mine came from elsewhere.

Thanks, Desperado, for the suggestion. The light has already failed my failsafe test and won't be getting any more of my time. I've moved on to better, more reliable gear.

And I did try to contact Inova once with a simple request for a part. I was told to buy a new light.

I have now completed getting my Personal Support Kit together by adding more hand warmers, a fleece blanket and pillow, a small tarp, and a metal cup to go with a "Magic Fire" fuel/stove.

I have also added 8 tea bags and 2 coffee bags to provide warmth and caffeine.

I really liked your ideas of a PSK, making one up of my own to keep in the car along with my "survival kit", a modified Ritter/AMK in a bigger box.

Thanks for putting the ideas out there. It jelled with some ideas that I'd been kicking around mentally for a while.

JohnE