The PSK I'm Carrying in Afghanistan

Thought I'd share some photos of the PSK I’m presently carrying in Afghanistan, as a civilian contractor. While at home I had a hard time justifying carrying this PSK as it was redundant to the gear I normally carried in my daypack or backpack. We are required to wear our body armor while flying in theater, which weighs over 50 #. A compact PSK makes sense here when carried in a small pouch attached to armor, adding little weight or bulk. Before deploying to Southwest Asia I replaced the following shelf life items; MicroPur tablets, batteries in LED light, and antibiotic ointment.

PSK SURVIVAL TIN

Tin
X2 Pieces Rip-Stop Nylon Tape
X6 MicroPur Water Purification Tables
X2 Gerber Breast Milk Bags
X2 Large 2”x3” Elastic Plasters
X2 Medium 1”x3” Elastic Plasters
X4 Butter Fly Closures
Scalpel Blade
Antibacterial Ointment
Signal Mirror
Heavy Duty Thread / Fishing Line
Leatherman Micra
Compass
LED Light
Sparker
X4 Fire Tinder
Whistle
Snare Wire
Heavy Duty Needle
Misc. Fishing Tackle
X4 Safety Pins
American Flag Sticker

fishing is a possibility???--looks like you know what you need--take care..

Nice kit, not so jam packed tight, so you can access things without tearing everything apart.

Any chance of fitting in a gagged mini-Bic lighter, 1000's of simple lights that everyone knows how to use.

How about a small Survival Instruction Cheat Sheet.

Thanks for posting your kit.

Mike

Great kit from what I see. You are pretty much prepared. I agree with Mike, Thanks for the kit posting. Take care in Afghanistan!
777

Suunto Gem compass. I liked them,too bad they quit making that one.

Other survival items I carry attached to my body armor;

ARMY IFAK (Private Purchase)

CAT Tourniquet
Nasal Pharyngeal Airway (NPA) w/ Surgical Lube
X2 Pair Nitrile Gloves
2” Surgical Tape
4” Combat Dressing
14GA 3 ¼” Catheter (to treat Tension pneumothorax)
QC Combat Gauze (hemostatic wound packing)



KNIFE (Private Purchase)

BenchMade 5000 Presidio (one of the plusses of being here is that you can buy these at the local PX)

What's the US flag sticker for?
The Sock

TheSock,

I added it when I updated my kit before leaving for SWA, it's a poor man's Blood Chit or Goolie Chit as they are known on your side of the pond.

Cheers,
W-W

I looked up "Goolie Chit" on Wikipedia. The third paragraph is a rather grusome thought.

Do you have any message on the back of the flag?

Maybe you should get a couple speakers that you trust to help you write something on the back of your chit - phonetically, so you could say it to locals.

And then maybe verify it a few more times to make sure something wasn't "lost" in translation. Don't forget, a big part of blood chits is bribing/reimbursing the locals that help you.

You mention you are flying in theater. The best thing you can do if you are forced to ditch is to tag along with the aircrew. They have radios in their vests, something I noticed you don't carry or have access to. Those freqs are monitored 24/7 and will get you out of trouble rather quickly.

I have the NON-Auto version of said blade. It just survived a 300 foot fall (open) onto 6 inch aggregate gravel. Not even a scratch.

I know Doug and a lot of other people are big fans of the LRI photons, I have a few myself, but for a PSK, if you can afford the space, I'd highly recommend a Fenix E01. Regulated output for a lot longer! Given it is a good bit bigger.

What is a "gagged" mini bic? I assume some method of making it so the button can't be depressed and butane lost, but I don't know how to "gag" one. Good idea though!

R

I usually use coloured electric tape or a rubber band under a mini-Bic's fuel button to "gag" it, they can be removed without the need of a cutting tool.

Mike

While I’m satisfied with the contents of my current Tobacco Tin PSK attached to my body armor, Doug’s Altoids / RSK Mk5 based PSK has really captured my attention! Since the standard uniform for civilian contractors is 5.11 brand cargo pants, shirts, and vests (the height of fashion) I have no end to cargo pockets to stash a smaller kit in. My thought is to put together a smaller kit based on RSK Mk5 and tin then vacuum seal it for true everyday carry in a cargo pocket, then possibly replace my personal PSK Tin that I carry on my body armor with the new AMK PSK+. I also need to give more thought into developing a mini-Blood Chit. Requirements: credit card sized, laminated, offer of reward in local languages, etc.

RKS Tin
RSK Mk5 knife
DR Special Edition Photon Freedom Micro-Light
Signal Mirror*
Survival Whistle*
Spark-Lite Firestarter*
X4 Tinder-Quik*
Compass*
X4 Micro-Pur Tablets
X2 Pieces Rip-Stop Tape
Heavy Duty Sewing Needle pre-Threaded*
X2 Safety Pins*
Large Paper Clip (MacGyver Multi-Tool)

NOTE* from AMK PSK

Cheers,
W-W

The only obvious omissions to me (and its your kit so my thoughts ai't worth much) would be multitool (I really like having a saw and pliers I'd have thought were handy) and a shelter - not sure of your geogrphy but a windbreak / sun shade might be valuable if you are holed up somewhere

Stay safe

What is a "gagged" mini bic? I assume some method of making it so the button can't be depressed and butane lost, but I don't know how to "gag" one. Good idea though!

I wrap wire under the catch so it won't press down. it still fits into a travellers belt (the ones with a full length zip on the inside)
and i've checked. it's not losing fuel.
The Sock

Sock, I think you're "gagging" it already. Wrapping under the lighter "button" so it won't depress.

Off topic, but I hope you're getting paid well for this. Sock it away, or invest in something that'll do you some long term good.

Tom,

If I can hang in there I hope to pay off my house in 3 years.

Cheers,
W-W