Doug's pocket survival pak availability

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I last posted but I do still pop in from time to time.

Phaedrus's thread "Flashback Sunday!" reminded me that I've been wanting to get some more of Doug's pocket survival paks. I've searched for them online but I can't see them in many places. Does anyone know if they have been discontinued?

Yeah, looked a few weeks ago and they seemed scarce.

Flashaholics have the regular PSP it seems.

https://www.flashaholics.co.uk/products/adventure-medical-kits-pocket-survival-pak.html

Alarming but true, it seems the original PSP is out of stock everywhere in the USA as well.

They discontinued both versions some time ago. The new owners of the company were not interested in discussing any further production, unfortunately. To date, have found nobody who is.

So are you saying that if we manage to find a source, to purchase now before they run out of stock?

That's a shame! It's so hard to find a small kit worth carrying and the PSP was one of the few. I must have five of them!

Thanks!

Indeed

I didn't know the company changed owners but that would explain a lot! My gut feeling is that they've really cheaped out and cut quality across the board over the last couple years. Most of their newer kits use lower quality components than they used to. One example is the sparker wheel- instead of the excellent old Spark-Lite most of the newer kits user a larger, gimmicky looking sparker that's not as well made nor as robust as the old one. Much of their stuff seems to be made to a lower standard/price point. Hopefully this doesn't spread to their HeatSheets blankets! They're one of the few reliably high quality "space" blankets on the market.

Lower quality components - a perennial issue with off the shelf kits
But this provides an opportunity to recreate DR's kit using good stuff - we have the specs right before us and the kit can even be customized for specific situations.

For example, I spend significant time on the SoCal Channel Islands. The snare wire in the kit would be of little use there. There are no critters, other than rare and endangered species, besides mice. On the other hand, the table is set at every low tide - an abundance of edibles in every tide pool, plus lots of veggie foods on land. Just personal preference, but I would add a Bic lighter. And so on....

I would have a different kit, and rather different gear in general, for a winter hike in the mountains and hills on the mainland.

Thanks for replies everyone.

Doug, its sad to hear that their no longer around, they were one of the few ready made kits I didn't have any problem getting. Given Phaedrus's comments I doubt I'll get any of their survival stuff.

Hikermor, I'll definitely be looking to build my own kits from Doug's list.

Personally I am not a big fan of snaring stuff in a PSK anyway. Don't get me wrong, the wire is immensely useful! But most of the time snaring is a low-percentage game so you need to set out a lot of snares, something that's impractical to keep in a small kit. Besides, I'd rather get out of the situation than set up a little homestead and start trapping! What's next, keeping a packet of seeds in the PSK to plant so you can raise crops while awaiting rescue?

Maybe I'm not the one to ask though. My kits tend to be much larger. The PSP is awesome and the great foundation for kit but I carry a lot more due to where I live (SW Montana @ 5000 feet of elevation). It's nice to have some things to make survival easier and less painful, and it's great to have some things that while not strictly necessary make life easier. Food is not usually all that important for an ordeal in the 24-72 hour range but of course it's no fun to go days without eating.

Phaedrus, I have often wondered about the necessity of snare wire and fishing equipment in a survival kit. I can definitely see a need in very remote areas where someone might not see another person for a long time such as Alaska but for most probable use cases I think the space could be better used for other items.

Snare wire can also be used for improvised repair. The fishing-specific items are small in space, weight, and price. The sewing thread doubles as a fishing line, thereby saving space and weight. And, as Doug said, the fishing-specific items exist for marketing reasons.

Jeanette Isabelle

"I think the space could be better used for other items."

I would agree. In general, food procurement is not a high priority in most survival situations.

You want to carry the items most likely to be useful in thee situations you will encounter. If your likely environments vary, you will need a larger kit, or tweak the smaller kit you will have on hand, especially if you are on foot.

Every item in a kit should have more than one use or ability. Even fishing hooks!

Snort. Yes, I found a source but just for the PSK, not the PSK+. The web page is deceptive because the picture is of the PSK+ but the content list is of the PSK.

And practically in my own back yard - Canadian Prepper in Saskatoon sells them.
https://www.canadianpreparedness.com/

Sweet! They must be sitting on some NOS.

Center Offspring now has a vehicle, and has asked me to build an emergency kit for same. I have to confess that I am quite pleased by this. Eldest Offspring only very begrudgingly allowed me to put a very small kit in the spare tire space. So, less stock available now.

Jeanette Isabelle, I agree with you on using the wire and fishing line for repairs, especially braided fishing line, that stuff seems to be closer to very heavy thread than anything else.

Roarmeister, I also agree with you, Every item in a kit should indeed have more than one use or ability. Though in my part of the world I really can't think of an alternative use for fishing hooks, got any ideas?

If versatility is desired, look no further than some of the different types of duct type.

Another US source.

https://www.bestglide.com/pocket-survival-pak-sol.html

I had noted the same; while they continued to produce some kits that contained some of the same items, the durability was not there. One kit was stored in a little fabric and plastic container, and the plastic yellowed and split!

I guess I did well in stocking up on PSPs all those years ago; they are still going strong!