What is your favourite PSK container?

Metal tin, plastic bag or aluminuim capsule?

What is their pros and cons?

My clear farvorite is the capsual style !

My actual capsual is aprox. 1" in diameter and 5" long. It?s machined from solid titanium (The next revision will possibly be made from magnesium or partly be).

Pros:
small
smooth edges
lightweight
has never asked for by TSA-sweepers <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
can be worn by necklace
can be strapped to nearly anything (knife sheath, belt, leg, arm, ...)
can be hidden inside rectum <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Cons:
limited space
could be take for a kubotan (->TSA) <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
very costy if you want a tailormade one

TINS:
The tins I still use are Trangia boxes, 165mmx90mmx65mm in size.

Pros:
big enough to cook in
small enough to be stuffed in packs
sturdy housing for fragile equipment

Cons:
unsuitable for business environment
to bulky for light summer dress
attracts attention of TSA-sweepers <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
complicated to hide
complicated to get with you when naked (swimming)

BAGS:
I?ve never used them `cause I don?t like plastics at all but I would assume the following.

Pros:
flexible
can be used for waterstorage/treatment
lightweight

Cons:
get?s probably brittle after some time
easy to puncture
I don?t trust them

... just my humble opinion ...
Molf

Skipping over the too much information part, did you make this yourself? Or did you have it made?

I like the Witz cases:

Witz Cases

They're lightweight, pretty durable, waterproof, and with the clear ones, the contents are visible.

The actual ti-capsual has been turned by a friend of mine how has a precision engineering workshop but the former revisions made of aluminum have been made on my own lathe.

I?m used to make a lot of my gear my own or at least design it myself and let produce it by someone else.
Since my last relocation two month ago I don?t have the space to setup my machines anymore (that?s the hard line if you live in a preservation listed house <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) so I?ll have to give more work to third persons.

I do like plastic. Although I found 1 bag that I like ( ALOKSAK BAGS 4.5X7 IN / 11.43 X 17.78 CM) I place them in another nylon ripstop bag for protection. I wear mod. BDU's almost all the time and they fit perfect in the side pockets. They are always on me. My PSK is pretty extensive, but I grew up with "be prepared".

I lkie the ceap, waterproof option -- tupperware or its sisters. Cheap, great sizes, durable, light.

Perfoect for a first aid kit

TRO

I have two different PSK for different applications. First, I have a PSK on steroids in a Paraclete GP Medium Pouch that I carry whenever I am in the field. It is carried either on my belt or the waist belt of my backpack. It works very well, and keeps all my survival stuff in one place so if for some reason I have to dump my pack I can grab this pouch and go. The contents of this pouch are merely for survival, and items I'd need under normal conditions (compass, matches, knife, etc) are duplicated. This pouch is great as long as you don't have breakables in the kit (which I avoid in my PSK), light durable and realitivly inexpensive.

My second kit is smaller and simpler, carried in an 4.5"x 7" Aloksak with two smaller 2"x3"(?) organizing smaller items. THis apck can be carried in a BDU pocket or in a small camelback easilly and usually resides in my Bug-Out bag on the front seat of my truck. It is the kit I carry when trail running or mountain biking and my EDC kit. Thes bags are superlight, more durable than ziplocs but are somewhat easy to tear, yet they are pretty much dirt cheap!

I choose not to use hard boxes for my smaller kits due to weight and bulk, however I do like pelican and otter boxes for sensitive and expensive gear, most of this stuff isn't survival gear but electornics I need to take to the field for other reasons. The cost in weight, bulk and money is worth it to protect expensive electronics and optics.

can be hidden inside rectum <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Dear Molf

I cannot for the LIFE OF ME find a non-survivalist reason to do this. Please explain any circumstance you had in mind.

Better yet - don't! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have two PSK's. One is the standard Altoids tin that is always in my pocket any time I am out hiking (I do not carry it around town).

The other is my "backpack-based" kit. That's stored in a standard Nalgene one liter bottle. It's waterproof (because it's a Nalgene bottle!), it holds water (because it's a Nalgene bottle!), I can boil water in the metal cup that slips perfectly over the end of the thing, I can see what's inside (it's translucent), and a bunch of stuff fits inside. StarFlash mirror, full sized compass, etc. If it doesn't fit inside my pack there are all kinds of attachment thingies for Nalgene bottles (neoprene sleeves, etc.) to hook it onto the outside of the pack. This is not a substitute for the Altoids tin kit. It is carried in addition to that for longer hikes with friends, or solo hikes of any distance.

I haven't found a container yet that I like. Its like searching for the perfect folding knife.. or for that matter the holy grail.

Right now I have 3 kits in the following containers:

Altoids Tin (pocket)
Maxpedition M-2 (belt)
Maxpedition Vulture-2 (back)

I'm not completely satified with any of them.

I prefer metal tins of various sizes. It should be heat-resistent so it can be used for cooking or making char-cloth, and conducting so it helps protect against EMP.

No, No, No! Um, nevermind. 1" diameter, but then that is irrelevant isn't it, tell me it is.

Uncomfortable imagination - I know <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

It?s the last ditch of transportation and/or hidding.

And believe me it?s not that bad like a colonoscopy <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Brian,
Sorry to bother you, but I've been thinking of a Maxpedition Fatboy Versipak. When I go out it's usually with the wife, and it look's like I could put together a decent All-Around Carry Kit, geared towards the two of us. Can I ask you where you got your's?

Krell

There have been a couple of reviews of the Fatboy/Jumbo here, one of which was by me. Read through them before buying one. They are great packs, but not for every circumstance.

Best place I've found to buy Maxpedition products is ebay.