Cost of PSK

Questions:

1. What is the true cost of a cheap improperly equipped PSK? Please List!

2. What did you pay for your PSK?

3. Now, what did you pay for all your PSK's together?


Why would anyone spend only 10,12,15, or even $30 dollars on there PSK. Be honest here if your life depended on it, would you want the best or the cheapest equipment.

MCSE, I don't understand your question <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> You were last on @ May 2003 with similar posts. People obviously buy or assemble what is readily at hand or presented by commercial interests. Then people slowly learn what is worthwhile and if so inclined assemble a premium kit. People have survived throughout time with the most rudimentary and humble bits of gear. Conversely, entire expeditions have disappeared into history books dragging a ship's desk. My PSK probably represents $100 to replace item by item. With past mistakes it's actually close to double that. Somebody with half a brain could assemble a basic kit for lunch money. Niether one will do much more than satisfy online forum egos unless the users somehow cut the 550 para- umbilical cord of armchair survival and go get cold,wet,lost,scared and dirty at least once.

I buy some of my personal equipment on the slick so I think I can answear your question. Quite frankly, many of us simply do not have an extra $100-150 to spend on a knife and then again on a PSK. That alone is a powerful enough motive to buy cheaper gear, but you also have the idea of use. I am interested in personal survival because of the way I was raised and my personal predisposition to getting stuff done myself, however, I do live in an urban enviroment as opposed to being a small aircraft piolt or climber/hiker enthusiast. For me, my well stock bail out bag in the trunk, my multi-tool and my flash light see me through most problems. It is unlikey that I will be in a "serious" survival incident so I generally don't have to spend top dollar. For me, its more of an acedemic interest and hobby that has the dule benifet of being fun and also potentially life saving. I spend good money on it when I can, but Iam in university and only work part-time so it often gets slid to the back burner for things like, you know, food <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

My personal EDC kit is in the $100-140 range.

The difference between a $15 kit and a $100+ kit is:

The quality of items
The compactness of items allowing no brainer carry convenience.

A cheaper kit is much bulkier and not as effective potentially.

Its also about comfort level and what you are willing to live with. A bulky EDC is more likely to be left home as its not convenient to carry 365 days/yr. I believe a $100 can be afforded by all short of the most hard up people, just collect the items over time to minimize the wallets impact.

Flip

I think you're preaching to the choir. I think most people here have well stocked PSK’s and that doesn’t mean they spent $500 to do it either. Just because a kit cost less than $50 doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

I think your question should be asked to the general public that goes out for a weekend hike and get's lost on the trail. Could it be possible that $27.50 survival kit would save their life? I would say yes.

>>1. What is the true cost of a cheap improperly equipped PSK? <<

An attempt at a trick question? I'm guessing that you're going for an answer with the word "death" in it... but I'm not much into rhetorical exercises.

There are expensive "improperly equipped" PSKs as well as "cheap" ones, and as many folks here know, a little personal attention can make up for a lot of money in creating a "properly equipped" PSK, and a little experience can be worth quite a bit of equipment.

I'm a "knife nut" myself, but I'd bet on a seasoned woods-rat with an Opinel over a newbie with a your choice of $300 survival knives any day.

1. I spent my first 20 years hunting deer, and later elk, with my survival kit consisting of a space blanket, a candle stub, some strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof metal case, a wire saw, and a bottle of Potable Aqua. Total cost: about $10.00. Was I improperly equipped? Probably. But I carried more dedicated survival gear than most of the guys I was hunting with.

2. Now I carry considerably more dedicated gear. All told, I'm probably into it about $65-$75. I don't include my knives in this total because I consider them more hunting than survival gear. The knives I carry are a 1970's era Old Timer Woodsman 5" fixed blade of 1095 carbon steel (available for about $35.00 on Ebay) and a brand new Buck Crosslock Alpha Hunter in S30V steel. ($89.00 at Cabelas.) Hardly what you would consider premium survival knives, and certaintly far less expensive than some of the custom jobs.

Would I stake my life on my cheap knives? Well, I guess I do just that every time I go up the mountain, and I've been doing that for 30 years. The fact is, I have confidence that my cheap Old Timer can do whatever job is at hand. If I didn't, I would carry something else. The same goes for the rest of my gear.


Regards, Vince

Hi Guys,

No, No I am not asking a trick question nor am I trying to be to critical.

Maybe I am preaching to the choir and that is a good thing. When I started many years ago I bought one kit and found out that it did not have enough stuff and then bought another and another, and yet another. I do not want to say how many kits I have how much I money I have spent.


Yes Chris I know you are well versed in survival and so am I and we could probably both survive in very hostel environments. That isn't a ego trip but just a statement on the education that this site provides for people. Congratulations!!

I am sorry, I am laughing, now you said "You were last on @ May 2003" but I have never left, I have been checking out this site the whole time. Chris are you scolding me for what I said on (May of 2003), or for not posting sooner.




Hi Presumed lost,

(long time) , you said this "but I'm not much into rhetorical exercises". I had no intension of saying this but I will now! Well I am not into games or rhetorical exercises, I will tell you a true story though. My buddies and I where hiking in the Olympic mountains in Washington many many years ago and there were two day hikers on the same route; a guy and a girl. To keep it short they hiked too far out to get back in time and it got dark, they had no equipment and no flashlight, but they tried to hike back anyway. The only problem was as you know that some of the trails lead right up to the edges of cliffs. He lead her right off the edge of a cliff, he died when he hit the bottom, she was gored by a branch on a ledge on the way down and hung there all night, and somewhere in the middle of the night she froze to death. That night it rained, snowed, cleared off and froze. I got out of my tent and looked around and it was so beautiful out, so cold, it was clear and peaceful, it was gorgeous. I never heard her scream, no even once.



Anyway about the cost of the kit, I

I do tons of lightweight backpacking and it always amazes me the amount of day hikers (and more recently mountain bikers too) I see with zero equipment. Some don't even carry water and where I live it is usually HOT. Often it is a young couple and sometimes even a family with small children. It bothers me to no end and especially when people travel unprepaired with their children. Maybe CPS should sit at the trailhead and arrest those fools. I imagine I am likely to have to use my knowledge and gear to help one these people [again] long before I will need it to help myself. That is if they are lucky enough to be within shouting distance of my camp or to cross me on the trail. </endRant>

Looking in my pockets and on my person right now while sitting at my desk at work I have about $222 worth of gear on me.

A huge portion of that is my Benchmade Mini RSK (about $125 w/ delivery) and my Timex Expedition watch/compass (about $65 if I remember correctly). In addition to that I am also carrying a small ferrocerium rod plucked from a cheap magnesium starter ($6) wrapped in shrink tubing ($1) as well as a small spy capsule ($5) with 2 days worth of prescription meds and some cotton ($5) and a Photon II white LED light ($15).

I also have a small PSK for hiking:

3 Condoms ($5)
6 MP1 Tabs ($8)
Scalpel Blade ($1)
Gerber 2" Locking Folder ($25)
50' of 100# Fireline ($2)
Mini Bic Lighter ($2)
Larger Ferrocerium Rod ($6)
3 Alcohol Swabs ($1)
Benchmade DPT Rant ($50 w/ shipping)
Timex Helix Watch/Compass/Altimeter/Barometer/Thermometer/etc.. ($100)

Total Cost $200