hello,<br>why do guy's carry tins? I mean you have all yor kit in this tin and it's soooo hard to get at. imagen your really cold and and you need to light a fire FAST.....well first you've got to take all that tape you guys wrap your tins in off then you have to take the lid off and if your wearing gloves thats going to be pritty differcult, then fidlle with the pacage off matches and then you cabn light your fire byt he time you've got throught all that your gonner be priity darn cold.<br>or say you want the plasters and there at the botterm of the tim you have to drip blood all of your kit beffore you can get them.<br>anyw ay great site and really good what you guys are doing.<br>-DEBRA

It might be a little difficultto get into some of our kits (not giving out names), but some of us go pretty basic- a simple wrap of electricians tape aounr the seam, and then a single layer of paracord wrapped over that. The cord comes of in about 15 seconds, and the tape in about the same amount of time. <br><br>If you are so far gone that anohter 30 seconds will cause you to freeze to death, you won't be able to get the fire lit- you'll be shaking to bad. <br><br>As for bandaids, other than blister prtection, I don't put them into a PSK. Anything a bandaid can fix won't cause you to bleed out, and in the 48 to 72 hours that you would need to rely on a PSK, I'm not worried about infection. But that's just me. <br><br>The PSK is supposed to be the last of the last of the supplies, the thing you use when everything else has failed or be lost. It doesn't replace a full kit in a pack, it can't. Espcially in winter or over the long term. But it's better than nothing. <br><br>If you have to leave, do it fighting. That's what the PSK is, a fighting chance.

Hi, Debra.<br><br>That's a darn good question. Let me take a stab at some of the reasons... Just like wearing layered clothing for cold, it's the last layer of ready equipment. Seems like most of us have useful everyday items on our persons, too, so one could argue that stocking a little bit of "everything" in a PSK is not essential for everyone. OTOH, a bit of redundancy is a good thing.<br><br>Also, not everyone carries "everything" in/on their person - a small PSK is ideal for persons who are by choice or not in that situation.<br><br>There are a few items in my PSK that simply don't translate well to pocket carry, but they are fine in my PSK. The PSKs and contents seem to be a regular topic - perhaps because it is challenging to keep the kit small enough to manage yet contain enough useful items.<br><br>Being prepared for the unexpected is a good thing and perhaps more of a "hobby" or interest for some of us than others. A PSK cannot handle everything - what additional items I carry daily for work is altered from what I carry for outings or road trips. IMHO, one of the real but intangible benefits of putting together a "formal" PSK has been to highlight potential shortcomings in what I have habitually carried up 'till now.<br><br>But it's still a good question - I hope Doug, Chris, and others join in on this thread...<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Scouter Tom<br><br>

I agree with Tom and Cyberraven 100% percent that the PSK should be just for redundancy. I think that anyone marching off into the woods with just a PSK and a smile is fool hardy (and probably cold). That being said I have made a PSK as many others have beacuse it's fun. Prompted by this post and the dislike of rewraping the parachute cord I came up with a simple solution. I made a sleeve out of an old card box that an altoids tin slides in to very nicely. I then placed the folded aluminum foil on top of the sleeve and wrapped it in 550 cord. The tin fits rater snugly and the increase in bulk isn't really noticeable. The box from the deck of cards probably isn't the best material for this but is was handy. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated

Try cutting some corugated carboard to fit, then taping it on both the insides and the outsides. <br><br>If it is non-pocket PSK (briefcase, etc), or you wrap it in a ziploc bag, try soaking the pieces in canning wax, then dusting it with magnesium or aluminum shavings if you want. Good tinder, so long as your maner of carry doesn't expose it to heat (then it get's messy). If you need heat protection, just soaking it in shellac and letting that dry will work almost as well. <br><br>Either way, you just improved it's weather resistance a little, added (mostly) dry tinder sufficent for a couple fires, and if you make it as a box you have a second container for things like tinder or to hold the contents of the kit if you *smirks* are cooking in it.<br><br>you could also cut the sides a with "ears" to hold the 550 line a little better.

Part of the rational behind kits is their history. in WW2 allied fliers had button compasses that were literally buttons, silk escape maps, tiny knives etc. While none of us are dodging searchlights and enemy patrols, the idea has come down via military instruction. A pocket tin may be OUR last resort, but to the casual hiker or ill prepared it becomes the FIRST resort. Getting somebody to carry a small kit is easier than a full kit because it is unobrusive physically and emotionally to their complacency.

If I may join here, I have a few differnt ideas. First I am not sure psk = personal survival tins, but if that is correct, you might find some of this interesting.<br><br>I use a very tight fitted candy tin the round ones with the dome top, and the bottoms tend to dome up.<br><br>I force the bottom back so both top and bottom are about equal, and wax the seal for better water tightness.<br><br>I don't believe in lighters or matches for being out in the woods becase they can go bad or run dry, so I have in the tin a flint and steel which would be hard to ever wear out. I also keep a small glass lens in the tin, along with jute twine coiled up. That is about 20 feet unwound. I use the just about 3" long frizzed up for tinder. Sometimes I use pre charred cotten from house hold rags to catch the spark, but I also keep a few small pieces of charred tree fungus to catch the spark from several different types of trees. I try to keep a candle stub which with a bit of charr, I can light directly, and also reseal the tin after making charr.<br>To make the charr from cotton or fungus you start a fire and do what ever you started the fire for. While the fire is burning you add the materials to be charred as you can to the tin, then with the cover loose, and a stick handy to pull the tin out when the smoke stops emitting from the seal area make the charr. <br>Sometimes I add to or take away from what is in the tin. I add splinters of fat wood if I have any, and usually a few needles can be found there. <br><br>My tin has gone swimming a few times, but seems to stay tight. I don't mess up good needles to fish, but I have used the jute for small brook trout with a hook made from twiggs, and chips of bone if I find any droppings from owls, or other small preditors. If that is the case the the bone is sharpened to a point, and lashed much like a mini hangsmans noose to the forked twigg with jute, and waxed. I find the white bone looks like a insect larva to fish, and no other bait is needed.<br><br>Well dinner has been called, and I know better to push the Missuse too far...... Mac

mac, <br>you sound like one hell of a seasond woodsman!<br>I am in awe! the flint and steel, is it synthetic flint or is it real flint, flint? if so you must use a steel strikerlight. If you do use one, where did you get it? <br>regards,<br>-james<br>

Real flint... cherts from America, and quartz work. I get Chert from all over the place, and buy flint from rock dealers, find old ship carrening sights, sand paper mills from days gone by, and at historical re-enactment.<br><br>I do historical re-enactment for fun and for pay depending on what is wanted...<br><br>I also use a bow drill for fire and even drilling. making fire is no prob. takes 2 minutes for about a 3 books of matches blaze. Drilling sea shells with a bow drilland flint tipped drill is far harder and takes a long time drilling in a pan of water so no dust is created... The shells can be used for decoration or lures for fishing...... The steel stikers can be bought at events, or you can make one from an old file.<br><br>To make one from a file: find an old 1/4"x1/4" file and smooth off one side with a grinding wheel, but never let the metal get hot! Dip in water as you feel heat build up....<br><br>A bit better striker is a "C" shape use the same type of file, or you will really work.... I use common flat files, but I heat the files bright red hot, and cut with a "Hot Chisel" closer to the size I want. The heating ruins the temper for the time being, but I then heat and pound the cuts to blend them, and turn the ends to be what ever shape I want,,, dragon heads, birds heads, that sorta thing, but these turn to be a "C" shape.<br><br>After I am satisfied I re-heat and quench in oil. Then the steel is "glass hard" too hard to use. I then again re-heat in bright light, from the ends of the "C" shape..you want the ends softer with a hard center. And quench again.... mirror polish the steel, but just smooth is fine, as it gets hacked up by flint which is the harder part.......<br><br>What burns is the steel, and not the rock...... Mac thxs for complement.......I'll try to not let it go to my head ;-)