I am sure that this question has been asked many times, and I have seens allusions to the answer, but if the direct answer to this question is out there, I have missed it. The question is why Doug and/or Chris put together a PSK and sell it to us for $100 bucks or so. It would give those of us who are inexperienced a great kit to start with--that we could tweak as we gained the knowledge. It would give you experienced guys a great second kit and way to support this whole endeavor. I understand that a PSK is supposed to be "personal" --but hey, we are all in this together...right? Would this not be economically feasible? I want a kit like Doug's and I want it NOW!

When you get to time and place where you need to pull out your gear and start dealing with survival, you will have just two basic things - the gear (toys) and your mind (knowledge and attitude). Of the two, the mind is incomarably more important. This is the problem with the gear abandoning hikers that Mac Muz describes (I have seen this often, myself). They panic.. and lose it all.<br><br>In other words, just buying the gear won't really ge the job done. The Zen of the PSK is such that the best way to go is to assemble it yourself, making the decisions about what to include and what to leave out and why .. this gets you thinking about how these gadgets will be employed should you ever need them. It is this mental exercise that is the most important itemyou place into the kit.<br><br>Still, for $100 I will cheerfully assemble you a kit, doing my very best to get you good things within. I'll bet that Chris will also if you really press him (Caution: we are both archeologists, so you will probably find a hand axe in your kit.) Which of these kits will be the right one for you - probably neither. Some dark and stormy night, you will open the kit, look at the hand axe, shrug your shoulders, and throw it away, while Chris or I could undoubtedly survive with only that implement for months and months.

But my hand axes will come in three grades; standard obsidian, imported English flint from Grime's Graves and a tactical version with cactus needle drilled lanyard hole, sawback and cordage stripper in a cavebear sheath signed by Darryl Hanna.

Chris,<br><br>I've gotta get one of the tactical ax versions. And, can you also make a complementary tactical folder. Be sure they're robust -- dinosaurs are really hard to skin. But their hides make great loincloths! Oh, how many moons till it's ready?<br><br>John

You build your own kit for the same reason a grunt cleans his own rifle- so that he knows it, inside out, upside down, and in the dark. ("OUCH! There are the fishhooks." ) If you have to trust your life to a package that fits in your pocket, you should know it was well as you know your own life. <br><br>Also, everyone wants and needs diferent things. Look at the review of the commercial kits that Doug has up. Even the best of them doesn't fit all of any person's needs, unless they want it for an expensive teddy bear. It's better to build your own, so that you know what your gear can take. And if you build it, your more likely to have spares around to learn how to actually use them. There are two kinds of people- those who learn how to use tools, and those who are tools.<br><br>As for the hundred bucks.... Other than the Rx meds, nothing in Doug's kit is all that pricy- his small might cost 80 bucks, with shipping, and you have the trainers. There isn't enough market to be able to go into business doing just PSKs as anything other than a sideline, and have it be profitable- ask Chris. <br><br>You can't make people buy a good kit, so they whine a little about a 30 dollar peice of junk and are happy until they die. If you build one anyway, you will just be out money, becuase the only people who appreciate the quality will build thier own.

See, there you go-it proves my point. I wouldn't have even known that an axe was appropriate for my psk. it will make things kind of tight though--unless I put it INSIDE the toaster-oven?

Robb,<br><br>That's why it's so important that you pack the kit just right. Otherwise, you might not get in all the essentials.<br><br>John