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#829 - 06/25/01 11:01 AM Using Pocket Kits
Greg Offline
newbie member

Registered: 02/02/01
Posts: 33
Loc: Washington State, U.S.A.
Has anyone ever actually used one in the field?<br>Have you ever been in a real outdoor setting where<br>your tobacco tin contents were all that was available;<br>successfully utilized the contents and "lived to tell the<br>tale"? <br>"Well, yes, but I had a lot of other stuff,too." "Sure, I used<br>a bandaid from mine just last week at work". No.<br><br>We spend such an inordinate amount of time discussing<br>the merits of these small kits. I'm wondering if they ever<br>see use and the larger question: would they work?.<br> What exactly, do/ did you expect from yours?<br><br>Don't misunderstand me, I love gadgets too. Its just that<br>sometimes I envison people getting into a survival situation<br>and either throwing their kits at the problem or dieing of<br>mortification because they have to use paper matches<br>instead of the M-19 SuperHeterodyne Techno-Flamer <br>that they could have sworn they put in there last month.<br><br><br><br>

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#830 - 06/25/01 06:59 PM Well said
AndyO Offline
Member

Registered: 05/25/02
Posts: 167
Loc: Jawja
Putting kits together is as much a game as anything. It's fun! However, given the choice of kit or no kit, I choose kit! In my case, my "Altoids kit" is the bulk of my emergency stuff when I go mountain biking. Although I couldn't say that it's saved my life, I have raided its contents on numerous occasions. Neosporin, advil, photon light. I even used the needle, dental floss and fire making supplies once to repair a torn tire sidewall! My current kit also includes Uncle Bill's tweezers and a Victorinox Classic knife (the tiny one). These two items are often used for ticks or delicate cutting jobs where the folder I'm carrying is too large.<br>Your response is very well received, however as we often like to throw money/ resources/ kit at problems than rational thought.<br><br>
_________________________
Two is one, one is none. That is why I carry three.

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#831 - 06/25/01 08:45 PM Re: Using Pocket Kits
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
I used the pocket kit during my recent Island misadventure. I am getting a brief article off to Doug to post. Yes,we had sleeping bags,toiletries,minimum water,spare clothing and the materials in our excavation kits. I'll let the Doug and the forum critique my actions and performance of equipment. <br><br>

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#832 - 06/26/01 02:14 PM Re: Using Pocket Kits
Anonymous
Unregistered


I wouldn't be surprised if no one has replies with a definitive Yes, the minkit alone saved my life.<br><br>In reality, very few people ever get into situations where they need to rely on a pocket survival kit. The fact that you are carrying a kit probably indicates you are taking additional precautions and are more aware of your surroundings. You are less likely to go on a hike without taking along adequate clothing to match the weather report you checked. You filled your canteen before you left and left a travel itenery behind. You push yourself to the limits to test yourself but probably tend to leave an opening to recover if things awry.<br><br>In other words, you are limiting your potential for errors and have survival kits to cover the truely unexpected. <br><br>By the way, I use bandaids from my kit on a regular basis. Also have used duct tape, knife, pen & paper, money, paracord, and Tylenol. None of the situations were life threatening unless you count the headache my wife had while standing in a line at Disney with screaming kids all around. I would have hated to see her blow up and attack someone ;^)<br><br>

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#833 - 06/26/01 02:29 PM Re: Using Pocket Kits
billvann Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 05/10/01
Posts: 780
Loc: NE Illinois, USA (42:19:08N 08...
I suspect there's some truth in your comment that folks will build their "kits" just for the sake of building them. But there's really no harm, as far as I can tell, if one has an interest or hobby in building a kit. And it may, in fact, be useful in a life or death situation. I have had CPR training as a Scout and as a Scout Leader, but I have never been in a situation where I have had to put that training in practice. Was the training a waste? No. Neither is building a survival kit that may never be used.<br><br>But I do think it's important to build a kit or kits that truly reflect the situations one is likely to encounter. I don't fly and am not likely to be ditching in open water where I'll need to survive for days in a life raft. So all of the components needed for such a contingency would be a waste of space and weight in my kit.<br><br>But I do take hikes in areas where I may be isolated for a night, or two under extreme conditions. So I plan my kit accordingly. I also take into consideration that I'll usually have other gear with me on such hikes in my fanny pack. So I put in items that I typically don’t use in normal hiking situation, fishing hooks and line, for example. Routine items, such as certain first aid items (bandages, moleskin, aspirin, etc.) I have in a plastic, reusable case in my fanny pack, while painkillers and antibiotics are in the tin for a true emergency situation. <br><br>The same holds true for my car kits, which I am now assembling. I don’t live or travel in an area where I’ll need more than a few hours of relief, maybe overnight. So I’m adding elements that may prove helpful in those situations. Plus I already have other resources that I’ve always carried in the car, a roadside emergency kit with flares and a first aid kit.<br><br>This is a long-worded answer to your question, “What exactly, do/ did you expect from yours?” Well, I hope I never have to use any of them unless I’m trying them out for fun or training, like starting a fire without a match, which I did for the first time last month just so I know how to do it. But I also want to make sure that I have items available for my family and me should I ever become lost on a Scout hike, or the family car gets stuck overnight in heavy snowstorm.<br><br>Thanks for the thought provoking post.<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL
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Willie Vannerson
McHenry, IL

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#834 - 06/27/01 04:05 PM Re: Using Pocket Kits
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
has anyone actually talked to a individual that DIDNT have a pocket kit?<br><br>

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