I'm going to ask you the following question: Do you prefer a combined PSK/FAK or carry the 2 seperate?

Advantages combined PSK/FAK: Only one container, so it takes in less space.

Disadvantages: separating the 2 gives more space for survival stuff in the PSK and more FA stuff in the FAK.

Any other things I'm missing? Wich one do you prefer?

I prefer separate for ease of carry. I can put one in each leg pocket of a pair of BDUs. Having both in one container would require some sort of bag/pack.

I asked a similar question in a similar thread, if that might be of any help.

These days, in my hiking/backpacking/search and rescue packs, I find it's best to carry a first-aid kit in it's own container, along with a utility/PSK kit that contains survival and other misc items. The only medical items I have in my utility/PSK kit are a few band-aids.

This is just my opion and based solely on that. I like separate PSK and FAKs.

Here's why I fell this way...
1. A PSK sould be small enough that you carry it with you everywhere. That way it goes with you fishing, hiking, camping with out being a pain to carry.
2. FAK change depending on what you are expecting. A FAK for my car is not the same FAK I would take on a multi-day backpackig trip in the boonies. But my PSK is still the same for both.
3. Ease of use. Nothing worse than looking for one thing and having to wade through 10,000 other things to get to it. If I need FA stuff its all there in the FAK I don't want to have to pull out my Spark-lite, compass, mirror, lighter, purification tabs, andother PSK stuff to get to it. Same with PSK stuff, if my buns are on the line I don't wnat to be digging through FAK stuff (which would be on top because you se it more) to get the gear I need.

Anyway that's just my take on this.

I'm sorry that I again asked the same question.
(guess I had to use the Search-function before posting. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

"Do you prefer a combined PSK/FAK or carry the 2 seperate?"

Both, sort of.

My PSK includes the stuff I might need for first aid in an emergency. It is relatively complete, this way, on its own. Many of the items can have either a first aid purpose or other emergency wilderness survival purpose, depending on what i need and how I use them. For example, the triple antibiotic ointment has first aid uses, but can also be used as petroleum jelly to help start a fire.

But nothing in my PSK gets used unless it is a real emergency, so that nothing is used up or worn out when I need it. So, I have a separate first aid kit, which gets used for normal first aid needs.

But normally you can't carry more FAK stuff in a PSK than some band-aids, alcohol swabs, antibiotic ointment and perhaps some tylenol.
Is the space that those items take in worth it? Or would you choose for extra survival supplies?

I'm not saying that band-aids aren't useful, but are they worth the space in a PSK, that could,
perhaps be taken in by a signalling-mirror or that tylenol by some more matches / puritabs? (just a example)

I carry separate FAK & PSK. That doesn't mean it's the best way, It just means that I'm a packrat. I carry my complete (?) PSK in a Trangia Mess Tin with only minor First Aid Items. I carry a separate FAK about the same size as the Trangia kit. Why? for one thing it's fun when my wife gets a minor cut and I unroll my FAK, pull out a scapel and ask how much pain she can take. Her loud reply concerning my ancestry helps to calm her down so I can use some iodine and a band aid.

"But normally you can't carry more FAK stuff in a PSK than some band-aids, alcohol swabs, antibiotic ointment and perhaps some tylenol.
Is the space that those items take in worth it? Or would you choose for extra survival supplies?"

I don't carry any band aids in my PSK. For band aids, I have a sterile towel and duct tape. I can cut them as necessary to make little band aids or big bandages. The towel has many other valuable survival purposes, from insulation as a scarf or hat, to 1st stage water filter, to tinder, etc. The duct tape has many other uses, too, from gear repair, to makeshift sunglasses, to binding material for shelter building, etc.

I don't carry alcohol swabs. I'd much rather clean a wound with diluted povidone iodine, because it does less tissue damage. The small squirt bottle of povidone iodine hardly takes up any space or room, and the iodine can be used for water sterilization, as well as for wound cleaning.

(By the way, I do usually carry a couple ounces of pure methanol, for my job, so I would likely have this on me, in an emergency. While it is not my preferred wound cleaner, it is commonly used for this purpose. It's also great for fire starting.)

See what I mean, that the items can serve both PSK and FAK functions?

I do carry some tablets of medicines in my PSK. I think these are very worth carrying. An aspirin not only relieves pain, it can also reduce swelling, and lower fever. Even aspirin has PSK use as well as FAK use, since it can thin the blood, and thereby slightly increase circulation in the extremities, helping to prevent frostbite.

So, to directly answer your questions: PSK space for survival supplies is at a premium, but I don't need to choose between first aid supplies and survival supplies, because they are the same supplies, generally speaking.

So would you choose duct-tape or bandages? You and me made the same choice: more duct-tape, wich is a survival- supply.

I do get your point. So if you start adding custom FAK-supplies, I don't really think that it is worth the space in your PSK.
So, as usual: choose multi-purpose stuff for the PSK.

BTW: You did made me put a sterile towel in my PSK after I read your post and I already carried some prep-pad's for fire-starting.

(Although you'r likely to find me without a PSK than without a FAK.)

Like many others on this forum, I EDC stuff that is used daily and would also be in a PSK. I guess you could say I carry two PSKs: the stuff in my Mission Wallet and my Ritter PSK. The knife and light in the Mission Wallet are used daily; other stuff in the MW not so much. The DR PSK is never opened. As for an FAK, I went with an Ultralight .3 and added a set of tweezers. Works for me.

I carry them separate only because that is what works for me.

I use my Fatboy daily as my "man purse" so I have a little more room to play with.

In my Fatboy, I have my PSK and a small FAK, in addition to my little red "bag of tricks" (tape, backup matches, twist ties, etc.) for minor emergencies/improvisation.

Having them separate allows me to carry more stuff and be a little more flexible in it's use (for example; I can hand over my FAK to my wife and still have the rest of my gear).

It's fun to play with different configurations of stuff and see how it carries/works/doesn't work depending on real life experience.

My only advice is to stay flexible, play with what works for you, and have a backup for your backup.

One never really solve problems; just trade off consequences.

For smaller kits, I like to have them seperate. In my PSK/PMK combo, the medical kit is as big as the PSK! Why? Because you can die from blood loss just as fast and easy as hypothermia, and from an infected wound well as you can from dehydration.

At the next step up, my ditch kit's medical component is just as large as the "core" part of the survival kit. Never mind that I've got about twice as much "accessory" stuff as there is core kit.

To a certain extent, I like combining some PSK/FAK items. In my med/large PSK (an Otterbox 1000) I had enough room for 3 triple antibiotic packets, 2 alcohal wipes, 2 2x2 gauze pads, 4 bandaids, and 10 steri strips. The idea being that if I were to suffer a large gash from a fall or something I could patch myself up if all I had my my PSK. I could also use the 26" of duct tape in the kit, and my EDC cotton bandanna for additional wound dressing. But again, those supplies are in there just in case all I had was my PSK. Additionally, I carry the AMK Ultralight .9 in my pack, so I can deal with just about any medical emergency I encounter.

Sometimes, when I am going a little lighter, I do like to break up my PSK and FAK. I have found the Otterbox a tad too uncomfortable (hard, and 12.3 oz) to sit in my pocket all day, though I have managed that before. So like many others, I break my supplies up and carry the Ritter PSP in one pocket, and my personally assembled FAK that I call my Ultralight ".4" - it is about halfway between the .3 and .5. This way I can carry more medical stuff, though slightly less "survival" stuff, than what is in my Otterbox in a more comfortable setup. I love my Otterbox and AMK .9 but sometimes they are awkward to carry on person and thus I usually toss them in my pack, but the nature of my environment (urban at the moment) makes a pack feel like overkill. Can't wait to go hiking...

Matt