Reading throught this forum, I've come across hundreds of items. So far I EDC and have for my Survival Kits:

Leatherman Wave
Inova X1
Inova X5
Brinkmann Maxfire LX ($20) (my opinion, this is a 'best bang for your buck' flashlight)

However, I saw this and will plan to do this:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/581888/10_police_flashlight_hack/

Pocket Survival Pack
Master Pro Survival Kit (from prosurvivalkit.com)

Still looking for backpacks, waistpacks, keychain... was looking at the edcdepot.com website. Not sure of the quality

Does anyone have there "go to" websites for purchases? And a list of 'best bang for your buck' items?

My advice is to stick with known brandnames and sources.

Some of my own favorite sites include:

http://www.campmor.com --general camping gear

http://www.cabelas.com --for many things, esp. clothing

http://www.equipped.org --for GREAT knives

http://www.countycomm.com --for paracord, signal mirror, cheap LED lights, misc fun stuff

http://www.basegear.com

http://www.bestglide.com/index.htm

http://www.kmmatchcase.com/ --world's finest matchcase

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/ --compasses & other stuff

http://www.spectrumbagsonline.com/ --for orange garbage bags

http://www.wholesaleforeveryone.com/ --for bandanas

My "go to" site is http://www.basegear.com/

They have the best prices overall that I have found online and there are sales going on various products all the time. My last order took less time to get here by mail than most letters take to get across town.

I think the things that are "best bang for your buck" would have to be things that serve multiple purposes. First thing that comes to mind for me is the AMK Heatsheet Emergency Blanket. I would also include something like aluminum foil and 550 Para Cord.

My own preference is to keep kits small and lightweight so that I'm most likely to carry with me when needed. My objective is to survive until rescued (abt 72 hrs) - not to homestead in the wilderness.

As far as bang for the buck, over the years I've come to prefer these items:

-Doug's PSP - as a great starter kit
-Storm Whistle - big, but really really loud; maybe the Windstorm whistle
-Small Signal Mirror from countycomm.com
-Miox water treatment w/ 4-liter Water Tank (Platypus I think)
-Nalgene 32 oz wide-mouth water bottles
-Any knife with "Ritter" on it
-Vaseline-coated cotton ball firestarters
-Long K&M Matchcase w/ REI waterproof matches
-Brunton 8099 Eclipse mirror compass or Suunto M2 Leader baseplate compass
-Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx mapping GPSj or Brunton Geko 201 or 301
-UTM grids from maptools.com
-Eureka Tents - not best nec., but best bang for the buck

Are you looking for specific items or just a general selection?

That Inova X1 single AA powered LED, have you ever EDC'd it? I have an ARC AAA now on my truck keychain but I wouldn't mind something a little brighter and would prefer AA over AAA as I don't have a lot of non AA gear left. The ARC AAA the only thing holding me from droping AAA's in my gear completely so if the X1 wouldn't be too much bigger then I could switch over.

Yes. It 'was' my EDC. Unforunately, I dropped it. And changed battery and can't get it to work. I think I'll get a new one. It worked very well. I enjoyed it much. Of course the others have greater output of light. But I bought this for $20 and based on the review at www.flashlightreviews.com

I just don't understand why it doesn't work after I dropped it. I changed battery.

I still keep a Arc AAA-P on my keychain, but it's not my primary flashlight. I carry the Fenix L1D CE (single AA) most of the time now. I've dropped it a few times and it's bounced around my laptop back and pocket quite a bit with only a little wear around the split ring holes. I feed it with rechargable AA cells and use it all the time. I originally resisted buying a Fenix light because the Arc AAA-P had such a better battery light, but with occasional use, I get months out of the Arc and weeks out of the Fenix. I carry a spare battery for each either way.

If I were a first-time buyer, I'd really consider the AAA version of the Fenix over the Arc. I find that the Arc is often not bright enough to really do the job. If the lights go out and I need to see where I'm going, I need to slow down and look carefully until my eyes adjust. Even on the lowest output, the Fenix is plenty bright enough to walk normally.

I've got a Brinkmann Maxfire LX sitting around here with dead batteries because I'm A) too cheap to buy them in the store and B) too lazy to order them in bulk online. I used it sparingly because A) the batteries are expensive and B) the bulb doesn't last forever.

Bang for the buck? I'd say a $4 coin cell keychain light. Then maybe a $20-30 Rock River / River Rock (whichever) light from Target.

Knife-wise, I'm still not a Gerber fan. The fit and finish of the under $40 knives just doesn't impress me. I'd rather have a Spyderco Delica or Endura for the price. Or personally, I'd rather have a 2 or 3 layer Swiss Army Knife.

I'll toss out a few ideas here. My suggestions are pretty close to mirroring everyone else's.

If I had to start from scratch with the basics:

Multi-Tool: Leatherman Wave
Flashlight: Surefire LED
Survival: Doug's Pocket Survival Pack
Water: Nalgene 32oz. Bottles
Knife: Benchmade or Spyderco

One thing about these lights that you should be aware of...

I used to carry an Arc-AAA light. Those use type III hard anodizing, and I kept it on my keychain. After a few years, the hard anodize combined with the knurling wore down some of the bumps on my car keys, and I had to replace them. I now carry a Photon light. Yes, it uses coin cells, but the power output is adjustable, and I have a pile of coin cells that I can replace at any time. It is not as nice, but it is a LOT more gentle on my keys. My Arc-AAA now lives in my camelbak.