Hi Neal,

I don't mean to be the least evasive- I can detail the contents of my kits if you like, but it does get a little involved. I have one for sailing, one for hiking (it's been WAY too long since either of those was used) and a somewhat more complex arrangement for my every-day or "urban" PSK, sort of three-stages involving an Altoids-size tin, a larger Rubbermaid-style flat rectangular container, and a shoulder pouch. The reason for the complexity of the urban arrangement is that I'm currently a LONG commute away from home, and a long subway ride away from my vehicle all day.

It might help to know that I also carry no first-aid gear in the PSKs. For one thing, I have little training in that regard, but mostly I'm skeptical as to the real value of anything small enough to carry in an Altoids tin. I've been gashed up a number of times, and it sort of seems to me that if you can stop the bleeding with anything that small, it was going to stop anyway. I'm also very leery of carrying any loose medications, prescription or even over-the-counter, in an urban setting- too easy for it to be misinterpreted and get you "detained" at some critical time. I do carry a small first-aid kit in my pack when hiking. I consider the aid that it can provide more "comfort" than "survival", but "comfort" is a perfectly legitimate goal when hiking.

Those idiosyncrasies aside, my kits don't vary that much from what most people list. Every kit contains some sort of knife or blade, at least two ways to make fire, a compass, an oven bag or similar for an emergency water container, one of Barry's tiny vials of iodine tablets, a whistle, a Photon micro-light, tiny multiple-fold reading glasses (which I need for reading or close work), a P38 can opener, and needle & thread, safety pins. The sailing and hiking kits contain "Featherweight" signalling mirrors. The sailing kit has more emphasis on water-resistance, cord, etc... the "urban" kit has more emphasis on information (pen & paper, phone numbers, phone card number, maps and tiny radio in pouch) and money.

Does that help, or would you still like the full breakdown? I keep lists on my Palm, but they're always slightly out of sync with the real contents, it seems.

I guess I'm missing why it would be a mystery what I carry, just because I don't think food-related items are appropriate for a short-term kit.