Hi atty_guy,

Is it always necessary to carry a survival kit? No, of course not. It's only necessary when you find yourself in a survival situation. Of course, we never know when that is, but we can make realistic decisions based on realistic expectations.

I lived most of my life carrying only the "survival equipment" dictated by peaceful modern life ... money, ID, keys, etc. And I did quite well. I've had a nice life, primarily free from disaster or emergency. This is good, because I had no gear most of the time (and no training all of the time) and wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. I gambled with my safety, as the majority of people do, mostly because it never occurred to me to do otherwise. And I was fine. (I got mugged once, but got through it well (though, at the time, I didn't feel that way).) This is how most people live, and most people live through each day pretty well.

Those of us who frequent this forum usually want more. We want to know we've done all we reasonably can ... at least for the time being ... to prepare for the various emergencies which we can see likely coming up in our diverse lives. We plan for what we may be able to do later, and for how our lives may change later. Many of us have aspirations for doing more as time goes by. What that means is, of course, different for each of us, because we are all so different from each other. What I need for my daily life may be quite different from what you or anyone else need(s) for your or their daily life. You, like each of us, have to decide what you want or may need to carry. (Your involvment here indicates you've spent a good investment of time and energy doing just that, and good for you.)

You probably don't need arial signal flares or smoke. You may not feel the need for a Leatherman. You may never be in any sort of breakdown of civil services. You may never be the victim of violence. You may never get caught in a burning building. You may not work in a high rise or may not feel the need to keep rapelling gear or a parachute under your desk. Perhaps you've never needed and never will need a SAM splint.

I don't carry a fire extinguisher in my day planner, nor a field surgery kit in my glasses case. I don't carry iodine tablets in my pocket all the time. I don't make sure I have a signal mirror on a lanyard around my neck when I drive down to the mall to go shopping. I don't sit with a shotgun in my lap when I watch TV. I don't make sure I have a dental hygiene kit secreted away somewhere in my suit when I go to work nor a wire saw carefully woven into my belt. Heck, I don't even carry a backpack.

I do carry more than you say you do, and I've had occasion to be quite thankful I did. I've also read others' lists of their EDC gear and wondered why they thought it was worth the hassle and if they ever really used any of that stuff. Some carry more, some carry less; it's all up to the individual. Thankfully, I haven't seen it much here at ETS, but I've seen two types of competitions at other sites. The first is "I carry more than you" and the second is "I carry less than you". They're both pretty counterproductive contests, IMO. We each decide for ourselves which kind and how much of what items we will pack or carry for each different environment we go out into each day. Hopefully, it is a conscious decision and not merely laziness making a default decision for us.

I'm comfortable with what I carrry, and I'm always reconsidering adding and subtracting items. It's an ongoing process. Reading back over your previous posts, you seem quite well prepared. You've placed useful gear in a number of logical locations, and continue to consider and reconsider your preparations. If you're comfortable with your work thus far, then you're set for now. You don't need to carry an Altoids Tin to the office and you're not any less cool than anyone else on the forum if you don't always have your Wave or Super Tool 200 on your belt. (FWIW, I don't.)

Just keep an open mind and pay attention to the environment around you. Neighborhoods change. So do lifestyles, personal attitudes and the world situation. Next year, you may encounter a situation where you will reallly wish you had a Photon II on your keychain, or a couple of extra checks kept somewhere other than your checkbook. Next month, a friend may successfully defend himself from a hostile dog with a pepper spray, and you may decide that it's worth keeping one on yourself whenever you can. You don't know now what you may feel later, so always keep reevaluating what you carry. See if you can find ever more convenient ways to carry it. The process never ends, so just enjoy it.

Stay safe,
J.T.