I think that we might just be getting caught in the teminology on this one. A Personal Survival Kit (PSK) or a Pocket Survival Kit (PSK) is useful for getting you through what you might need to get through. For a parent with a <2 yr. old child a PSK must include diapers and wipes - certainly doesn't fit into an altoids kit! For an urban environment you most likely won't need any game harvesting equipment such as snares and fishing kit but you might have expanded needs for clothing maintenance. For example if you white shirt loses a button right before an important meeting or interview you want to fix it with matching color thread and matching button not a safety pin. Are these survival questions? I would say so. Having had a long unemployment and the financial consequences on my family recently I wouldn't want to lose a job opportunity due to something as small as a lost button or unfortunate coffee stain. OTOH, a stain removal stick or matching button kit wouldn't be necessary or helpful during a off-road 4X4 trip through the arizona desert.

The idea of staged supplies where the appropriate gear is appropriately available is a good one but leads to some redundancy. If you carry your gas mask and NBC suit with you then you don't need one at your desk, one in your car and another at home. Having a bunch of gear in your car in the parking garage next to the office building where you have a good gear set under your desk will do you no good if you are at a local dinner having lunch when both building collapse after a U-Haul filled with manure and Kerosene blows up in the alley between your office and the car-park. Even if your car isn't crushed you will be prevented from getting to it by the officials guarding the crime scene. If you think that such an event is possible and something that you want to prepare for then you will need a certain amount of stuff that is actually in your pocket with you in the dinner. The question then becomes, what do you want in your pockets in such an environment. This question is a valid one phrased as "Shirt and Tie PSK?" or "Urban PSK?" or "Office PSK?" or "Urban EDC? All of which have been asked repeatedly here and there are many good suggestions as to what to carry (liberally interspersed with grumbling about what the security officials will not permit).

This is a fruitful topic and I enjoy hearing others opinions. I am one who chooses to carry quite a lot of EDC, I commute for more than 1 hour through rural / suburban areas and work in IT so I don't need to wear a suit. BTW I also always park at the top of any car-park so that there is nothing to collapse onto my car and If possible I park in an open lot; habits such as this allow me a bit of security without requiring me to carry as much. My car-kit will not be crushed so I count on it being available at some point. Still vulnerable to a security lock-down around a crime scene.


I always find it more useful to pose a question such as this in terms of a specific scenario. That always focuses peoples attention. Once you have figured answers to many scenarios you will see the common tools which help with the most scenarios and be sure which you want to carry. Carrying something such as and Evacu-8 hood which is specific for fire situations with you all the time says something about your view of the relative likelyhood of such an event as opposed to some other event for which you have not chosen to carry equippement.