Great kudos to you, I bet you had a wonderful time doing all that




Your post touches a nerve on the delicate issue of redundancy. I try not to carry too much gear. Making the kit the foundation upon which you add the other gear is a very good idea. I like this philosophy very much (but I won't adopt it entirely, except perhaps on some ultra-light trips).

It is also much to be said about using kits versus never touching them until a true emergency raises its ugly head. I agree with you, the kits should be used, but that also requires you to have the discipline to replenish. Others swear by the philosophy that emergency items are never opened except for inspection. Each to his own. Myself, I will not hesitate to reach into my PSK to solve whatever practical problem, big or small, I meet on the trail - but I try to pack so I never have too. Such as bringing more cordage, a bigger knife, duct tape and so on...


I actually stayed away from pocket sized PSK's for a very long time because they did not fill any role within my pack. Now they do, but I had to tweak that "survival-in-a-tin" talisman to suit my purposes.


Richlacal, I did exactly the opposite of you: I started with Doug Ritter's PSK and TOOK OUT the fishing kit and some other items, which then made room for some things that are more important for me to have. But having that kit with me (along with it's minimalistic shelter brother, a pocket sized small ziplock bag with a poncho+heavy duty garbage bag) I still carry my backpack with extra clothing, some food and a full size bivy bag. More often than not, more cordage, a 4" knife, a multi-tool.. Works for me, even if it means some redundancy.