MostlyHarmless,

You bring up an excellent point: does one "reserve" one's PSK or other emergency supplies exclusively for emergencies or does one use them for normal everyday tasks? I do a little of both, but I generally leave my PSK intact. Because I keep the PSK intact, I do have to carry some redundant items. However, since I'm such a scatter brain, sometimes a little redundancy is better than not having something that I need.

Yesterday, for example, I went hiking to a place called Hermit Falls. I was getting a "hot spot" (pre-blister) on my heel. I took out some duct tape, and reached for my SAK. It wasn't in my pocket. Not good. But it wasn't a problem since I still had my fixed blade with me. I cut off a strip of duct tape, applied it to my foot, and went on my way, no problem. Thank God for redundancy.

HJ