I'm not sure if it's a failure to communicate so much as a difference in philosophies. ETS is kind of based around self reliance and education so it's normal for most of us to ass/u/me that building a kit is the way to go. Realistically if you buy a kit you're paying a middle man. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but everyone involved is going to have to make a profit. If a kit costs, say, $100 then some of that cost is going into someone's pocket. The $100 kit must be profitable to the seller or there's no point in selling it. Now sometimes the seller may be able to buy at a better price than you can due to economies of scales (s/he buys in bulk and gets a better price). A good example that I know you have is the Ritter PSP. I have at least five of them because it's a great kit and I couldn't build it myself for less money (again, kudos to Doug! That original kit is still the standard I hold other products to!).

So in a big kit like a B.o.B. there will likely be many compromises or the kit will be extremely expensive.

I have two possible ideas. One would be to watch some youtube videos to get ideas on what to put in the bag. Or maybe hit Amazon and look for a good book. I think John McCann's book on building a survival kit is a great start. Cody Lundin's book "98.6 The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive" is also a great book, and somewhat geared to urban environments, too.

The other idea is to look at the gear list of the kit you're interested. Write down the items and look at them individually to see if they're appropriate to your life and situation. Then begin to research the items. As an example, as others have said Suunto compasses are great. Then go down the list. Do you want a Lifestraw or is a Sawyer a better option? Or maybe Aquatabs? You can check reviews to see what other people think of the items.

Having been at ETS for a good while I remember well you talking about your mental health challenges. I commend you for being upfront but even more for tackling them head-on. If it's legal to do it's probably a good idea to check with your doctor to see if you can get a couple month's worth of whichever meds you need so you have a supply to keep in your B.o.B. Obviously if they have an expiration date the best thing would be to rotate through them, just keeping a reserve so the meds stay fresh.

Circling back to the beginning, I'll come down on the side of building a kit. I've tried a lot of different packs/bags/pouches and the quality of many of them has been disappointing. I'm a chef; I'm reasonably comfortable but not wealthy, and chef's don't make doctor, lawyer or investment banker money! So I can't drop $500 any old time I want on a pack, but I've also learned that it's wise not so skimp on certain items. Since I don't feel I can really afford to waste money I'd hate to buy a mediocre premade kit only to replace the stuff later. Your situation may of course be different than mine.

Lastly I think ETS is a great resource, Jeanette_Isabelle! We may disagree but I don't think anyone is deliberately 'busting your chops' over anything. People here genuinely try to help one another.