To quote Ed McMahan "You are correct sir". My peace of mind is greatly improved by making my preparations. I think the problem lies in "NOT" being able to achieve peace of mind through preparations. Some will always find a potential weakness in their solutions and continue in a never-ending journey in the unachievable quest for absolute preparedness. They will never feel comfortable and will always be on edge. Just not a healthy approach. At some point enough is enough when it comes to practical preparedness.

I've tried to keep all my kits "no nonsense" and simple. I have enough preparations made that I feel "prepared" and I take comfort in that. I am now able to switch to the enjoyable hobby side of preparedness/survival. I have a nice little Maxpedition bag that I am stuffing with all sorts of cool survival goodies as a personal survival pouch. I could cut the list in this bag in half and still be well prepared. I could have purchased lower cost substitutes for most items included. But this is my Bag-o-fun. After all, boys must have their toys. This allows me to keep the rest of my kits more sensible, yet allows me to have fun with survival. This little bag limits how much playing I can do (I can only stuff so much into this rugged pouch, but I am pushing it to pregnant looking proportions).

My philosophy is Keep It Simple. Take comfort in the preparations you have made. And have the sense and wisdom to separate your serious preparations from the fun/hobby side of survival. You want to live longer??? Change your diet, meditate, and get some exercise.

Cheers,

TR (Deciding he better take his own advice on the last three items).