Advice on the best quick and easy PSK

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
1,421
Well, thanks to this forum, I'm half way through my survival addiction. I've almost got my mini-PSK and my larger PSK ready.

But, I've been trying to decide what would be the easiest way to quickly assemble a PSK. Obviously, purchasing one would be the best way to get one quickly, but, what would you recommend to buy?

My initial thought is to get a Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pack and a Adventure Medical Pocket Medic or something from the Ultralight series if space wasn't a big concern.

But, there are also the survival necklaces, and survival keychains, as well as other kits (like the SAS). http://www.survivalkeychain.com/default.asp

Obviously, anything that we buy we would want to tweak by adding things like a space blanket, some more medication, etc... etc...

But, if you were trying to speed assemble a PSK+ (the plus is for a more comprehensive first aid kit) what would you buy?

I know that Ritter's site has reviewed a few kits as well, but yeah... what would you buy if you were leaving in 10 minutes (assuming you lived next to a store that had everything).

L
 
The bare bones for a small psk:

Signaling(Mirror,whistle)
Fire(ferro rod)
Shelter(wire, poncho/metal blanket)
water(small metal cup, or some cupcake tins,cloriene cube)
Food(some hard candies)
First aid(some bandaids,tape,gauss pads,asprin,your needed med should you have them)
 
To my mind, quickest would be the two from AMK you mention, poncho, Mora or other lightweight knife, machete or folding saw, Some kind of pot or water bottle filter. That would keep most bases covered.
 
well i as far as i can understand, you are looking for product suggestions, but many here already have everything assembled and would grab their BOB and walk out the door.

if you had nothing, say your house just burned down with everything in it, and for some reason aliens decided to use you in a human being survival show, and i had all the money i could want, then i would do this:

i also do not know where i am going, so have to be prepared for any environment. i also do not know how long i am going to be stuck wherever i am, or if there is going to be a rescue crew looking for me or i am on my own to get out.

go to the store, pick up a mid-size pack, and load it with one of the larger, better first aid kits (even though i prefer to buy supplies and custom build kits to suit my abilities) and i would grab a machete. i would grab a midsize axe, maybe 2# head. a couple of smaller blades, such as a small fixed blade, an opinel 7 or 8, and one or two SAKs. i would grab a bunch of freeze dried food. i would grab a pre-made survival kit, for signaling, and i would grab a large capacity water bladder. some chemicals or a small filter for purifying, or both in case one runs out before i get out.

at this point my bag is pretty full, and pretty heavy, at least for me. i like to travel light. for shelter i toss in one of those nice light large size silnylon poncho/tarps, to supplement any kind of brush shelter i build. alot easier to toss over a frame than hauling leaves and branches etc. i would get a few hundred feet of 550 para cord.

i grab an army surplus wool blanket, and stuff it into the top of the bag.

i am about to run out of time and dash out of the store, when i see a compass out of the corner of my eye. i grab a couple, just to be sure, and am zapped away.

now i know what you might be thinking, probably a couple of things. first, i grabbed an aweful lot of stuff for 10 minutes. yes, i know what i need, and at least in the local stores all of this stuff is located right near eachother. also, i know most of the local stores like the back of my hand, so i could find things quickly and easily.

you may also be thinking that i am not prepared in the slightest for cold weather camping, say alaska or canada or even the north of the US, or the north of any of the other continents. in theory, i could build snow huts and such, and supplement my gear with natural insulation to stay warm. in reality, i don't live in the most extreme of environments, and i don't have much experience with winter camping or survival. hopefull that will change this winter.

i assume (dearly hope) that i am dropped off in a north east forest, of the type that i am familiar with. i am from CT, so i am accustomed to having plenty of streams, plenty of trees (away from the cities anyways, which is where i am) and fairly mild weather, compared to some areas of the world.

in theory, in the warmer months of the year, in my area, i would be fine with my EDC supplememnted with my 1.5#axe. i carry at least a folder (an opinel nowadays, a case trapper or an victorinox spartan are the other two more recent) a bic lighter, my wallet with a rudimentary first aid and sewing kit included, and a bandana in my back pocket.

truth be told, for 99% of my backyard wood work, much survival practice included, i use the hatchet and the EDC knife of the day. i have rarely felt the need for a fixed blade knife, the most recent and common the need was (and regularly is) a small cheap kitchen knife from a garage sale with a decent edge ground on, for splitting pegs for back yard construction products and for splitting matchstick sized kindling for fun. for firestarting i mostly use pine shavings with small twigs instead of split wood, built up with larger wood. the larger wood is split with the hatchet down to quite small pieces at times, about the size of a pencil.
 
The Ritter kit is top notch and an excellent buy.

What you would want to add to it are the items that you think you will need in your neck of the woods.

Personally, I would add some edged tools, a poncho, a contractor bag, or HD industrial drum liner, extra tinder, a more comprehensive fishing/trapping/sewing kit, pair of leather gloves, additional first aid, as well as personal meds, sunglasses, bandana or two and some coffee filters for prefiltering water prior to chemical treatment. Oh and something cool to carry it all in. :D
 
Think of this as a modular kit! Have LAYERS of gear on yourself and then in kits that may or may not be on you!

I have layers that look like this:
1) Gear ON ME! This is a paracord braided bracelet with a BSA Sparklight and a VIC SAK Executive model. This gives me cordage, firestarter and a knife on my person in case I lose EVERYTHING else, including my CLOTHES! :o This is my Last Ditch Gear.

2) Pocket gear- This includes all the extra tools in your pockets which may even be a small kit about the size of an Altoids tin, etc. My own is a Becker Necker knife with a MFS on a lanyard and spare Jeep key. It has the handle wrapped in paracord and duct tape wrapped around the sheath. I carry a 2 AAA Maglite with ducttape wrapped around it. I also carry a Vic SAK OHT (Trailmaster era). Daily use gear and survival kit.

3) Belt gear- This is usually a small pouch with gear on your belt. Mine is variable with a small pouch that carries my Vic SwissTool, a compass, mechanical pencil 2 AA Maglite: up to a LARGE pouch which carries a LOT MORE in a 4"x5"x8" pouch. This kit provides some means to cook, gather food/water in a primitive fashion, get some comfort built.

4) Shoulder bags- self contained kit bags with more gear. These will include actual water containers, cooking cup/pot, etc.

5) Hydration pack- more gear again which includes military poncho, fleece blanket, some food items, etc.

6) Day pack- medium size kit for overnight stays with more comfort than the above kits.

7) BOB- larger backpack which one could conceivably set up a camp, obtain food/water and protect oneself and others with the gear within.

Think of your basic needs and what is required to accomplish each in your environment. the lowest kits will not be able to fulfill all of them completely, but may help you. The largest kits may actually be able to provide the actual items needed to fulfill those needs.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the input guys. But I'm more looking at your opinion one what the best premade kits are.

Like the ritter kits, the nalgene kits, sas altoid kits, necklace kit.

Say I'm going to lead a group of people for something simple in the outdoors. I want them to have a small survival kit in order to go, what would I have them buy as a minimum, pre-made survival kit?

I'm asking this question to see what other pre-made kits there are out there, and what would be something valuable and good for someone as a base survival kit.

I hope this is making sense?
 
The Ritter is the best one I've found. The stuff in there is good quality, and the price is reasonable. I added a small Spyderco, a Photon light and some wax coated strike anywheres.
 
siguy said:
... and one or two SAKs. i would grab a bunch of freeze dried food. i would grab a pre-made survival kit, for signaling, and i would grab a large capacity water bladder.
Click to expand...

Ok, call me an idiot, but what does SAK stand for?
 
Serrinon, yeah, the abbreviations on this site give me a headache sometimes!

I'm definitely leaning towards the Ritter and a small first aid kit. Obviously I'd tweak it a lot, but I want to find something that would be quick and easy for people.

L
 
Here is what Doug Ritter recommends:

>>Leave trip plan left with a responsible person
>>Travel with a companion
>>Dress and/or take clothing for the weather

<>Doug Ritter Pocket Survival Pak
<>Folding knife w/ locking blade; >=2.5 in blade; one-handed opening
<>Pocket-sized personal shelter: space blanket, bivvy sack, large trash bags, poncho
<>Pocket-sized or key-chain flashlight: LED w/ constant-on switch
<>First aid kit: AMK Pocket Medic or Ultralight .5
<>Personal supply of Water: Katadyn Micropur MP1 purification tablets
<>Personal medications (rotate regularly)
<>Waterproof matches: REI Waterproof matches or Mini Bic lighter
<>Personal Locator Beacon

My preferences on the add-ons are:
-Ritter RSK Mk1
-I prefer to carry 2-3 55 gallon orange trash bags
-A pocket-sized LED light w/ constant on switch. Doug sells one. Countycomm.com sells some nice orange cased ones for $1 each - http://www.countycomm.com/orngled.htm
-2 quart-size Ziploc bags for water (I still carry Nalgene bottles though)
-Micropur tablets - keep track of the expiration date
-Mini Bic lighter

You might also want to include some paracord (I love the orange stuff from countycomm.com) and a pot/can/something to boil water in.

I agree with the LAYERS philosophy. I EDC some of the more critical elements such as the Mk1, a BSA Hot Spark sparker, a Fox 40 whistle, a cell phone, and a bandanna. The critical element missing from my EDC is a shelter, but I include my truck, home, and office in that category.
 
naked said:
I'm definitely leaning towards the Ritter and a small first aid kit. Obviously I'd tweak it a lot, but I want to find something that would be quick and easy for people.

L
Click to expand...

My mini pocket kit is also based on the comercial ritter kit.

What I did:

Took out:

Instructions
Duct tape
compass
Bulky whistle


Added:
Smaller whistle
better compass
Condoms for water carry
quality wire saw
6 water puri tabs MP1
Photon Freedom light white
2 Square fabric bandaids
6 Zithromax antibiotic tabs
4 vicodin pain meds tabs
4 immodium tabs


Put it all in a new hard sided comfy container for the front pocket and voila an EDC kit I carry EVERY day.

A quick and dirty for the Ritter kit is:

Ditch the duct tape
Add condoms, water tabs and a micro light and you are good to go.

I will be teaching this kit on a survival course I run in 2 weeks.

Skam
 
Skammer,
How do you get the water in the condoms, I tried and from still water I couldn't get very much in them. I now carry an oven bag, I think they are tougher too. Chris
 
Chris,

Ovenbags are by far a better bag but they take up 10 times the space in the pocket kit so I still use condoms. Unlubed of course ;)

What works for me is I stretch the opening with two hands wide and either sink it into a deeper water source or drag it carefully (not to break it) in a shallow one in a scouping action. Once there is some water in it it gets easier.

Not a perfect thing but the size is and will hold a quart.

I have oven bags in my larger kits too.

Skam
 
Like skammer said, when i think if PSK, I think of something Pocket sized.
A small compact kit of bare essentials, but, one that is so easy to carry with you, you have no excuse to leave it behind.

I purchased one of those Aquamira drinking straws. Good for about 20 gallons worth, unless you are drinking from a cesspool. :barf:

I still wrestle with the idea of a container to boil water. That is the item that turns a PSK into a larger SK. We have discussed aluminum foil for boiling, but I'm not quite ready to stake my life on it. After one or two uses it gets brittle, and rips or tears.

The drinking straw is the only "compact" item I have come up with for being able to take advantage of any "natural" water sources AND stay within the "compact" category.

I did get a KleanKanteen, which is stainless steel, and will hold a lot of small survival items, and, as well, can be used for water storage and boiling.
It has a loop for hooking to a belt or shoulder rig, but it's not quite small enough to qualify as a PSK.
 
I have a pic of my pocket kit but I am blocked from photobucket at work, yes I am screwing around at work. When I get home I will post a pic. Chris
 
Thanks everyone, this is informative.

Can anyone think of a small metal cup with a lid that fastens securely? This would still be to large for a pocket, but maybe good for a pack.

Maybe some type of simple metal box / flask? Like an enlarged altoid tin, that opens from the "top" instead of the whole side?

L
 
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