Help Joben with his PSK

Joben

Joben

Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
1,755
Hi guys, I recently put this together.
(and posted it in the zippo contest thread)

I saw paintballer's thread like this and
I was hoping I could get some comments or suggestions too. :)


Maxpedition Waistepack, can't remember which model. Everything fits in here, with a tiny bit of room to spare.
one.jpg



two-1.jpg


The way this pack works you can run your belt through it with the Izula there and it carries just fine.

three.jpg


Here are the contents moving roughly left to right:

Flashlight, Maratac 9290,
[Not pictured, spare AA cell],
CountyComm So-Led (red),
Leatherman Juice XE6,
RAT Izula,
Whistle (attached to Izula),
Folding razor,
ceramic rod,
$20,
Emergency Bivy,
Poncho,
misc first aid items,
plastic baggies,
[not pictured, water purification tablets)
~40 feet of paracord,
"Pure" candy tin:
---built in mirror,
---6 snelled #8 fishooks
---thread/line
---button compass
fatwood and jute,
Bruton ball compass,
safety pins,
p38 can opener,
26 gauge steel wire 20',
24 gauge steel 10',
duct tape,
Bic Mini,
Tinder Tin (jute twine, fatwood shavings, paraffin and dryer lint)
LMF steel

Also not pictured sewing needle and thread that lives behind the CountyComm patch. And of course I have a bandanna.
 
Thats a good looking PSK, I think you did pretty well....

one thing I didnt see was sunscreen, unless its in your first aid kit.
 
Looks like a great kit there! Where did you get the ceramic rod??? And how long is it? I've been looking for something like that recently. Not sure I want one without handles, but I suppose it would be less bulky.

As far as adds go, I would stuff as much gauze/bandages/antiseptic/etc. as you can fit. Chances are if some sort of emergency occurred, it would be a need for those. You don't want to be on a hike or something a few hours from civilization with minimal dressings and a big gash.
 
The ceramic rod i got in a 12 pack from Smokey Mountain knife works. It was about $4 I think.

It isn't nearly as nice as the rods that came with my Lansky turnbox for example, but hey, it still probably beats a field stone and I now have one in every bag, and gave one to everyone in the family.
 
If that lighter gets wet, you're screwed. And button compasses are a joke, drop the 80 bucks on a commenga. Just a thought. other than that I'm extremely impressed you can fit all of that stuff into a nice Maxpedition pouch. As far as a big gash goes, you have enough there to stitch up a whole that big, though you won't be able to spend extended amounts of time away from civilization with an injury like that anyway. I would do a first aid kit in an entirely new pouch, you could put foot powder, moleskin, lip balm, neosporin, an epipen or benedril tab, some painkiller, electrolite replacement tabs/packets for getting blood sugar up, some multivitamins for preventing common sicknesses, a roll of medical tape/bandage, water tabs, etc in there. I don't think you could get much more out of such a small kit.
 
You may want to include a water bottle, to quote a drill sergeant at a JROTC camp that I had the privileged to go to, "Alright ground your gear..... WHAT no one brought water bottles, WHAT WILL YOU DRINK WHEN YOU GET THIRSTY, cause you will get thirsty"
 
PayetteRucker said:
If that lighter gets wet, you're screwed.
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Huh? Explain please.

I meen I know it won't light if it's actually soaked....But you can dry them off...and I have a firesteel and a sealed tin of tinder.

A decent compass is on my list of things to get.
 
Thanks for the tip on the ceramic rods Joben!

Ok, it looks like I'll have to clarify and expand on my reason for mentioning more gauze...not all "gashes" as I stated will need stitches. Nor will you necessarily want to stitch a gash. I don't recommend not stitching something that needs it, but more gauze, etc. is better than less, period. I for one am not a nurse or doctor, so if I were to stitch something (never have needed to), how do I know I will do it properly? There still may be blood seeping out if you don't do it right. Maybe you got a really good scratch on your arm or leg from a branch and it is spread in two locations on your body. In this instance, multiple gauze/antiseptic wipes etc. will come in very handy. Maybe for some reason your blood isn't clotting quick enough and you need more gauze. I could go on and on....

I respectfully share this opinion. If you disagree with it, fine, but there is no reason to discredit someone else's experiences. I don't mean to start a feud or anything, just wanting to take the time to share some comments like Joben asked for.
 
Real nice kit!


Some aluminum foil and an ovenbag (for water) might be good to have and also a signal mirror.
 
I added an oven bag. Could probably fit a bit of foil too. Signal mirror is covered, it's not purpose made, but the candy tin has one, it even has a hole that might aid sighting.

I have found everyone's comments helpful.

I view this not as a all encompassing pack, but a stuff I want to have with me If I can't find my way back to camp for a night pack.

I agree with the suggestions for more first aid gear, and I think the suggestion for a small seperate pouch is a good one.

Maybe I'll get a web belt or baldric...this, a max dump pouch and a canteen...
 
Decent kit, very well put together and thought out. Covers all the basics that I can see.
 
Thought of one more...I don't think anybody else said this but how about insect repellent? Smelling like DEET is better than having 20 ticks on your waistline.
 
einsteinjon said:
Ok, it looks like I'll have to clarify and expand on my reason for mentioning more gauze...not all "gashes" as I stated will need stitches. Nor will you necessarily want to stitch a gash. I don't recommend not stitching something that needs it, but more gauze, etc. is better than less, period.
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I agree with you. I would also like to say that some people always want to run for brand-name Krazy Glue and for duct or electrical tape to close a wound. They will flatly state that DermaBond IS Krazy Glue or the "same" as Krazy Glue, it is not. To add insult to injury, you do not want to use DermaBond if you cannot accept the fact that you must thoroughly cleanse the wound including, literally, scrubbing debris from the wound. If you close a wound in ANY way without properly cleaning it out, you will basically be creating an abscess and this can be very, very bad for you. To say the least.

With tape, you do not want to get those types of tape adhesive in the wound, period. I know people will swear up and down that Krazy Glue and duct or electrical tape are completely harmless or "better than nothing." This is because a lot of the people saying it absolutely refuse to purchase the stuff. They will brag about spending $200.00 on a tarp or something and then say stuff like 3M Steri-Strips or DermaBond is "not necessary" or "too expensive" or "tape is just as good." Which is, of course, bullshit.

When Shotty's dog was injured, I posted something about sutures. There are a few very important reasons to suture. In most cases with human beings, suturing is not even necessary.

1. To help control hemorrhage.

2. To control the size of the wound, i.e., keeping the wound from becoming larger.

3. Keeps more foreign matter from entering the wound.

4. Cosmetic reasons. A properly sutured wound heals better with less of a scar.

In most cases, not all cases, but in most cases, direct pressure will stop bleeding. As you correctly point out, having a lot of packing material is important and the trend towards having a First Aid Kit (FAK) that fits into an Altoids Tin is a pipe dream.

If anyone wants to have a real closure kit with sutures, I think that is a good thing. But I think more importantly you should have several packs of 3m Steri-Strip and other FAK materials on hand as opposed to focusing on stitching the wound. Suturing is serious business and I think some people don't understand that cleaning the wound properly and then closing it with Steri-Strips and then properly bandaging the wound is more important. The wilderness is not an Emergency Room and the suture needle is no big deal in the ER but it can be in an outdoor setting because every time you take that needle through flesh, you are exposing more tissue to bacteria, etc. It's just a fact of life that cannot be avoided. If you can close the wound with 3M Steri-Strips after properly cleaning it and then bandage it, I think in all but the most dire cases where you have large flaps of skin hanging off of you, you don't have to resort to suturing.

I for one am not a nurse or doctor, so if I were to stitch something (never have needed to), how do I know I will do it properly?
Click to expand...

The personal computer is a wonderful thing. You can learn how to do many things on it, you can order suture kits and you can buy a chicken!

More importantly, how do you know you will do it properly when you are injured and you are trying to suture yourself? That is the question. Suturing should be a last resort. If you want something more secure than 3M Steri-Strips but not as hard to do in the field, to yourself, purchase a surgical stapler.

I respectfully share this opinion. If you disagree with it, fine, but there is no reason to discredit someone else's experiences. I don't mean to start a feud or anything, just wanting to take the time to share some comments like Joben asked for.
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That's admirable but flies in the face of reality when you start talking about life and death issues. The only thing I disagree with in your post was your closing statement which is one of the most dangerous of all that we see on the internet.

I was a member of a forum once and someone promoted the idea, "It's better to be kind than to be right." That is rubbish. There is every reason in the world to discredit someone's statements if they are nonsense. It just so happens that your statements about First Aid supplies are not nonsense.
 
Don Rearic said:
I was a member of a forum once and someone promoted the idea, "It's better to be kind than to be right." That is rubbish. There is every reason in the world to discredit someone's statements if they are nonsense. It just so happens that your statements about First Aid supplies are not nonsense.
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Awesome info Don. Thanks!

As for being right or wrong...I wasn't saying that I thought I or anyone else was right or wrong. I was just sharing my own experiences that have worked for me. Respectfully adding sound advice, like you did, is much appreciated. :thumbup:
 
The one thing that I would suggest above everything else is the addition of a small notepad and a couple of pens or pencils. I have found them incredibly valuable in any gear bag. It's good to be able to take notes, draw maps, etc. in a survival situation. There are a lot of things to keep up with in a survival situation and having a written list to keep up with makes it easier. I can't count how many times I've used my notepads in all sorts of situations.
 
Rite-in-the-Rain tablets, Moleskines and favorite pens and pencils are great pieces of every day gear. Index Cards, white and assorted colors, are excellent to have in your bag as well. :)
 
I use Victorinox SAK replacement pens ;they work great and take up very little room.
 
I added a few sheets of Rite-In-The-Rain paper and a pencil stub.
(my bigger car kit has a 4x6 notebook with Maxped cover, space pen and pencils)

Don, what are the index cards for?
 
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