How importantly important is redundancy to you?

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WVHILLS

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In regards to psk's? Why not have multiple psk's with the same supplies in each? Even still do you double up on knives, lighters,lights, guns when you camp/backpack? when does it become excessive/paranoid? Just wondering if anybody else is like me and likes to have multiple backups:D
 
WVHILLS said:
In regards to psk's? Why not have multiple psk's with the same supplies in each? Even still do you double up on knives, lighters,lights, guns when you camp/backpack? when does it become excessive/paranoid? Just wondering if anybody else is like me and likes to have multiple backups:D
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I wish I wasn't so lazy. I would go out to the truck and take a pic of the multiple kits that reside there. I pack my vehicle and person with the mindset of 'what if I lose my pack?' I don't want to keep all my eggs in one basket, so I bought mulitple eggs and multiple baskets. :D
 
Very important.
Very important.
 
Oh ya. Once when I returned to my vehicle after a grouse hunt, I realized I was carrying 2 GPS's, extra batteries, and 3 compasses. I'm not too bad when backpacking, but I won't even mention what happens when I go car camping. At least 2 of everything...
 
I have a couple of backups backup PSKs. Although I try not to overdue it. I prefer to stay in my right mind and not go on a "I need more PSKs" spree :D
 
I go for redundancy within the PSK too. Multiple ways to start fires, several knives, more than one compass, etc.
 
I tend not to, unless what is in my survival kit is something I use all the time.
For instance, my fire kit in the PSK is a duplicate of the one in my main pack (IMO the PSK is for emergencies and doesn't get used all the time).

I also carry multiples of my water purification tabs (some in the PSK, some in the bag with my water filter, some in the FAK, and some in the canteen pouch pockets.) Yeah, I'm paranoid about water.

But other things? I have a tarp, poncho and sleeping bag in my pack -- I don't need a Heat Sheet there also, but there's one in my PSK because I can't fit the other stuff in there. The compass in my PSK is my old military lensatic because I don't want to drop another $80 for a redundant MC2G compass.
 
I carry more than one bandaide in my first aid kit :D

Actually - my PSK and first aid kit have redundant supplies in them, but I don't carry multiple kits. Like Midnight Scout, my PSK has several ways to start a fire and different tinder options. For knives, I almost always have a SAK and fixed blade knife with me on trips and outings. I take spare batteries with me also if I'm relying on flashlights and stuff. I try when I can to harmonize the type of battery different things take. I hate having to bring both double A and triple A batteries and you can interchange them among devices, switching out the batteries from a less critical item to the drained, more critical one.
 
I like redundancy to a point...but redundancy can get annoying if I let it get out of hand.

for example: When hiking/camping, I have my Bic lighter in my pocket, but I keep a ferro rod and a film container of PJCB stashed in my bag. This way if I drop/lose/break my lighter, I still have my practically fail-proof ferro rod.

I notice some people carry ferro rods everywhere...one in their PSK, one on their keychain, one on their knife sheath, etc... Which is fine, if they want to. I'm not going to tell them they are wrong. That's just a little too much redundancy for me.
 
Redundancy? I'd have to say that I believe in some redundancy in practice. There are only a couple of blades that I just love. One is the VIC SAK Adventurer model. I keep a spare at home, but I don't carry a spare. I have a number of SAKs and that is redundant in general. Just ordered a One Handed Treker with the plain edge. I will carry more than one knife and that is usually redundant outfitting.

If a piece of equipment will shut you down completely, if I can afford it, I carry a spare. That goes for both work and pleasure.
 
I use selective redundancy. In effect I have my main compass and a backup the main purpose of which is just rough direction finding. I always carry more than one way to make a fire. always more than one blade etc.
 
For me, taking care of my primary kit is far more important, when I'm hiking I cant afford the weight of redundant items. Only real redundancy in in my kit is a spare compass in my bag and a DOAN firetool in my belt pouch in case I lose/forget my firesteel somewhere.
 
At the risk of repeating others, redundancy is good; however, I try not to repeat each item identically. That way if there is an environmental reason something does not work, for instance a butane stove that won't work because it is too cold, I am not being redundant for the sake of redundancy.
 
I'm redundant on the basics. Each of my butt packs, fanny packs and backpacks contains a Vic Huntsman or Hiker, a Mora, an LED keychain light, a few PUR water treatment tablets, a compass and a ferro rod/tinder kit.

On my person, I'll be carrying a compass/maps/GPS, a knife or two, a lighter, a small flashlight and water.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I have triple redundancy for three things: flashlights, fire starters (all different) and knives. I have double redundancy in water purification (filter and iodine). I figure those are the most critical things to keep me alive in an emergency.
 
I'm just curious what circumstances people envision that will force them to use their backups. Some things are obvious, matches and bic lighters can get wet, compasses can break, but what about knives? Are you worried you'll break your knife, that it'll fall out of the sheath, that the sheath will break, that you'll just forget it somewhere? I've seen some kits with 3 or more knives, and I just see the point in having more than 2.

I mean, I carry a SAK in addition to my belt knife, but mainly for the thin blade for cleaning fish and the saw, I'm probably more likely to lose or break the SAK anway. But other important stuff (e.g. water purification tabs, firestarter) I just keep in a pouch on my belt so I won't be separated from it.
 
Ankar Sheng said:
I'm just curious what circumstances people envision that will force them to use their backups. Some things are obvious, matches and bic lighters can get wet, compasses can break, but what about knives? Are you worried you'll break your knife, that it'll fall out of the sheath, that the sheath will break, that you'll just forget it somewhere? I've seen some kits with 3 or more knives, and I just see the point in having more than 2.
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Knives are the easiest to lose, in my experience. I lost my favorite sheath knife many years ago while hunting. I got out of the woods and noticed the sheath stitching and retention strap had ripped out (probably when I fell, climbing) and the knife was gone. The knife was a very nice leather-handled Western in its original tooled leather sheath. It had seen a lot of carry time and the stitching might have been worn thin, though it looked solid.

Last fall, I set down my brand new Busse BAD while field dressing a deer. I would have walked out of the woods without it had I not stepped on it (!) and looked down to see what I was standing on. I've almost walked away from field-dressing jobs without my knife a few times. One common knife-use rule is "never put your knife down... always put it back in the sheath if you're not holding/using it." This is a rule that gets ignored while field-dressing animals and the knife is too dirty to put back in the sheath until the job is finished and the knife is cleaned up.

I figure in a high-stress survival situation, the probability of making that kind of mistake would be much greater, hence the back-up fixed blade Mora in my packs.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Ankar Sheng said:
I'm just curious what circumstances people envision that will force them to use their backups. Some things are obvious, matches and bic lighters can get wet, compasses can break, but what about knives? Are you worried you'll break your knife, that it'll fall out of the sheath, that the sheath will break, that you'll just forget it somewhere? I've seen some kits with 3 or more knives, and I just see the point in having more than 2.

I mean, I carry a SAK in addition to my belt knife, but mainly for the thin blade for cleaning fish and the saw, I'm probably more likely to lose or break the SAK anway. But other important stuff (e.g. water purification tabs, firestarter) I just keep in a pouch on my belt so I won't be separated from it.
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I keep a few different blades on me, but it is because of the way I break up my gear. I carry my usual EDC of (now) SAK Farmer, Leatherman Kick, and Leatherman H502. These never leave my person unless I am somewhere they aren't permitted. I carry a small mil-spec-ish deployment bag that has a Schrade ClipHanger attached and a SAK Tinker inside. My main pack, usually a CamelBak MULE, has a Mora of some sort and a Buck folding saw inside. Also, my pocket FAK (Atwater Carey kit) has a SAK Esquire in it. Basically, I can lose 1 or both of my packs and still make due simply with what is on my person. I did not get into the other necessities in the pack, but they follow pretty much the same premise.
 
desmobob said:
Knives are the easiest to lose, in my experience. I lost my favorite sheath knife many years ago while hunting. I got out of the woods and noticed the sheath stitching and retention strap had ripped out (probably when I fell, climbing) and the knife was gone. The knife was a very nice leather-handled Western in its original tooled leather sheath. It had seen a lot of carry time and the stitching might have been worn thin, though it looked solid.

Last fall, I set down my brand new Busse BAD while field dressing a deer. I would have walked out of the woods without it had I not stepped on it (!) and looked down to see what I was standing on. I've almost walked away from field-dressing jobs without my knife a few times. One common knife-use rule is "never put your knife down... always put it back in the sheath if you're not holding/using it." This is a rule that gets ignored while field-dressing animals and the knife is too dirty to put back in the sheath until the job is finished and the knife is cleaned up.

I figure in a high-stress survival situation, the probability of making that kind of mistake would be much greater, hence the back-up fixed blade Mora in my packs.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
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I actually had the exact same sheath failure (belt loop stitching broke) with, believe it or not, a new Busse BAD. But it was a cheap sheath, and I'm confident the JRE sheath with riveted loops wouldn't suffer the same failure (especially because it's on a dangler and can tip cant get snagged on causing a lot of leverage on the loop). Goes to show the importance of field testing your gear :D

I really see your point about dressing game, and the knife being too dirty to sheath, that's a pretty good way for anyone to lose a knife.
 
desmobob said:
Knives are the easiest to lose, in my experience. I lost my favorite sheath knife many years ago while hunting. I got out of the woods and noticed the sheath stitching and retention strap had ripped out (probably when I fell, climbing) and the knife was gone. The knife was a very nice leather-handled Western in its original tooled leather sheath. It had seen a lot of carry time and the stitching might have been worn thin, though it looked solid.

Last fall, I set down my brand new Busse BAD while field dressing a deer. I would have walked out of the woods without it had I not stepped on it (!) and looked down to see what I was standing on. I've almost walked away from field-dressing jobs without my knife a few times.

I figure in a high-stress survival situation, the probability of making that kind of mistake would be much greater, hence the back-up fixed blade Mora in my packs.
Click to expand...

Yep it is oh so easy to do! Putting your knife down and forgetting about it. It sort of comical because I don't pay much attention in the house but I do this constantly. In fact, I'm looking at an empty breeden sheath on my coffee table right now :D
 
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