Need your help - build a PSK for fledgling hikers and campers.

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

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Mar 19, 2007
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So - I have been assisting with a Hiking and Camping Survival course for a few years and we have decided to emphasize a small PSK to have with them in thier day packs when they hike.

I want this kit to be small, easy to use (I will provide instruction), light, and becasuse they are college students cheap.

If I set a limit to twenty dollars (not including a simple knife - think SAK or Mora) what do you think are NECESSARY for a small kit?

I also want to give an option for those that think they will use this kit more and want a more robust options - a 40 dollar kit.

Please list a kit with the essentials that you think could save a life - and if you are so inclined give me a 20 dollar list and a 40 dollar list.
 
how long a duration should the kit cover? Day? Week?

Terrain of the AO? Weather or climate concerns? Seasonal variations?

Cover the basics. Water, food, comfort, security
 
$20 goes pretty fast, $40 gives you some options.

I would think:
Firesteel - $10 or less depending on model

Matches - either buy stormproof matches or waterproof your own for free, basically

Bic Lighter - $.50?

Tinder - Cheapest option is vasaline and cotton balls. There are more expensive options.

Water Purification - $15 for a set of 30 tablets. Drops are another option.

Water container - Lots of options. You could get a nalgene water bottle for $10 and store the kit inside it. Also there are a lot of collapsible options.

Signal Mirror - I think I got mine for $8.00?

Compass - Basic Silva/Suunto/Brunton for about $10.

Space blankets can be had for cheap.

You have a lot of options, just depends how big and heavy you want it.

Here's mine. It isn't really a kit that would be able to sustain you by itself, but rather supplement my backpacking gear.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=766573

SurvivalKit.jpg

Survivalkit2.jpg
 
Oh wow - I like that SOL kit - and they are made of quality.

Mannlicher - I can't answer that question - I just want them to have something BASIC for their day hikes. Let's assume this. They are on a day hike - and they get stuck / lost / SHTF. Assume a 72 hour survival situation.

I just want them to have training and a FEW materials.

TF
 
....oguruma has the basics covered for the money...to his kit with little expense add... a needle and safety pins taped to section of hack saw blade,pencil, alcohol prep pad (fire start), couple of feet of duct tape, provodine wipes, couple of 4x4 bandages, knuckle band aids, mosquito wipes, foil pack of motrin/tylenol/imodium...If you have additionel budget...you might recommend a Victorinox Farmer or the new Swiss Army One Hand Trekker, a LED task light and extra lithium battery...It is hard to beat the AMK/Ritter kits, but will be over your $20 low end... regards
 
Okay - I went back to what I carry - as a starting point: It is based on the Cody Lundin Book

Two Good Freezer Bags.
Tincture of Iodine.
Space Blanket.
Roll of Dental Floss (non waxed – without the case).
Colored Surveyor’s tape.
Pea-less brightly colored whistle.
Wax coated matches.
Disposable butane lighter.
Magnesium block fire-starter
6 or so Cotton Balls soaked in P.J.
A compass and a small back up compass.
Small first aid kit.
Credit Card sized Fresnel lens.
Flashlight with AA batteries and Extra Batteries.
Clear Plastic Drinking Tube.
Heavy Duty Space Blanket.
Collapsible one to two gallon water container
Two 55 gallon trash bags – heavier the better.
Wool or synthetic watch cap.
Homemade first aid kit.
100 feet of 550 cord.
Signal Mirror.
Two Candy or nutrition bars
Bandanna or two.


I think A LOT of this can be scrounged by my students. Anything you would like to see on or off the list?

TF
 
Talfuchre said:
Oh wow - I like that SOL kit - and they are made of quality.

TF
Click to expand...

I've been looking at the SOL lately too. I'm thinking about putting one in Alayna's back pack...once i get her a backpack. I think she's big enough to start carrying some of her own gear but I want to start slow and keep it fun for her.
 
I've got some hemostatic gauze in addition to my earlier post with the medical stuff...also possibly a small fish hook with braded line in addition to the dental floss or suture needle with thread for suturing wounds...If you are using the tincture of iodine for water purification you might want to throw in some ClO2 tabs, don't know where your AO is.... can you give a list of your first aid stuff..I think the Heat Sheets are better than the generic space blankets...can always use more duct tape...having a section of hack saw blade is cheap and might open chained gates for vehicle transit...are they carrying a metal water bottle or cup...
 
Oguruma's list is a good one. In my experience, having gone through several survival courses like Mountain Shepherd and Christopher Nyerges and reading books (Like Cody Lundin's) and speaking to guys like Mountain Mel Deweese and Madison Parker (of Bulletproof Primitive Supply), terrain will be a major consideration of course but also level of skill and attention to gross motor skills.

How much training will the person need to get up and running? etc.
Small tight, packed kit (Doug Ritter) vs open kit (like Lundin)...
From experience in real survival training, the open and simple kit like Cody Lundin describes in his book (20-40 bucks) seems great for students because it is more easily assembled and works. Tight kit like Ritters is a pain in the ass to train with and sometimes the small size of it makes it harder to train with...

Just my .02 cents
 
IMHO, people try to stuff too many things into a PSK. Something to make fire - ferro rod, firestraws, something to help build shelter - cordage, wire, etc., something for direction finding - small compass (button, etc.), couple of safety pins and hooks, and maybe a small pinch light is all I need.

People say what about a knife? Should have one on you. 550? Same thing. A PSK, to me, is a last ditch option, not a redundant comfort option. Something in case you lose your pack, etc.

I'm currently putting together 2 different sized PSK's for people, based on my unravelable jute pouch - one is for an Altoids tin, and one is for a larger tin. While the extra items that the larger cans provide would be a bonus, they are not necessary, for me. For that reason, I will stick with my mini PSK. It's light enough and small enough in size, that I can always carry it. The problem would be if I might forget I have it with me, when needed. :eek:

For those of you who might not have seen it:

ForPhotobucket1.jpg


ForPhotobucket3.jpg


Doc
 
Talfuchre said:
Okay - I went back to what I carry - as a starting point: It is based on the Cody Lundin Book

Two Good Freezer Bags.
Tincture of Iodine.
Space Blanket.
Roll of Dental Floss (non waxed – without the case).
Colored Surveyor’s tape.
Pea-less brightly colored whistle.
Wax coated matches.
Disposable butane lighter.
Magnesium block fire-starter
6 or so Cotton Balls soaked in P.J.
A compass and a small back up compass.
Small first aid kit.
Credit Card sized Fresnel lens.
Flashlight with AA batteries and Extra Batteries.
Clear Plastic Drinking Tube.
Heavy Duty Space Blanket.
Collapsible one to two gallon water container
Two 55 gallon trash bags – heavier the better.
Wool or synthetic watch cap.
Homemade first aid kit.
100 feet of 550 cord.
Signal Mirror.
Two Candy or nutrition bars
Bandanna or two.


I think A LOT of this can be scrounged by my students. Anything you would like to see on or off the list?

TF
Click to expand...

You specified a mini-kit to put in a day pack. I think this kit is way too much for that. Really, for novices, the contents of the SOL are better, IMHO.

Direction finding
Shelter
Signaling
Fire starting
Water gathering/treating

All the rest would be great for a backpacking trip, but way overkill for a day pack. And the more complicated it is, the more redundency involved, the more expense, the more likely it contains things of dubious usefulness in a day pack user situation and weight/bulk go up drastically. Of course you will also outfit them with a very small basic first aid kit on top of this survival pack. They are two different items, IMHO, though both should be carried. Likewise with raingear, hats, gloves, etc. Nice to have but not really a part of a mini-kit suited for a day hiker.
 
Codger_64 said:
You specified a mini-kit to put in a day pack. I think this kit is way too much for that. Really, for novices, the contents of the SOL are better, IMHO.

Direction finding
Shelter
Signaling
Fire starting
Water gathering/treating
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this. I remember several stories in the past couple of years where people got lost hunting a christmas tree or some such and survived for days WITH NOTHING! If they had the items above, how much better would they have fared??
 
Talfuchre said:
Oh wow - I like that SOL kit - and they are made of quality.

Mannlicher - I can't answer that question - I just want them to have something BASIC for their day hikes. Let's assume this. They are on a day hike - and they get stuck / lost / SHTF. Assume a 72 hour survival situation.

I just want them to have training and a FEW materials.

TF
Click to expand...

They did a review of the SOL kit on Equipped.org and it didn't get a good rating. I'd check it out on the site before I'd recommend it to someone.
 
Last edited:
I was into first aid stuff first - so I usually have some first aid stuff on me - nothing large, just some alcohol swabs, some bandaid, a sterile dressing and a good pair of tweezers.

A bandanna doubles up as bandage, to keep that dressing in place.

Minimal survival kit would be:
a small magnesia block and firesteel (like the one in the Izula kit, I know you can buy them somewhere, but I misplaced the link)
a pealess whistle
a mini compass
some good deep freezer bags
a rescue blanket
cordage
preferably packed in something they can use to boil water in
(if they don't carry a stainless steel water bottle anyways)

that leaves up space for personal preferences and needs - pills for their allergies or other medical conditions or a bic lighter for more easy fire making or even an extra pair of socks

Keep it very simple and light, so people will take their kit and don't leave it at home for weight reasons.
 
For an inexpensive kit, if a few students buy some things in bulk and distribute the costs, they can do a little better. I would look at a Ziploc for storing the kit.

DOAN firestarter ($5/6)
Bic Lighter ($.75)
Bandana/cravat ($2)
Whistle ($2)

If you shop around, you can find used/surplus a full kit of USGI canteen, cup and pouch for around $10

If you buy in bulk/share between two or three students, you can really drop the costs for:

Larger contractor garbage bags ($1)
550-cord, 20-30 feet ($2)
Cottonballs/Vaseline for tinder ($1)
Water purification tablets (Micropur are easier to separate and pack, but more expensive...20 tablets for $8-9, so about one pack for two people gives ten tablets if split between two people).

Simple items to have:

Dental Floss
Needles
Duct tape

If you drop the canteen kit, you can just pack some quart Ziploc's for water. I don't care too much for button compasses and you need to spend $6-10 for a basic, functional model; maybe add that to the mandatory knife?

Keep us updated and let us know how the final kit turns out.

ROCK6
 
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