psk thoughts and philosophy- what is prepared?

[rfbadger]

I always keep the "10 Essentials" in my PSK no matter what. Other stuff goes in and out as needed. My daughter goes with me quite often and her PSK has the 10 Essentials plus what ever she thinks is needed.

 

[ras]

For me pocket carry is limited to a fixed EDC locking folder, a Mission Wallet (thin SAK, Peak Matterhorn 1xAAA LED light, signal mirror) 2x$20, and my regular wallet with ID and cash. My EDC backpack carries the bulk, with lots of room for more: FAK, quart of water (used and refilled daily), 4xAA LED light (w/ 4 spare batteries), compass, GPS, a second locking folder, Leatherman multi-tool, magnifying glass, more cash and a Doug Ritter Pocket Survival Pack drop in the bottom of the main compartment. Sometimes I carry add'l clothes, sometimes the main compartment is very empty, depends on time of year.

In any case, I agree with ironraven; you should consider a backpack to carry the things you need to provide for those who can't carry their own. For those who can, they should carry their own water and snacks and essentials (not necessarily the 10 Essentials).

 

[koyote]

I think I see where you are going, Koyote. For that, you need more than just what you can put into your pocket, it's turning into a pack. Emergencies with an infant are always an order of magnitude worse.

Well, I COULD make the 10 month old carry her own but seriously, it is a big difference. When I'm not working at home in the knife and bike shop, I work in construction and landscaping (mostly outdoor stuff like decks and fences and benches and landscaping them in) and I carry a pretty decent first aid kit for that anyway- I don't bother with an altoids tin, myself. I've got firemaking gear in the belt pouch with my leatherman, some array of knives on me, but the rest is in the daypack. (I should probably remake the leatherman pouch to hold one of the supertiny space blankets and emergency ponchos, though)

I carry a day pack whenever I'm out and it's really light weight and yet I feel I can get a group of people through a rough patch. The problem is when you can't help them and that's where the problem of stressing about everyones gear. The problem is most people wouldn't know what to do with it. Skills is what's needed for most people not a PSK. So, when my girlfriend comes with me I make her take a knife, a water bottle, and the PROPER CLOTHES. IMO the number one thing that will get them through a survival situation is that they have the right clothes. What a difference a simple poncho makes in the NW.

That's the problem with making gear for others in the field- the biggest things to get through the first couple days are going to be warm, dry, hydrated. I figure it doesn't break my back to carry a few extra space blankets (and I do have some lawn bags in my daypacks and our marmot bags), I always have at least 2 liters of capacity on me for water to start with, and I've got my iodine. since my wife is nursing, she generally won't leave home without 2 full nalgenes, a full pet bottle, and my son's nalgene (500ml)- and that's just tooling around town on the bike.

No, I'm not going to carry a PHK (personal homestead kit) for everyone I might run across. But I'll be damned if I'm going to cheap out $12 and 9 ounces and force someone to freeze. Or end up freezing myself!