I think volvi hit the nail on the head. I made up several variations of that particular survival kit described in American Survival Guide, each dependent on where I might happen to go.
Obviously living here in Michigan, I don't have to worry about desert survival, for instance. And the survival kit I take into the woods during fall squirrel season might be a lot different than the one I take x-country skiing or ice fishing in the winter.
If you are talking about daily travel back and forth to work, do you really need a fishing kit or a signal mirror? I would think a well-stocked first aid kit would be high on my list of survival items.
So I have a variety of survival kits and put them where I will need them. My fall hunting kit goes in my game vest, my day hiking kit goes in my camelbak or nylon belt back. I keep a well-stocked first aid kit under the seat of my car and in my lab at work, etc. I have a kit I carry on my person when traveling away from home (usually a well stocked travel vest), etc, and a small one in a small belt pack I wear to and from work or out shopping, etc.
In each vehicle I own, I keep a larger survival kit and the items vary with season. A warm sleeping bag, for instance, or a heavy down coat would be essential in winter (actually this is easy for me because all my ice fishing clothing and equipment is in the back of my truck during the winter).
In other words, I think you could become too complacent thinking that just because you have a single minisurvival kit always at hand you are well prepared. I think many survival kits strategically placed and well-thought out in relation to your planned activities would be better. Keep a checklist handy for each one and replace what you use. This past week, I was fishing in a remote site in the UP where we had to portage a canoe in and didn't have many suppies. My friend broke his highdollar St. Croix rod. Fortunately, I had a small amount of duct tape in my minisurvival kit that got him fishing and saved what could have been a bummer day for him. We caught a lot of fish.
I think he was surprised that I had the duct tape. Most people I know carry almost no survival supplies with them into the toolies when they are fishing and hunting. And a slip of the knife could mean a serious problem. There's a good article in the recent issue of the American Survival Guide about this very thing, when a guy nearly cut the tip of his finger off. Fortunately, he had good medical supplies. A suture kit, for instance, could be a handy item.
BTW, there are lots of threads on this topic. You could do a search to find them. And you might consider visiting the Plainsman's Cabin at:
http://pub7.ezboard.com/bplainsmanscabin.html
He has a whole forum devoted just to this topic. There are several websites devoted to this as well but the url is not handy. Maybe others will post some.
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Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
