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When have you used...

F

Frostyfingers

Joined
Aug 27, 2008
Messages
854
Mentor recently posted a thread about his PSK coming in handy during a storm. That got me thinking...we all like to talk about being prepared, so let's talk about the payoff! When have your PSK/BOB/GHB or other kits come in handy?

I'll start. I teach drumlines on the side while in school. During band camp, a kid cut herself (how, I don't know) and was bleeding...The school's "first aid kit" was devoid of band-aids, as someone had neglected to refill it. :grumpy: So, I just reached into my BOB in the trunk of my car and retrieved a bandage and some antibiotic ointment. :thumbup: Everyone was surprised that I was so prepared (I didn't tell 'em about the sharp stuff I keep in there, or they might have been less happy). :D As the week wore on, I became known as the "band-aid man" because I was the only source for a first aid kit. :o

So, how have your kits come in handy? Or alternately, when would they have come in handy if you had remembered to bring them along?
 
I have used mine many times, mostly at hunting and fishing camp. I should have a good first aid kit in each vehicle, but I don't.:o
 
My little PSK usually gets raided once a week or more for a bandaid at work. Actually, I need to reload it again. Probably be good to add a butterfly or two, maybe a couple of Tylenols.

Oh, and a few months ago, I was sitting outside my daughter's dance studio in my truck when one of the soccer/ballet moms came over and asked me if I had a lighter for the birthday cake they were having inside. I guess the bearded guy in the pickup seems a better bet to find something useful than the soccer/ballet mom in the Prius. :D
 
Not a PSK, per-se, but I carry a heavy duty ziplock baggie with a few items in it regularly for EDC:
glasses
athletic tape
super glue
cotton twine
four way pen screw driver
pen
pencil
foam disposable earplugs
sewing kit in a film canister
Single use packet of tylenol

The super glue has mended a few small cuts, as well as a broken earring (girlfriend's). The athletic tape is handy for blisters and protecting cuts once they are glued. I have used the sewing kit a couple of times for small tears and basic repairs.

Once I was out with the girlfriend in a foreign area, and the truck broke down. Her parent's truck. She was incredibly unhappy and stressed, but I kept busy waiting for her parents (and then the tow truck) to arrive by making a nice braided bracelet for her from the cotton twine in my kit. I finished it with a wood toggle once we were home safe. She wears it all the time now.

The screw driver has also come in handy a couple of times, even if it means saving me a trip down to the basement to fetch a real screwdriver.
 
Nice thread!

Aside from the aforementioned storm, there have been a few occasions where my PSK has come in handy. Now, my kit is intended for regular use as well (for example, for fire-starting), so I won't include the more mundane situations:

  • Returning from a canoe trip in Wells Gray Park in the BC interior, my companion and I were unable to locate two of the tie-down straps for our canoe. As it turned out, they were actually at the bottom of one of our packs, but for the life of us we couldn't find them at the time. I used all of the 550 paracord in my PSK for improvised tie-downs. I wouldn't trust them on the highway, but they served us well for the drive along the logging road that led us back to the outfitter.
  • I really can't count the number of times I have dipped into my kit for band-aids after a friend, colleague, or complete stranger had an accident.
  • My PSK always contains a few garbage bags. These often come in handy for impromptu trail clean-ups. By no means a survival application, but it helps to keep the trail in shape.

Looking forward to hearing what others have to say,

All the best,

- Mike
 
I've handed out countless drum liner bags to unprepared hikers on the North Shore trail network, during sudden storms. Cut some arm holes, hole for the head and off they went.
 
I had an odd one today.
I just put together an altoids tin PSK and stuck it in my pocket...

My sister was making zuchini bread but had to go to work.
So she asked me to check it in a few minutes and take it out when it was done.

I couldn't find the cake tester thingy anywhere...
So I opened my PSK, unrolled a bit of 24 gauge steel wire and used that. :rolleyes:
(stick in, if it comes out gooey bake more, if it comes out clean it's done or very close.)

Survival? No.
Unexpectedly handy? Yes.
 
The emergency poncho in my wife's kit came in handy on our first backpacking trip. We were using borrowed gear, and she didn't have any rain gear or cover for her pack. It started raining really bad, so we pulled it out, and it protected her and her pack.

The PJCB I carry on my keychain came in handy when I was visiting family out of state. Did a little camping with my little brother and everything was damp, the PJCB saved the day and got us a nice fire going.

In College all my classmates joked about asking me if they needed something. It seemed no matter how odd the need, I had something in my bookbag/backpack that would fix the problem. Leatherman got used a lot, as well as the first aid kit, and all kinds of various stuff.
 
I keep a BOB in the car which contains a Leatherman tool. I was at a friends house and he needed to replace the broken wing mirror on his GF's car, which required the removal of a philips screw. It was in an awkward position and none of his screwdrivers could get in.

I used the leatherman with one of the handles angled at 90 degrees to remove and then refit the screw.
 
sixgunner455 said:
Oh, and a few months ago, I was sitting outside my daughter's dance studio in my truck when one of the soccer/ballet moms came over and asked me if I had a lighter for the birthday cake they were having inside. I guess the bearded guy in the pickup seems a better bet to find something useful than the soccer/ballet mom in the Prius. :D
Click to expand...

Sorry for the hijack, I just couldn't resist embellishing a little literary creativity....

Oh, and a few months ago, I was sitting outsidea children's dance studio in my cargo van, you know the kind with the curtains across the back windows when one of the soccer/ballet moms came over and asked me if I had a lighter for the birthday cake they were having inside. I guess the bearded guy in the van seems a better bet to find something useful, like duct tape and handcuffs than the soccer/ballet mom in the Prius. I told her to come by the side door as I had a lighter in the back. It was a simple matter of pulling her in as she opened the door and.....

No offense meant Sixgunner - I was just having some fun there.....

To the OP, I use my PSK routinely. In addition to the first aid and other handy items, I draw on the drugs I have in there. Drugs as in things like advil, imodium (if there is one thing you appreciate as a kit content this is it when you need it!), gravol (for the folks on the boat trips) and Zantak (I'm getting fat again and seem to need this more).
 
kgd said:
To the OP, I use my PSK routinely. In addition to the first aid and other handy items, I draw on the drugs I have in there. Drugs as in things like advil, imodium (if there is one thing you appreciate as a kit content this is it when you need it!), gravol (for the folks on the boat trips) and Zantak (I'm getting fat again and seem to need this more).
Click to expand...

Ha! Can't you just picture kgd in a boat, motoring across the water with a new class of young, bright-eyed, green-faced, students, all hugging the sides and trying vainly not to lose it while he bounces over whitecaps, describing the intricate details of sunfish roe fertilization procedures?

PSK Gravol to the rescue!

- Mike :D
 
duct tape and first aid kit comes handy many times while mountain biking. The button compass has been used a few times as well.
 
luckykitty said:
stingray4540 said:
In College all my classmates joked about asking me if they needed something. It seemed no matter how odd the need, I had something in my bookbag/backpack that would fix the problem. Leatherman got used a lot, as well as the first aid kit, and all kinds of various stuff.
Click to expand...

:D That sounds familiar ...
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that most people who post here were 'that guy.'

I sure am.
 
Not sure if this counts, but I always have a lighter and get asked for "lights" all the time, got me my fair share of dates in college as well :D
 
The poncho in my daily carry bag came in handy 2 weeks ago when we had a HUGE storm and lots of flooding here in Louisville. Of course, the wind was blowing so hard my pants and shoes were soaked by all the near-horizontal rain, but most of me was dry.

The first aid kit came in handy the other day when a friend cut herself opening a box. Out came some neosporin and a bandaid. The Claritin in my first aid kit is always going to my roommate when we are out and he forgets to take it.

The flashlight gets used most days and nights for various chores.

The Skeletool with the appropriate sized bit is great for adjusting the thermostat in my office at school.

That's about all I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Band aids, Tylenol, and ibuprofen get used all the time. Para-cord and zip ties to secure things to the van/truck/whatever. Fero rods to start the grill or camp fire.

Flashlights get used all the time. I work in a hospital and the power has gone out 3 times in the past 18 months. There is an emergency generator and outlets, but it's amazing how much you can't see with just that light.

Mini-pry bar, used frequently at work (who would have thought an RN would need one); I've even sold a couple to the female nurses.

SAK and silk bandannas are used at least weekly.

Yep, my co-workers laugh at the stuff I have, but they know I can usually help them.
 
kgd is so right about the Imodium. It's come in handy on a few occasions.

A few days ago my 2-year old tripped in a sharp gravel parking area and did a number on his knee. After a bit of cleaning, my gauze pad, tape and neosporin made him feel much better and able to enjoy his cousin's birthday party.
 
I carry the AMK Ritter PSK.

I have used the signal mirror to check for/discover toothpaste stuck in the corner of my mouth after I arrived at work. It has also come in handy for a few situations when I got a popcorn husk or a bit of sinew stuck between some teeth.

I have used the cordage to setup a makeshift clothes line to dry wet clothes after being caught out in the rain.

I have used the SparkLite to ignite my canister stove. I have also used it to light regular campfires.

I have used the snare wire to hang a picture - The ultimate survival maneuver!


Although my life has not yet depended on the kit, it has come in handy. :)
 
I try not to raid my PSK when I'm at home.

In the bush I end up using it often enough that I don't leave home without it.

I think the thing I use most from my PSK is the needle and #4 waxed line. I fix packs and other gear, not to mention clothes, in the bush all the time. I have one pack that I use for making water runs with my Platypus bags that has been almost totally restitched in the bush.
img32273275395.jpg

Many times I have had kids sneakers or boots come apart in the bush. This is a serious problem that can really alter your plans for the day if you don't take care of it.

I had to resort to my KMnO4 as a water purifier once when I forgot to check my supply of Potable Aqua.

Every time I get turned around I use my PSK compass to check my regular compass. Of course it is always right and my head is wrong but I need convincing.

Mac
 
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