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4/19/12

Pocket Survival Kit Entry #13

This is a photograph of my “PSK” or Pocket Survival Kit inside my shirt pocket. I chose a $3 foam zippered glasses case as my “PSK”.

I chose the glasses case for more than one reason, First it will fit in a dress shirt pocket but also has a nylon strap with a clip on it that would allow me to hook it to a belt loop if I so desired. Second when it is packed it looks like it contains a pair of bulky sunglasses. Third it is made of foam and is zipper closed. The foam will stretch for a little more capacity and form itself when packing, after all, there will be a few odd bulges that a hard tin container won’t form to and could cause you to trim this little kit down even more. Since the rules state we could attach things to the outside I can also use the strap and hook to hold my small flashlight, metal match type lighter, and small Swiss Army Knife.

The things I chose to pack in my PSK are suited to me and my surroundings and therefore may not be an inventory for your particular daily circumstances. I live in a rural community, I am retired, and I don’t get more than 10 miles away from home but a few times a month. You will notice on my inventory of packed supplies I have more diarrhea, allergy meds, pain meds than anything else. When you are away from home with an upset stomach or headache a little kit like this is much appreciated.  My normal routine very seldom will take me far from my truck which has a “Get Home Bag” stocked at all times. I have found myself needing these type things that I packed before; whether on the road or at a friends house these very types of OTC medications will not go to waste.

Since passing forty the old eyes are tired and need readers, yep if I was stuck on a desert island with a case of canned soup that had special printed instructions on how to open and I had no readers...well I would be SOL. In my Glasses Case/ PSK I have a slim set of readers just in case I should break or lose my prescription glasses.

Here are all the contents of my PSK when laid out. I listed the OTC meds that are in the tiny zip lock bag but I did not spread them out for a picture.


More after the jump!



Here is my list of items packed in or hung on to my PSK:

I have a small zip lock type pill bag that contains the following:

    (8) 2mg Loperamide for the treatment of diarrhea.

    (2) Chewable Dramamine tablets for nausea.

    (2) 650mg Tylenol Arthritis for pain

    (2) Advil for pain  (not everyone can take Tylenol or Asprin so I try to keep a variety in case I need to give one to someone else.)

    (4) OTC Night Time Sleeping pills

    (3) .9g 3-in-one, anti-biotic ointment in individual foil packets.

    (2) Medium Band Aids pre t6reated with anti-biotics.

    (4) Medium Band Aid Brand Butterfly closures.

    (2) Pepcid AC tablets to treat heartburn.

    (2) Tylenol Sinus Tablets

    (4) Antihistamine tablets in case of alergic reaction from bug stings.

**This pill sized zip lock bag is now stored inside the snack sized zip lock bag.

Other items that are contained in (1) Snack sized zip lock bag. (Many uses for zip lock bag, holding water being the first I can think of.)

    (1) Lens cleaning cloth (orange)for my reader glasses as well as to wrap around the glasses to save them from scratching.

    (1) Pair of 2.5 reader glasses.

    (1) Extra AA battery

    (2) Fire starters that consist of packing a large diameter soda straw with Vaseline infused cotton balls then cutting the straw in half to fit in the confined space. After cutting the straws in half I sealed both ends on each section with candle wax to keep the cotton from drying out. The vaseline could also be used for chapped hands or lips, just pinch the straw together like you would a tooth paste tube and extract a small amount of Vaseline without removing the cotton ball material.

    (2) pages of paper from a pocket pad approx. 2” x 3” and lined on front and back. These 2 pages are rolled into a small tube and secured with teflon tape to keep it rolled in a tube and not damage the paper before needed. The tube holds a pencil that has been cut down to fit inside the tube. (You never know when you may need to take a note or even leave a note.)

    (1) Short stubby No. 2 pencil.

    (2) Foam ear plugs.

    (1) Butane Lighter

    (1) portion of a wooden skewer stick to hold Vaseline infused cotton balls when used for fire starter.

    (1) Water Filter straw good for filtering up to 20 gallons of water.

    (2) Cough Drops.

    (1) Rubber band to help keep zip lock bag formed uniformly for packing in the glasses case.

Inside the Glasses case:

    (1) Gerber Mini Suspension Pocket Tool. The set I bought contained 2 pocket tools that were identical except one sported a pair of pliers and the other sported a pair of spring loaded scissors. I chose the spring loaded scissors simply because I have many tools in my trucks toolbox but might have a harder time laying my hands on a set of scissors quickly. Again I am never very far away from the vehicle I am driving in this community. I  put the multi-tool with the pliers in the Get Home Bag that I keep in my truck.

(1) AA powered cell phone recharger. This charger is about the size of a lipstick tube and cost me less than $2 each on ebay.  The set contains cords for all, or at least most cell phone types. I chose to carry only the one cord that fits my phone for the PSK since I have all the rest of them with another unit in my GHB in my truck.

    (2) Individual Habistat germicidal hand wipes. These towelettes could be used to clean hands or around small wounds.

Hanging from the strap and hook on the outside of the glasses case:

    (1) Small keychain flashlight

    (1) Small Swiss Army Knife

    (1) Metal Match Stick type Lighter.

This is a picture of the case open and packed.


Finally here is the finished PSK looking like no more than a bulky set of sun glasses
.

Thanks for the contest and all of the good ideas.

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Interested in entering the Pocket Survival Kit contest? Check out the details.
 
First prize will receive a neo-tribal forged survival kit from Randy Church, an AR-15 Essential Parts Kit and Car Rescue Tool from Choate Machine & Tool, $50 in credit from Shelf Reliance consultant Jade Garn, a bundle of survival gear from OscarDelta & SnakeDr666, a copy of the Doom & Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook, and a $25 certificate from Paladin Press.  
 
Second prize will receive an AR-15 Essential Parts Kit and Car Rescue Tool from Choate, a bundle of survival gear from OscarDelta & SnakeDr666, as well as at least $30 worth of survival books & gear from TEOTWAWKI Blog.   

Third Prize will receive a Choate Car Rescue Tool and at least $20 worth of survival books & gear from TEOTWAWKI Blog.