Mike Spinak's PSK

From WildernessWiki.org

Wildlife photographer Mike Spinak has detailed the contents of his well-made Survival Kit on his website, here. He has given WildernessWiki.org permission to reprint the article below.

Intro

If you've read my previous article in the series, The Personal Survival Kit, then you might be a bit overwhelmed by the variety of possible equipment choices. You might also be a little perplexed at how to fit firestarters, tinders, cutting tools, navigation tools, shelter building materials and tools, signaling tools, hunting and foraging tools, first aid supplies, and so forth, into a pocket sized package. To demonstrate how the various concepts are applied, and items integrated into such a kit, I'll show you mine.

1) Knife

For cutting, slicing, chopping, splitting, piercing, scraping, shaving, prying, and whatever else I need it to do. It is not only a useful tool in its own right, it is the primary tool for fashioning other tools that one may need.

This knife is a Busse Muddy Skeleton Game Warden. "Busse" is the company that made the knife; "muddy" refers to the color of the coating; "skeleton" refers to the type of handle, with no handle scales, and a hollowed out frame shape; "Game Warden" is the name of the knife model. This knife was chosen due to the combination of sturdiness, broad scope of possible use, full sized handle with a good grip, useful sized blade, minimum of space which it takes up in the kit, and a perfect fit diagonally in my PSK's case.

A Becker Necker could be a less expensive alternative.

2) Folding Straight Razor

For fine cutting tasks, razor blades, with their super-thin blades and extremely acute edge angles, are nearly the ultimate in dedicated, pure cutting ability. This one takes up little space, and has a protective case which serves as a handle. They are available with handles in either black or blaze orange; I chose orange for visibility.

3) Scalpels

For minor self surgery, or fine cutting tasks. These scalpels take hardly any room and weigh hardly anything. I don't feel that they are strictly necessary, but since I can easily fit them in, I might as well take them as a back up to the razor.

4) Chainsaw

The Pocket Chainsaw is almost as fast and able as a motorized chainsaw, just more tiring to use. It is a remarkable wood cutter in a very compact package.

As you can see in the picture, there are two parts labeled with the number 4. The rightmost part is the chainsaw's chain, which is stored in a plastic bag, since it is greased. The leftmost part is the set of handles, which attach to the chain. (It's easy to add to the handles, placing sticks though the rings for better grip, or tying cords to the rings.)

An actual chainsaw replacement blade could be a less expensive alternative.

5) Ferrocerium Rod

Firesteels are my first choice for lighting fires, and I very rarely use any other means. They may not be the easiest way to get a fire going (though they're not that hard, once you learn how), but they're the most reliable. They can also function as a visual signaling device, a light source (albeit only for split seconds at a time), and perhaps even an effective means of scaring off predatory animals.

I chose this particular ferro rod because of its form factor. It's a half inch diameter, and four inches long, with a hole drilled through it. Its size makes it easy to grip and use, hot, and long lasting. There's no handle, so the entire rod's length is usable surface area.

6) Striker

The particular brand and model of ferrocerium rod in my kit came without any striker. I added a striker made from a piece of hacksaw blade, and attached it to the rod with a piece of 550 paracord. Besides functioning as a striker for the ferro rod, the striker could easily be sharpened into a workable small blade, if necessary. Further, if this was somehow necessary, the striker could be used with a piece of flint/jasper/quartz/chert/obsidian/et cetera to light a fire with the traditional flint and steel method.

7) Spark-Lite Firestarter

Chosen as a back up firestarter because it is easy to operate with one hand. While not my first choice, the Spark-Lite does work very well (especially with prepared, artificial tinders), and takes up hardly any room or weight. They are available in OD (olive drab) green or in blaze orange; I chose orange for visibility.

8) Permanent Match

I keep a permanent match in my kit because it is nearly as fast and easy as a butane lighter, but it is a more reliable type of lighter than butane lighters are. It's waterproof; it can use fuels (lighter fluid, gasoline, charcoal lighter fluid, naptha, white gas, etc.) which work better in cold and high altitude than butane does; and it's leakproof. It's easy to light, with a big flame, at least a few dozen times per full fuel tank. The fact that its small ferrocerium rod can be used to start fires after it runs out of fuel makes it even more reliable, yet. Adding to this, the fact that the fuel can be poured out, for cases where you need an accelerant to get your fire started, is yet another bonus. And the ability to stay lit when you take your hands off of it is also useful.

The only downside is that it needs to be depressurized as you gain altitude, or it will burst somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 feet.

9) Butane Torch

Despite the fact that lighters break easily, are prone to accidentally discharging all their fuel, don't work well in extreme cold, nor strong wind, nor when wet, and are generally rather unreliable, I still find them worth keeping in a PSK. I have one in my kit because... when it works ...it's the fastest and easiest way to produce a flame, it lasts for many hundreds of actuations, and everybody recognizes what a lighter is, and knows how to use one.

I used to have a Bic Mini model in my PSK, because Bics seem to be the most reliable of the disposable butane lighters, and because the Mini takes up little space and room in my kit. However, I switched to a refillable torch style butane lighter, for several reasons. The first and most important: torches combust the butane more fully than regular lighters do, thereby producing flames at a much higher temperature. My torch puts out about a 2,500 degree Fahrenheit flame, which is high enough to get nearly anything burning as tinder, if normal tinders are in short supply. Nylon packstraps, Spectra cord, cotton towel, compact discs, shoes, chocolate chip cookies... Whatever it is, if it's the only thing you have to try to start a fire with, you probably can, using a 2,500 degree torch. I also like that torches allow you to hold them in the actuated position for extended periods without burning your fingers, since the lever is farther from the flames. Torches also are more wind resistant. Finally, their flames can also be directed downward or sideways, instead of only up.

A Bic Mini could be a less expensive alternative.

10) Fatwood

As mentioned elsewhere, this is my first choice for tinder. Its qualities of waterproofness, durability, immunity to degradation, speed and ease of preparation, reliable ease of ignition (once you know how), dual use as tinder and kindling, and copious total heat ouput, make it the tinder I rely on and carry. Its antiseptic and anaesthetic properties are added bonuses. The smaller piece shown in this picture (the long, narrow one) is enough first-stage tinder for lighting about 250-300 fires. I put in as much fatwood as I can fit into whatever room is left, once everything else has gone into the kit.

11) Tinder-Quik

I carry as much as I can fit into the tiny cracks in between items, squishing pieces into every crevice. Shown here are 20 pieces, each of which can crush down quite small.

Tinder quik has the feature set I like best, out of all artificial tinders I know. Its immunity to degradation from long term exposure to air, its water resistance, and its durability, make it the most reliable of the artifical tinders. It's ability to be crushed into tiny crannies in the PSK make it an easy decision to carry some. The speed of preparation, and speed and ease of ignition are also compelling.

Cotton balls, smeared with petroleum jelly, could be a less expensive alternative.

12) Tinder Papers

These small strips, produced by Braisal, are made out of a fibrous linen paper, impregnated with mineral oil. When rolled beween your fingers, crumpled, and torn, they become fuzzy with loose fibers, making them easy to ignite from a spark. Each burns for more than 30 seconds. While these are not a top choice tinder, they take up very little room, so I put them into the kit, when I have the extra space. Note that they are wrappped in a few rubber bands, here, which make an excellent second stage tinder.

13) Signal Mirror

For signaling for rescue, and also for seeing my backside, for first aid.

The mirror I chose for my kit is the Rescue Flash Signal Mirror, from Doug Ritter's/Adventure Medical Kits' Pocket Survival Pak. This signal mirror, designed specially for Doug's kit, is simply the best signal mirror I've ever seen. It is small enough and light enough for a wallet (smaller than a credit card), sturdy enough that breakage is very unlikely, reflective enough and with enough surface area to be effective at tens of miles distance, has a good retro-reflective aiming aid, has instructions laminated into the back, comes with a re-usable protective film, and has a lanyard hole.

Not visible in this picture, I have a Fresnel lens (a flat, plastic magnifying glass), a picture of my loved ones, money, and a pre-paid phone card, sandwiched with the mirror. The Fresnel lens is primarily for seeing small things better (especially for first aid), but it can also be used to start fires, on a sunny day. The picture of my loved ones is to help keep up my will to survive, in trying circumstances.

14) Whistle

For signaling for rescue.

This one's a Storm whistle, chosen because it's the loudest there is.

15) Home-Made Water Bladder

It holds one gallon of water, and closes with a roll top closure and a buckle. I made it, so I could have a water bag which is tougher, holds more, and packs smaller, than anything available commercially. It's made from heat sealable nylon pack cloth, purchased from Seattle Fabrics.

16) Aluminum Box

This is the case that I use to carry my PSK. It's also for boiling water and cooking food, to make them safe to consume. It can also be used to carry water, if necessary.

This aluminum box is the Midi sized Alu Box from Sigg. It is 6.75" x 4.75" x 2.25". It holds about 72 cubic inches of PSK items, or about 40 ounces of water. It fits in my pocket (I wear pants with large pockets), and I do carry it, there. It's a little larger than preferable for pocket carry.

Various product descriptions for these boxes describe them as "leak proof" or even "waterproof". Mine, at least, are not even close.. unless you make certain modifications. They do have gaskets so that they could seal well, but the top doesn't clamp down onto the bottom strongly enough to make a solid seal. Notice, in my picture, that I enlarged the diameter of the rollers by adding rolls of duct tape. This helps the top clamp down on the bottom more solidly. Even so, I do not trust it to stay locked closed, without tying it closed.

A small baking tin, with a piece of sheet metal covering the top, could be a less expensive alternative.

17) Povidone Iodine, in 1/8 ounce squirt bottle

For wound disinfection, and as a back up for water sterilization.

18) Towel

This Packtowl UltraLite is in the kit for many different uses: bandages, water collecting, scarf, hat, sling, smoke mask, water pre-filter, tinder, and signal flag (which is why I chose bright orange). Not shown in this picture, I normally store it sterilized, in a plastic bag.

19) Waterproof, Insulated Hat

This insulated, waterproof, windproof balaclava provides a lot of warmth and weather protection for hardly any weight, and it crushes down to nearly nothing.

It was made by Go Lite. Since I don't see it on their website, I assume it has been discontinued (which explains why I was able to pick it up on sale so inexpensively). Similarly useful hats should be easy to find.

20) Home-made Bivouac Sack

I made this out of silicone impregnated nylon, which I purchased from Seattle Fabrics. I made it for myself because I wanted a fully functional bivvy which packs down to about the size of a deck of cards, and doesn't weigh a lot. This will eventually be replaced by a newer design I have in mind, which will be able to convert to a tarp or rain poncho, as well as working as a bivvy bag.

21) ~200 feet of 200 pound Spectra cord

For tying together poles for shelter, gear repair, making gill nets, snares, slings (the hunting weapon), hammock, pole axe, bow drill, and so on.

Nylon cord, such as mason's line, could be a less expensive alternative.

22) ~150 yards of braided 60 pound Spectra line

For fishing line, fishing nets, snares, repairing clothes and gear, shelter building, and so on.

Dental floss could be a less expensive alternative.

23) ~200 feet of braided polyester packmaking thread

Mostly for repairs to clothes and gear, but it can also be used for fishing, or for shelter building, if necessary.

24) 6 feet of 0.02 inch gauge stainless steel wire

For snares, shelter building, splint making, and whatever else. This is one of the less important items in the kit, in my opinion.

25) Small plastic vial of sewing supplies and fishing kit items

I put various small, pointy items into this vial, to prevent poking my fingers, and to keep the little stuff from getting misplaced.

This vial contains hooks, sinkers, snap swivels, gaff hooks, flies, safety pins, and sewing needles. The fishing kit is probably one of the least worthwhile items in my PSK (even though I finally learned how to fish well), but I'll keep it for now.

26) Duct Tape

I have three separate small rolls of duct tape in my kit. One is wrapped around my Fisher Space Pen ink cartridge, making for a thicker handle to grip. The other two are each wrapped around the rolling clasps on my kit box, to make it close more securely.

You can never have too much duct tape. It's useful for bandages, gear repair, binding poles together when building shelter, and making all manner of things, from sunglasses to spears. (I've even seen a climber make an entire climbing pack entirely out of duct tape, and use it for scaling a big wall in Yosemite.) It also can serve as a second stage tinder, when necessary, and can help hold first stage tinder in place, to keep it from blowing away in wind.

I don't currently have as much duct tape in my kit as I'd like to... an issue I'll soon rectify. Also, I'll replace the silvery duct tape in my PSK with bright orange duct tape, so that it can double as flagging tape.

27) Fisher Space Pen ink cartridge

A writing implement allows for taking a medical history for myself or another injured person, for keeping navigation notes, for writing notes for Search and Rescue, and so on. I chose a Fisher Space Pen ink cartridge because they are more reliable than most writing implements, able to write in extreme heat or cold, wet or dry, and so on. I carry only the cartridge, because it's smaller and lighter than the entire pen, yet still fully functional.

28) 4 sheets of waterproof notebook paper

For use with the ink cartridge, for purposes discussed above. In a pinch, it can also be used as tinder. I use Rite-In-The-Rain paper, which is much more water resistant than most paper. A Bic pen ink cartridge could be a less expensive alternative.

29) Compass

This one's a Silva Polaris Type 7 Compass, chosen for being a full sized compass with the most critical features, while still being fairly small, flat, and minimal.

30) Solar powered LED flashlight

I carry a flashlight to make it possible to be productive at night, and travel at night without injuring myself.

I chose the Avexa Skunklight due to its reliability. Because it has an LED, it's never necessary to change the bulb. Because it charges its battery from solar power, it's never necessary to change the batteries. Additionally, the rubber case is waterproof and quite shock resistant. It's also tiny and light.

A day of sunlight is enough to fully charge it, so that it lasts for over three hours of bright light, and the rest of the night long with somewhat dimmer (but still usefully bright) light. As you can see, I keep it attached to the outside of my PSK case, so that it stays charged.

This is not an especially bright flashlight; it is designed more to last long than to burn brightly. I consider lasting long to be more important than burning brightly, for emergency wilderness survival use.

31) Sunscreen, in 1/3 ounce squirt bottle

I use a fragrance free, waterproof, high SPF, liquid sunscreen.

32) DEET, in 1/3 ounce squirt bottle

33) Triple antibiotic ointment, in 1/2 ounce squirt bottle

This triple antibiotic ointment also has lidocaine in it, and it has a petroleum jelly base. So, in addition to its first aid uses, it can also be used as a topical anaesthetic, and also as an accelerant for fire starting.

34) Tweezers

These tweezers are from a Swiss Army Knife. I reground them, to have sharp edges and a more acute point, in the way that they should have come from the factory, had they been designed and produced right.

35) Aspirin

I carry aspirin in a small capsule. Aspirin has many valuable uses, such as reducing fever, minimizing swelling, relieving pain, and thinning blood.

36) Anti-Diarrhea Pills

To help prevent diarrhea related dehydration, in a wilderness emergency. As above, I carry them in a small capsule.

37) antihistamines

To buy time, in cases of anaphylactic shock. As above, I carry them in a small capsule.

38) Lancet

An ordinary lancet, for medical purposes. It can also double as a heavy sewing needle, if necessary. I keep it stored in the fishing hook sharpening groove of my knife sharpener, held in place by a piece of duct tape.

39) Survival Instruction Sheet

I wouldn't normally need them, but I carry them in case somebody else needs them, or in case I panic and forget everything.

These are the survival instructions that came with Doug Ritter's/Adventure Medical Kits' Pocket Survival Pak. These are by far the best survival kit instructions I've ever seen. They are pretty basic, but they'd be really useful for many. The material is well organized, covering important information, and is free of dangerously wrong or unrealistic information. The drawings are numerous, clear, and helpful. The material is printed on waterproof paper--a very thoughtful touch.

40) Knife Sharpener

This is the prototype Busse knife sharpener, which (now that it has been five years) I assume will never be mass produced. That's a shame, because it is a great sharpener. It's porcelain coated aluminum, with a groove for sharpening fishing hooks and needles, rounded edges for sharpening serrations, and a lanyard hole. It's small, light, durable, and easy to use for a variety of sharpening needs.

41) "Ranger Band"

Ranger bands are basically giant, heavy duty rubberbands. I usually keep one or two wrapped around my kit. They're not an essential part of my kit, by any means, but I wrap them around my kit because they are useful enough, and don't have any downside.

They are good for securing things closed, for securing items to other items, making a waterproof seal over seams, protecting stuff with a thin layer of shock absorbent covering, stopping kit from jangling noisily, making an expedient handle cover to increase grip or insulate from cold, or simply burning the ranger bands as a very good second stage tinder.

Sometimes you might run across these (for example, there was one in the shoebox of the last pair of sandals I bought, holding the sandals together), and they can even be purchased, but usually people make them for themselves by cutting several inch wide sections from old bicycle inner tubes.

42) Trasers

While these are not the most critical components in my PSK, I consider it a good idea to keep Trasers attached to important survival gear, to make it easy to find quickly in the dark, and to help prevent loss. I have two Trasers in my kit. They are attached to the outside of my PSK's case, to make sure that I can find it in the dark. In an emergency survival situation, I would take one and attach it to my knife. I would attach the other to my ferrocerium rod, where it not only serves to help prevent loss, but also makes a convenient handle. When put together, the two trasers make a usable reading light.

In case you don't know what a Traser is: Traser is a brand name (from a combination of the words tritium and laser) for a type of small, radioactive light source. A Traser consists a tiny, sealed glass vial, coated with phosphorescent material, filled with tritium gas, at several atmospheres of pressure, with the glass vial encased in a clear acrylic housing. As the tritium decays, it continuously emits Beta raditation, which excites the phosphorescent coating, causing it to glow. The result is a continuous light source, glowing usably bright for decades, with no need for an external power source, and no need to be recharged by exposure to light. They are waterproof and coldproof, and the acrylic housing renders them practically shockproof.

43) Map (not shown)

I stick a map of the area I'm hiking into my kit. It's not in the picture because it changes everywhere I go.

44) Compact Flash Card (not shown)

The compact flash card has important data, photo files of important documents, medical information, and various pertinent information. It's not in the picture because it wasn't yet part of the kit when I took the picture. I'd been meaning to add this to my kit for a while, and I just did, after posting this article.

Notes

In addition to the details of my survival kit, above, allow me to add a few comments:

First, I should point out that my kit is not typical. Mine is larger, more extensive, and more expensive than most. As a nature photographer, I spend a lot of time outdoors, so the risk of emergencies is higher, overall, leading me to insure myself against the risk better than those who go out only rarely. Also, my attitude on the matter is simply a little more cautious and a little less compromising than most. Thus, I've chosen to build my kit with worthy tools for areas such as shelter, fire, water, first aid, signaling, and navigation, with the least compromise that I can fit acceptably into my pocket. I've refused to go below a reliable minimum in these areas, so I haven't accepted shorting myself with iffy or substandard gear (i.e., condom as the only way to carry water, aluminum foil as the only way to boil water, scalpel as the only knife, and so on).

Many people fit their PSKs into a mini Altoids candy tin. I personally think that is pointlessly taking the miniaturization of survival basics into the realm where it is more of a "build the smallest possible kit" game, than a sensible preparation for survival. It's definitely better than nothing, and certainly capable of being useful in a survival situation, but I wouldn't rely on it. I think the mini-Altoids-tin PSK concept can be a good exercise in prioritizing survival gear; but it is not such a great practice to only carry as much emergency survival gear during an outdoor adventure as you can fit in a small candy tin. Of course, it's important for a PSK to be small enough that you keep it with you, so that you actually have it with you when you need it; but it doesn't need to be quite that small. I don't expect everyone to carry a PSK as big as mine around 24/7, and I'm not suggesting that everyone should, but I still think that most folks who make a mini-candy-tin-sized kit can afford to go a little bigger (and will gain a lot). For example, an Esbit stove or a BCB Mini Mess Box is just a little bit bigger than a mini-altoids-tin... similar enough as to feel basically the same in a pocket. Yet that slight size increase is enough to make a big difference, in regard to truly fitting a serious survival kit of the most critical stuff.

Second, I shy away from the notion of relying on a waterproof case to protect my gear from water damage. While I do keep my gear in a "watertight" case, I also take the added precaution of choosing gear that is not prone to water damage, to the greatest degree I can.

Third, keep in mind that this is just the last-ditch gear, which I take extra precautions to make sure that I'll have on my person, in case the rest of my gear gets separated from me or damaged; this PSK is in addition to the regular gear that I carry and use all the time. Even on short day trips, I usually have such things as a larger fixed blade knife than the one in my kit. I almost always have a flashlight on a lanyard, attached to my belt. My keychain has a whistle, a firesteel, and a fob made of fatwood. My pack has rainclothes, snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, phone, etc., in addition to camera gear.

Fourth, keep in mind that what you are seeing, here, is just the approximate kit. I add some items, and take away others, depending on where I'm headed, and what time of year.

Fifth, keep in mind that my PSK is a frequently evolving work-in-progress, not a static kit which will always look exactly as it appears, here. Indeed, I already have several changes in mind, as I discuss, above.

Lastly, several people have asked me to discuss how I made the water bladder and the bivouac sack. I didn't use any pre-existing patterns, and didn't do some brilliant, complex job. I just winged it. For the water bag, I basically cut out two identical rectangular pieces of heat sealable pack cloth, and left long flaps sticking out on each side, on the top. I slipped a buckle through those flaps, folded the flaps over, and ironed them. Then I rolled the top edge of each piece once, and ironed the top edge, so it would be double thick. Then laid the two rectangles on top of each other, and I ironed the other three sides of the rectangles, and I was done. For the bivvy, I laid down on a sheet of butcher's paper, and made some marks around me with a marker. Then I used those guide marks, with a little extra room, to create a coffin shaped pattern. Then I drew a pattern onto the fabric from the butcher's paper (two coffin shaped patterns, with one edge touching), cut it out, sewed up three sides and sealed them. Then I sewed a Spectra drawcord into the top, and sealed the seam. Then I copied the hood pattern from the hood of a jacket, made the hood, sewed it on, and sealed the seams.