Personal Pocket Kit (PPK) ver 2.0

[pratik_mahale]

Sir I frequently do traveling for my work mostly by train only.
Normally carry all the tools which I required for my work plus some medicine for emergency and one small knife
But your post inspired me to make my own PPK
Will posts once done

[kshitij]

Pratik, given your creativity, i am keen to see what you come up with

[AgentDoubleS]

Lanceman, I'll go with your experience on the shoe laces, will never make that mistake. Your personal experience and emotion is evident

A good pouch I use for a ppk is one I nicked (borrowed?!) from a business class personal kit when the airline blessed me, the lesser being, with a free upgrade.

[xl_target]

I do have a large first aid kit that I carry in my main hiking pack.

However on day hikes I carry a smaller pack with an attached First Aid Pouch that is about 8" x 6.5" x 1" thick. Not quite pocket kit but it would fit in a Parka or field jacket pocket, I guess.

It attaches to the MOLLE straps on my pack but is removable in short order.


It is a Red Rock Outdoor Gear Amin Pouch. It has straps on the side so it opens with one part of it forming a shelf


Here are the contents:
Top row (from l to r):
New Skin (liquid sealer for use with small abrasions and cuts)
Tylenol (pain killer tablets)
StingEze (numbs and soothes insect bites)
Antiseptic ointment
Scissors
Tick remover (we have ticks here that bite and burrow their heads under the skin. Just pulling them out detaches the head and leaves it under the skin, possible causing infection. Also squeezing the body of the tick to pull them out causes them to regurgitate, possibly leading to Lyme disease. This device eases them out with the head intact.)
Microfiber towel (skin and wound cleansing)
Blister relief adhesive patches.

Bottom Row (from l to r):
D-ring tie with velcro (hold bandages around limbs, applies pressure, ,etc)
Assorted Band Aids
Hand Sanitizer Pen
Betadyne swab sticks
Expanding mesh (to splint fingers or toes, hold bandages in place on extremities, etc)
Waterproof ice bag (to apply cool stream water on sprains or alternatively; hot water. Can also be used as a large pressure bandage)

At the very bottom is 15 ft. (approx. 3 M) of paracord made up like a bracelet.

The only things missing is a small tube of "Squincher" tablets and a set of tweezers. The Squincher tablet is dropped into your water bottle to replace electrolytes lost while sweating. The tweezer is for removing thorns and splinters.
Now that hiking season is approaching fast, it is time to replace those two items. The Squincher tabs are a must for me, as my leg muscles tend to cramp very badly when I sweat too much.

[Lanceman]

Nice first aid kit XL, but don't see anything for loose motion, and that can be a killer while hiking. Also fever and water sterilising tabs. But you know best

[xl_target]

Nice first aid kit XL, but don't see anything for loose motion, and that can be a killer while hiking. Also fever and water sterilising tabs. But you know best

Lanceman,
A more comprehensive first aid kit is in my main pack. If we are on a multi day hike, I would have the main pack with tent, sleeping bag, blah, blah.

On day hikes, we are usually just a few hours from camp or someplace that we can get help. At the most we would do a four/five hour hike out and then four/five hours back to camp. Usually there is a stop for lunch. Sometimes a couple of stops for a hot beverage like tea, coffee or hot chocolate if there is a good scenic spot to sit for a while.
In the day pack, that this first aid kit is attached to, I usually carry my stove, a water filter, a couple of meals, paper plates, a cup, a couple of garbage bags, a lightweight rain jacket, a knife, a disposable lighter, headlamp, phone, camera, my two liter water bladder, pistol and spare mag and high energy bars (for snacks). Another thing that I always have on any hikes is a trekking pole. It helps take the shock off my knees, especially on the downhill portions of any hike.

The Tylenol is a combination pain killer and fever reducer. The diarrhea medicine is a good idea. I will have to look for some for the kit.


the main pack for longer trips.


The day pack


When we get back to camp, the truck is there and we have most of the comforts of home in it.

[Lanceman]

XL, that is one huge pack you carry.... I am now limited to a small Deuter. I ALWAYS carry a trekking pole, yes it reduces the shock on the knees also increases my balance when descending. Do look at that diarrhea medicine, 8 hours is a 'crap' of a long time and you dont want to be in 'shit' literally.

Prateek, awaiting your ingenuity, put up pics please

[essdee1972]

8 hours is a 'crap' of a long time and you dont want to be in 'shit' literally.

As always, I am being too lazy to click or put up pics!!

I used to carry a small EDC in the lappie bag (leather shoulder bag from Dharavi). This consisted of a metal box which in an earlier avatar contained cashew nuts I bought on an Indigo Airlines flight. It says "Nut Case" on the box. Suits me perfectly, I'd say.

I recently shifted to a Swiss Military branded passport / travel wallet (this brand has nothing to do with Victorinox, Wenger, or the famous Swiss Army knives). The wallet is a bit like a ladies' purse, but being OG in colour and OD trim, it's OK with me. Anyway, it lies in the bag most of the time, and the carry factor will come into play only if I decide to go somewhere risky without the laptop bag, in which case, how the thing looks isn't going to be a prime concern.

The contents (I am not the owner or have any shares in the brands mentioned below, I just like the products ):

1. Boker subcom folder, orange handle scales, with orange shoelace as lanyard.
2. Small AAA Maglite, this isn't very bright due to the incandescent bulb (as opposed to LED), but I do carry a chargeable Nitecore Tube on my keychain. The Mag is more of a backup.
3. About 20 feet of duct tape, wrapped around an expired membership card of some store.
4. DIY waterproof matches (Home Lites brand matches dipped in clear nail polish), in a DIY water resistant duct tape envelope.
5. 6 Band Aid strips (I prefer the flexi to the waterproof).
6. 6 round Band Aids (quite hard to get, I purchased a box from Metro Cash & Carry).
7. Jute Twine (about 20 feet). I wear a paracord bracelet with about 10 feet of paracord. I am known for that funny OG bracelet and am really tired of being asked silly questions on Raksha Bandhan.
8. Medicines:
A. 2-4 each of:
i) Disprin (for general pain)
ii) Brufen (for greater pain)
iii) Allegra (for allergies, this, unlike Avil, doesn't make me sleepy)
iv) Crocin (or some other Paracetamol) (for fevers)
v) Lomofen (for the 8 hours of pain mentioned by Lanceman)
vi) Digene (to prevent the above)
vii) Avomine (stop the above, in reverse)
B. DIY Straws full of:
i) Wokadine (for wounds)
ii) Voveran Thermagel (for pain)
9. Whistle (a tiny plastic tube thingie my son bought to burst people's eardrums with, I hid it, mainly to maintain the integrity of my eardrums and my sanity, and then stuffed it into the kit when he forgot about its existence).
10. A few rubber bands and ranger bands
11. A razor blade (I normally use a DE razor)
12. 2 needles threaded with black and white thread, flicked from a hotel.
13. A stub of a pencil, with electrical tape, masking tape, and Micropore tape, wrapped around it. The pencil can write.
14. A few sheets of Post-Its.

Other EDC:
1. Nitecore Tube, mentioned above.
2. Paracord rakhi, mentioned above.
3. Fresnel lens in the wallet. This is mainly to avoid wearing bifocals and hence seeming "old", but I can light a cigarette with it.
4. Lighter/matches (the only benefit of being a smoker?)
5. Comtech Stinger punching device
6. Boker Tactical pen
7. The usual: cellphone, handkerchief, fountain pen, watch, ring, etc.


I have a similar bag as Kshitij, which resides in the boot when I go on long drives. As luck would have it, I revamped it last week. It can help a family of three survive for a couple of days survive away from civilisation. Basically based on a 72 hour BOB concept. We stuff a 6-pack of Maggi and some biscuits/chocolates/granola bars in it just before taking the trip. I am also exploring heat-sealing small pouches of rice and pulses/beans and masala/salt. Khichdi would be better than Maggi.

Will put up that list soon.

[kshitij]

One problem with food is that it runs out far sooner than expected During the last trip I had a few packs of freeze dried stuff and MREs beside the regular chocolate bars ans snacks. Despite having acess to regular food during our stops (most of the times), by the time the trip was over everything including the bland powdery ready to eat and freeze dired stuff was all over.
During the trip, the flooded roads and over flowing rivers in the high altitudes and freezing weather seemed like an adventure but looking back we were pretty close to finding ourselves in a survival situation and properly rationing food would have been a rather smart thing to do.

[Lanceman]

1. Essdee, thats one helluva huge PPK, but good for you. Consider threading the needles with dental floss, much stronger and many more uses.
2.Kshitij: food, that is one conundrum, too much or too little. on a driving holiday it is much easier, stock the car. But when trekking.... another story altogether. Not in my PPK, but I carry muesli bars that I have made at home based on a recipe that I found on the net. Basically muesli, nuts, raisins and honey. Tasty, nutritious and energy giving. The ones available in the market are not so tasty and cost much much more.
Also Kshitij, if you are looking at cold weather then a space blanket or sleeping bag is a must, hypothermia can kill very fast. But now we are going away from a PPK.

[kshitij]

Sir,
I did have my sleeping bag and a space blanket. But unfortunately most places we camped we slept with very thin insulation between us and the ground. Also for some reason everything felt damp, wet and cold including the sleeping bag and the blankets. Luckily after riding for most of the day with cold, wet feet in the freezing temperatures our body used to be so battered and numb by bed time, that sleep was easy to get even in the unforgiving circumstances

Your home made munchies sound yummy! Do share the link with us.

Anyways getting back to our topic, a PPK has to be small enough to stay true to its moniker. Had a headphone case at home, put in all i could fit into it and heres what i got:

IMG-20160406-WA0016.jpg

IMG-20160406-WA0017.jpg

The case is just over 2.5inches square and just under an inch wide so sits perfectly in the pocket is completely unobtrusive. But it barely fits in any creature comforts and may only be useful as a last measure for someone trekking considerably far away from civilisation. Nonetheless it was fun to put together will throw it into the single day trip kit in the current avatar.

[Lanceman]

That looks great Kshitij, something is better than nothing. But, I feel that the 10 essentials (my list) can easily fit in my pocket.
Fire
Compass
Knife
Whistle
Cord
Needle and strong thread, safety pins, tiny tweezers
Paper and pencil
Fresnel lens
Emergency money
Medicines, Water sterilising tab and a strong 1 litre plastic bag

[xl_target]

XL, that is one huge pack you carry.... I am now limited to a small Deuter. I ALWAYS carry a trekking pole, yes it reduces the shock on the knees also increases my balance when descending. Do look at that diarrhea medicine, 8 hours is a 'crap' of a long time and you dont want to be in 'shit' literally.

Lanceman,
No choice there, as on those wilderness treks, we are carrying our food, stove, house, bed and blankets along. Even the lightest tents takes up room and I gotta have my hot coffee every morning. If I'm on vacation, I'm going to enjoy myself.
On the day trips, obviously you can carry much less. I suppose I could get by with a smaller back pack for the day pack but the reason that I bought that particular pack is because the main compartment is 18" deep and I can fit my AR-15 pistol into it. I don't usually have my AR pistol with me but if I want to.....

What are you talking about, Rambo? Been watching too many movies? Why would you need something like that with you?
Millions of people spend time out in the outdoors and don't have problems.
Well the main reason is; because I can.

Also remember, millions of people cook and don't have kitchen fires but most people have fire extinguishers in their kitchens.
There is not much for wildlife in this part of the country that warrants a rifle caliber cartridge but in Northern Minnesota, there are Bear, Mountain Lion and Wolves. When you're four days out from anywhere, I want a rifle but I'll take the next best thing.

Besides that, have you seen "Deliverance"?

Interesting reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_f ... erica#Maps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_f ... th_America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... th_America

Anyway, paraphrasing Donald Rumsfeld: "You use the backpack that you have rather than the one you wish you had".

[Northernlights]

Joined this forum today, here's my humble EDC keychains setup for pocket carry, your opinion would be a learning experience for me.

[Northernlights]

This high visibility rescue knife is a part of my EDC setup and carry on myself