Is a psk really needed in the UK?
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Your English is spot on by the way Herman. Not that was in any doubt but I appreciate the differences between American and British may be more transparent and nuanced to native speakers.
And the thing is i find americanisms annoying, so its a bit facepalm to be caught doing it myself....
in my defense ive spend many hours researching and watching youtube videos on different nitecore headlamps the last few weeks...and a lot of the world does use flashlight....
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I understand @neoaliphant but there is nothing you can do. I am faced with grandchildren who send and receive invites to parties and ask “Can I get two cheese Whoppers” at a burger bar counter.
I suspect that myself and one of my daughters are the only people in the English speaking universe who only use “hopefully” as an adverb.
I have no right to complain.
The English language has always changed. We are/used to be a trading nation and picked up words from all over the world. It’s why our orange jam is called marmalade.
How far off topic are we? Does the fact that we can’t see the OP from here prove that the Earth is round? “Soz” folks.
I suspect that myself and one of my daughters are the only people in the English speaking universe who only use “hopefully” as an adverb.
I have no right to complain.
The English language has always changed. We are/used to be a trading nation and picked up words from all over the world. It’s why our orange jam is called marmalade.
How far off topic are we? Does the fact that we can’t see the OP from here prove that the Earth is round? “Soz” folks.
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Nope nope and thrice nope
Marmelade isnt a jam, its more like a jelly that hasnt been strained as 1. it uses citrus fruit which makes it not a jam...2 its uses more water than jams do....
So its really an orange unstrained jelly....
but awfull none the less....
Now blackberry jelly, thats where its at.......
i have that on toast every breakfast...about 30 jars last a year....
but if its home made bread...thats what honey is for.....
Now in a cunning twist of sending it back to topic...B&M have marmelade packet tub things quite often i think , 16 packets for £1.69, and honey sachets soemtimes....
Biscoff packets, sachets of honey, and the small lovehearts from B&M, snacks liek this i consider part of english survival kits, or at least EDC....
Also B&M have 8 wagon wheels for £1, whoch fit perfectly in the wilko tiffin pots...
and home bargains have 8 packets of 4 fake oreos for £1, and theya re rather nice...great for any size kit...
To the original question; maybe; but it would be very different from one useful in Alaska. Some kind of urban or semi urban PSK is very unlikely to do any harm.
If you're in an urban or semi-urban environment, you are by definition in an area surrounded by people who would be able to help and shelter you, and quickly summon medical attention if needed.
Actual 'survival' in an urban environment is only really going to be an end of the world fantasy scenario surely? Or are we talking about being prepared for surviving disasters such as a broken shoelace, or not having a spork to eat a pot noodle?
Actual 'survival' in an urban environment is only really going to be an end of the world fantasy scenario surely? Or are we talking about being prepared for surviving disasters such as a broken shoelace, or not having a spork to eat a pot noodle?
It all depends on definition of survival....
Dave Canterbury often uses teh term self reliance.
Relying on people is a bit like relying on a bic lighter to work 100% of the time and never run out of fuel....
ive seen ultralight hikers just carry a mini bic and thats it for lighting...but a lot of bushcrafters/survivalists carry multiple methods......
As far as being surrounded by people able to help and shelter you and summon medical aid...Thats a lot of relying on otehr peple, the anecdotes from moondog and sandsnakes, it could be argues that those people in trouble were parasiticly relying on other people to save them
As far as urban survival....i remember an anecdote. one of my clients was shopping with his wife on the high street...he slipepd on wet pavment and injured his legg and couldnt get up....his wife was 100m away in a craft fair with her phone turned off...he didnt know where she was...by the time the wife came across him, he was freeing having been lting oon the pavement....there were plenty of people around...the reason her phone was off was to not wear out the battery, and if she needed to make a call she would have turned it on....
perhaps im cynical but i wouldnt want to rely on otehr people, you shoould be self reliant, its a bit like borrowing tools/money from someone...
Dave Canterbury often uses teh term self reliance.
Relying on people is a bit like relying on a bic lighter to work 100% of the time and never run out of fuel....
ive seen ultralight hikers just carry a mini bic and thats it for lighting...but a lot of bushcrafters/survivalists carry multiple methods......
As far as being surrounded by people able to help and shelter you and summon medical aid...Thats a lot of relying on otehr peple, the anecdotes from moondog and sandsnakes, it could be argues that those people in trouble were parasiticly relying on other people to save them
As far as urban survival....i remember an anecdote. one of my clients was shopping with his wife on the high street...he slipepd on wet pavment and injured his legg and couldnt get up....his wife was 100m away in a craft fair with her phone turned off...he didnt know where she was...by the time the wife came across him, he was freeing having been lting oon the pavement....there were plenty of people around...the reason her phone was off was to not wear out the battery, and if she needed to make a call she would have turned it on....
perhaps im cynical but i wouldnt want to rely on otehr people, you shoould be self reliant, its a bit like borrowing tools/money from someone...
Survival to my mind is when you have to start relying on wits and skills and a few select items to remain alive.
Survival is not a broken rucksack strap or an attack of hunger. Perhaps the muddying of definitions is partly due to people putting together kits of everyday equipment and calling them 'urban survival kits' when in reality the tube passenger next to them manages to get home every day without carrying any of them?
I can't see how assuming help will be easily available in an emergency in a densely populated area is anything like relying on a single lighter. If you only carry one lighter and it stops working, you can't light stuff. If one person in town of 5000 doesn't help, you ask another of the 4999. If you're too proud to ask for help it's reality check time.
In what realistic circumstances in urban parts of the UK would I ever need to bring items to keep me alive if things went wrong, given the abundance and proximity of emergency services and large density of other people?
In reality, a bank card, and some cash backup, is going to get you out of any emergency not requiring the emergency services. Urban environments contain shops selling food, basic medications, railway stations/bus stops/taxis, and rooms which can be rented. Jungles, mountainsides and deserts don't, in which case a tin of goodies might be handy when things go badly wrong.
Survival is not a broken rucksack strap or an attack of hunger. Perhaps the muddying of definitions is partly due to people putting together kits of everyday equipment and calling them 'urban survival kits' when in reality the tube passenger next to them manages to get home every day without carrying any of them?
I can't see how assuming help will be easily available in an emergency in a densely populated area is anything like relying on a single lighter. If you only carry one lighter and it stops working, you can't light stuff. If one person in town of 5000 doesn't help, you ask another of the 4999. If you're too proud to ask for help it's reality check time.
In what realistic circumstances in urban parts of the UK would I ever need to bring items to keep me alive if things went wrong, given the abundance and proximity of emergency services and large density of other people?
In reality, a bank card, and some cash backup, is going to get you out of any emergency not requiring the emergency services. Urban environments contain shops selling food, basic medications, railway stations/bus stops/taxis, and rooms which can be rented. Jungles, mountainsides and deserts don't, in which case a tin of goodies might be handy when things go badly wrong.
A Personal Survival Kit isn't a tiny little tin with bits in, it is a collection of equipment to assist you in not dieing. So in the urban context a beanie and a raincoat and a phone + cash/card to call a taxi could be included. People in urban areas die of hypothermia all the time.
3AM on the way home from the pub with too much to drink; stop to rest and freeze to death.
In the Australian context a broad brimmed hat plus a long sleeved shirt and a few litres of water would count in summer, but here in Melbourne the temperature can swing from 35C [ or hotter; as it was 43C last week before the Southerly Buster came though] one day to 15C [ with an overnite low of 7C] the next so some of us carry gear to cope with those swings and I consider that forward planning "Survival " thinking and my shoulder bag or day pack having that raincoat/beanie/ sunscreen/hat + water bottle is part of my own kit almost all the time
3AM on the way home from the pub with too much to drink; stop to rest and freeze to death.
In the Australian context a broad brimmed hat plus a long sleeved shirt and a few litres of water would count in summer, but here in Melbourne the temperature can swing from 35C [ or hotter; as it was 43C last week before the Southerly Buster came though] one day to 15C [ with an overnite low of 7C] the next so some of us carry gear to cope with those swings and I consider that forward planning "Survival " thinking and my shoulder bag or day pack having that raincoat/beanie/ sunscreen/hat + water bottle is part of my own kit almost all the time
I disagree. If some warm/waterproof clothing plus phone/cash/card is a 'personal survival kit', so is my bed and duvet which isn't life support some nights in winter but other nights stops me freezing, and this thread becomes essentially pointless.
This! When we are talking UK context.
I would add a map of the general area and a compass to find the nearest road where to call the taxi.
It is, you don´t need a small tin with itsy bitsy stuff in UK. You are not going to spend weeks or months in the wilderness fishing for a living. UK is not like USA with inhabitated area the size of an european country.
No, we don't need the fishing hooks and wire saw, but I stand by some activities warranting a survival kit.
It might help to define 'survival kit' as 'emergency lifesaving items additional to first aid kit'. That nicely rules out everyday carry.
Hillwalking for example, it would include items to signal to rescuers and maybe something to help you shelter in the meantime.
I can't see any keed for a 'survival kit' in this context in an urban environment.
It might help to define 'survival kit' as 'emergency lifesaving items additional to first aid kit'. That nicely rules out everyday carry.
Hillwalking for example, it would include items to signal to rescuers and maybe something to help you shelter in the meantime.
I can't see any keed for a 'survival kit' in this context in an urban environment.
Looking back over this thread from the beginning I can’t help thinking that carrying different types of kit that the individual refers to as PSK appears to be a reflection of a self image. There are probably some who give weight to potential circumstances that others of us view as more improbable. There are also those who would like to think that they could help out others in circumstances of similar probability.
As such the PSK, when it is carried, forms part of individual identity..
This forum is likely to have a higher proportion of people who prepare against lower probabilities than the British norm.
Most of us can go into a shop and expect to be able to pay using our phones. We have similar expectations of calling emergency services.
As for adventuring beyond the urban jungle: I don’t call it PSK, I just refer to it as my kit.
I did wonder whether I could categorise responses to the OP to get an overall opinion but variations in both definition and substance make that impossible.
As such the PSK, when it is carried, forms part of individual identity..
This forum is likely to have a higher proportion of people who prepare against lower probabilities than the British norm.
Most of us can go into a shop and expect to be able to pay using our phones. We have similar expectations of calling emergency services.
As for adventuring beyond the urban jungle: I don’t call it PSK, I just refer to it as my kit.
I did wonder whether I could categorise responses to the OP to get an overall opinion but variations in both definition and substance make that impossible.
If we refer to a PSK as the lofty survival tin....They arent much use in UK, even in wilderness, mostly because too small to be usefull. In the UK selter against climate is main concern and a tin cant do that much...A lot of tins have fishing kit whoch is hardly ,uch use in UK
The origion being for use by downed airmen, as parts of light vest, or worn as art of escape kit ( although nowdays its an escape belt) where the basis is you drop your bergen when you engage enemy, and if your forced away from position you wont be able to go back to reclaim your pack, and need to live off belt...
Hardly a situation in the UK....
A larger survival kit, but not PSK , i can see as usefull on cycling/boating trips in larger countries...
daypack size kits i can see as being usefull in the UK. mostly for protection from weather....food wouldnt be an issue, its very feasible for hikers to have an accident and have to wait many hours and having some kit is simply sensible...you dont win points by not being prepared....
Having a small kit of redundancies, a possibles kit is usefull for any outdoor activities, but its not neccesarrily a survival kit, just means if your main bic lighter dies you have spare to not ruin a trip....things you may not need on evry trip, but makes things more pleasant just in case....sunblock, insect repellant etc....appreciate this type of redundancy more likely with preppers, bushcrafters and less likely for ultralighters
First aid kit....most of the time when im out im working with tools, leatherman on belt so i always have a first aid kit whenever tehers tools...im not going to wait around for a client to to find a FAK , fill out form, all the while not being paid, or worse drip blood on clients carpet....just stick on a plaster and carry on, thats hssappened many times, im not going take time out form an onsite job to wander to a high street shop to buy plasters i already own....
does a plaster affect surival....no....does it help...yes....
one way a kit can help survival is driving....my mother was kileld by a tired driver. at the court case the drivers...white van builders hadnt drunk enough water for the weather, were tired and didnt have anough coffee at teh worksite...and so in tiredness drove on wrong side of teh road
so in my belt FAK i always have cafeeine pills, and pain killers and spare contact lens , sunglasses to make sure there is NEVER any hampering of my driving ability, no matter what vehilce im driving....
ive recently made my fatehr carry a torch at all times, because if he falls over one more time he will be wheelchair bound....the argument that he could go in to a shop and buy something is invalid argument. Also he now has phoen attached to him at all times....one time he was lying in living room for 5 hours with broken hip and my stepmotehr wa soutside gardeniing....so in his stuation walking stick, heart medication, phone and torch arent just convenient edc, they are vital for survival, or at least avoid pain and suffering
but again not a PSK tin....
i cant stand the idea of popping in to a shop to buy something i already own....like the idea of buying bottled water....thats what canteens/water bottles are for....so yes you could pop in a shop for convenience....but sometimes it can ruin a day spending time trying to find drink/snack etc and end up late for soemthing....or feinting because of lack blood sugar, various avoidable situations
saying not to carry edc kit because you can buy things or people will help you could be argued why botehr with a bow drill when out in the woods when you can just buy a lighter, because you want to use a bow drill, because you dont want to have to rely on bought kit, or rely on a lighter always working... you coukld say why bother with a tent while summer camping, if weather changes or it rains just drive home....i know people that have done that.....
Theres lots of reasons not to carry to much kit, ultra lighters....or in urban setting not carry much edc....( visiting a museum where knives arent allowed)
Everyones situation is different, and we cant gatekeep what people should or shouldnt carry.....i persobally dont see the point of historical flint and steel in a modern survival type kit, but ive seen videos of people including them, they make sense in bushcraft kits however.....
There are lots of factors thats makes some things vital in every day life that otehr people dont appreciate...for me communication to my wife when im working is vital....i carry battery backup for phone on me, in car and pretty much every possible kit, i carry a backup dumb phone in case main phone diess, and even been thinking of getting an inreach or similar even though i hardly ever go anywhere wild, in rural somerset tehers plenty of mobile dead spots, but needing to keep wife updated on my location is vital.
so everyones vital/emergency kit is very unique, and theres many variations, its a very interesting topic, and for me organising kit helps my ADHD
The origion being for use by downed airmen, as parts of light vest, or worn as art of escape kit ( although nowdays its an escape belt) where the basis is you drop your bergen when you engage enemy, and if your forced away from position you wont be able to go back to reclaim your pack, and need to live off belt...
Hardly a situation in the UK....
A larger survival kit, but not PSK , i can see as usefull on cycling/boating trips in larger countries...
daypack size kits i can see as being usefull in the UK. mostly for protection from weather....food wouldnt be an issue, its very feasible for hikers to have an accident and have to wait many hours and having some kit is simply sensible...you dont win points by not being prepared....
Having a small kit of redundancies, a possibles kit is usefull for any outdoor activities, but its not neccesarrily a survival kit, just means if your main bic lighter dies you have spare to not ruin a trip....things you may not need on evry trip, but makes things more pleasant just in case....sunblock, insect repellant etc....appreciate this type of redundancy more likely with preppers, bushcrafters and less likely for ultralighters
First aid kit....most of the time when im out im working with tools, leatherman on belt so i always have a first aid kit whenever tehers tools...im not going to wait around for a client to to find a FAK , fill out form, all the while not being paid, or worse drip blood on clients carpet....just stick on a plaster and carry on, thats hssappened many times, im not going take time out form an onsite job to wander to a high street shop to buy plasters i already own....
does a plaster affect surival....no....does it help...yes....
one way a kit can help survival is driving....my mother was kileld by a tired driver. at the court case the drivers...white van builders hadnt drunk enough water for the weather, were tired and didnt have anough coffee at teh worksite...and so in tiredness drove on wrong side of teh road
so in my belt FAK i always have cafeeine pills, and pain killers and spare contact lens , sunglasses to make sure there is NEVER any hampering of my driving ability, no matter what vehilce im driving....
ive recently made my fatehr carry a torch at all times, because if he falls over one more time he will be wheelchair bound....the argument that he could go in to a shop and buy something is invalid argument. Also he now has phoen attached to him at all times....one time he was lying in living room for 5 hours with broken hip and my stepmotehr wa soutside gardeniing....so in his stuation walking stick, heart medication, phone and torch arent just convenient edc, they are vital for survival, or at least avoid pain and suffering
but again not a PSK tin....
i cant stand the idea of popping in to a shop to buy something i already own....like the idea of buying bottled water....thats what canteens/water bottles are for....so yes you could pop in a shop for convenience....but sometimes it can ruin a day spending time trying to find drink/snack etc and end up late for soemthing....or feinting because of lack blood sugar, various avoidable situations
saying not to carry edc kit because you can buy things or people will help you could be argued why botehr with a bow drill when out in the woods when you can just buy a lighter, because you want to use a bow drill, because you dont want to have to rely on bought kit, or rely on a lighter always working... you coukld say why bother with a tent while summer camping, if weather changes or it rains just drive home....i know people that have done that.....
Theres lots of reasons not to carry to much kit, ultra lighters....or in urban setting not carry much edc....( visiting a museum where knives arent allowed)
Everyones situation is different, and we cant gatekeep what people should or shouldnt carry.....i persobally dont see the point of historical flint and steel in a modern survival type kit, but ive seen videos of people including them, they make sense in bushcraft kits however.....
There are lots of factors thats makes some things vital in every day life that otehr people dont appreciate...for me communication to my wife when im working is vital....i carry battery backup for phone on me, in car and pretty much every possible kit, i carry a backup dumb phone in case main phone diess, and even been thinking of getting an inreach or similar even though i hardly ever go anywhere wild, in rural somerset tehers plenty of mobile dead spots, but needing to keep wife updated on my location is vital.
so everyones vital/emergency kit is very unique, and theres many variations, its a very interesting topic, and for me organising kit helps my ADHD
