Although I am not considered and expert by any standards I feel I do have
something to offer on the subject. Survival under different circumstances has
been an area of interest and study and practical experience for no other reason
than to see if it were possible, for many years.

The early day fur trappers were the very picture of survival under all types of
conditions pre 1840 era, their equipment and their attitude. If you will, read
the book by Joe Meeks who was there, it can be found at your local library. I
don't recall the title; but I think he only  wrote the one.

Things to consider for survival.

(1) What are you surviving?
(2) Winter, desert, natural disaster, Arctic, or total break down of law and
order.

(3) Are you single or responsible for a family, parents, etc.
(4) Do you live in a rural or metro area.
(5) Are you willing to protect what you have with whatever force necessary.

(6) Medical, what do you know about it beyond minor first aid.
(7) There is safety in numbers. Everyone must contribute.

(8) Read a fiction work called "Lucifer's Hammer" Really makes one think. Great
survival research went into that one. Plus It will keep you awake nights
reading.

Personally I feel The red cross is a poor substitute for medical training. I
took every course they had and still felt lacking so I took a first responder
course from our local ambulance service which is fantastic. Buck Tilton offers a
wilderness first responder course that is by far the best and the price is
right. By the way Buck is considered a foremost expert in this area.

ICS books publishes a full line of books for the outdoors that I will have
online in the near future and will post the address when it is active. Other
survival books will also be available by various authors. If these books are of
interest to anyone you might as well buy them from me, the price is the same as
elsewhere. Plus I will make it easy, no gas to burn, no crowds to put up with
just order by mail.

I will say this, There is no such thing as a perfect survival kit or bug out
pack or first aid kits. To put one together requires a lot of thought in a lot
of different areas. Also the cost to do the job must be considered. 

The kit I
have assembled for myself, is heavy in medical plus all the "tools that my
experience tells me is necessary" I can probably assemble and market my "so
called super kit" for about 40% less than an individual who takes my list and
assembles it piece by piece. It would probably sell in the 650.00 range. 

Realize that this is a very comprehensive unit that I feel will serve under any
circumstance. It contains no food or water, but does have a purifier that can 
be used on effluent and produce safe water. A person can go with more or less,
depending on his desires.

Private pilots flying into canada and alaska are required to carry survival
supplies including a firearm and ammo, which is definitely worth considering,
here again on a personal level I travel nowhere without one. There is such a
thing as survival on the highways and streets too :). 

THIS NEXT AREA SOME
INDIVIDUALS GET VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT SO I REPEAT, THIS IS MY OPINION. 

I have no
use for assault style firearms at all. For those who do I recommend AR-15 or
mini-14, these are 223 caliber. Useless in my mind and very expensive. The only
advantage they have is that ammo is small and you can carry a lot of it, you
will also waste a lot of it. The same holds true with the M1-A, this is the new
version of the military M-14 that was the army issue rifle in the early 60's. It
is .308 caliber which is a super caliber but the price range runs from $1000.00
to $1500.00, just not worth it. So much for my attitude on military type assault
rifles.

Food: Great question. What do you need and for how long? I have pretty much
followed along with what I carry when backpacking. Freeze dried food has a shelf
life of approx. 10 years, takes little space and doesn' t taste that bad. Sure
beats MRE's. I have a 30 day supply for one person which is 10 days for 3
people, beyond that I am going hunting and fishing. Several name brands are
available and can be purchased in # 10 cans. canned foods are good to have too.
The only grains that I want is rice. To hell with grinding wheat. Stock up on
flour now in sealed #10 cans.

Another area is clothing, the layer system is not only the best but the most
expensive, especially when you look at "Gortex". Boots are a necessity (don't
skimp here). I recommend 400 + gram "thinsulate" type. Bear in mind that if it
insulates from the cold it also insulates from the heat,  they must breathe
also. Cabalis is a great source for these. Hypothermia can be deadly even in
mild climates. Wool can be purchased at the local army surplus store and is the
best in my mind. It retains at least 40% of it's insulating qualities even when
soaking wet. I like medium weight "thermax" long underwear, "Duo fold" is also
very good, and "Gortex" outer shells.

Sleeping bags for each person, should be the type that twin, here again don't
skimp, use fiber fill type, goose or duck down is next to useless when wet.

Communication: A good quality AM, FM, Shortwave portable radio is a good idea,
Grundig makes the best. Also the most expensive. It is small and very good
quality, in the event of a disaster the only way you have of knowing what is
happening is the short wave operators. Also a hand held 2 meter 2 way radio, is
very good (requires a license). Grundig radios can be purchased at outlets like
incredible universe and circuit city. I have been giving a lot of thought to
small portable scanners that can be programmed for the short wave bands.

Hope this helps any of you out and if you want to narrow your ideas down I can
be more specific instead of generalize, Art Bell has a page on the net that is
worth reading too I will have to look up his site address and post it later.

NOTE: AR-15, mini-14, M-1A, thermax, duo-fold, thinsulate, and Gortex are
registered trademarks.