Basic survival kit

I posted earlier about a survival kit and I was thinking back to a story recently about a couple stuck in a snow bank for a day or so and how they survived with basic skills. What kind of kit you put together will depend on what you are doing. Fishing on the bay or Tangier sound will not require the same things as driving through the desert, but will include some of the same basic items. Two Mylar space blankets, waterproof matches, and a whistle make a good foundation for any kit. Add a shiny CD, three road flares and some protein or high calorie bars and you are really getting somewhere. If you have the space, 100 feet of nylon string, pink in color wrapped around a pencil is nice, some flagging tape in florescent orange and a knife of some sort, and you can get along for some time plus increase your chances of not being a Readers Digest story.
I have a  Orange Orion signal flare container that was on my boat  and it has served me well. It will hold all the above and is no bigger than  a shoe box plus water resistant. Being bright orange it is easy to locate and if everything turns to crap grab that first! Road flares serve two purposes, can be seen forever and burn hot enough to light damp wood. Two Mylar blankets because one just ain't big enough to cover my big butt, no really if you can place one behind you and one in front of a camp fire you can stay toasty. Pink string is great because it is highly visible, and it can be used for multiple task. A knife needs no explanation, if you got to cut off a arm or foot, maybe skin a rabbit, or do a tracheotomy, you are covered. Keep in mind also because you can live 20 days with out eating but only two days without water so some way to carry water is good, you can catch water in the space blanket and store it in the Orange flare case.
I think you get the ideal of what I am trying to get at, be prepared with some very basic items and your chances of making it go way up. So now you can protect yourself with your own kit for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, flying, or just driving across town or to the store. Don't become a statistic be prepared!