Anyone ever heard about these folks:

http://crashkit.ca/

I haven't though it's cool to think that there's a Canadian company offering stuff should I ever be in the market. They all come in pelican cases too...I like that.

There are some very weak components like the Coghlan's whistle for example.
Also I see no stove or container to boil water in some kits yet they give you tea and hot chocolate.
The Pelican box is the best part but the rest is mostly Coghlan's products which are adequate at best. But for the most part a lot of it is cheap trash.
How much do they retail for?
They could do a lot better IMO.

First look suggests that those kits will do the job, but I would suggest that the usual caveats about expiring components etc apply.


NEW READERS: GO TO THE SURVIVAL KIT SECTION ON THE MAIN PAGE FIRST. TAKE AN HOUR OR TWO TO READ THROUGH IT. THAT HOUR MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.

I second what Leigh posted, go read!

You can get to the ETS Home Page by using the link at the upper right. Survival Kits is a good place to start.

I think you're confusing the 4-function whistle for the matchcase/whistle/compass thingie. You'dd be surprised about the 4-function whistle. I use it for some kits, and I like it.

Lets take a brief look at the Hunter 1 kit:

• 1020 Mossy Oak Case 1: excellent
• Acetaminophen Tablets 1: not enough, need at least a one day course
• All Weather Emergency Blanket 1: good but a poncho is probably more versatile
• Aquatabs Water Purification 10: ok but doesn't kill criptosporidium, Micropur MP1 the best
• Commando Saw 1: all right but not really efficient, well actually I've never tried it but I'm sure it's not pragmatic
• First Aid Book 1: ok
• Gauze Pads 3*5 yards 2: ok
• Gauze Pads 3*3 3: ok
• Medical Instrument Kit 1: what is that?
• Medical Tape 1: adequate but not that good for holding dressing. Better ACE bandage or Coban self adhering wrap
• Parachute Cord (per foot) 10: not enough; the consensus seems to be at least 50 feet, or about 7 arm spans for a working amount
• Pelican Mini Flashlight 1: excellent (same manufacturer as the case BTW)
• Signal Mirror 1: not enough information
• Spark-Lite Flint & Tinder Kit 1: good
• Whistle (Four Function) 1: probably adequate but Fox 40 better
• Wind & Waterproof Matches 1: not enough

I rate this kit as barely adequate, thank you for reading my quick review. I'd rather put together my own if you ask me.

À la prochaine.
Frankie

I see a lot of wire saws- not a fan. I did notice that at least one kit has both a sierra saw AND a wire saw.

Don't like the camo cases of the hunters kits, that's just a poor choice in my opinion- if it is big enough you need a pack, then the kit should be brightly colored and the pack camouflaged at your discretion.

Baked potato blankets- ok. But you can do better.

I'd like to see the kits spread out, and their line item modules (FAK, fishing kit) itemized, so we can make a better determination.

I saw a lot of Goghlan brand gear. Some of their stuff is hit or miss and you can often do better for not a lot more if you are buying in bulk.

We've seen better looking, we've seen worse looking kits. And some of the worse looking ones were actually pretty good, while some that were pretty sexy ended up being less than wonderful. Only one option I see- someone has to buy a sample and critique it, or maybe we could get one for Doug to critique.

Considering this company appears to be based in Northern Ontario (about 100 miles SE of Sudbury, not far from the western edge of Algonquin Park), I am very disappointed.

I mean, here's the contents list for their Alpha kit:

1020 Pelican Case 1
1930 Pelican Flashlight 1
Accident Report Book 1
- what purpose does this serve in a survival kit? How big is it, are the pages blank, etc.

Aluminum Foil 1
- What is "1 Aluminium Foil"? an 8.5 x 11 sheet?

Aquatabs Water Purifcation 10
Bandaids 10
Critical Action Cards 1
- again, what are these? What's on them? How comprehensive are they?

Emergency Blanket 1
- I'm guessing this is a typical space blanket, but I'd like to know for sure.

First Aid Book 1
Fishing Kit 1
- again, what exactly constitutes a "fishing kit"?

Flagging Tape (20 Feet) 1
Gauze Roll 4" x 5 yards 1
Multitool Knife 1
Parachute Cord (10 Feet) 1
Signal Mirror 1
Snare Wire (11 feet) 1
Spark-Lite Flint & Tinder 1
Splint (Small) 1
Steri Strips 1
Whistle (Four Function) 1


In general, a complete lack of specifics makes it impossible to judge whether this kit is any good from the description (although most of us will make the conservative educated guess and assume it's junk until shown otherwise).

Sad.