Total (per kit) $5.68
The complete kit fits tightly into a one quart zipper bag and weighs less than one pound. The knife blade is covered with a tape and cardboard sheath and the duct tape and cord are wrapped around cardboard. The cardboard was salvaged from some of the packaging.
Nothing in the kit is of exceptional quality or ruggedness but all of the items are functional and could be used for short term survival; the basics of shelter, fire, food and signaling are covered.
Sometimes it's easy to fetishize the gear- I know I'm often guilty of that. The truth is, this simple kit could save your life, provided you had it on you and you had some basic survival skills. Obviously most of the dollar store stuff will be pretty low end compared to what you'd get a REI but it's better than nothing!
The knife is a simple full tang stainless kitchen knife. It was used to cut all of the card board, cord and tape while packing the kit.
As a dyed-in-the-wool knifenerd I'd obviously prefer to have a better quality knife, but a cheap kitchen knife can perform many survival tasks. For less a $1 more you could also add a cheap razor knife or two.
The best find was the liquid skin. It is like a generic brand Dermabond (medical skin glue) and I plan to add it into all of my first aid kits.
That's quite a score! I'll have to look for that.
I don't have any plans to put this kit to the test but I think for around $6.00 it is a legitimate and serviceable emergency kit for use by people with basic skills and a tight budget. I think the biggest obstacle to creating a budget kit is the inconsistency of items carried at dollar type stores.
I've noticed that, too. I'd never been in my local dollar store until a month ago. When the grocery store closest to my house closed recently I had to start shopping at one across town. Out of curiousity one day when I didn't feel like fighting traffic and driving across town I stopped at the dollar store and was surprised at all the stuff they had. Now I probably drop in once a week to see what's new.
Previous Topic
Index
