The impression I got is, it's mainly for urban or any situation in which you are on the road.


I think this is a valid option. The objective is to to use things that have a multi-purpose. In this case, the backpack used as a headlamp strap.


They already explain why this is a better option than the N95. Frankly, I'm glad the company did. It's another indication they are serious about saving lives. Other companies throw in the cheapest thing they can find and sell a false sense of security.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm perhaps the only person in this forum who is not a knife expert; nevertheless, I think a better quality knife should be added.

Jeanette Isabelle

Survival begins with factors which are personal and quite variable - the individual's attitude and willingness to endure. Then comes the person's skills, abilities, and knowledge, along with the ability to think outside the (grey) box and improvise. Then we get into the realm of equipment and gadgetry. What is critical and life saving in one situation may be useless in another.

The perpetrators of this kit have avoided that difficulty by providing stuff that is marginal in almost any situation. A strap on the backpack for mounting a flashlight? I have done quite a lot of night hiking, sometimes dusk to dawn, and it has never occurred to me to put a light on my backpack, nor can I see any advantage to doing so.

You often do want your light in your hand; sometimes it is best on your head. What can work quite well is a small light with a clip that can be adjusted to mount the light on the brim of your ball cap. Please note that these perps will sell you both T shirts and ball caps (survival gear??)

"They already explained it. In an urban environment, you need to be the grey man."

Just another survivalist fantasy, part of the folklore and the script that starts with SHTF (unexplained what that might be, but the grid is usually down), then the urban masses realize they are out of food, raging around search ing for food, and if you are not the "grey man" they will realize you are equipped to survive and they will come and get all your stuff.

You do have situations like the Rodney King riots which approach this condition, but far more often you see group cooperation and assistance when disaster strikes.

For me, I am going to pitch in and help, and be helped, by those around me - not hide behind some fence. That's me, and that is the way I live.

Backpack is in Watershed Dry Bags ( https://www.drybags.com/ ) price bracket, or Sealine or Ortlieb don't know why you'd pick it.

The flashlight looks like a Sipik SK68 or clone of. Cost around $5 (low as $3). Takes a single AA, or a lithium ion 14500. And it's a zoomie meaning water is getting in.

Evidently Mora or Hultafors knives are too expensive to include.

Valid point. Even in the time that we are living in, it's challenging to get people to do the most simple thing: get the equipment. If they do, it would be a Guardian or Ready America "survival kit" from Wal-Mart.

You want them to have skills, abilities and knowledge too? "If we get an earthquake, we'll dial 9-1-1 on our Apple smartphone and Uncle Sam will come and rescue us."


No one said that a ballcap could be used as survival gear.


In other words, don't wear a target on your back. You'll be the first to go.

Jeanette Isabelle

In the comments, they said they tested the Moro and explained why they did not use it in a kit designed for people who do not have the skills.

Jeanette Isabelle

I don't believe anyone that has done any "testing" would select that particular knife over anything but cost.

Similar knife with sheath & firesteel
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/H....23da7f67p8aDWB

Shovel (may not be exact, but look at the price)
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/h....73391225Jo32Is

AM/FM Radio
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/A....4b3a5825MuGW7S


I think if someone is itching to drop that kind of money on a kit, probably better to head over to https://www.solkoasurvival.com/
Atleast get recognisable brands. Mora, Leatherman, Petzl, Rite in the Rain. Even in Hill People Gear pouches if so desire.
(Though I think their tin containers look naff with velcro holding them together)

You are walking around with a grey backpack and all the bad guys say, "That's a grey pack - obviously nothing of value on him"???

I just watched the video and their stuff is even worse than I first thought. They actually put a Duracell battery in that chintzy little light. I assume that if they installed a lithium battery they would have said so. You are much better off with either lithium or rechargeable batteries.

Their boo-boo FAK is a joke, and a bad one at that.

I literally laughed when they suggested their plastic sheeting for shnowshoes. Get serious! The sheeting, when supplemented with additional rigid items just might make the grade for a splint or a minor fracture, but even better would be some of the rigid elements in the backpack itself.

Don't bother with chem lights. IME, they degrade, even within their special packaging. The units that are packed for installation on approved life vests are a bit more durable if you must have one of these.

You can't buy preparedness in a box, no matter much one might wish otherwise. People who can't be bothered to learn how to build their kit or learn what they need probably won't bother to buy a kit. Even if they do, everything in the kit requires some knowledge to use. A tarp is no more difficult to use than a tube tent and is vastly more versatile.

Yeah, I think people are taking the term "grey man" too literally and missing out on the actual meaning. It doesn't mean wear a grey pack! It means blend in and look like everyone else. If no one else is wearing a backpack (especially one with a survival company logo!) then you'll stand out wearing a backpack.

I've had pretty good luck with chemlights, but to be fair I only ever buy the Cyalume brand (which IIRC supplies the military). They seem to hold up well and I've used several that were a couple years past their expiry date; they still work and seem to last just as long. Maybe not as bright? Hard to tell unless you compare side by side.