Lifeline Ultralight Survival Kit

Lifeline's new Ultralight Survival Pak was recently introduced with a similar form factor to the AMK PSP and a lower price. Terrill Hoffman suggests that "if you’re going to make a kit that looks like your competitor’s, be prepared for a side by side comparison." Terrill takes an independent look at the new Lifeline kit and answers the question, is it worth worth betting your life on?

http://www.equipped.org/lifeline_USK.htm

(NOTE: Because I designed the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak, and both I and ETS Foundation receive a royalty from the sale of the PSP, I asked Terrill Hoffman, a respected author on survival related topics and host of the annual Practice What You Preach survival exercise, to evaluate and write an independent review of the Ultralight Survival Kit by Lifeline First Aid.)

In the UK i'd rather have the Lifelines kit with me, if it was all I could have. The emergency blanket makes surviving a night stuck on the hills much more likely. Where we walk; the hills. There's nothing to make a fire with and nowhere to fish anyway. And I note neither kit contains the single item which usually makes an emergency easy to handle; a torch.
I know it's a bit like the trick question someone had here one time comparing a 10 dollar 'survival knife' from the supermarket, with some chris reeve quality one. The supermarket knife was the sensible choice in the US because there were fire starting items in the handle.
Best is buy Dougs and add a bivvy bag and torch.
The Sock

Thing that struck me was the total lack of a signal mirror, poor quality (although better than many) whistle and the shoddy compass.

Which is a pity because this could be one of the better (at it's price point)kits on the market.


Note* Even the RSK is not "perfect" but it's superior to anything else presently on the market.

I thought the "Made in China" decal front and center of the photo handled it all from the start.

EVERY kit I have, from pocket sized to full backpack, starts with a modified PSP. It is like the cornerstone of the building.

Fair comment for most of the UK and I suspect parts of the US - a whistle, torch and shelter (space blanket/bivvi bag etc) are the key tools, everyhting else is a bonus. Starting fires, fishing etc implies a wilderness that doesn't exist for many people.

That said, I'd pick Dougs kit over the cheapy knock-off everytime - quality kit

Same here. I have a Fox40, a LED flashlight and a watchband compass on a string around my neck and disposable rain poncho in my pocket (I once spent a night on a mountain with a space blanket and I'm not doing it again)

In my backpack I have the classic Dalesman bag although I'm tempted by the heatshield blanket - and as the hairline recedes a spare synthetic/polartec hat.

You might not need the army survival fishing kit necessary if you have to live for weeks behind enemy lines but you can (and people regularly do) die of exposure overnight even in the Yorkshire dales.

Yep, a lot of people underestimate the weather in the U.K. Particularly in early spring, late autumn and winter. It's cold, wet windy and nasty!

So, is imitation really the best form of flattery?

I suppose I am not really impartial. I bought Doug's kit years ago and promptly took it apart with all the items disappearing into my pockets.
So now some of it hides in my wallet, some in my pockets, some of it on my keychain...

I likely could have bought all the items individually but it was cheap enough to buy it all in the one package.
I was a lot easier than trying to track down the items by themselves too.
As I used up the pieces of it (like wire, fish hooks and tape) they were replaced with off the shelf items.

Even though I have changed some of the items I carry over the years from what Doug and AMK put in I think Doug's kit was a great start and that it still is.

Now it is time for me to buy a couple more of Doug's kits because it is time to replace some of the harder items to find (button compass, spark lite, tinder) and I want them available to me in the future.

These other price-point knockoffs simply do not have the right pieces in them.
For example, in this one by Lifeline the compass is too big.
If I want a compass that large I have my old Silva.
I carry a bic instead of matches with sparkers for backup and matches are easy off the shelf items, my fish hooks are Mustad and Gamakatsu taken from my tackle box... the list goes on.

A few other odd thoughts.
I think one of the problems with items like these is there is no way for somebody who has not used them to tell the quality of the items in the package.
Until you have had them apart and played with them how can you tell?
Most people can't.
To the average person one whistle is about the same as another one, compasses are about equal, etc.
And you know the retailers will generally look at their profits and end up selling the price point item.
I have gone through this often with tools and clothes. I find something that works and by the time I need to replace it I am not able to find it anymore.
This is why I intend to purchase a few extra of Doug's kits now while I can still get them.
Even though I do hope his kits remain available I have seen too many good products disappear because of pricepoint competition.

(I really apologize if this post sounds like a plug, because it isn't. I only post on this forum as a very opinionated individual and I don't have any business interests in AMK or Doug's products. If there was a better pocket survival kit out there than Doug's I would be buying it and recommending it instead.)

Looks like Doug's PSP is the better value.

Interesting review of both kits.

If both kits are on the shelf side-by-side, the UK model will sell better. The reasons: price and the bigger compass. The bigger compass looks sexier in the package than the button compass. The button compass may be more function in that it actually works, but that won't be known at purchase time.

Ran out to REI this afternoon to pick up a package and took a look at the USP kit - they had two sizes. The 5 oz is $15 and the bigger one -- the Lifeline Survival Medical Kit -- is $25. The 3rd photo below is Doug's kit.

http://www.rei.com/product/783989

http://www.rei.com/product/783990

I'd bet Garly is right on the selling factor. The Lifeline packaging is impressive.

I can get Doug's PSK at a local outdoors chain store for $21.99 all day long. I've looked at some of the Lifeline branded stuff, it's crap.

Can't put it any plainer.

John, really? I can only find the PSK at REI for $30ish.

I haven't bought his kit simply b/c the first thing I did when I got here was copy is Altoids kit, which goes on any camp/hike trip with me.

Speaking of kits though, Mr. Ritter, when is your Version 2 PSK coming out? I recall you hinting at it a while back.

I be bold enough to admit, I am not interested in anyone elses kit. Seen enough, had enough to appreciate what AMK (and by extension Doug) has done with theirs. Like someone else put it, "the PSP is the foundation...". Same here. We will all put our spin on things but over the last what....decade, I have come to trust Doug's opinion.

We all have our favorite opinionators, people we listen to for movie reviews, favorite restuarants, etc. Doug is like that for me with preparedness gear.

Looking at the two products from the viewpoint of a newbie to the world of PSKs, that full sized compass in the Lifeline Ultralight Survival Kit looks like it could generate more perceived value than the AMK PSP to the customer at a first initial glance. One could initially be convinced that it might be a Silva Field 7 rather than the obvious cheap Chinese knock off under closer inspection. The fact that this USK is missing a mil spec fire starter and a quality signal mirror (which are major cost items in respect to the overall purchase price) and has instead specified the ubiquitous survival blanket could also be a marketing advantage (those media images of the unfortunate newly rescued always seem to show them sitting down with the silvery mylar blankets flapping around in the wind).

Lets hope that not too many people are taken by the USK especially if they had to rely on this survival kit to save their own lives. I wouldn't underestimate this PSP knockoff though, especially at the 30% cheaper price point.

I put my together my first kit that wasn't entirely camping inspired based on info from Doug's reviews, and before he had his kit on the market. It was tough, because back then the individual items were difficult to find.

Since then there have been a lot more kits come out, and better kits than existed before. I think the RSK and this site had a lot to do with that, and that's pretty cool.

Each location is different, as our UK friends point out. We have dry and cold here in NY as well as wet and just above freezing cold, and the latter is much less fun. Here, though, a compass and fire starter rank right up there with shelter, and those are the three big things. (If I had to pick two of the three, it would be compass and fire starter. To move I need the compass. To stay I want a fire.)

It's tough to design a kit that will be pretty good everywhere, and be affordable. The RSK does that, and the things that are left out are common items - shelter, water storage, and a decent sized knife. Anyone in the US can by a space blanket, water bottle, and purification tablets at Walmart. The same thing can't be said for some of the items included in the kit.

My concern with the Chinese kit is that someone would take it as their only kit when going out hiking/hunting/fishing, and then find themselves stuck with a dud compass and no ability to keep a fire going with just matches. That's more of an issue with the individual than the kit though.

I hate to say this but basically I took the list of Doug's kit and assembled it myself buying the individual items, I substituted some items ... a full size Fox 40 for a Howler etc.

I kind of go with Les Stroud's opinion, when you put together a kit yourself, the first thing you do is start playing with the individual items so you learn how to use them. For example the Rescue Flash mirror, bought one and started playing with it right away and learned how to aim it.

Buy a pre assembled kit and you toss it in your car, pack ...whatever and will probably have to learn to use them when you need them the most. Not the optimal situation.

The first time I saw one of the Lifelines, I giggled at it- it's compass sucked to. It turned fine, but it was pointing in a vaguely northerly (or southerly) direction. The fact you have a hard time buying a good compass for less than $20 should tip people off.

Calling the PSP a winner by a knockout!

I see short comings in the PSP, I've never hid that (lack of shelter, mostly) , but for the mass market I've only seen one pocket kit that came close. And it's another AMK product. There are others that are as good, but I don't see them at Dicks or Eastern Mountain or the Campor catalog.

I'm with Hookpunch. I have a hard time personally identifying with the idea of buying a pre-assembled survival kit. I build up my kits mostly from what I have around. Raid my wife's sewing box for a whole package of needles. Raid my sewing box for #69 bonded nylon thread. Spool of stainless steel wire in the garage, next to the large role of duct tape. Etc...

To be honest, I don't really have "kits" - I have "gear". Most of it it gets used at least from time to time. I don't want cram it so tightly into an altoids tin that I'd almost rather freeze to death than contemplate digging into it and then re-packing it.

"What if you get stuck with just what's in your pockets?" Well, ferinstance, I have a bic in one pocket, a flashlight in the other, and I know they work because I used them whenever I need them.

Doug's kit falls into the category of "better than nothing" for people who might just as soon carry nothing. Lesser quality kits start to edge into the "false sense of security, worse than nothing" category.

Read some of the older kit reviews on the main ets site. It's an eye opener. Whistles that don't whistle and empty match cases are two examples that come to mind.

When I seen Made in china that was enough for me. I have used Doug's psp for years and I am not going to stop now.

The PSK (Doug's) is cheaper than buying the whistle, mirror and sparker seprately.

You are very right about this on both counts, the other being your more vested in something you build yourself.

I am of the opinion of 'rigorous testing'. I go through mini-bic, Mg blocks, rotate whistles, use button compasses as primaries, and always start my fire pit with something other than a lighter. I sleep in my hammock in the winter on my patio and I run sleep in my tent with the grass sprinklers going off every hour to see how dry I stay.

If you don't beat the hell of it and test its limits, it's not worth buying.

I sent a pm about this but what the heck, if any of you good folks live near a Sport Chalet outdoors store, they stock Doug's PSP for $21.99. At least they did the last time I was in one which was less than a week ago.
Best deal I've ever seen on them. REI, of which I've been a member for longer than I care to admit to sells them for around $29 if I recall correctly, I'm sad to see them selling the Lifeline brand at REI. I've looked at some of their other products and well I already stated what I thought of them so I won't repeat it.

Sorry,I have to respectfully disagree with you there. The compass in the RSK is a compromise between size and quality. Many people, particularly those who are long sighted and need glasses may struggle with a button compass. The issue with the compass in this competing kit is not size but but one of poor quality.

Any one with the nous to invest in a decent survival kit should have the brains to purchase a small base-plate compass as well.

The Silva 7, Brunton, Suunto & Recta equivalents cost less than taking the Kid's to McDonalds. If fact for the cost of a week's worth of McD's you could outfit yourself properly.

I'm not quite sure what you are disagreeing about.
Maybe I should have said too big for what I want.

I have good compasses by Suunto and Silva but they are too big to carry all the time.
So yes the button compass is a compromise that favours small size over accuracy.

The reviewer and others say the quality of the lifeline compass is low.
I have not held one so I won't comment on that, but even if the compass in the lifeline was higher quality it would still be too large to fit in my wallet which the button compass does fine.

Yup. I went the other way and bought his kit and then wrecked it.

Sports Chalet has a webstore Ritter PSP

There are times while doing photographs where I might remove a label like this, or I might actually put it in the center so it will be noticed. In this case I did nothing. I had two of their kits but only opened one. Both came with the "Made in China" label dead center.
At first I thought another kit on the market would be a good thing. It might make both companies upgrade a bit to outdo each other and we as comsumers would benifit. I was really disappointed after playing with the UST. I will say that Doug's kit is not the final answer but it is a great start to building a kit that will serve you well. His kit stays in my pocket. A USGI compass and a AMK emergency bivy stays in my shoulder bag. I also keep some Quikclot in there. That and the duct tape can go a long way for major cuts and wounds. I always have a five inch blade on my belt, a folder in my pocket and either my Harpoon or Lite Hunter along with a second whistle & Photon Freedom around my neck. When I'm hunting I use a rifle sling I've made that has a compass, firesteel and 30 feet of paracord built in. OK, I'm paranoid and may never need any of this, but I'm ready if I do.
I'm sure I've forgottten a few other items such as my water bottle,cell phone ect. but when you get in a habit of carrying certain gear you don't think about it until you need it.

Thanks Doug for posting this. I've read the reviews, and the comments here.
This pak is a piece of junk.
The compass is junk, and matches? I've got matches. Believe it or not, matches do have a shelf life.
And for crying out loud.....a "space blanket"?
Give me a break.
The whistle looks ok, it's an ACR, isn't it?

The review stated the whistle is unmarked, most likely another rip-off.

That's a little unfair - it's better than nothing.


You are stuck overnight on a hill or you come across a casualty who can't be moved until help arrives and it's raining.
What do you most need?
A fishing kit?
A sighting compass with declination adjust?
A BFO knife?
A shotgun?

Or would a space blanket be a useful use of a $ ?

At that point, I'd gladly pay $100 for a couple garbage bags.


:-)

These are very common in the UK, they are thicker than a garbage bag and cost < $5 - but a bit big for a pocket kit.

Space blankets are good in the desert or on the beach as sunshields but the bags, or even a disposable poncho, is much better in the cold and wet.

That bag looks interesting! I'm almost tempted to toss a $20 your way and get a couple

Regards the survival blanket issue:
People are missing the point discussing quality at all. I think Dougs kit is better quality too. And it's no criticism of Doug's american made and sold kit, to say it's not the best one for a place it's not intended for.
You'd be better off with a bag than that blanket and the mega tough survival bags we use would be even better.
But even a poor quality item is bound to be better, than one that is simply not there!
In the UK where the most common hillwalking survival situation is surviving exposure; a bag is the thing to have if you could chose one item from either kit.
Since rucksacs aren't usually waterproof I simply tie off the bottom and use my bag as a sac liner. then you always have it with you.
The Sock

Hello Doug,

I don't know where to post this.
Since it's related to survival kits and copying, I will post it here. I tried to PM you, but is seems to be impossible.

It seems that some-one found your kit lists great and did some copy-pasting. I Haven't read the complete page. Maybe there is a reference to you or to ets, but I didn't see it at first glance.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Survival_kits/?ALLSTEPS

Since you asked us to respect copyrights on the forums more than once by not copying complete web-pages, I thought it to be appropriate to signal this.

You can react as you think suitable.

Keep up the great work! Thanks for your site and forum.

Greetings,
Tranx

This is a point that's overlooked IMHO. All of the items selected in Doug's kits are field tested and ocumented here on this site. Similar products have been evaluated and discarded for justifiable reasons. Whenever I recomend Doug's kit to our scouts, or anyone else for that matter, I always direct them to the website as a necessary step to learn why the items are selected and how they may be used. It's not just a pouch to throw in you bag and hope for the best in a true emergency. Be prepared!