SOLKOA

SOLKOA is a company mostly focused on professional training programs for emergency and crisis preparedness, but has branched out into providing survival gear and kits for both military and civilians. The experience they bring to gear they developed themselves is not academic - their founder was a SERE trainer for the US Army. SOLKOA market their own gear under the Fastfire label.

SOLKOA/Fastfire offers two fire starting kits using their ‘Fastfire’ tinders. The regular kit has four ‘Fastfire tinders; the smaller ‘emergency’ kit, two. The tinders can be used to start fires in wet conditions, or for using under a canteen cup or small pot to heat /boil water. ‘Fastfire’ tinders are large – they look like a big, square marshmallow – and come individually wrapped. SOLKOA says they will burn for 11-13 minutes at around 1300 degrees, and can be extinguished quickly and re-lit. Other companies, such as Ultimate Survival Technologies, offer a similar product, but the ‘Fastfire’ ones are bigger. To use an old military rule, “P equals plenty”.



Fastfire also sells a 4-inch ferro rod and hacksaw blade striker as the ‘Firestrike Maxx.

SOLKOA’s entry into the civilian survival kit market are two pre-made kits – one targeted toward hunters and one for backpackers. Packed in a soft nylon pouch, the hunter’s kit has a compass, heavy thread, whistle, signal mirror, small water bladder, a ‘Fastfire’ tinder, folding razor knife, wire saw, heavy mylar emergency blanket, and, one critically important thing – room to add items. The version for backpackers will additionally include a Photon microlight, a sewing kit and several bens wipes. MSRP for the kit for hunters is $40; the backpacker’s version is $45.



Two other new products SOLKOA/Fastfire showed were the most interesting emergency preparedness gear this writer saw the whole show:

The first is the ‘SUMA’ container, a two piece, almost pocket-able box made out of machined aluminum. It is designed to be a multi-purpose, waterproof container for survival or other hard uses, and it appears to be almost bombproof. The SUMA is offered in two sizes - 11.5 cubic inches and 22.5 cubic inches. When closed up and tied down, the ‘SUMA’ becomes, in terms of durability, an ammo can in your pocket. Are they expensive? Well, yes. The smaller box is $45, the larger $65. But they look like they will survive Armageddon.



The second was the ‘Grip-S’, two machined aluminum rods about 1/2" diameter and about 3" long with set screws and slots that allow them to be used individually or paired as handles for a screwdriver (a flathead/philips 1/4” hex bit is included, others may be used), handle for a universal shank saw blade, and as the handles for a wire saw. Unlike a typical wire saw with handle loops at the ends, the ‘Grip-S’ uses a wire saw without loops, threaded through the ‘Grip-S’ handles and held in place with a set screw. If a normal wire saw breaks it is useless; whereas if the ‘Grip-S’ the wire saw breaks, you simply discard the shorter broken piece and move the handle to the longer one. My one beef with the ‘Grip-S’ I got to examine was the set screws protrude from the handle when components were in their slots – that could get rather uncomfortable when trying to saw through a 8-inch log. MSRP on the Grip-S is $40, but that also includes 28" wire saw and the flathead/phillips hex bit.



www.fast-fire.com