Didn’t expect to see the founder in the comments. This is a smart idea. I want to buy every VSSL unit in one which would be crazy and very nice, but I don’t want a goofy looking 18 inch flashlight lol.

that I noticed ,too!!

There is a striker on the underside of the firestarting tin in mine.

Same here. That is a rather curious oversight, as is the absence of water purifier tablets. In the case with the 1ltr water bag, there's room for a couple, at least.

@@davidleavitt835 not really, striking surface is under the lid of the container that has the matches. Water purifier tablets might be missing for the reason they ship it internationally and it can be a bit of a hassle to get permission to do so. For example they cannot ship it here without having Finnish license for them and they need different license to ship it to UK and Norway and etc. They would either need European/asian/australian partner to handle that or spend ridiculous amount of time and money. Being a smaller company it is completely understandable that there is no water purification and no medicine.

@@Hustlate good points, all, and I'm in Australia. Thanks for that mate. 🙂🙂🙂

Like I mentioned in a comment, those batteries are the deal breaker for me. I wouldn't hesitate for a second if that was rechargeable, and I'd give it some consideration if they used a more common battery. Like a cr123a. Two cr123a batteries have twice the capacity of three of those LR1 batteries, and the cr123a batteries are a more available and affordable. Even CR2 batteries would be a better option over the LR1 batteries.

No rechargable no deal

I don't know... my experience with rechargeable stuff hasn't been very positive, it seems like rechargeable batteries always seem to be "DOA" when I least expect it, and when I need it most. At least with replaceable batteries, you can always stash spares into one of VSSL's empty tins, if that's a big concern for you. And with replaceable batteries, I could slip a bit of thin plastic between one of the batteries and the contact to keep the battery from slowly losing power while in storage: seems like there's often a bit of a slow power drain when the batteries are connected directly to the contacts; just pull the plastic when needed and your ready to use the light, but with a rechargeable battery, seems like they slowly lose their charge, and then each repeated recharge loses a bit until the batteries are paperweights, at least in my experience.... The odd LR1 format might be an understandable deal-breaker, though: I assume the size of the VSSL kit form-factor limits the type of batteries that might be used, but one does sorta wish that it took something like the somewhat more ubiquitous AAA batteries or something, even if they aren't the best possible battery option, at least you're likely to find them on the road at any gas station, 7/11, dollar store, or whatever if you want to load up on a bunch of fresh spares or replacements while on a trip. Anyway, in my experience, there's less that goes wrong with just some simple batteries in a flashlight or whatever....

Thanks for watching!

That's true

That is a super good point, having to repack gear into such a confined space, but much if this is disposable anyway; first aid and some other gear.

The striker for the matches is on the inside of the lid

I like your comments

I bought a Vssl with empty tins and I use it as a tackle box. I know, expensive for a tackle box but when I know I’m not going to use it as a tackle box for awhile, I use other items in the empty tins for hiking/camping. Pretty neat and the price is reasonable if you buy with empty tins

Ya it's odd. There not common here in Canada

@@doomvanhardcore8313 Not surprised. This is the first time I'm hearing about these type of batteries.

I agree. I love the modular nature but I don't like the tube style.

Or alternatively to the PVC pipe, try one of those ubiquitous large wide-mouth water bottles, trading in the tins for zip-seal baggies: a plastic water bottle would be great on weight and if transparent could hole a lit glow-stick or flashlight for that "flashlight container" effect, while a metal one could instead be used for boiling water. You can use the container for containing your drinking water (one of the zip-seal baggies providing temporary storage for your survival gear), and since you wouldn't be limited to whatever could be fit into a tin, you can put a small army-knife or multi-tool or even fixed blade inside, along with a pen-light or a glow-stick or two. Of course, I'm not the first person to have thought of the survival-kit-in-a-water-bottle trick, and at least one (very cheap-looking) example has already been reviewed on this channel as I write this!

Don't use pvc, use a clean steel pipe so you can boil water in it

Thanks for watching!

Haha, it would

Those would be two of my main concerns: the aluminium-tube-full-of-mini-tins format limits what can be put inside, and I worry about about the weight of the thing compared to something like a pouch or even a single Altoids or mess-kit style tin. That said, VSSL certainly gets points for style and quality: I certainly wouldn't complain about getting one as a gift or whatever, everything looks really nice and neat and clean, and it makes a great little conversation piece, it really triggers the "I want that" reaction somewhere deep inside, even though I know consciously that I could get a bit more mileage for a car-boot or backpack survival kit from even a cheap school-supply-sale pencil case or zipper-pouch stocked with hand-selected survival gear items!

I don't think you're wrong at all: a lot of these mini-survival-kits are a bit over-engineered and designed with a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none philosophy further hampered by the use of often very cheap components, which makes for some fun unboxing and reviews, but probably isn't the best option for a typical survival situation. I'd think that a more serious kit might start with: - A serious knife, even if it's a "just" good pocket-knife, though army-knives/multi-tools have their places, and a proper fixed-blade outdoors knife is maybe the best. (A razor blade is maybe not a bad ultra-compact idea for redundant backup.) - A good ferro-rod set for lighting a fire. (Matches are probably a good idea for redundant backup. A lot of people seem to prefer Bic lighters for either of these options. Including some tinder, fire starting gel, or the like is maybe a good idea, if you can spare the room and weight.) - Duct tape, in a small lay-flat pack. (Can be used as tape, for patches for tent or clothing repair, bandages for serious cuts when nothing else is available, and even tinder for starting a fire. A little "boo-boo" kit of band-aids is a nice compact "redundant backup" for duct tape as a first-aid item, in this case to go to first for common scrapes, small cuts, and that sort of thing. Optionally, toss in some alcohol prep pads for cleaning wounds, or starting fires, and an optional packet of travel meds like aspirin, Tylenol, Immodium, Benedryl, etc. I think a packet of Quikclot for managing heavier blood loss is probably a great idea for more serious injuries.) - A half-decent canteen-in-a-mess-cup, with water purification tablets. (The aluminium canteen cups can be used for boiling water, and the canteen itself can too if it's metal. You can expand that canteen set to include a matching stove to stack the canteen and cup in, and perhaps a "tactical spork" if you want to splurge on a little weight and extra stuff. Alternatively to a canteen, a single-wall steel water bottle is a fine basic alternative; a plastic bottled-water water bottle is a dirt-cheap option. A backup of water bags, paper filters, and purification tablets can be a compact redundancy, and there seem to be a lot of fans of survival straws as an alternative to one or the other of these hydration options.) Those four items would cover your cutting tool (a knife is one of the most versatile and valuable survival tools), fire-starting (necessary for staving off exposure in cold weather and for cooking, water purification, etc.), water (one of your biggest first-aid concerns, since you can only live a couple days without water, and miserably at that!), and even some rudimentary multi-purpose fixit-and-first-aid tool in the form of duct-tape. After that, a wearable "shelter" like a good outdoors poncho, along with some paracord, is the least you should do for shelter in colder climates/seasons, to round out your basics. The backup items mentioned for these basics that can be fit into a pocket-sized tin or pouch are a good idea, in the event that you lose or break or can't get to your core survival items. Only after those basics are covered, should you (IMHO) really worry about some optional items that are nice-to-have luxury items, such as fishing kits, sewing kits, a more serious first-aid kit, food, and morale items: they aren't strictly necessary for two or three days of survival, but can help make it less unpleasant, if you have the budget, weight, and space to spare for them.... I think most off-the-shelf survival kits put too much emphasis on gimmicky redundant backup and luxury items: these can be cute and fun to review, but when backing up or even replacing lackluster or even shoddy basics, they're not a lot of help!

After getting the extreme minimalist basics of a knife, fire-starter, canteen, and duct tape squared away, I'd think about: - Light. (A decent pocket flashlight is a solid choice, glow sticks a good alternative, and candles, pen-lights, or button key-ring lights are nice compact backups.) - Shelter... the bulkiest of your survival items, but important and often neglected, so perhaps something wearable, like a decent poncho? (Alternatively, a pocket survival tent or sleeping bag, or survival tarp. Mylar blankets or disposable pocket-ponchos should make a fine compact pocket-sized backup. Alternatively as a backup, with a little work and skill a decent knife or other cutting tool can be used for creating shelter in the field if necessary.) - Paracord. (Cordage, fire-starting tinder, can be taken apart for smaller cordage or even fishing line and thread. Some lighter-duty cordage like bankline is a great compact backup, and fishing line or sturdy thread is very compact, though not as suitable for heavy tasks.) - Sewing/Repair kit (A curated/stripped-down travel-sized sewing kit can provide sewing needles and thread, safety pins, and maybe a couple small "luxury" survival items like tiny scissors for cutting tape, thread, fishing line, etc. I'd add zip-ties, twist-ties, a little spool of fishing line, a couple fishing hooks, a fishing lure, and small cork or float as needed; a cork and sewing needle could theoretically be used to build a rudimentary compass. Aluminium foil and a little snare wire is maybe a good inclusion. An additional few small nails, screws, screw-eyes, screw-hooks, and other small items can be used to craft items in the field, such as snares, rudimentary fishing rod, shelter, etc.) - Compass, and local paper map. (This is generally more of a "lost-hiker" sort of thing: I think most of us won't be in emergencies that involve wandering into the deep woods and getting lost, as opposed to being stranded on the side of the road or something, but if you do plan on being in the wilderness, you'll probably want a compass. A button compass can be a flaky but compact backup item, you can theoretically use an iron/steel needle in the field to build your own compass, good luck. If you can spare the room and weight, a pocket-sized waterproof notepad or paper and pencil stub might not be a bad idea as companions to the compass; make notes, make calculations, leave a trail for search-and-rescue, burn the paper and pencil as tinder if nothing else. A good compact signal mirror and whistle are probably handy backup items for getting yourself out of trouble, but only if you have reason to believe that a search-and-rescue team will come looking for you should you become lost....) Then, the optional items: - Optionally, an upgraded, more serious first-aid kit than your basic "boo-boo" kit. (In off-the-shelf kits, these tend to fall into one of two categories: either unnecessarily over-engineered, bulky, and heavy first-aid-for-every-situation kits best kept at home or in a roomy SUV or car, or the laziest possible minimum travel versions, such as a pair of band-aids in a pocket tin survival kit, or a fist-full of band-aids, some tape, some gauze pads, some prep pads, and maybe some scissors in a car's road-side-assistance kit... for a backpack survival first aid kit, you can surely curate something in between that makes a little more sense than either extreme, while taking up less space and weight on the whole than the big kits, allowing for specifically the sorts of injuries that can mess up a short-term emergency fast!) - Optionally, food. (You can live a couple days without food, but would probably feel miserable doing so. If you can spare a little weight and room for a day or two of food rations, it can really help boost your morale, keep energy up, and keep you going long enough to find more food via fishing, foraging, or trapping if you need more food to keep going. A compact camping stove and mess kit would be luxury "survival" items, but after a certain point you aren't surviving, you're camping....) - Optionally, small morale items. (You don't want to have the free time to let boredom, anxiety, fear, and panic get the better of you and cause you to make your situation worse, so a little something to keep you occupied while waiting for help can be a good idea. I think a deck of those survival playing cards, printed with tips on starting fires, building shelters, tying knots, identifying plants, first aid, etc. is maybe a great idea here: you can play cards with whoever you are with or solitaire if nothing else, use the cards as informative survival reference material, or at least burn the cards if you have nothing else to use as tinder! Dice or a fidget-toy or a few toy soldiers for the kiddies can help keep them quiet while you work out your survival options. A pocket Bible can be a huge comfort for many of us in situations like this!) - Optionally, a crank/solar weather-radio/flashlight/power-bank, with "electronics kit" for recharging phones, rechargeable flashlights and lighters, and other small electronics. These are a bit bulky and delicate and you can survive without it, but I can see the attraction to having a way to recharge cell phones in the field, and keep an eye on weather conditions that can change suddenly! Features like solar and crank charging, flashlights, distress tones, and that sort of thing are a bonus. - Optionally, a light-duty tool kit, containing a multi-tool, and/or reversible screwdriver, small adjustable crescent wrench, small socket/ratchet set, and the like. Beyond a multi-tool, these can get heavy and unnecessarily silly for survival-kit purposes, but a few small tools for making emergency repairs to your car, ATV, bicycle, damaged survival gear, phones or laptops, and so on are nice to have around, though probably best kept in the car or on the bike, rather than carried on a one-man-vs.-nature survival situation. (Since I wear glasses, I like to keep at least a compact travel glasses-repair/cleaning kit in my first-aid kits and/or compact/pocket survival kits.) I should note that almost everyone carries a smart phone these days, which, if charged and operational within signal range, can be a valuable survival tool: call for help, use it as a weak flashlight, use the GPS as an alternative to a primary or backup compass, use the wireless internet to look up first-aid instructions and survival tips, look up maps.... I think that most two-or-three-day survival situations can be survived by most people without most of these items (except light, smart phone, shelter from cold weather, and paracord for a variety of purposes including shelter-building), and the optional items in particular are luxury items that you can probably get by without, but which can make a survival situation a little less unbearable!

Thanks!

Exactly the point I came here to make, it seems an obvious thing to make the biggest part of the kit useful!!

There is. He just chose lids that can't be used for that. I would love to it to have solution to have extra lid for it.

they make a module with a ferro rod and striker included.

Yes a striking surface is included with the matches

As far as I remember it's under the lid, as your wrote.

@@MustaLaatta Oke I think so too. He forgets to show it