You're completely right, Rich. Couple of other tips you might try; the credit card tool is magnetized....hang it from a 3' thread and you have a compass. If the knife edge on the card is dull, sharpen it. And I've been telling folks for years it's the best ferro striker you can find. Use the card saw edge to scrape tinder and to shred/flare the jute thingies. The folding shovel; sharpen the saw side and then offset the teeth. Do NOT chop with the side! Use the tool in the direction intended! Sharpen the front edges and then mattock small wood. Also, Dremel the rivet out and replace it with a steel nut and bolt that fits the survival card. The jute thingies, use the credit card saw to flair them. Add some fire!

The "add some fire" is in ref to matches AND a lighter, preferably a butane of your liking. That knife, dump it and get an $8 Cuisinart paring knife. A paring knife, a good one, is light years beyond a "tactical folder". Add a simple $2 ziplock bag first aid kit and a $2 fishing kit. Some teabags, coffee, bouillon cubes, sugar AND hard candy, and SEVERAL teaspoons of salt!

Add a small sewing kit, some snare/repair wire, and some tape, both duct and electrical, a small mirror, a razor blade and some iodine tabs. This kit, if purchased at $30, could be redoubted at less than $15 thus making a very nice kit for a Boy Scout or teen or survivalist for less than $45. I'm only including the least expensive add ons as an example pricewise. You can add a survival blanket, a tube tent, a Sawyer or Lifestraw filter etc. Some tarred bankline or mason line, paracord etc....but the kit still comes in at a decent price.

@@JohnH-rd3xy The paring knife is a good tip, especially if you're trying to keep the price super low, but honestly the kit I would put together would not be anything like this. You've got to think about what you're actually going to need this for, and it's almost certainly not going to be for surviving multiple days in the woods, hunting, fishing, etc. A good boyscout can certainly do all that with a small kit, but what you're actually looking for is a bare-bones backup kit in case you're stuck out for an evening, like you went backpacking and got turned around and it got dark before you made it back, or your car broke down in the middle of the night away from town. If you actually need a multi-day kit, it should be because you planned a multi-day trip, and you should have more full-size fishing and camping gear, probably a tent or full sized tarp of some kind, a cook kit, etc. The kit for actual emergencies that I would build is this: 1. Step up from the $8 paring knife and go for an $11 Morakniv craft knife. It's a proper bushcraft knife, it's bullet proof, and it's super cheap. 2. I'd go with a decent quality silnylon or silpoly rain poncho. This doubles as your emergency shelter, and it isn't just taking up space in a normal pack, which is really nice. They can be had for around $20-$30, and should come prepped for use as a tarp (grommets in corners, hood sealable, etc). 3. At least 15 feet of cordage - paracord most likely. Set it up as a rapid-deploy ridge line and you wont be fighting your rope to set it up. 4. I'd also put one or two of those 12 hour stick-on body warmers. This is super important, because you're not going to have a proper blanket. Sticking one of these under your clothes is going to do a LOT to keep you warm at night. Not nearly as good as a sleeping bag, but it might be enough to get some actual sleep. 5. A small fire kit would be some storm matches (homemade or store bought), a lighter with duct tape wrapped around it, and one or two firestarters that can be soaking wet and still work (there are many kinds, pick one you like!). 6. Water, I'd get some aquatabs or similar water purification tablets. Life straws/etc will work, but they are incredibly bulky for keeping in an emergency kit. Remember you're only supposed to be covering a night or two, not a month in the wilderness. A dozen aquatabs weighs less and packs smaller than the smallest water filter, and it will get you several gallons of water. 7. Finally, get a dry bag to do double duty as water carrier and stuff sack for the whole kit. Alternatively, you should be able to stuff the whole thing in a 1 liter Nalgene bottle, but that's going to depend largely on the poncho and rope. The cheaper ponchos that fit the bill for this kit are going to be just a little too bulky to fit in a Nalgene. In that case it would be totally fine to carry the poncho separately, since it's the one item in the kit you're likely to use outside of emergencies. You can include a survival blanket in this kit, though I'm not totally sold on them. They pack super tiny so it probably wouldn't hurt anything, but if so I'd use it as a heat reflector and not as an actual blanket. You should be able to put this kit together, with quality items you can rely on in an emergency, for $50-$100, depending on what specifically you buy (you could easily spend $100+ for the poncho, but that's totally unnecessary). You should be able to get everything for under $50, realistically, just buying it on Amazon. Notice that I didn't include a first aid kit here. That's intentional. You should already have a first aid kit, no matter what you're doing. If you're out hiking or boating or whatever, you should have a first aid kit geared toward the activity in your pack. You should have a separate first aid kit for your car. My emergency kit is ONLY things you WOULDN'T ordinarily have for an unexpected night in the wilderness. This keeps it small and easy to throw in your pack or to keep in your car.

Jeff, totally agreed on pretty much everything you said. You seem to think pretty much like I do. My post was in ref to this specific kit. Me, my most common kit is designed as an office power outage type of thing. Tea bags, coffee packets, water flavorings. Salt, sugar, pepper. Hard candies, caramels, small chocolates, a few small jerkies and meat sticks etc. The only real survival type gear is a Clipper lighter, a 30 foot hank of one core nylon accessory cord, a Sharpfinger knife, some assorted meds and bandaid items, and two flat tourniquets. My shoulder sling bag in my Outback is pretty much what I said before. One time use and toss poncho, survival blanket (2), the tube tent, a Mora Garberg, assorted snacks and bevs, a bagged first aid kit and a fishing kit, (my wife and I used to make them and sell them at gunshows), several diff types of cordage etc. I have a crank radio flashlight siren thing in a lower pocket with a 25 foot wire antenna. I carry iodine tabs and iodine pads along with a Lifestraw. My cook gear is in a Pathfinder water bottle carrier. A Stanley cook pot, a GSI cup, and a Trangia. Matches, tissues, scrubber, GSI Glacier utensil set. I have a 3 person dome tent and wool blankets in the car along with a case of 12 assorted Chef Boyardee cans and a 36 flat of water. My cook stuff...don't laugh lol...got two Stanley cook sets set up identically. Was my wife and I. Just me now. God, this got long! I totally agree with you, though. Have to plan for each and every something and plan for layers. The kit outlined before was in ref to that specific kit and in the Boy Scout light, though. We made up our own kits and then spent three days out alone. Hard to believe we got by on an old Bandaid can of stuff! The Garberg was a replacement for an orange Companion which replaced a green one, which replaced a red one. Someone on one of my forums suggested it and I bought it. Wish I hadn't now. Only used it once and it felt like a stick compared to a scalpel. Too heavy, too cumbersome, and I HATE the finger swell semi-guard! Could tolerate the Companion but this one, no! Heck, I prefer the blue Companion knockoff from BudK. The best Mora in my opinion is the old original Classic #1. No guard and wooden grip. Great to meet you, sir!

I wouldn't even do that.

case might make a good first aid kit, container 🤔

I... hadn't think about it. Unfortunately, your analysis makes sense.

Good idea! Give it to the young kids so they can learn with it.

I rely on Goodwill, garage sales, trash bins, the pet isle ( stainless bowl) , hardware isle for rope and tinder, and the kitchen area for storage containers. Who would put a compass on a metal tool? Save the fero rod and card striker. Toss the rest!

That was my first thought also. You never know when you need to take out a sentry.

😆

Yes, as a lefty I never use the strikers with ferro rods. I always use the back of a knife or saw.

Exactly

I'm gonna look into that one, I'm looking for some survival bags to put in my wife's and daughters cars.

Tube tent... it needs a friggin' tube tent... a poncho and a space blanket. Upgrade the carry bag to a backpack too. A first aid kit... a canteen... a stainless cup... a folding stove... a toothbrush... soap... sandals... a hoodie... 7 pairs of socks... 7 pairs of underwear...

i had several of those Flea Market Rambo knifes in Oklahoma City, lol! Ninja stars also! I was PREPARED!!

😂😂😂😂

This is probably the funniest comment I have ever read in my life.

Extra cordage... Tom Hanks went through hell for that extra cordage.

It's all cheap junk,l will collect up better quality things and make my own kit,thanks for showing us.

But a lot more expensive

Good idea! 👍🏼

True, i guess. I know i would have loved this when i was like 11...but i would never rely on it.

Yep I prefer the paracord loop method

It works as well

The bracelet ferro rod striker pulls out of the buckle....you're exactly right. Try to explain to anyone that the toothed edge scrapes tinder and the small end strikes the rod, though. No one made that "striker" too big to reach the rod....the big end is the handle.

Mylar blankets are cheaper made than this kit. Did you ever use one ? Wind is your number one enemy and trying to keep it around you is a challenge. A contractor garbage bag is space better spent. Ground cloth, carry water or gather fire material, fill with leaves for insulation, warm water in the sun, carry ammo or extra food,, over two poles for a wind break, keep gear dry and cut a head hole and you have a very efficient poncho.

@@anthonybarker2087 I was being Sarcastic, every cheap survival kit has one to inflate the piece or "C's" count!

I have had to use my entrenching tool to dig a trench and gather wood and burn in the trench I dug a foot wide and one and half foot deep and five feet long and get a pretty good bit of coals built up and then I filled it in with the dirt and beded down on it and when it got to hot I just moved over a little bit. If I haven't had did this I surely would have died from cold during the winter and being stranded in freezing weather and luckily I had a poncho with me. My friend that was running the 14 foot aluminum boat hit a log length ways and sank his boat and thank God we made it to the bank and was soaked to the bone and freezing and I had a magnesium bar and striker in my pocket and my knife on my belt and my in trenching tool on my military belt I was wearing a nd I'm so glad I didn't take it on when I got in the boat and we never found our hunting rifles but he did find his boat a few days later. Magnesium bar works great for building camp fires that is definitely a EDC item or a ferrel rod and striker and a good ole K-BAR .

My uncle found the best use for them. They work very well cutting off the horns of our cattle. Might sound strange but better than stuff made to do that.

Watch the video 😂

You are welcome

I survived Nine Months in the mountains of N.C. with those tools. Yes, you've gotta be gentle with the items but they DO Work! I skinned several rabbits with the spring-assist knife. Had to sharpen it on river rocks. I still have it...😊😊

No definitely not

Clueless people sure, but also people who want "piece of mind" the solution is just buy it and chuck it in your trunk. Even if the gear was good, would they know how to use it? No, but that does not matter because they want the idea of it just curing their "survival issues". Not actually learning to survive. Same people that buy one fire extinguisher for their 2 story house, and when they go to grab it from the basement, its out of pressure. They know "hey I need one" and thats barely the only thought that goes into it.

The 21 piece kit is on there

Not seeing it on the app. I would ask for a link but I’m not going to be buying it lol. I will take a stroll through my local store though 😉

They are there as well. If you search ozark trail survival kit I see it in my ap.

When you actually go outside this is happens. I don't have a crew helping. This ain't Hollywood

@@ThePreparedWanderer Wasn’t being critical or judgemental, just thought it was funny.

Got ya. My apologies. I get a bunch of strange comments sometimes. People do not realize the amount of work that goes into making a simple video. I try my best to present something interesting. And yep I get a fair amount of bugs and dirt on me in the process. 😂

@@ThePreparedWanderer thanks for making the video, I appreciate your efforts!

Does that sleeping bag compress down fairly small or is it bulky?

@@michaelmcewan2364 if you’re not using a stuff sack, it compresses down pretty good. If you have a sleeping bag compartment, it will fit in there pretty snug.

@@FriarTuck81 thanks

They aren't even kitchen scissors. They are still useless AF

They can not be complete garbage, as that would be asking for a lawsuit. But minimal is stretching it. These are more gimmicky than anything. Someone who wants the idea of piece of mind, I bought it and threw it in my trunk. Thats it. Anyone even semi serious will either build their own with better gear, or buy one and end up replacing 70% of it. They would price themselves out if they used even half decent gear, it would add up, on top of running their business, paying employees, making profit on top of that, its just too many cut corners to make a servicable product with standards to people with standards, while also being inexpensive.

@@zombiefinatic7033 Agreed. I was going too make medium sized survival pocket tins. But they would be fairly expensive. For me and someone wanting too buy it. I've seen even expensive survival kits filled with half junk. It's just best too research what most in the field use. Toke me awhile but finally got it worked out.

I paid 20 dollars for my striker alone. This is a car trunk kit for a one in 40,000 chance you get stuck in the woods during a picnic.

Thank you

You’re welcome friend. Ozark Trail is kinda like a toy version when it comes to survival gear, lol.