one way to boost any first aid kit is to run to the drug store and pick up the 50 cnt pill bags. They are tiny ziplocs and you can put a variety of meds in your kit and it takes up very littlest space. they are also great for tinder storage, you can tuck mini bics in them, and a small pack of strike anywhere matches will fit in them. They can be an extremely versatile way to add and protect items in your kit.
Luke, the mono-filament issue: obviously, it's easier to include braided line for "rope" and filament for line, but, yah-- your own kit could easily include 500 pound tess line and take up 1/5 the space and weight as traditional cordage. That's actually a great idea I think I'll look at since I have to re-do my various kits this year. Damn. Thanks for the well-timed vid, Luke.
Great review for the Time.. Vssl has heard some of the criticism The Flashlight is now a 4 mode, brightest 200 lumens, bright, red light, and sos..and you need to long press to turn it on. The compass , can accommodate a 2" mirror on the inside cap. I would say this is for the novice, weekend hiker as a supplement. The one to get right now is the First aid one . Sells for 81 bucks Has Compass, ( add mirror inside the cap ) first aid roll out, info on backside.first aid tape roll medical gloves , 45 essential supplies. Tweezers, whistle, and It looks great in red with the white end caps.. Now is worth it for someone like Luke, who can live in the woods, as we seen . Maybe not, but for couples, or single family members that just go on occasion, or to keep in the car, imo absolutely .
They do make a flask version that holds and should be able to boil water. You can also customize all of the components - the compass and flashlight ends can be replaced with a glass breaker or a plain metal end cap. The tins can be similarly customized. You can even buy empty versions to fill yourself, essentially making your own kit within the confines of the form factor. This is a good review, but it would have been much more informative with some basic research re: product options.
There are a lot of vids out there like that. $20 survival kit challenge, or Wal-mart survival kit challenge... they're called something like that. It would be cool to see Lukes take on it though.
I agree, so let's make the challenge more specific: Have the kit fit into a metal bottle or thermos of about the same size as this kit, seeing as the only real allure of it is the size and portability.
VSSL just got told. Loved it! I know gear reviewers try to review only gear they like so as to avoid having to do negative reviews but I appreciate the occasional negative review as it reminds us that the reviewer has integrity and really will tell it like it is when it comes down to it.
My personal philosophy when it comes to survival kits is build your own for the area you live in. If you need a place to start, then it's ok buy one and build around it. Just don't rely on a pre-built kit for your survival. I live in the south, so my kit is built around the south.
Maybe you could incorporate the contents into your already existing kit. Tape the candle into the compass and toss it into your pack, put the fishing kit into your existing fishing gear, etc.
hey Luke, GREAT product & review !!! i usually install my batteries the wrong way to prevent drain batteries by accidental switch on. Enjoy your new adventures this coming summer!! all the best for you and your family :)
Hello Luke; Like always, great review; One idea to carry it WITH the batteries installed is - if you set a piece of non-conductible strip material on one of the batteries polarity contact, the batteries can stay in and the switch will come disabled, unless you remove the strip which can be easily done at later time when it is time to use it. I would guess it beats to have the batteries strapped like that on the outside which it makes it look more like a pipe bomb; lol, just do not pull it all the sudden anywhere near law enforcement so we can keep enjoining your reviews for long time to come! Cheers!
Building off of the idea it should boil water. I also think it should hold 1 liter of water for the purification tabs. It would be bigger around but 1 liter bottles of soda, water etc. are already mainstream and people technically should be used to the size in hand.
That's about a $25 kit. Maybe bump it up to $30 if they add a gasket so the flashlight body becomes a water container. Make it $50 if you could boil water in it.
a tip from funy prepper is to turn one or all of the battries the wrong way inside and then they are stored inside of the flashlight but will not turn on accidentally.
The First is just FIRST AID because that is not gonna make your wound completely heal but you can heal it up a bit so it wouldnt be as dangerous without first aid, and you want even more, I guess you can bring your own
For that price waterproof is a must. For $80.00 think about what you could make in a stainless wide mouth water bottle. Including the bottle. They should just call it what is a hipster kit.
I don't see what all the hate is about. I never saw the VSSL as a "survival" item. I got mine as a hiking companion, and it fits that role very well. If I'm thirsty and I'm out of water, I just pop in an aquatab into my water bottle. If I fall i can just patch up any ol' stretch. If for whatever reason it's dark out and it's always cold up here, I got a flashlight and some matches. Granted it is very overpriced but I had the money for it.
To solve the flashlight from accidentally turning on, install the batteries and place a plastic tab in between the battery and the contact. Great comprehensive review on a not so great product.
I hate to bag on a product, but for ~$30 and an afternoon go to a dollar tree, home depot and wall mart and put together your own kit. Couple things missing.., duck tape, thread / needle sewing kit.
I have to agree with you about the review. For general information, you can put a thin sheet of plastic to cover one end of the batteries to prevent accidental battery drain.
I used to get threaded plastic stackable containers similar to the ones in this kit. They were slightly larger but screwed together to make a cylinder type of container. I used mine for fishing supplies, but could easily be made into an effective survival kit. As I recall I got them from Walmart.
IDEA ------ Why not just put the batteries in backwards until you need the light. That would be better than carrying them on the outside. Thanks for the video, thumbs up on the review. God Bless
I don't like to like to leave batteries in a device long term, I have always had bad luck with them corroding over time. you could always reverse on of the batteries so the circuit is completed, just flip it around when you want to use it.
if you already have this and deemed it useless[as it seems to be] I would use the individual canisters for spices for cooking,sugar,coffee etc.I would keep the light simply for the S.O.S. mode...just in case.and use the larger canister to use as a water proof canister for tinder or for making up your own emergency kit.
@4:39 Will the batteries maintain if you put them in and reversed one of them? so it won't work till you want them ? Personally I think its a bunch of Dollar store items , stuffed in a pretty metal containers...too expensive !! Where's the Ferro Rod ? Never buy a kit without a sure way of making fire, in rain or snow times. Make your own with a found PVC Pipe and tailor make your own kit for 25 dollars!! Boiling water, take a camp cup with yah.
That wood spool you could probably shave/whittle it down and use it as part of the fire kit. Maybe carve it into a bearing block for a friction fire... hard to tell how solid it is from the vid Luke. PLENTY of little cans to make charcloth... LOL
There are several tips for surviving any situation 1. Have food stock: 2. Find a shelter: In times like these having a shelter which can product you from weather as well as other living being is important. If you are out of your home, you have to first and foremost search for a makeshift shelter or you have to think about building one if natural shelters are not available. 3. Know the dangers: (I discovered these and why they work on Marla survive system site )
The thing about Survival Kits is that they become redundant, and give a false sense of security. If you are backpacking, you have everything in that kit in your pack already. So unless you get separated from your pack you don't need one. And a kit that size would be in your pack anyway. The best survival kit is one that fits in your pocket(s). As for the battery issue just put a small piece of electrical tape over the ends of the batteries.
5 years later just a quick idea buy a large thermos for water boiling and fill it with survival gear might weigh an extra pound or 2 but more gear and more uses also it didn't even have a basic emergency blanket for shelter or survival situation
Make a plastic piece to separate at least one battery end from connecting similar to how they ship toys with batteries. Just pull the tab when you are ready to use it. I do that with my long term storage flash lights so you don't have to store the batteries separate.
u can just put a small sheet of paper in between the batteries and the contact point...so u dont have to have them on the outside and take the chance of loosing them.
They need to replace The band aid with the 2 gram celox packets that are the size of a 50 cent coin. You can at least stop a bleed from a deep cut or gash a few inches long with them as apposed to a band aid that covers maybe 1 square inch. It never amazes me how these company's making these never think of some of the modern small items we now have that can do so much more. And matches run out they could have included a fire starter and striker they have them now so small they are little more than a 1 inch rod and a metal washer the size of a dime with a rough edge.
to fix the battery thing just carry them with one on the wrog direction then the circuit will never be closed even if you click the button inside your pack once you wanna use it turn the battery to the right positon and done problem solved no need to carry them outside the tube!
I think it's more suited to a gift that kids would buy for Father's Day or a xmas gift for dad, on the plus side, nice container and you could probably make a decent emergency kit if you added your own gear :)
Take out all the fru fru canisters. Put back in anything of significance. How much room is left? Nice aluminum bong for those lonely nights in the bush.
with units like that I carry some wax paper and make a strip of the paper ,then put the paper inside the battery area and put in the batteries. it makes it so I still doesn't work so no battery drain. hope that helps . in joy
Great review, thanks! This needs to be redesigned.. like you say, need to able to boil water. Compass looks great but slightly smaller could go inside. For a PREMIUM kit like this you,d expect a really good flashlight - plus fix that switch problem. I think the candle is a nice touch. First aid empty it and add your own.
I like the product just for organizational purposes and to keep those items all together in one spot. I ordered the cylinder and a bunch of empty containers and customized it for MY purposes from items I already have in my EDC stuff. This pushes the cost way WAY down. I didn't buy the light and I didn't buy the compass...... just the regular end caps. I like this tube pretty well.
Found this because I got an email that, what I'm assuming is a new version, just released on Enwild and I had no idea what it was. Wonder if they changed it for the better.
i like the fact it is modular, and its quality looks nd feel high, but no way to boil water? a simple change (a modular compass inside and the compass end sealed) would fix this. the switch is also an easy design change. and the first aid kit is just poor. a good kit for a single night, but if you need it you want better than that
Luke, after reading and reviewing a ton outdoor products there seems to be two markets out there and this goes to one of them. The outdoor hiker, camper types and the preppers looking for the next big bang. I would think the the VSSL was designed more for the young and inexperienced prepper market that would buy it as an impulse or bragging rights buy. Great video review though and keep them coming. Folks don't hate on the manufacture I'm sure they are hitting a certain market and making it work. They just don't appeal to us all.
Gadget Guy: I think you're absolutely right. For the enthusiast who already has 5 survival kits, 4 of which he designed himself, this is a waste of money. However, for the casual prepper, this is a heck of a lot better than nothing. Luke's comments about flashlight, compass, and water boiling are dead on and VSSL would be wise to correct them. HOWEVER... the flashlight and compass are really sexy parts of the product that will make it sell. And what good is a survival kit to a consumer or VSSL that few people are buying... an expensive, sexy, less functional survival kit is better than no survival kit.
I never saw the vssl as a survival tool. I know that's what they market it as, but it barely fits that description. I got a vssl, but I use it much more efficiently for hiking or camping. If I need water, the purification tabs do the trick. If I need a fire because it is always very damn cold up here in the mountains, a match would do. If I see a pond I can fish it for fun. It's good as a helper in a controlled situation, I would never grab it by itself if I heard nuclear sirens blaring.
I have ot agree with you Luke. It's a pretty thing, but no real substance. If I was going to build a similar kit I'd start with a Kleen Kanteen (or similar) SS water bottle, then fill it with useful things. One thing I've always found to be a waste of space is a fishing kit. Let's face it, unless you stumble across a largish stream or flat out river, you ain't fishin. A razor blade is semi-useful, but will dull pretty quickly. The fishing line OTOH is quite useful as is the cordage. But, for the most part most of that stuff is not very useful at all. BTW, didn't hear a lick of wind in the video. So, I guess the "dead cat" worked just fine. :-)
Or, instead of ditching the flashlight to make something that you can boil water in, why not put the compass inside? Having it on the outside like that seems like a terrible idea in several ways. I can't imagine that, being on the end like that, the clear plastic or glass won't get scratched up or outright broken. Also, you didn't mention it, but it looked like those matches were kind of meh as well. And with the tinder, a can opener as a striker, and the candle, even a tiny ferro rod would likely get more fires started than what looks like maybe 10 matches. Good review. Not so great product (though, yeah, very pretty)
Hi Luke, ..couldn’t agree more.. I don’t know if you have already a video with your proposal (for a survival kit).. Is it possible to make one with this subject? Thanks in advance! Best regards! Fotis.
Hi Luke my friend have to catch up watching your vids, you know my baby girl not always let me to :-) Thanks for this honest review i thought the same about this kit good to see nobody can bend you towards a positive review of a product thats why you were my first subscription ever on youtube and i am glad i found you here. keep up the good work and stay the way you are Greets from Austria. Dominik
Thank you for the review Luke. A good honest review for sure. A cool product just not worth the money. I agree about building your own survival and first aid kits that is definitely the way to go to get everything you need.
Great review and you right it could be all better. But yea is cool looking ide love to have and fix or make better. Maybe I'll find a empty one at a yard sale one day cheap. Thanks and God bless
The worst thing about VSSL (apart from ripoff price) is their website. They say you can custom order but there is zero way of seeing what's in each module. No way I'm trusting them.
Agree that is a weak FA kit. It does not qualify for a boo boo kit. What most people do not realize is FA kits are built for specific emergencies. For boo boos then yes band aids would be the way to go but for traumas then it builds from there and Bandaids may not be the necessity. The first aid kit I have on my duty belt is stocked for gunshot wounds since in my line of work that is most likely what I will encounter
Après , je trouve que c'est très correct personnellement !!! Concernant l'eau 💧" ☝🏼 ont n'est sensé avoir une gourde de survie en milieux de survie . Une gourde en acier inoxydable double parois ☝🏼😌 la VSSL et très bien c'est vraiment le top 💪🏼 et ça reste indispensable pour un survivant de plus ça ne prend pas de place .
Luke: gracias por le exposición. Fundamentalmente me gusta el concepto. Leo en los comentarios que no han observado que la caja advierte claramente corto período (por ejemplo un día de pesca/camping. Saludos desde Argentina.
you could lose the batteries if carried on the outside. You could leave then in and just cover one with electrical tape or a small piece of paper or cardboard. way too expensive for what you get IMHO. Does keep things protected from damage but not water.
