Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
By Sav
Zero zero zero stars!
He bought it as a "no thought," throw-in-the-trunk survival pack/BOB; I was horrified to see what was in it. It is laughable that a company is pulling all of this garbage together, calling it a "Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit" (I'd hate to see their basic, bare-bones kit!) and charging $200 for it!! This kit is like a mix-tape of all the cheapest, chintziest, foreign-made "survival" crap to be found. Yes, to the untrained eye or the uninitiated, it may look like you're getting a great deal just based on the sheer volume of STUFF that comes in the bag, but you're really not! The lantern, radio and stove are all plastic, no-name junk (Oh, wait! Incorrect! I'm sorry, they've stuck a "Stansport" sticker on all these Chinese made goods, so technically it has a name... "JUNK"). Why it is only an AM radio, I have no idea. The FM band might be good for entertainment if you're not in an End Of The World scenario, just a localised event like a flood or tornado... But I guess that you have to get the "Super-Duper-Deluxe Kit" to get FM too.
The angle-head flashlight is just about as worthless a light source as I've ever come across; it may look like the flashlights seen in many a Vietnam War film, but it is nothing more than a cheap plastic knock-off of that "L" shape and it seems more like a prize you'd win at a local carnival. It feels light, almost brittle, in your hands and produces hardly any light. There's a reason that LEDs have become the standard for light.
The stove is a joke (the plastic ON/OFF nob had already broken; he'd never even used it, but it had broke nearly in half), the shovel couldn't be used to dig a grave for your kid's pet goldfish, the (Deluxe-Whamadine-Survival) First Aid Kit contains the exact same supplies you would get in a Walgreens First Aid Kit, the "saw" couldn't be used to cut down saplings and the handle was already loose and the blade jiggled, the no-name pocket knife is just that, a no-name pocket knife (you won't likely need a corkscrew in a survival situation; think, do you see a corkscrew on a Leatherman? What you really need is a real Multi-Tool, not the piece of junk that they're trying to pass off as a "multi-tool"), you get a handful of tea candles... for some reason, a box of "weather proof" matches that come in your standard cardboard match box (kinda hard to be "weather proof" when it gets wet and disintegrates), bagged water AND water-purification chemicals (but no canteen, just a big, empty 5 gallon jug taking up space), two flimsy rain ponchos which I believe are actually water-proof but I also imagine that they'll rip to shreds rather quickly, two tarps made out of practically the same material as the ponchos and... two reflective vests?!? Since when did those become "survival gear"? If you want to get someone's attention, there are ways, but survival may also be about NOT attracting attention too. There's also 50 feet of synthetic rope which I trust a whole lot less than I would 550 paracord and TWO emergency food bars... so if you don't have to survive for longer than two days, then you'll be alright. There's also NO SURVIVAL GUIDE, so I guess you'll just have to go on your instincts that have been honed by years of living in suburbia and shopping at WalMart....
If you're interested in a real survival kit, just visit my website at www.surviveany--No no, I'm just kidding! But you can find many lists on the Internet which contain what essentials you will actually need for a variety of situations (and not frickin' tea candles!). I won't say that you could put together a kit for "less" than what this kit costs, but for $200 you could certainly put together a much much MUCH more comprehensive one, and that'll be a better start than this "Deluxe" kit. And if you're really the type who wants to be "prepared" for a situation, then you'll do well putting together your own kit, learning what works and what doesn't, and you'll be much more familiar with the equipment you have. And if you're the type interested in emergency preparation but who doesn't want to do the work and wants a ready-made, just-add-water-instant survival kit like this piece of junk, then you'll likely die.
So check around on the Internet, look at survival websites, learn from those who go camping a lot (they know several things you don't, like how to efficiently pack gear, how to ACTUALLY purify water, what sort of equipment is really necessary, how and what kinds of food to take, which brands are good and which brands are a joke just playing on your fears and trying to separate you from your money... like Stansport!) and put together your own Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit. I guarantee it'll be a whole heckuva lot more practical and conducive to survival than this garbage.
-Sav
Oh, and my friend? He got lost in the woods behind his house and succumbed to the elements even though he was wrapped in two sleeping bags, two blankets, two rain ponchos and two reflective vests and he had managed to start a fire (thank goodness it wasn't raining!)... but it was all for naught. Especially as it was 80 degrees outside and he died of heat stroke. I guess he would've known HOW to survive had he had an actual survival guide and knew how to use his kit....
15 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
By thomas
this is the best emergency kit i have ever bought it has about everything the only way i can see making a kit better then this was doing it my self piece by piece but this emergency kit is a lot less time consuming
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
By Manny
very large bag-of-goods for emergencies. it's nice for the household, but i wouldnt recommend it for for single people or women. not being sexist, just that my wife couldnt pick it up. it's a very large bag that has some weight to it. if you're going for something each individual could carry, go for the smaller back-pack units. other than that, i thought the "water purification kit" would be a water pump or something. just some tablets, nothing too impressive.
overall a good product. for $160+tax however, i think better could be done. try harbor-freight and see if you can build a kit yourself for less if you're on a budget, or to add a few things to this kit, like a machete.
