Camping with Amazon's Cheapest Survival Kit: Any Good?

Ever wondered how good the cheapest survival kit on Amazon is? I test each piece of the survival kit out in the woods and do a solo overnight camping trip at the bushcraft camp to see how good each item really is!

The Survival Kit I used in this video:

These are amazon affiliate links and I receive a small commission if you purchase through these links. It helps to support the channel and content I create. Thank you for the support!

[gizmocarr]

The serration part of the blade is not a wood saw, it is used best for cutting rope and woven materials like straps and vines.👍

[ancientsouloutdoors]

In the US where this knife is perfectly legal (and you can buy practically anywhere), it's not really a saw. Those are serrations and are best for cutting course things like rope. Saves the fine edge for better slicing/cutting. Not a fan of it myself. That's why I have pocket saws when on short jaunts. But overall, they are fairly popular with the belt cutter and glass breaker.

PS. When trying to baton with a folder, don't keep the blade locked open. Open it only half way. That saves wear on the hinge joint.
Big fan of your channel. Especially your shelter and trailer builds. Keep up the awesome work!

SERIOUS WARNING! That tourniquet is suitable for doing an IV injection, but no use whatsoever for stopping blood flow. I'm a former heroin addict and have plenty of experience of that sort of thing unfortunately! They break really easily if you try to make them tight. IF you want a tourniquet for stopping blood from a severe trauma you'll need one designed for that purpose with a locking windlass (Bar used to tighten it).

[stippolyte]

Mike, one thing you didnt test is the box. Was it waterproof / showerproof / dustproof? to keep the contents dry. Spare room to take proper firesteel etc

[WiThErZ]

Love the idea of testing out cheap survival kits and ending up with a "complete" mini survival kit.

Cant lie though, there was mini saws, whistles and bottle openers up the wazoo when they couldve put in a folding saw and a decent little ferro rod. The one they provided was nearly just an afterthought!

[haalstaag]

That tourniquet is for gaining IV access and not stopping bleeding, I don't think you could get that tight enough to stop a catastrophic haemorrhage . Also, never use a tourniquet on a doubled boned part of the limb as it could make bleeding worse

[AndrewBaker-wi]

Always wondered if these kits would actually work so nice to see someone trying it in the field. Looking forward to seeing more of the same thing soon

[AaronC.]

Ussually if you want to baton with a foldable knife you need to semi-fold the handle and the blade itself on a 90 degree angle, so that the force of the hit doesn't wreck your lock or any mechanism inside the knife.

[Chris-pu]

At 27:14 into video thats a tactical molle water bottle holder (16-16.9oz) but it doesn't hold newer mini cap water bottles common here in USA unless you wrap some narrow trimmed gorilla tape (or similar) around the holder ring for a better friction fit (make 1 or 2 "notch/keyways" with the tape, don't wrap the whole ring of the holder). For fatter plastic bottle heads I usually use a 3/16"-ish wide rubber band wrapped snug around the bottleneck with an S-biner clipped to the rubber band. Some elastic usb cable ties work good too. Thank you for this excellent YouTube channel!!!

[McPellit]

The bracelet clip has a little door on its side that can be opened to gain access to a small storage space which can be used to stash the fishing kit

[dh]

Yes the buckle thing is for a water bottle, I've got something similar on my hiking pack

[theungivn]

The telescopic fire tube is great for keeping a fire going and not having to get your face in the smoke and really focuses your breath far more efficiently. Kept a group of us from getting hypothermia on a very wet and cold survival course at least twice. Definitively not a gimmick. I was the only one who had brought one and the rest of the team all bought one afterwards. It really works well.

[pyronymph-]

The tan split clip is a water bottle holder. I carry mine on the shoulder strap of my backpack; helps counterweight the load.

[OURBacon]

These survival kit try out videos are fun

[mrhalfstep]

The wire saw should be kept straight, not wrapped around the limb. That can best be done by using your folder to cut a sapling and then bend it into a bow and stick each end through one of the rings, thus creating a bow saw. Some cordage can be used to keep the rings in place or short slits can be cut into each end of the bow and the wire positioned in the slits with the rings outside the slits to prevent the wire from slipping through. They actually work quite well that way. In a pinch you can just keep your hands spread apart as possible, in front of you, holding the wire in a straight line. That is more difficult to do as the cut is attempted further and further above chest level.
Perhaps the next time you use one of those wristband buckle ferro rods you can cut a shallow trough in a twig and lay the rod in it for support and to give you access to the entire length of the rod. An alternative method is to lay it on top of your finger, holding the end of it with your thumb, again, to give it more support. I couldn't always see how you were holding the striker, but when I could see it, it was backwards. BTW, the serrated edge of those strikers are mostly meant to GENTLY scrape off some ferro material into your tinder pile to help catch a spark. I think the sharp edge of the wallet tool's can opener would have made a better striker.
The truth is, that box has so much empty space in it that there would be no excuse to not pack it with a lighter, a lens, larger ferro rod, a better space blanket, plenty of cordage, fishing line, terminal tackle, real compass, etc..etc..

[richardmacyczko]

I think the the sheath is the handle for the spork.
The serrated part near the spork/knife is for getting the scales off of a fish and the knife would clean the fish.
The part that you were trying to get a spark is a screwdriver. 
The serrated part of the pocketknife is for cutting rope.

[chefinthesandbox]

The saw is best using as a bow saw, with a long bendy stick

[woodlandbiker]

At the end of the series you should put together your own survival kit from all the best bits from the kits you test.

[ianmartin]

With the wire saw your supposed to make a bow saw by putting each hope on the opposite end of a bendable stick .much easier that way

[shanepowell]

I added a pocket bellows to my kit this year and find it very useful in the British Columbian rainforest. Not as important when you have a good source of dry wood, but if your kindling is wet or sub-par quality, it really helps to concentrate the heat and dry things out. Also great for blowing the embers back into flame, something you'd start to appreciate rather quickly if that sparker was your only fire starter!