I was eagerly awaiting this kit designed by survival equipment guru Doug Ritter and ordered as soon as it was available. I was not disappointed, it is just as good as promised.

At only 3.9 oz. and 4 x 3.25 inches folded it is light and small enough that I don't even notice that I am carrying it. It really does fit in my pocket -- even a shirt pocket as well.

I tried out the signal mirror and it's the best plastic mirror I've ever used, better by far than the mil-spec mirror from Ultimate Survival. Very easy to aim and gives a very bright concentrated signal flash. The whistle sounds as loud as the Fox40 Classic I used to carry, but much more compact. I've had a Spark-Lite for years and it's a top notch fire starter. The compass works well, I made a lanyard loop out of a short piece of brass wire, you could use the stainless wire in the kit, but I had the brass wire from an older kit.

I am really impressed by the survival instructions. Doug really did a great job with those, there is all the detail you could possibly expect in such a small piece, practical and easy to follow and no stupid BS and the drawings are very well done. You can tell that he's anal about stuff like this and understands how to instruct someone who doesn't know anything about survival. I'd prefer more medical stuff, but I recognize why he didn't include it -- he has a good point that there's really not enough room to do it justice, so stick to only the survival stuff.

The rest of the gear (fish hooks, line, scalpel blade, needle, duct tape, magnifier lens, steel wire, etc) is all first rate and well thought out. I'll add some matches myself and a Photon LED microlight, but that's really all it lacks. It's not cheap, but I feel that you more than get your money's worth and it's gear that will not let you down when you need it the most.

I just ordered three more kits so everyone in my family will have one and I'll probably give them away for stocking stuffers this Christmas. Yes, it's that good!

-- Steve Black

Be sure to check out the kit's content and Doug's logic for inclusion of pieces at his FAQ

Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak
$25
Available from Amazon

Or $30 from Campmor