land navigation

Stanford Outdoor Supply’s B.O.S.S. Survival Kits are basically everything you could need in a bad situation and more

I’ve always had a love and hate relationship with all-in-one kits geared toward survival. One the one hand, I love the convenience of having a curated collection of gear assembled in one place for one easy purchase, but on the other hand, I’m really particular about exactly what it is that I like to carry when I’m in the field. Because most all-in-one kits are designed to cram as much cheap gear as possible into a small, marketable package, they tend to have a disposable feel to them… as though what you’re really purchasing is a mix of novelty and peace of mind, but not necessarily something you could really count on in a bind.

That why I was so interested in putting some of Stanford Outdoor Supply’s kits through their paces. There’s a B.O.S.S. kit for just about any situation you might find yourself in, meaning Stanford Outdoor Supply doesn’t expect you to buy into the idea that they can give you one little pouch that’ll solve all of your survival woes as other companies are often so eager to promise. Instead, each pouch comes with a specifically selected collection of tools and equipment aimed directly at a specific task or situation. In the world of survival, “one size fits all” really only counts for snow caps and shoe laces.

With so many options to choose from, you really don’t have to worry about being stuck with gear you don’t need.

I was impressed at the variety of kits Stanford Outdoor Supply offered, so I reached out to them directly. To my delight, I soon found myself interacting directly with Alan Stanford, who loaded the whole B.O.S.S. product line in a crate and sent it my way for me to spend some time banging through the gear and getting a sense of just how useful these kits can be.

For a few months now, I’ve been incorporating these kits into hikes, road trips, and the sorts of general outdoor trouble I manage to get myself into through the course of other gear reviews. To my delight, the gear included in these kits is easy to access and pretty resilient to abuse. Of course, many of these products aren’t intended to serve as your EDC for the next couple of decades — they’re meant to be convenient sources of the stuff you’d need in a bad situation. So far, I haven’t had any of the gear I’ve tried out feel flimsy or break through use.

It’s not all just useful gear. The land navigation kit includes everything you’d need — including a U.S. Army handbook on how to use the stuff, just in case you’ve never had the pleasure of going through combat training.

One of the best things about these kits are the resealable bags that they come in — and I’m as surprised as anyone to say that. Initially, I thought the bags would be nothing but a cumbersome bit of decoration I’d need to hack through in order to get what I needed. Instead, I’ve found that they’re malleable enough to be crammed into most packs with ease. On the occasion that I only want to grab a few pieces of gear out of a kit, they pop open just like a zip lock bag and close again just easily — allowing me to maintain a semblance of organization amid my ever-growing library of gear I’ve collected over the years.

Many of the kits also have clear backs so you can see what’s in them before you pop them open.

I’m also really pleased with the variety of kits offered — many of which are kits I haven’t seen marketed by many other suppliers. The 22-piece shelter building kit, for instance, has everything you need to build a luxury home in woods (at least compared to how I usually camp) and stowed easily in my 3-day pack despite my concerns about how tight that pack is starting to get.

It includes:

84×84″ OD Green waterproof tarp
6 Aluminum Guyline Tensioners
50′ 550 Paracord
6 Aluminum Tent Stakes
1 Mylar Emergency Blanket
1 Plastic Ground Cover
8 8″ zip ties
1 folding saw

The included saw is surprisingly rugged and made short work of dry wood for a fire.

Despite owning a plethora of IFAKs, first aid kits, trauma kits, and old surgical kits, their 12-piece Break and Sprain Kit doesn’t take up a ton of space and offers a number of first aid essentials my collection of other kits leave out. Things like a 24″ padded aluminum splint and finger splints would have come in handy over the years, as many of my most common field and shop injuries have included breaking my fingers and, on more than one occasion, a wrist.

Then there are the smaller, and I’d contend handier, kits like the Pocket Runner’s Aid Kit that’s got everything you need to make your trip back from the halfway point a bit more tolerable. Anti-chafing gel may not be something you often think of as a necessity, but chafing is not only a great way to make a hike or run miserable, it can become a serious concern in a survival situation – both in terms of limiting mobility and the threat of infection.

With first aid kits of varying sizes, you can easily stash them in your day pack or even diaper bag.

Other kits, like the 127-piece fishing and hunting kit, has so much function that I’ve yet to really see all of what it can do. To be frank, there’s so much great gear to be found in these kits, this is really just the first of a number of pieces you’ll see featured on this site discussing the various ways Stanford Outdoor Supply can make you better prepared for whatever you may find yourself facing.

Even the fire starting kits are jam packed with enough gear to make starting a fire in just about any condition a breeze.

These B.O.S.S. kits really do address both of my primary concerns regarding the “one stop shop” kits many other vendors peddle. Because they’re resealable and easy to pack, I can be just as picky as ever about what gear I carry with me, and I can even come home from the trails and sort whatever I’ve picked out back into the appropriate kits for easy organization. Further, because Stanford Outdoor Supply offers such a variety of specialized kits, you don’t need to break the bank to get exactly what you need for the types of situations you run into. Whether you’re looking for a little peace of mind while out for a jog, you’re in the market for an all-encompassing trunk of survival gear, or anywhere in between — Stanford Outdoor Supply has a kit that’ll do just what you need.

You can find their kits on Stanford Outdoor Supply’s website at prices starting at just a couple of bucks.

The GORUCK Challenge is a Fun, Interesting Event While Prepping For Selection

While preparing to go to Selection, there is a lot of individual work that must be put in. Finding and breaking in the best boots for your feet and prepping your feet for the long road ahead. Then there is the Land Navigation training and map reading which, if you aren’t ready for can be daunting. Then, of course, is the physical training, and finally, the rucking that goes in to prepare. No one says you can’t have a little fun while rucking and preparing for Selection which leads us the GORUCK Challenge.

What is GORUCK? GORUCK is a company that was started by Jason McCarthy after his Special Forces service with the 10^th SFG(A). He originally was trying to just sell the gear that he was manufacturing. But then he got an idea to promote the gear and let people, many of whom had never rucked or experienced anything close to being in the military a little taste of what Selection is like.

But this event is built on having fun, sweating up a storm, working within a team and accomplishing a goal under the watchful gaze of a Special Operations cadre member. It is built around events that you’ll encounter in Selection, doing PT in the sand, or in some cases the water, carrying heavy objects as a team, (logs, telephone pole sections) and then building an apparatus that has to carry about 500 pounds and then moving it around a city in the US. Sounds strangely familiar?

The different GORUCK events last anywhere from:

The Light – 4-5 hours, 7-10 mile distance
The Tough – 10-12 hours, 15-20 mile distance
The Heavy – 24+ hours, 40+ miles distance
Selection – 48+ hours, 80+ miles distance (has a less than 5 percent finish rate)

They also have an Orienteering course, a Scavenger Hunt, as well as others.

So, while you’re having fun, you are also getting some difficult and useful training in. Preparing for Selection is a lot of work. It is demanding, tough and generally a lonely process, as the onus is on yourself to get ready for the challenge ahead.

This is a chance to put together a like-minded group of individuals to enjoy the camaraderie of the course, getting some challenging training in, all while in a much more light-hearted atmosphere than the Selection courses.

If you want to give your friends a taste of wait awaits you or just want to get training partners involved in a break from the monotony of singular training than the GORUCK challenge would be a fun way to do just that. And if your Land Navigation is a particularly weak area, the 36-hour Navigator course, taught by Special Forces cadre members will be a good, learning tool while also being taught some survival skills.

Now don’t think that this is a harbinger of things to come at Selection. There is no way, I’d ever try to sell you that and the GORUCK people wouldn’t either. Their course is based on having fun while you’re working your tail off.

I’m in the midst now of trying to convince some friends and family members to put together a team and attempt one of the challenges that are upcoming in the next few months. My wife thinks I’m insane to want to do this, “After all this time, you want to go back to being in selection?” Perhaps she has a point.

But being a Special Forces guy means always being up to the challenge, right? That’s what it is all about. That and doing what we love and most importantly doing it with the ones we love. That being said, I doubt I’ll have any luck convincing anyone to do the Selection challenge, but hey, it is time to throw the ruck on and get outside and work out the kinks this morning. Let’s go rucking.

Photo courtesy of GORUCK

Article courtesy of Special Operations.com

Finding the “Lost” Land Navigation Point At Camp Mackall

Many of the training pieces that deal with either the Selection course or the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course) we write from a perspective of one of the cadre members, which I was for a time during the early days of Selection.

Passing Selection and the SFQC was/is no easy task and many of the candidates that tried…and failed were good men who just didn’t meet the standards. Passing the Land Navigation course was perhaps the biggest failure producing event in the course. Possibly even more so than the physical events like the runs (with LBE and Weapons) and the Rucksack marches, which were increasingly longer and faster as the course wore on.

Land Navigation, now called the “Star” Nav course is still operated in the same area as the SFQC has always operated in. But back in the day, the central location, the start/finish point was an old rifle range. I understand that is now long gone and there is construction going on out there.

So back in the day, there we were, all bright eyed and bushy tailed candidates who were looking to get a first time go on the Land Nav course. And we all had the same gear, map (Camp Mackall Special), map case, compass, protractor, pencil, grease pencil, notebook, M-16, 55-pound rucksack, and 4 quarts of water.

The points, arrayed in a series of draws, (so they are harder to find of course!) are green metal fence stakes that were placed in the ground with a metal tag and a card punch so that no student would be able to recreate it and cheat their way thru.

We had a series of classes at Camp Mackall in the old classroom that was hot as hell in the summer and drafty and cold in the winter. The information came fast and quick and the Land Nav instructors knew their stuff, having done this for several classes. During this time, we were deemed fortunate as North Carolina was getting deluged with constant heavy rain that only seems to occur in the south or the tropics. The compound at Camp Mackall was seemingly all standing water and the runs and rucks in the evening during the classes were done in mud that seemed to cling to everything in vast clumps.

We finally headed out to the “rifle range” and the cadre gave us an area to set up our poncho hooches. We were basically free to set them up wherever we wanted, it wasn’t like the “Big Army” and every squad in a row. The cadre took us out for a “terrain walk” and quickly reconfirmed our pace counts and then it was off to do the first of our practice land nav courses before the final test.

The first day was more difficult than I had envisioned. The terrain and the thickets were tough, much tougher than I, in my cockiness had given credence to. I found only two points in the day but after talking it over with some of the other students after the day navigation and comparing notes, I approached the night with a renewed sense of purpose and found two points at night and returned within the time limit.

The second day went better, I blasted out fast and found three points in the day. I plotted my fourth but seeing where it would take me, it didn’t make sense to go there and not be able to make it back within the time limit. I again found two points in the night practice course having a good fairly clear lane to the first point and got there quickly, the next one wasn’t bad either. Making it back to the start/finish point in plenty of time before the time limit, I thought that this was going great…. Oh how quickly things change.

Getting back into the poncho hooch, I was glad that I piled the pine straw thick on the ground beneath me. About five minutes are getting in, the sky opened up and we had one of the biggest downpours I’d seen prior to getting stationed in Panama. It poured all night long and the rifle range was looking the Red Sea.

By morning the rain had moved on and we were off to our third and final practice Navigation Course before the final exam the next day. My first point was at the edge of Big Muddy Lake where it opened up into the large part of the water. It would be easily recognizable once I got close. The thickets around the pond were thick. I see now, some of the cadre members have nicknamed this area the “Dagobah System” in a tip of the beret to the Star Wars film franchise which is brilliant.

I knew I was getting close, I could just make out the water through the trees. As I got about 50 meters away, I could see the worn down trail from other Land Nav students. I bolted down the clearing and right to where the point should be and ….nothing. Pulling out my map, I did a check of the area and it matched up perfectly with the map. Scurrying around, I figured it was hidden behind a tree or a shrub. Still nothing.

A few minutes turned into 30 and making wider and wider circles around the edge of the lake was getting nothing. A few moments later, I heard crashing thru the woods and another Land Nav student came out right where I had. We made eye contact but said nothing since the students were forbidden to speak on the course. He obviously had come to search for the same point.

That’s when I made the mistake of doubting myself I shot back into the thicket and started to go west, a few hundred meters later, I came out back on the lake but it didn’t match the map at all, there was a swampy area farther back to the east, I headed to find it and would shoot my way back. At the edge of the swampy area, I came across another point, not mine. But plotting it and shooting a back azimuth to my point, it was exactly where it was supposed to be. I crashed back east around the lake until I got back to where I had originally begun the search. The second student was still there and doing another map check and was now joined by a third student. The #3 guy gave us a shrug as if to say, WTF! Screw it I thought, “It has got to be here…” I whispered. #2 guy looked left and right, and didn’t say anything but nodded.

Time was running out, I headed back, pissed off and frustrated. The SFC at the start/finish point was a big, tall lanky guy who was short and generally sarcastic when talking to students. I told him I got there, searched the area, found the other point back at the swamp and made my way back and the point wasn’t there. A few minutes later the other two students came in with the same story. The SFC cadre member wasn’t having any of this.

“You guys are a f***ing soup sandwich, that point is there, I put the tags on the stake myself four friggin’ days ago.” The other instructors chimed in, calling the three of us some choice names. The NCOIC of Land Nav came over and asked the three of the same things about the point, the location and what the terrain looked like at the edge of the lake. It was then that he and the SFC gave each other a look. “Get your shit and get in the truck.” We looked at each other and thought we were being booted out. We climbed into the back of an Army pickup and they drove us close to the lake. We stopped got out and they said, show us where you’re at. We walked down to the edge of the lake. The two SF guys looked at one another and smiled.

The SFC waded out into the lake about 15-20 feet where the water was up to his neck…reaching down, he said, “the water flooded the lake with the rain…here it is.” The NCOIC laughed…”At least you know it’s here. Let’s get back.”

The next day for the exam, everything fell into place, getting the requisite number of points in the day and night, with a big sigh of relief, I’d passed. As I was turning in my card, the SFC was at the turn-in point. I gave him my card. He glanced at it and said, “These points are all wrong.” Seeing the shocked look on my face, he smiled, “You’re a first time go, get out of here.” I started to walk off when he asked, “you have to swim for any points today?” I said no, everything was fairly dry. He said, “I wasn’t dry. I moved that point back into the edge of the shore in case anyone else had to go there.”

So I guess the moral of the story is, is that you’ll never know what curves will get thrown at you during the course…just hang in there. The solution to the problem may be “just under the surface.”

Photo: US Army

*Originally published on Special Operations.com

Technological dependence and the need for primitive skills

This may be a bit presumptuous of me, but our dependence on technology has made us weaker militarily, in my humble opinion. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be incorporating technology where we can to make us more effective, just that if there are more primitive methods available we should not forget them. Sure, there are areas that we cannot fluctuate in this regard such as remote aerial surveillance or electronic communications, etc. There are facets of warfighting we can exploit to make us more effective though. Many of these come down to an individual level of competence and I believe some of them are becoming a lost art form for the individuals who are not pushed to learn them.

One big example that comes to my mind is the use of iron sights in marksmanship. As a young Marine Corps recruit stumbling through MCRD and Edson Range, I had to become extremely familiar with the iron sights on my M16a2 service rifle. We trained and qualified out to 500 yards using the a2 carry handle iron sights as well as conducted combat marksmanship drills that included close range rapid fire. Now, the Marine Corps almost exclusively uses the Trijicon TA31RCO ACOG, a 4x power fiber optic powered scope that includes a bullet drop compensated reticle. The ACOG enables the shooter to compensate for distance shooting via the reticle without making any adjustments to the zero; it really is a technological marvel.

I also received training on this optic and carried one on my rifle for the majority of my service but before that I was trained to use iron sights. Should my optic ever fail me, I would have been more than comfortable using my back-up iron sights. True I would have lost an advantage but if the situation had dictated, I would have been ready. The Marine Corps (and the Army to my knowledge) now issue optics for boot camp and initial marksmanship training, many Marines have very little understanding of iron sights anymore. I’m not advocating that we reject technology but rather we retain the more primitive skill sets wherever we can. This mentality makes us more flexible and better prepared for technological shortcomings.

Another area that comes to mind is traditional land navigation versus the use of a handheld GPS. It’s rare that you meet a basically trained soldier or Marine that can effectively conduct land navigation using a map, compass and pace counter anymore. I’m fairly certain they touch on it in training still but not to the degree they should. A GPS is a great tool, I almost always carried a Garmin Foretrex 401 overseas, but a good soldier should be just as comfortable with standard land navigation as they are with a GPS; if anything, it will make them more proficient with the GPS.

There are many more examples I’m sure but my point is we cannot forget the more primitive forms of technology in lieu of the electronic/digital stuff. If we wish to be truly proficient warriors then we should be training to a fundamental standard more often than the advanced one. Just as marksmanship and weapons manipulation far outweighs run and gun nonsense in firearms training, so does the need for our more ancient skills as combatants. There’s a reason that every combat branch still teaches bayonet training. Just as a soldier may potentially run out of bullets, the batteries may drain or something may break on our equipment so we should be prepared with a fallback method.

Featured image: U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Marquez A. Moreno, assigned to Police Adviser Team Delaram, returns from a patrol in Delaram, Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 26, 2013. Marines and Sailors with the team were serving as instructors and mentors for Afghan National Civil Order Police members. | By SSgt Ezekiel Kitandwe [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

*Originally published on SOFREP and written by Kurt T

Searching For the Perfect Rucking Boot? Look No Further

Recommending gear is always a difficult proposition. Why? Because everyone is different, has different tastes, is built differently and certain gear that may work perfectly for one guy, won’t work a bit for someone else.

Caveat aside, one thing that we’ve harped on is having comfortable, tough, versatile boots on your feet. In Special Forces, your boots and your feet are your lifelines. Without a great pair of leather personnel carriers, you won’t get very far. That’s why, for me, the Merrell MOAB mid is the best boot on the market.

I’ve been using them for more than ten years, this is my second pair of MOABs and they are tough, comfortable and I can say with thousands of miles underfoot, I’ve never had a blister wearing them.

Mine have run the gamut of different types of terrain that I’ve worn them in. Here in the states, we hike and I’ve climbed in and out of a local place, Purgatory Chasm that is as rocky and tough as it sounds although the trails are short in duration. I’ve hiked the White Mountains of NH around Mount Washington, taken them into desert environments in several countries in the Middle East. They’ve also carried me into a more tropical place in Senegal and a mixed bag of wet, urban and semi-desert environments in Mexico.

Taking a break for some late night tea in a Bedouin tent coffee shop.

The sizing on these run (to me) about a half size smaller. I wear an 11 or 11 ½ depending on the manufacturer but the size 12 fits like a glove. And that is the thing about these boots that just jumps off the page. These fit like a favorite pair of slippers right out of the box. I don’t have a wide foot and the MOAB fits like a running shoe. The weight on them isn’t much more than a good pair of running or trail shoes and the mid has the height to give just the right amount of support.

I’ve always liked the lighter, snug boots, back when working in SFAS, my go-to boots on dry days were the old Adidas GSG9 boots. They were more running shoe than boot and were extremely light. I did several 20-milers with a heavy ruck in those and again, never got a blister. The MOAB boot is similar. It required zero break-in time. I got a new pair right before jumping on a plane for work in Morocco. I took them out of the box, put them on and went for a three-mile hike with absolutely no discomfort.

Merrell puts out on their website the following information:
UPPER/LINING
Waterproof Dura leather and mesh upper
• Bellows tongue keeps debris out
• Synthetic leather toe cap and heel counter
GORE-TEX® Performance Comfort Footwear lining protects feet and keeps them dry
Breathable mesh lining treated with Aegis® Antimicrobial solution maintains foot comfort
Ortholite anatomical footbed

MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE
Molded nylon arch shank
Compression molded EVA foot frame provides cushioning
Merrell Air Cushion in the heel absorbs shock and adds stability
5mm Sole lug depth
Vibram® Multi-Sport Sole/TC5+ Rubber
Weight: 1 lb. 15 ozs.

The Ortholite anatomical footbed insoles that come with the boots are tremendous factors in their comfort. Working as the security advisor for a film in the Middle East required long hours of standing. At times on concrete, on hard packed dirt and on the top of buildings. I removed the Merrell footbed insoles and replaced them with an aftermarket one designed for standing. After two 12 hour nights, my feet hurt. I went right back to the Merrells.

Working as a contractor in a woodland environment, the MOAB with the Gore-Tex lining were superb three season boots. Living in the Northeast United States, I wear a taller pair of boots in the winter due to the depth of the snow, but this boot will keep your feet warm even in very cold temps. What stands out is the balance between lightness and support. Again, my preference has always been on a lighter weight boot. For really rough, broken and rocky terrain, I’ve always kept a pair of Merrell Sawtooth but unfortunately, those are no longer in production.

The Gore-Tex lining is a better value than the Waterproof and breathes much better if you’re going to be rucking for distances. The other nice feature is the footbeds slide out easily and allows the boot to air dry much more effectively and quickly. The snug fit doesn’t allow for any sliding around inside the boot which cuts down on hot spots or blisters.

These are excellent for all-around use, you can wear these anywhere and not look like you’ve just come back from an operation, but they are rugged enough to stand up to the abuse on rocky, uneven trails. The Vibram soles give an excellent grip and the molded nylon arch shank provides maximum comfort.

These are some tremendous lightweight hiking boots. If you’re like me and want a comfortable, running shoe type feel for your boots while rucking, give the Merrell MOAB a try. They are a tremendous value. They seem to be quite popular with the Special Operations guys and for good reason. When this pair wears out, it will be time to purchase pair number three.

Originally published on Special Operations.com and written by STEVE BALESTRIERI

Wallet sized Escape and Evasion Kit

ESEE Knives, and Randall’s Adventure Training teamed up to form a line of products with survival in mind. They offer a variety of blades (depending on your need), survival gear, Escape and Evasion gear, and training. The training (for civilians) includes such courses as: land navigation, field survival, advanced bushcraft, rope rescue, defensive handgun (1), parent/child class, wilderness medicine, single rope techniques, intro to search & rescue, jungle course, off-trail backpacking, SAR technician, tracking (human), and protective operations. If you’re a Law Enforcement Officer there are even more courses available to you.

For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on their Wallet Escape and Evasion Kit. As you can imagine with Escape and Evasion, an extra consideration is given to this kit’s size (its tiny). You aren’t simply surviving a situation, you may also be on the run from a pursuing force.

Contents of Wallet E&E Kit

Wallet container
Floss card (with E&E tips printed)
Non-magnetic razor blade
Kevlar cord
Signal mirror
Non-magnetic handcuff key
Fire starting rod
ESEE AH-1 arrowhead
Fish hooks
button compass
Rare earth magnet (cylinder)
Survival instruction cards
Land navigation cards

Specification of Wallet E&E Kit (courtesy of eseeknives.com)

Kit Size: 4.24” x 3.75”
Weight: 4 oz

An important consideration about this kit. These guys designed this kit into a compact case only for storage. In the event you actually need to E&E they want you to take all items out of the kit and layer them on your body. The idea is if you are captured it is likely the enemy would find the kit, and less likely they would detect all the items separately.

Having non-magnetic items can come in handy. In the case of the handcuff key, it appears the key is made out of polymer. Using this type of material will make it undetectable by metal detectors, making it a perfect illegal restraint device. The drawback is strength, be careful you don’t break the key while trying to use it. The razor blade is also non-magnetic, but it still appears to be metal. According to Metal Detectors Incorporated, “Non-Ferrous metal is non-magnetic metals (copper, aluminum, brass, lead, etc.) It will take approximately 50% more of a non-ferrous metal to be as detectable as a ferrous metal (magnetic).“ (metaldetectorsinc.com).

The rare earth magnet is perfect for creating a gross direction compass. With this kit you simply separate the rare earth magnet, place a section of dental floss in-between the two parts, let the parts click back together and the marked (red) end will be North. If you have used all your floss try a leaf in some water for the same outcome. These instructions, as well as many others, can be found on the provided cards of this kit.

Probably the best idea I have encountered in a Escape and Evasion (or survival, medical, etc.) are the instructional cards. Having experienced attrition situations I can tell you first hand when you are sleep deprived, and nutritionally depleted (hungry) you forget a lot. Having these cards will help with this. Provided on these cards are instructions for: basic navigation, fire building, rare earth magnet usage, E&E tips, ground to air signals, morse code, concealment tips, signaling, basic traps determining distance across a river, and more. These aren’t just tips, everything on the cards can be used with what you have in this kit.

So just buy the kit, and you are guaranteed to escape an E&E scenario right? Sadly, no. Like most things the skills needed to operate this kit will take practice before you become proficient. Like other skills, these are perishable and will need to be maintained. I was able to find this kit on Amazon in the 50$ range, so not unreasonable considering the content.

Even if you don’t think you will find yourself in an E&E scenario, I’d still considering purchasing this as a survival kit. Signaling, land navigation, and fire building, are all things which will help during any survival situation. On the plus, if it’s just for survival, you wont need to layer it all over your body. Do you already have a survival/E&E kit you love? I’d like to hear about it in the comment section below.