
For those folks that have some knowledge of the outdoors and survival industry, the name Ultimate Survival Technologies should be familiar. UST manufactures and distributes specific hard-use gear that is designed to help keep military personnel, first responders, and outoors enthusiasts safe. A lot of that gear is oriented around survival situations, and UST offers a number of different kits with such situations in mind. My first experience with them was around seven or eight years ago when I picked up my first BlastMatch–a fire starting tool that was designed with an innovative concept in mind. And, through the years, I saw the additions to their product lines and have continually been impressed by the quality of the equipment they supply in their kits. I had a chance to speak with UST representatives about their products at the SHOT Show in January, and during the course of our converstation, I was provided their Aqua Survival Kit for review. It’s now a month later, and I’ve had a chance to work with the entire kit. Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide some insightful information for those folks considering picking one of UST’s kits for their own personal use. In the end, I think a lot of folks might just find that the Aqua Survival Kit will be just the thing they need on hand for their outdoor adventures!
To alleviate any confusion, let me point out that the Aqua Survival Kit has the exact same components as the Deluxe Survival Kit. The only difference is that instead of the Hard Cache carrying case, the Aqua Survival Kit uses a flexible pouch as the housing for the gear. The pouch is waterproof to 15 feet. Everything else is the same between the two kits. It’s pretty much the user’s preference as to which system is best. I have my own Hard Cache Case, and I like it quite a bit for the protection it provides to the gear since it’s nearly indestructable. But, the case also adds to the kit’s overall bulk and weight and isn’t quite as packable as the the Aqua Survival Kit’s pouch form-factor.
- BlastMatch Fire Starter
- 2 WetFire Tinder Packs
- StarFlash Signal Mirror
- JetScream Whistle
- SaberCut Saw with case
Now, right off the bat, one would say there aren’t very many pieces to the kit, and I might agree with them. In fact, Ultimate Survival Technologies offers another kit which I believe is more complete. It is called their Soldier’s Tactical Advantage Kit (STAK). It includes the same exact items as the Aqua Survival Kit with the addition of a few other things–2 cyalume light sticks (green and IR), a Brunton 28NL compass, a Streamlight Keymate Flashlight, a Keymate Flashlight Filter Kit, and a SuperKnife folding knife. That’s certainly a bit more gear, but it’s aimed at a specific purpose and it comes at a price both in expense and size.
A soldier will be in a different type of situation than the recreational outdoors person. Besides dealing with the elements, they will usually have to be aware of any combatants in the field. This will require them to stay on the move (hence the compass), possibly light up an area for observation (the green and IR light stick), and they may need to do tasks like map reading or investigating a specific target in the dark (the flashlight and various filters). Also, a soldier is more likely to have the gear and clothing available to acommodate the larger size of the STAK and its extra items. Most outdoors folks don’t enjoy unneccessary weight in their gear when playing out in the woods.
Wisely, UST kept it simple for their mainstream survival kits such as the Aqua Survival Kit. It has the gear you need to stay alive, yet it’s easy to pack and carry, and it stays more in line with what most people can afford to spend on this type of kit. But, there’s no sacrifice in quality of the components you’ll find in this collection of tools. In fact, in my opinion, this is one of the best, high-end personal survival kits out on the market today. Yes, there are all kinds of kits and packs that run hundreds and thousands of dollars, but what I’m talking about are the bare essentials kits that you can throw in your pocket and forget about–until it’s needed.
One of the first things a person is going to need in a wilderness survival scenario is a way to make fire. Fire serves a number of purposes. It provides warmth for drying out clothes and beating back the cold. It can be used to signal with, keep predators at bay, boil water to kill bacteria and viruses, and it can be used for cooking meat. Additionally, fire can be used for improvised weaponry whether you’re fire-hardening a spear or using it to drive back attackers. And, finally, fire provides light. So, one of the most important items in the Aqua Survival Kit is the BlastMatch fire starter. As mentioned earlier, it’s an innovative design that allows for one-handed operation. You unspring the cap, flip it down out of the way, aim the ferro rod at your tinder on a hard surface, depress the striker tab into the rod and push down at about a 70 degree angle. Voila! You’ve got sparks and the makings for a fire!! The first time, you’ll need to do this 2-3 times to expose the bare rod to get good sparks going, but once done, you’ve got no problems getting great sparks to get your fire up and running.
Since these kits and tools were designed with the military in mind, we need to remember that when a person is likely to need a survival kit, the probablility of accompanying injuries is very high. For instance, if a pilot ejected from his plane, and breaks an arm on the way down to the ground, he’s going to have a tough time using a striker that’s separate from the ferro rod because that’s a two-handed operation. The BlastMatch really steps in and takes over in this scenario because it allows that injured pilot to get that fire going with just one hand. And, you don’t have to be a pilot or an elite special forces operator to get injured in the wilderness. There are stories all the time about people that get injured in falls and end up breaking an arm. It’s just that very reason that I will keep the BlastMatch with me even though I have another method I prefer. It’s a quality product and it’s small enough that I’m not concerned about the extra weight or size when slipping it into my gear. So, if something untoward does happen where I might sustain an injury to a hand or an arm, I know that I’ve got that back-up on me for just that occasion. And, because of its quality construction and spark-spitting abilities, I don’t have to worry about it getting the job done for me.
The SaberCut Saw took right off and was digging out a notch in no time on the relatively thick trunk. After a bit of getting acclimated, you’ll find the right rhythm and tension to keep on the saw to keep it running quickly and smoothly. I found if you pull too tightly while sawing, you’ll just bind it up. Just keep enough tension to give it some guidance and let it do the work. I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not going to replace a real chainsaw, but I was able to make very quick work of the trunk. In almost no time, I was already halfway through it without even feeling tired or breaking a sweat. And, believe me, I sweat easy! Even though I wasn’t winded, I wanted to get a picture of my progress for posterity’s sake, and you can see it on the right. I was quite pleased with the ease that this saw chewed through wood. After getting a few shots, I picked up the task again and started on the home stretch. But, I was reminded of a lesson that I had earned a few months ago when performing a similar task. You see, as you’re cutting through the wood, you’re not just cutting straight down like you would with a normal chainsaw. You’re actually cutting all around the tree including the opposite side and near the bottom. Once you get so much work done, you’ve just got a little bit of wood in the center supporting the end that you’re trying to cut off. Well, at some point or another, that bit of wood just isn’t enough to support that weight any longer. That’s when the weight of the trunk causes the hanging end to start leaning inward just enough to get the saw in a bind, and that weight is also causing you from being able to pull the saw out of its spot in the tree.
Hmmm… An answer was needed. I came up with the best answer I could at the time with what I had on hand. I just took a shaft of wood that I found and ran it through both loops of the SaberCut Saw. Once that was done, I got under the hanging end that was pressing down on the saw and pushed up with my shoulders to take the weight off of the cut area. Once I thought I had it raised up enough, I raised a leg and put a foot on the shaft in between the two loops and kicked downward. It was kind of like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time. I was pushing up on the trunk and trying to kick down with one leg. On the third try, the wood shaft broke, but the SaberCut Saw luckily dropped out at the same time. I picked it up and inspected it and there was no damage or points of compression that would cause any problems. Lucky me! It wasn’t the saw’s fault. It was just simple physics that I didn’t think about when I started the exercise. The saw zipped right through the wood in quick enough fashion. I just hadn’t thought about the hanging weight bending down to catch the saw in it’s grip. So, that part was done. I had the saw back in my hands safe and sound, but there was a little bit of the center portion of trunk left over to finish. Deciding I’d put the saw through enough, I took my Next Generation Ka-Bar out and chopped through the rest of it. There wasn’t much of it left and I was done in a couple of minutes–with no damage to the Ka-Bar. I could have finished it off with the saw, but I wanted to try the Ka-Bar out and see how it did at chopping since it’s not really intended for that use. I have a habit of using tools for chores they weren’t designed for, much to the chagrin of many manufacturers.
Some other interesting news that I heard at SHOT, and that I am waiting for more information about, is UST’s new kit coming out that’s called the Base Kit. It’s an even smaller pouch that has the Sparkie as its main firestarting component and some WetFinder Tinder Cubes as well. I’m not sure if anything else will be included, but I’ll remember to update this article once I get any additional information. The one interesting thing I did learn about the Base Kit is that it will be using a newly designed waterproof pouch that has a different sealing mechanism. That new mechanism will allow the pouch to remain waterproof to fifty feet (I believe that’s what I was told) instead of the fifteen feet on the current Aqua Survival Kit. But, the good news is that they are also going to make a new, similarly-designed pouch for the Aqua Survival Kit as well. That will make the kit even better than the currently available model. So, it looks like Ultimate Survival Technologies is moving forward with their innovations and improvments, and I can’t wait to see what else they’ve got around the corner!
So, is the Aqua Survival Kit for you? Only you can answer that. For me, there are a couple of great, throw-in-your pocket kits on the market, and this is at the top of the pack for its price point. A lot experienced outdoors people have their own preferences and enjoy putting together their own kits. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. But, the Aqua Survival Kit’s real strength is pulling together high-quality components, which I believe feel more substantial than some I’ve seen in other kits. Yet, the average person, even without a lot of outdoors experience, can quickly employ these tools to improve their chances in surviving a situation that could have a dire outcome. Heck, even the most experienced people could use this kit as a back-up to keep in a pocket in case they get separated from their main pack of gear. It does happen.
I recently watched a video where two hunters were out in a canoe that capsized and everything they had went to the bottom of the river. They didn’t have anything on their person as far as survival gear, especially gear that wasn’t soaked in water. If they’d had the Aqua Survival Kit tucked in a pocket, I’m sure they would have had a much easier time of things. It’s that very thought that locks the notion in my mind to have one of these kits as a back-up at the very least. And, as a primary kit, it will do you just fine. Give the Aqua Survival Kit a good look while you’re out looking for the right survival kit for yourself. I don’t think you’ll find a better quality kit at its price, and I think you’ll find the quality components make it well worth the money spent!
Visit: www.ultimatesurvival.com