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| Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit -- Packaging |
Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit
If you have ever spent any time searching for a product on Amazon, you can't help but notice their suggestions for other items to buy. One of their suggestions looks interesting, and the next thing you know you're looking at items you hadn't even considered before. In my case, I started out looking at the folding titanium Vargo wood stove (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004
Oh, I'm a Walking Dead fan and, in general, a fan of modern zombie movies.
Anyway, I ended up ordering the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit in a Sardine Can (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008
The kit is described as containing "25 unique survival items." It contains a compass, whistle, matches, first aid instructions, razor blade, pencil, non-aspirin pain reliever, fire starter cube, adhesive bandage, energy nugget, wire clip, reflective signal surface, fish hook, fishing line & spool, duct tape, note paper, sugar, salt, gum, re-closable bag, antibiotic ointment, tea, safety pin, and alcohol prep pad.
When you peel back the lid of the sardine can, the first thing you see is a small ziplock plastic bag with an instruction sheet face up inside the bag. In addition to the instruction sheet, the bag contains a large paper clip, a book of 20 paper safety matches, a Lipton tea bag (drink or "soothing compress"), a 3-3/8 inch long piece of 2-inch wide duct tape on wax paper, a small salt packet, and some of the first aid supplies. The non-aspirin pain reliever (acetaminophen) and antibiotic ointment have an expiration date of about two years in the future.
Loose in the can you will find one fish hook, whistle, spool of thread, fire starter cube, pencil, 12 millimeter (approximately 1/2 inch) diameter button compass, razor blade, safety pin, adhesive bandage, packet of sugar, stick of gum, and a small Tootsie Roll (the "energy nugget").
The instruction sheet is 8-1/2 by 3-5/8 inches in size (one-third of an standard 8-1/2x11 sheet of paper). The front side contains a terse discussion about possible ways to use the contents of the kit. The back side contains some basic first aid instructions. The bottom third of each side of the instruction sheet is blank, and is identified to be used for notes.
With all the loose pieces, the first thing you should do after opening the kit is put everything in the ziplock bag to reduce the risk of losing items.
The can is intended to be used as a container for scooping and boiling water. The manufacturer intends for the lid to be used as a reflective surface for signaling. Good luck using the lid as a reflective surface, although in a zombie apocalypse you probably don't want to be noticed.
The first-aid items, such as they are, seem reasonable, and the quality is reasonable.
The manufacturer recommends using the paper clip as "a binding or animal snare." The paper clip, when unwound, would provide a roughly six inch piece of thick wire. I just don't see how six inches of heavy wire could be used as an animal snare. But, in the past I have fashioned paper clips into a variety of useful tools.
The "fishing line & spool" is a sideless prewound bobbin of light brown synthetic fiber thread. There is no indication of how much thread is supplied, but various searches suggest it could contain 80 to 100 yards of thread. I measured the tensile strength of the thread and found it to be around eleven pounds. There is a sufficient quantity of thread that it could be braided into stronger cords.
In light of the quantity of thread provided, I'm surprised a sewing needle wasn't provided to facilitate repairs of clothing or other equipment, or to be used to stitch up gaping wounds.
The safety pin is a standard one-inch closed size. The manufacturer recommends using it for mending, which is pretty obvious. The manufacturer also recommends using the safety pin as an "emergency suture" - no kidding.
While the piece of duct tape is surprisingly short, it can be cut into narrower strips to do various things. The manufacturer suggests using smaller strips for repairs and to use as secondary bandages.
I was actually quite pleased with the button compass. Most button compasses I see are liquid filled and the fluid will inevitably develop bubbles, which makes the compass unreliable. Since it was not liquid filled, it will never form bubbles or leak.
Oh, I'm a Walking Dead fan and, in general, a fan of modern zombie movies.
Anyway, I ended up ordering the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit in a Sardine Can (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008
The kit is described as containing "25 unique survival items." It contains a compass, whistle, matches, first aid instructions, razor blade, pencil, non-aspirin pain reliever, fire starter cube, adhesive bandage, energy nugget, wire clip, reflective signal surface, fish hook, fishing line & spool, duct tape, note paper, sugar, salt, gum, re-closable bag, antibiotic ointment, tea, safety pin, and alcohol prep pad.
When you peel back the lid of the sardine can, the first thing you see is a small ziplock plastic bag with an instruction sheet face up inside the bag. In addition to the instruction sheet, the bag contains a large paper clip, a book of 20 paper safety matches, a Lipton tea bag (drink or "soothing compress"), a 3-3/8 inch long piece of 2-inch wide duct tape on wax paper, a small salt packet, and some of the first aid supplies. The non-aspirin pain reliever (acetaminophen) and antibiotic ointment have an expiration date of about two years in the future.
Loose in the can you will find one fish hook, whistle, spool of thread, fire starter cube, pencil, 12 millimeter (approximately 1/2 inch) diameter button compass, razor blade, safety pin, adhesive bandage, packet of sugar, stick of gum, and a small Tootsie Roll (the "energy nugget").
The instruction sheet is 8-1/2 by 3-5/8 inches in size (one-third of an standard 8-1/2x11 sheet of paper). The front side contains a terse discussion about possible ways to use the contents of the kit. The back side contains some basic first aid instructions. The bottom third of each side of the instruction sheet is blank, and is identified to be used for notes.
With all the loose pieces, the first thing you should do after opening the kit is put everything in the ziplock bag to reduce the risk of losing items.
The can is intended to be used as a container for scooping and boiling water. The manufacturer intends for the lid to be used as a reflective surface for signaling. Good luck using the lid as a reflective surface, although in a zombie apocalypse you probably don't want to be noticed.
The first-aid items, such as they are, seem reasonable, and the quality is reasonable.
The manufacturer recommends using the paper clip as "a binding or animal snare." The paper clip, when unwound, would provide a roughly six inch piece of thick wire. I just don't see how six inches of heavy wire could be used as an animal snare. But, in the past I have fashioned paper clips into a variety of useful tools.
The "fishing line & spool" is a sideless prewound bobbin of light brown synthetic fiber thread. There is no indication of how much thread is supplied, but various searches suggest it could contain 80 to 100 yards of thread. I measured the tensile strength of the thread and found it to be around eleven pounds. There is a sufficient quantity of thread that it could be braided into stronger cords.
In light of the quantity of thread provided, I'm surprised a sewing needle wasn't provided to facilitate repairs of clothing or other equipment, or to be used to stitch up gaping wounds.
The safety pin is a standard one-inch closed size. The manufacturer recommends using it for mending, which is pretty obvious. The manufacturer also recommends using the safety pin as an "emergency suture" - no kidding.
While the piece of duct tape is surprisingly short, it can be cut into narrower strips to do various things. The manufacturer suggests using smaller strips for repairs and to use as secondary bandages.
I was actually quite pleased with the button compass. Most button compasses I see are liquid filled and the fluid will inevitably develop bubbles, which makes the compass unreliable. Since it was not liquid filled, it will never form bubbles or leak.
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| Contents of the Kit |
Conclusions
In general, I see two problems with a sealed survival kit like this. First, you cannot open it to inspect the contents (both to verify the presence of items and to determine their quality). Second, you cannot add items to address deficiencies (e.g. the absence of a sewing needle in this kit). There are many inexpensive survival kits on the market, typically stored in a clear vinyl pouch, that can be easily opened for inspections and updates.If you are serious about wanting a small survival kit that can live in a pocket or purse, put together one to fit in an Altoids tin. There are numerous sources for ideas on what to put in such a kit, but expect it to cost a lot more than the ten-ish dollars of this and similar sardine-can survival kits.
Would this kit help you survive a zombie apocalypse? Maybe, but probably not. This survival kit is not a magic talisman that will ward off zombies. There is really nothing in the kit that will help you fight zombies, except perhaps the matches for starting fires. As Walking Dead has taught, zombies are attracted to fire, which can be used as a diversion to draw zombies away. If you otherwise possess a lot of survival skills and are dressed appropriately for the weather/season/environment, this survival kit might make a short survival event a little less unpleasant.
I bought this survival kit for the "zombie survival" novelty factor. It would be a great Christmas stocking stuffer for the Walking Dead fan in your family. I do not consider it to be a serious survival product because of its limitations.
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