Adventure Medical Kits - SOL - Survival Bottle
- Details
- Written by JT McAvoy
Adventure Medical Kits name is synonymous with high end high quality medical/survival kits. It is very hard not to pick up any type of outdoor magazine and not see some type of review or advertisement for their products. Advancements in the products used in the survival/medical area come slow and infrequent. So when a company like Adventure Medical comes up with and improvement or a new product it is definitely worth taking a look at.
This time around they have quite a few new kits but one idea really stuck out. They have come up with the new S.O.L Survival Water Bottle and Survival Kit Combo. Now the survival bottle concept it not a new idea by any means, it has been around for years. I have one that I made that literally goes with me everywhere. I have to admit that I copied that idea from someone else. As with anything like this everyone, companies and individuals put their own spin on it. This bottle is really no different.
The S.O.L. (Stay Outdoors Longer) is your standard metal bottle. It measures 9”x4.25”x3.75"”, weighs 12 oz (empty), and is made of food-grade stainless steel. Now to me what sets this bottle apart from every other one that I have seen is the fact that survival information is printed directly to the bottle on the outside. This is general information on everything on how to find water and make it safe to drink, to signaling and fire starting. It is printed in bright orange, blue, and white writing. All of the information is correct and up to date. This not only give you valuable information at a time when your brain may not be functioning at its highest level; it also gives you something to do while waiting for your rescue.
The bottle also comes with the S.O.L Survival Pak. This pack comes in a waterproof bag that i bright orange (good signal device in itself). It contains things for shelter, signaling, fire starting, and a compass. This pack is actually one of Adventure Medical's best selling survival kits. Everything in this pack is essential for survival in a less than hospitable environment. This is a great kit just by itself to have at your side when things go bad.
Now these two items can be purchased by themselves or they can be bought as the combo. The bottle retails for around $19, and the Survival Pak for $25. Or you can save a little money and get the combo for $40. Despite the fact that these are both invaluable items in a survival situation this price still seems a bit steep for me. I am kind of a do it yourself person when it comes to survival kits so I got a few other opinions. They ranged from the professionals to the novice as far as survival knowledge goes. The results were not surprising to me at all. So this led me to the following conclusion, which i pass to you. If you have a strong knowledge base in the outdoors, survival situations, and possess the necessary hands on skills to survive then the combo may not be for you. The bottle would be a worth while purchase and you could make your own kit to go in it or attach to it that would be customized for what you think your specific needs are. If you are just getting started in the outdoors, or have novice skills, and knowledge when it comes to down and dirty survival this is the kit for you. For around $40 you get everything you need to survive for a few days as well as information to help you get rescued. The information on the bottle is invaluable and combined with the kit makes survival easier even for the novice.
Over all I have to say that Adventure medical did a good job with the bottle. It was well thought out as far as the information that is written on the outside. It is big enough to hold a substantial amount of water but small enough to be carried in or on the outside of a pack without much effort. The Survival Pak is a good addition to the bottle although there are a few changes that I would make to the contents of the kit (see the video). Combined it makes a great kit for the novice or the professional survivor. Even though $40 sounds a tad over priced for this kit it is still a good value for a down and dirty yet convenient survival kit. So when thinking about survival kits be sure to check out the S.O.L. Survival Water Bottle and Survival Kit combo from Adventure Medical.
