Not a bad kit but you can put one together yourself for a lot cheaper. You may already have a few of the items lying around the house... whistle, compass, matches, lighter, magglass, neeedle, thread, safety pins, mirror, etc. You can pack it all in any type of container - metal, plastic, leather, nylon - whatever suites your survival needs. I love the emergency blankets. Have you ever used one? The amount of warmth they can provide is absolutely amazing - they won't make it through heavy use for several days but they are fairly durable for how light and flimsy they are. These are a must have in any kit and probably the most useful item for its weight!
I think the wire included is fine. Remember, snare wire has to be rigid to set up so the dental floss won't work as a previous reviewer suggested. You can expect to snare a very small animal if it came to that anyway. Also, emergency survival kits such as this must be small, light and easy to carry or you won't take it with you. It's for emergency situations and not for hard or frequent use. Yeah, you can navigate without a compass but it would make it easier for the novice - put it in the kit. I can't believe that such a useful and inexpensive device is absent from this kit. Some adventurers even carry two for that extra piece of mind. Knowing that you are moving in the right direction when lost is everything... it prevents panic and keeps hope alive! I think it's also important to understand that kits like this are for "common wilderness surival" situations. If your car slides in a ditch on a remote road in North Dakota while it's -50*F, the mylar blanket won't help you. If you subject yourself to extreme conditions such as this (I know, I lived there for 3 years) or desert, ocean and high altitude jaunts, you should have proper specialized training and gear. I traveld hundreds of miles a day while maintaining missile sites throughout the ND countryside and we carried large, extensive cold weather kits - in trucks, of course.
Fishing gear in an emergency kit is okay because it's easy to carry but Your first priority is protection from hypothermia/exposure either by clothing, shelter or fire. Second is rescue, being found, extraction, etc. I don't think you'll do much fishing while trying to keep warm at night, and while extracting yourself or being found the next day, as is what happens in most all emergency survival situations. Fishing gear belongs in an extended stay kit or on a planned fishing trip. I know we all think about crash landing near a remote fishing lake and the fish are biting after weeks of not being found... not likely. I was lost in the woods once and I'll take a compass over a fish hook any day! I'm not against fish hooks and sinkers but you would have to be lost for many days and have established shelter and water source before you think about wetting a hook. I think lots of new, young wilderness adventurers are being led to believe that a few fish hooks and sinkers will save their life when the truth is, they will rarely or never be used. The items in your kit should be useful and help direct your thoughts in case of panic. Everything in your kit should help you achieve something - if you pull out a whistle and blow it, someone may hear! Pull out a lead sinker and, well... you just pulled out a lead sinker.
I also like the signaling and survival instructions. Not only is the information valuable to the novice survivalist but this literature will also help keep you focused and strangely enough, could be comforting while spending the night alone and provide a boost of confidence. A fish hook won't do that. The material the instructions are printed on could be used to catch water, cover wounds and who knows what else.
If for some strange reason catching a fish does become a priority make a fish trap instead - fish swim in and they can't swim out. If you're lost for days you'll have the time to make it and staying busy helps keep the mind on track. By this time you should have a nice camp set up and sportin' a great woodsman type beard. While the trap does its work you can prepare firewood or signal for help. Most people couldn't catch a fish with the best pole and gear anyway, never mind just a hook and some line. PLEASE Help Me Spread The Message... Shelter and Rescue First! The life you save may be your own... learn to make a fish trap. Okay, I've done my part. Good luck!
Update: 8 June 2011
Price has come down to the low $30's... a lot better than $40 something! It seems like prices on most Bear items are falling. I guess the hysteria is starting to subside. Gerber 31-000701 Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Kit
I spend a lot of time in the woods and I enjoy wating Bear Grylls show on TV so this seemed like a great gift idea for me. My wife picked it up for my birthday at a local store. I am less then impressed to say the least. I currently have my own survival kit that I put together for well under 30 bucks on Amazon years ago, so I had high hopes for something that costs around 40 bucks. I al also a huge Gerber tool fan. I love their blades and carry their multi-tool everyday.
Boy was I dissappointed.....
Cons:
- poor quality on most items. The snare cord would snap under little pressure.
- The gerber multi-tool was tiny and seemed cheap.
- Matches came broken
- NO COMPASS!
- hooks were too bendable - cheap!
Pros:
- nice size
- Bag to hold everything
- paracord seems decent
- Flint and striker worked well
I am sad that this product did not meet my expectations. I really wanted it to be a good product. This will not replace my ghetto kit in my gallon zip-lock bag. My kit cost less and is of much higher quality. This kit has been put in the glove box or my car and will stay there as a back-up. I would not trust this in a real survival situation. - Multi-tool - Hiking - Gerber - Survival Knife'
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