Pocket Survival Kit Reviews: Lifeline Weatherproof Survival Kit

The third kit in our pocket sized survival kit review series is the Weatherproof Survival Kit model 4434 by Lifeline.

This kit was interesting. When I stumbled across it, I found it odd that it was so inexpensive for being so full featured. Since it met our research criteria we went ahead and ordered it off of Amazon, but is it truly a pocket sized survival kit?

Some things may surprise you as we take an in-depth look into this kit.

Description

Just by initially looking through the clear case of this kit, it seems as if the creators of it took the route of selecting a few high quality items instead of a lot of mediocre items. I like that. After all, it’s about quality, not quantity.

But sorting through the kit and actually getting hands on, I saw that the gear isn’t as high quality as I first thought.

Contents

• (1) Waterproof ABS Carry Case
• (1) Carabiner
• (1) Flashlight
• (1) AAA Battery
• (1) Candle
• (1) Box Waterproof Matches
• (1) Emergency Whistle
• (5) 3/4″ x 3″ Bandages

Testing Notes

• Weight 6 oz.
• I’m not sure of the exact strength of the carabiner, but it can work for a multitude of other situations; such as a tourniquet, lashing, general keychain/clip, etc.
• The flashlight was, in a word, horrible. It felt extremely cheap and was not bright. I found it to be more suited for reading in bed so as to not wake your spouse! Interestingly enough, the flashlight worked while submerged. I wouldn’t usually risk it because it’s one of the few signal items included in this kit.
• The multi-tool is useful but low quality. The knife blade isn’t very sharp and the pliers don’t have any tension behind them.
• The whistle worked extremely well. It was loud and clear and even worked after being submerged in water — I just had to shake out the excess water.

Grading

Cost

4/5 – The quality of the items reflect the low cost, but technically it’s still monetarily inexpensive ($11).

Waterproofness

4/5 – It is waterproof and resealable. The case is IPX7 rated (submersible to 1 meter for 30 minutes). The only thing keeping this from getting a 5/5 score is the flimsy feeling latch.

Size/Weight Portability

3/5 – The kit is small and portable but a little bulky in the front pocket of your jeans.

Shelter

2/5 – While no “shelter” is included in the kit there are a few bits and pieces that could help if you get creative: the multi-tool, lanyard from the whistle and carabiner.

Water Purification

1/5 – There is no way to purify water solely with this kit. I toyed with the idea of using the container to boil water but I’m not sure if this plastic is BPA free and warping the kit may destroy the integrity of its waterproofing. You would have to find some trash scrap metal to boil with, but as far as this kit goes, there’s nothing.

Food

1/5 – Just like the water purification section, nothing in this kit is set up solely to procure food. Yes, you could rig up some sort of snare and maybe — just maybe — a spear, but it’s gonna be tricky.

Fire Starting

4/5 – The box of waterproof matches and a small candle should come in handy. The matches lit right up even when soaked in water for a minute.

Signaling

2/5 – This score may be a touch too high, but I’m optimistic. You could make a signal fire with the fire starting equipment or maybe play McGyver with the flashlight, but this kit contains no device made specifically for signaling other than the flashlight (because it’s so junky, I’m not counting it).

Overall Remarks

I can’t recommend this kit because it doesn’t cover enough of the criteria. It’s as simple as that really. Now there are other uses, like a waterproof cell phone or digital camera case but with the chintzy feeling clasp, I don’t think I would feel very safe putting my iPhone in it while on a float trip. If you absolutely had to spend less than $15 on a pocket sized survival kit, either one of the sardine can kits would be a better buy.

Suggestions

• If you are going to include a flashlight, invest in a better one, and make it truly waterproof. Even those LED keychain lights are cheap and small and would be an improvement.
• The color of the kit is a semi-clear dark green. With this being a survival kit, I say make it bright orange! An orange kit would be easy to find in an emergency and could double as a signaling device (of sorts).
• The addition of the carabiner is helpful, but why not make it a true climbing carabiner? It would be a lot more practical and not much more expensive.
• The latch of the kit is flimsy. If the latch is flimsy, it’s all too easy for the contents to fall out and water to get in.

Stay tuned for more pocket survival kit reviews coming your way soon!