SOL Origin Survival kit

[Chako]

I like all things multi functional. Part of why I started collecting multi-tools. Well, I came across this small survival kit that seemed to meet my collecting criteria's. I had to get one. Darn curiosity and all.

The Origin SOL survival kit by Adventure Medical Kits is a rather neat piece of gear. The case itself is the multi-tool. I know, i couldn't resist that concept. Oh and before I forget, the kit weight only 6.1 oz or 173 g if you are the metric sort.



The lid has a very nice and well protected signaling mirror with sight function. The hinge is heavy duty and won't snap off anytime soon.  Instructions are even given to you via a sticker



What makes the case special is mostly found underneath. When you flip the SOL Origin over, you are greeted by a set of 3 useful tools all in blaze orange. You get a multi functional knife, a fire starter, and a small compass.



The knife is made from Japanese Aus-8 steel. The blade has a liner lock mechanism. On top of that, there is a nice white LED flashlight with an on/off button. On the back side, is a built in whistle with no pea...so you won't have to worry about it freezing and rendering the whistle useless.



The fire starter works much like a lighter. A round abrasive wheel comes into contact with a piece of flint and creates sparks. The manufacturer rates this for 1000 sparks. The compass is a bit of a joke in my opinion because it reminds me of those cheap toys that aren't accurate. However, I did notice that the compass is fluid filled and accurate. That changed my initial impressions of it in a hurry.



The bottom of the case holds some neat removable features, however, the people who designed this kit thought things through. You can for instance, use the whistle while the knife is locked away. In fact, I found the whistle to be a little easier  to use like this. The flashlight can be used with the knife locked away as well. In fact, you could even take the knife out, open the blade, and lock the knife back in if you need it that way. The fire starter likewise can be used attached to the case. As far as that goes, so can the compass.

All of these built in features make the SOL Origin case a true multi-tool, but it is still a case. Inside you will find a small compartment filled with a few other items that come stock with the kit. Before I go on, I would also like to add that the compartment is water tight due to a rubber seal that runs around the edge of the lid.

Inside, you will find a very small folded pamphlet that gives you 62+ life saving tools and techniques by Buck Tilton. it is not a bad read, and gives you enough information to get a good head start in surviving off the land. This light but informative information has its own metal clip to hold it flat against the backside of the lid. It takes little to no room, and that is a good thing because the insides aren't exactly spacious. Those bottom tools eat into the compartment.



The kit comes with some essentials. You get:

- 4 windproof/waterproof pieces of tinder. The packaging states that these will light with one spark and burn for up to 2 minutes.

- 1 sq ft of heavy aluminum foil for cooking, water purification, heat reflector, or windscreen, etc.

- 10 ft of 150 lb braided nylon cord which can be used to rig shelter, make traps & snares, or hang clothes, etc.

- 6 ft of military spec  stainless steel wire for making tools, repair equipment, and to improvise a spear, etc.

- Fishing/Sewing kit. you get 4 hooks, 60 feet of fishing line, 2 snap swivels, and 2 split shot weights to catch fish. Included are 3 safety pins and a sewing needle for equipment repairs. All encased in a clear plastic container.

The nice thing, even though the space is limited, there is still a little room to include a few of your favorite small survival items to personalize the kit for your needs.



Overall, I am quite taken by this kit. It is very useful, and is packed with a lot of built in features. I like how they added a lot of functionality into the case. If you like to travel light and like to be prepared, this kit is easily recommended by me. The next time I am teaching an outdoor education course, I am packing this little guy along with me.

[AHB]

Nice kit, it even has a pic of Chuck Norris.. 

[AimlessWanderer]

That looks fantastic!! Very well thought out.
Any chance of a size reference please Chako?

[Chako]

Always. Here you go.

Compared to a Victorinox 111mm knife and a 58mm knife.



And thickness of all of the above.

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks mate 

That's quite a respectable size actually and gets away from the "exploding tin" phenomenon with the usual tobacco/altoid tin soultion, whereby you open it to get one item out, all the bits go everyehre and it takes you an hour to figure out how to get the little buggers back in again.

Adventure Medical seems to be coming out with some decent kit, definitely a company to keep an eye on. I never took the plunge on their Doug Ritter (?) kit as I felty I could do better myself (for my own needs anyway) but this pack gives a much better foundation for a lightweight emergency kit IMO

[Carlos]

Eck, "SOL" means literally SUN in portuguese.

I like that box overall but thinking about it the knife/led/whistle tool ought to be the ex libris of the pack. I mean, one can just grab a box and put all those components standalone inside it. The only advantage on having slots on the box, imho, is that the box can be slightly small, i.e. the total width of the box is the same as the folded knife length, whereas if the knife was inside the box, the later had to be slightly wider.

[airballrad]

Eck, "SOL" means literally SUN in portuguese.

The official line on the AMK SOL series is that it stands for "Survive Outdoors Longer", but the traditional meaning of the acronym has always been "Sh** Outta Luck" which is what you would be in a survival situation without useful gear. 

I have a number of the Doug Ritter kits (I like redundancy), and this one is pretty much based on it with a couple gadgets added. There are a lot of components duplicated if you compare the two. I like this setup, but if you're a crafty shopper you can pick up two DR kits for the price of this one. Granted, you'd still need to provide your own knife and light in that case, but I think I have a few of those to spare already. 

IMHO this (and any of their other SOL gear) is light-years ahead of the typical "survival in a can" junk you find in stores with paper matches, a razor blade, and a piece of hard candy. 

[Chako]

I am probably one of a few on this forum that love the Schrade NaviTool. I like it so much that I bought a second for use when I do those outdoor activities. I like it so much because everything is there and easy to get at.

The SOL Origin is much like that. You can carry this around and have everything you need in an easy to get fashion. I hate those survival in a can products simply because by the time you want something, everything else is on the ground...not to mention the time it takes to get anything out. Call me impatient, but I like tools to come to hand quickly.

I am thinking this kit will replace my NaviTool. All I need to do is add a few small components in the box...I think there is just enough room, and I am good to go.

[captain spaulding]

Nice kit, it even has a pic of Chuck Norris.. 

HAHAHAHA.  Nice. 

[Singh]

Nice kit, it even has a pic of Chuck Norris.. 

 

[ironraven]

based on [the DR/AMK PSP] with a couple gadgets added.

And a lot of bulk, IMHO. I for one don't like the case design, and the two knives I've handled didn't thrill me. They were well made, I just don't like the design concept and the fact that it is the size of a 91mm SAK and has this itty bitty little blade. But I also have been called an ogre (and worse) because I say things like "no knife, no light, no water- stay out of the woods"- you should just have those three items on you at all times in the woods (or on the blacktop). I'd rather see a case like this, with a the flat Fox40 or ACR whistles (or the very good quality clone of the the ACR AMK uses in some of their kits) and a button compass and some room for add ons, while the carrier of this kit also has a knife of some type and a flashlight in his/her pockets. Little lock in, molded to fit niches like this always are less efficient than just a simple box. And I'm not sure how they'll hold up over four, five, six years of use.

What I do like about the case is that it keeps the mirror where you can get at it- you might only have 20 seconds of eyes on with a search aircraft or less, so getting visible RIGHT NOW is a good thing. So is getting noisy with the whistle. The counter argument is the bulk means you have to have it in a pack, not a pocket, so it will take time to dig out (same with getting the signals components out of any tin or pouch, in all fairness) and you might not have it with you when you do something like go pee becuase of it's size.

I have not yet had a chance to examine the instructions from Tilton. I know his reputation, so I'm going to grade them better than what is in the Gerber/Grylls psk. Need to see more to compare them to the ones in the PSP or the smaller kits from Gearpods.

And I agree with Airballrad, it's overpriced. I see these in several places in my area, they are usually going for $50-60, while the DR/AMK PSP usually runs about 30-35. So does the updated version of the original SOL kit, which even though I'm not sure I like all the changes, still gives you a Heatsheet. The inclusion of a shelter component makes the original SOL unique in mass market pocket-sized survival kits, IMHO. I would say that either of those is a better buy, and if your heart is absolutely set on it, then you can squirm the gimicky knife into either of those (it will be tight, but doable).

What I do think this competes with is the Gearpods Survival. That still costs less and gives you more gear than the Origin, but the prep razor is less knife, it is harder to carry (canister vs rectangle container), and is harder to find retail. *shrugs*

Not a bad kit in my opinion. If the instructions are as good as I hope, it is probably a good item for someone who wants to go with a premade kit. Some of the Gerber/Grylls kits are close despite some issues with the blades and instructions (and cheerleader) and if Gearpods had better market share they would be in the same class, but really, this is a pretty good little kit. I just disagree with some of the design philosophy. It comes in the clear third in the sub-$60 psk options from AMK, that's like saying it's the slowest member of an Olympic track team.

[theonew]

But I also have been called an ogre (and worse) because I say things like "no knife, no light, no water- stay out of the woods"- you should just have those three items on you at all times in the woods (or on the blacktop).

While I completely agree with this statement, I also believe that "one is none, two is one, etc.". This looks like a nice kit with well thought out backup tools 

[Gareth]

I rather like the look of that.  I'm not going to rush out and try and buy one, but it looks interesting none-the-less.

[rioredgt]

Eck, "SOL" means literally SUN in portuguese.

I like that box overall but thinking about it the knife/led/whistle tool ought to be the ex libris of the pack. I mean, one can just grab a box and put all those components standalone inside it. The only advantage on having slots on the box, imho, is that the box can be slightly small, i.e. the total width of the box is the same as the folded knife length, whereas if the knife was inside the box, the later had to be slightly wider.

F.Y.I. You can buy the knife seperately for half the cost of the kit.

Robert

[Woz]

Nice kit, it even has a pic of Chuck Norris.. 

 

That´s to scare off bears and beasts. Elementary in every survival tin 

[Nikos]

A pic of Ben will surely also do. Works with polar bears as well!

[Woz]

The only Bear to fear in the woods is Bear Grylls. He might throw cheap made Gerbers at you!

[82brutus]

Or land on you while you're swimming in your favorite swimming hole...