Outdoor SOS Survival Kit

One Box. Light, Direction and a Whistle.

The track peters out, the phone has no bars, and the sun is going down faster than you planned for. That is the moment you find out what is actually in the vehicle. No torch means you stop moving. Stopping in the dark means a cold night out, and a cold night out is how a wrong turn turns into a search.

Contains a Blade — Adults Only. Knife sales to under-18s are restricted by law in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA and SA, and to under-16s in the ACT, so we sell this kit to adults only. IT IS UNLAWFUL TO SELL KNIVES TO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS. PERSONS MAY BE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF AGE WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE.

This is a box of small tools that lives in the ute, the boat or the top of a pack and costs you nothing to carry until the day you need it. It comes two ways: a 10-tool kit and an 11-tool kit. They come from two different sellers and they are two different boxes, not the same box with one extra item, so check the comparison below before you pick.

Both kits give you a torch, a compass, a wire saw, a stainless card tool, a foil blanket, a whistle on a key ring, a paracord bracelet and a glass-breaker pen, all in a black hard case. Be clear on what is missing before you buy: there is no fire starter in either kit, and there is nothing medical in either kit. Neither is a replacement for planning, and neither is a substitute for a satellite beacon.

Read This First — No Fire Starter & No First Aid

• There is no fire starter in either kit. No ferro rod, no flint, no matches, no lighter. The 10-tool kit's own photograph of the bracelet buckle is marked "No flint", and the 11-tool kit's photographs show no flint anywhere. Carry your own way to light a fire.
• There are no medical supplies in either kit. No bandages, no dressings, no antiseptic, no gloves. We counted every item in both kits and every one is a tool, not a treatment. Carry a proper first aid kit as well.

What it Does

• Gets you Light: a pocket torch with a clip in both kits. The 10-tool torch has three modes the supplier labels High, Low and SOS; the 11-tool torch has a zoom head and runs on one AA battery that is not included.
• Gets you a Bearing: a brass-coloured lid compass in the 10-tool kit, or a clear baseplate compass with ruler edges in the 11-tool kit. Both bracelets carry a small backup compass on the buckle.
• Gets you Heard: three whistles in the 10-tool kit (key ring, bracelet buckle, spork handle) plus the torch's SOS mode; two whistles in the 11-tool kit (key ring, bracelet buckle).
• Gets you Through Things: a wire saw for branches and a stainless card with a saw-tooth edge in both kits. Both bracelets carry a small rope cutter in the buckle, and the 10-tool kit adds a knife blade on the spork.
• Gets you Out of a Vehicle: a pen with a glass-breaker tip in both kits, for a side window when a door will not open.

Which Kit?

Counted off each seller's photographs. "Yes" means it is in that kit; "No" means it is not.

What is in the 10-Tool Kit

We counted this off the supplier's photographs, not the title. Ten tools and the case they come in. One photo also shows a silver telescoping rod that the supplier never names or lists; we have not counted it and cannot say it ships.

Hard Case
A black plastic case that holds the kit together. No size, no seal and no water rating are stated, so treat it as a box that keeps the bits in one place, not a waterproof case.

Pen with Glass-Breaker Tip
Black pen with a knurled grip, a pocket clip and a ballpoint at one end. The other end is a hard point the supplier labels "Glass Breaker", for a side window if a vehicle door will not open. It is a pen and a window tool. That is all we are selling it as.

Pocket Torch
Black, knurled body with a pocket clip. The supplier labels three modes: High, Low and SOS. No battery type, no brightness figure and no runtime are published, so we are not going to quote you one.

Spork with Knife Blade
A black spork with a serrated knife blade at the other end. A black plastic handle with a whistle built into it covers the blade; the supplier's photographs show the blade both covered and bare. We can't tell from the photographs whether it folds, so we are not calling it a folding knife. No blade length is published.

Paracord Bracelet
Braided cord the supplier calls "seven-core umbrella rope", on a press buckle that carries a small compass, a whistle and a little blade for cutting rope. No flint. The cord carries no strength rating, so it is for lashing, a shelter line or a bootlace, never for holding a person. The photographs show it in green and in black; the colour you get is not specified by supplier.

Lid Compass
Brass-coloured case with a hinged lid, a ring to hang it from, and a dial marked in degrees. The supplier calls it a "Night Light" compass. It is not a light, and no detail is given on whether or how long the dial glows, so do not count on reading it in the dark.

Multi-Tool Card
Credit-card style plate printed "Stainless Steel", with a saw-tooth edge, ruler marks and cut-outs. The supplier shows it opening a bottle and turning a screw. It fits a wallet. It is not a substitute for a real multi-tool.

Wire Saw
Twisted saw wire with a ring at each end for your fingers or a stick. Good for green branches and light timber. No length is published. Wire saws snap if you kink them or force the cut, so keep the stroke long and the pressure light.

Foil Emergency Blanket
A folded silver foil sheet. No size and no heat-retention figure are published. It tears easily and does not fold back the way it came, so treat it as a one-night item.

Key Ring Whistle
Silver-coloured whistle on a chain and key ring. No loudness figure is published. A whistle carries further than a shout and needs no battery, which is why this is the one to put on your person, not in the box.

Bottle Clip
A ring clip on a side-release buckle with a webbing strap and press stud, for hanging a bottle off a belt or a pack strap. It is not load rated and it is not a climbing carabiner.

What is in the 11-Tool Kit

A different box from a different seller. We counted it off that seller's main photograph, not the title: eleven tools and the case. There is no bottle clip, no SOS torch mode and no knife blade on the spork in this one.

Hard Case
A black plastic case with a grey lining. No size, no seal and no water rating are stated, so it is not a waterproof case.

Pen with Glass-Breaker Tip
Black pen with a knurled grip, a pocket clip and a ballpoint that writes. The other end is a hard point for breaking a side window if a vehicle door will not open. It is a pen and a window tool. That is all we are selling it as.

Pocket Torch
Black, knurled body with a pocket clip, a zoom head that slides in and out, and a push switch on the tail. It takes one AA battery, and the supplier says the battery is not included, so buy one with it. About 72 mm long and 16 mm across (the supplier's figures, converted to metric). No modes, brightness or runtime are published.

Spork Tool
A black one-piece spork with fork tines at one end and a spoon at the other, with a bottle opener, a fish-scale scraper and cut-outs along the handle. The supplier gives its length as 182 mm. No knife blade.

Paracord Bracelet
Black braided cord on a plastic buckle that carries a small compass, a whistle and a little blade for cutting rope — the same buckle as the 10-tool kit's. No flint. The cord carries no strength rating, so it is for lashing, a shelter line or a bootlace, never for holding a person.

Baseplate Compass
Clear plastic baseplate printed "Bearing", with a dial marked in degrees, ruler marks along the edges and a black cord lanyard. The flat, see-through base is the kind you lay on a map. No detail is given on whether the dial glows, so do not count on reading it in the dark.

Map Ruler Plate
A small grey plate with a hanging hole, a ruler marked to 50 mm, a 1:100000 map scale and a hexagon cut-out. The supplier never names it or says what it is made of.

Multi-Tool Card
Credit-card style plate printed "Stainless Steel", with a saw-tooth edge, ruler marks and cut-outs. The supplier shows it opening a can and a bottle and turning a screw. It fits a wallet. It is not a substitute for a real multi-tool.

Wire Saw
Twisted saw wire with a ring at each end for your fingers or a stick. Good for green branches and light timber. No length is published. Keep the stroke long and the pressure light, or it will snap.

Foil Emergency Blanket
A folded silver foil sheet, about 1.3 × 2.1 m (the supplier's figures, converted to metric). No heat-retention figure that we can stand behind. It tears easily, so treat it as a one-night item.

Key Ring Whistle
Silver-coloured whistle on a chain and key ring. No loudness figure is published. Put this one on your person, not in the box.

Screw-Lock Carabiner
A black clip with a screw-lock gate, for hanging gear off a belt or a pack. It is not load rated and it is not a climbing carabiner.

Key Features

• Two Kits to Pick from: 10 tools or 11 tools, each in a hard case. The contents differ, not just the count.
• Every Item Counted: both kits counted off each supplier's photographs, with the case on top of that.
• Two Compasses in Each: a main compass plus a backup on the bracelet buckle.
• Whistles in Both: three in the 10-tool kit, two in the 11-tool kit.
• Torch with a Clip in Both: High, Low and SOS on the 10-tool kit; a zoom head on the 11-tool kit (one AA battery, not included).
• Glass-Breaker Pen in Both: writes, and has a hard tip for a side window.
• Wire Saw & Card Tool in Both: branches with the saw; bottles, screws and a saw-tooth edge on the card.

Free Standard Delivery. Allow 5 to 10 working days from the day you order. Allow 1–2 days for fulfilment. Regional and remote addresses can take longer.

Limits

This is the part most sellers leave off a survival kit page. Read it before you buy.

• There is No Fire Starter: no ferro rod, no flint, no matches, no lighter, in either kit. Carry one.
• Neither Kit is a First Aid Kit: no bandages, no dressings, no antiseptic, no gloves, no gauze. Carry a real one as well.
• It does Not Call for Help: "SOS" in the name is about signalling, not transmitting. There is no beacon, no GPS, no satellite link and no transmitter of any kind in either kit. It is not a PLB and it is not an EPIRB. If you go somewhere a rescue would be needed, take a real beacon and register it.
• The Two Kits are Different Boxes: they come from two different sellers. Do not buy the 11-tool kit expecting the spork blade, the bottle clip or the SOS torch mode, and do not buy the 10-tool kit expecting the carabiner, the baseplate compass or the zoom torch.
• Adults Only: both kits contain a blade — the card tool's saw-tooth edge and the bracelet rope cutter in both, plus the spork blade in the 10-tool kit. Knife carry rules differ by state too, and we cannot give you legal advice on them.
• The Glass Breaker is Untested: nobody has tested it on your vehicle. Windscreens, and the side windows on some newer vehicles, are laminated glass and will not shatter the way toughened glass does.
• Nothing Here Holds a Person: the paracord, the bottle clip and the carabiner carry no rating. Never put your weight on any of them.
• The Case is Not Waterproof: no water rating is stated for either case. Keep it out of the bilge and the river.
• Check the Torch the Day it Arrives: the 11-tool torch needs one AA battery that is not in the box. The 10-tool supplier does not say what battery its torch takes or whether one is included. Sort it out before the kit goes in the vehicle, and check it twice a year.

Q & A

Which Kit Should I Pick?
If you want a torch with an SOS mode, a knife blade on the spork and a bottle clip, the 10-tool kit. If you would rather have a see-through baseplate compass for map work, a zoom torch and a carabiner, the 11-tool kit. Neither has a fire starter or any first aid.

Why Adults Only?
Both kits contain a blade, and selling a blade to someone under 18 is restricted by law in most Australian states. So we sell this kit to adults only, wherever it is going.

Can I Light a Fire with This Kit?
No, not with either kit. There is no ferro rod, flint, lighter or matches in either box, and the 10-tool kit's bracelet photograph is marked "No flint". Carry a fire starter separately and practise with it before you rely on it.

Does This Contain Any First Aid Supplies at All?
No. Not one item, in either kit. There are no bandages, dressings, antiseptic wipes, gloves or gauze. Buy a proper first aid kit and keep it next to this one.

Does the "SOS" Mean it can Signal for Rescue?
Only in the old-fashioned sense. It signals with sound and light — three whistles and the torch's SOS mode in the 10-tool kit, two whistles and the torch in the 11-tool kit. Nothing in either kit transmits. If you need a device that alerts emergency services from a place with no phone coverage, you need a registered personal locator beacon, and that is a different purchase entirely.

Is There a Knife in it?
In the 10-tool kit, yes: the spork has a serrated knife blade at one end, covered by the plastic handle. We can't tell from the photographs whether it folds, and no blade length is published. The 11-tool kit's spork has no knife blade, but the card tool in both kits has a saw-tooth edge, so we treat both kits as containing a blade.

How Bright is the Torch and What Battery does it Take?
The 11-tool torch takes one AA battery, not included. For the 10-tool torch the battery is not specified by supplier. Neither supplier publishes a brightness or runtime figure, and we are not going to invent one for a torch you might be relying on.

Can I Use the Paracord, the Bottle Clip or the Carabiner for Climbing?
No. None of them is load rated and none has been tested for anything that holds a person. Use the cord for lashing, shelter lines, bootlaces and repairs, and the clips for a water bottle or gear.

Specs