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RAT Comprehensive Survival Kit w/ RC-6 Knife

udtjim

udtjim

Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
6,583
Has anyone ordered this kit and if so how is the included gear for quality.

Does anyone else offer a kit like this with no knife?
 
Looks like a great kit. Honestly though, I bet you could cobble 65% of that kit by scrambling around your house. As a ratpacker, I'm not trying to dissuade purchase of the kit, just pointing out to udtjim, who likely has a plethora of survival gear already. Check out Jeff's link as it has a full inventory.
 
I've used the kit, we received one per participant in the "downed pilot's survival course" near Iquitos, Peru. The gear is all high-quality, and as a survival kit it was not really lacking much, if anything (and you get an RC-6!).

Each person has a slightly different idea of what's required in one of these kits, and the nice thing is that the kit is large enough that it can be supplemented with other gear; things are not crammed in, there is plenty of room to add to the kit. I personally would add 1-2 more of the emergency tarps, they are lightweight and great to have, and would probably replace the compass with a Suunto MC2G with declination adjustment and global needle, and maybe add a Li LED flaslight like the Petzl E+, but that's just me.
 
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mckrob said:
... the nice thing is that the kit is large enough that it can be supplemented with other gear; things are not crammed in, there is plenty off room to add to the kit...
Click to expand...

Sorry for the slight OT statement. This is just so true and often not mentioned as part of PSK's. There is a pull and tug - get a small kit case that is compact and can fit in your pack, on you belt etc. Also try and shove more stuff in. It usually starts off good, but then you read the next PSK kit and pretty soon you are shoving some other little goody in there. Then your PSK gets as tight as well.....I'm thinking of an analogy but it isn't PG and involves a shoehorn :D A PSK that is packed too tight is very impractical. You can't access items easily and if you have to dump its contents over a potentially wet and muddy ground that it could be near useless. Also think about having to access the contents with an injured hand - e.g. cut your finger and you are rummaging for bandaids without filling up your satchell with your own blood.

Looking at that kit contents list carefully - Udtjim, I'm pretty sure you can put the whole kit together with what you already have!
 
Thanks guys. I am sure that I could round that stuff up in my own garage, except for the knife. This kit does look like a real good value.

I am great at adding to my kits until I need a bigger kit then adding to that until, I need a pack horse to carry my PSK:D
 
I see it as a very good deal considering just the price of a good quality 6" to 7" survival knife can approach or sometimes even exceed the price of this particular kit.
 
Well, like I mentioned in the RAT forum, it's a great kit, and a great buy IF you don't already have a lot of the stuff. If you already have enough, then buy the knife and a bag.
 
If you want a good PSK like that, look at the contents of a bunch of them, read some and figure out what you likely need if SHTF situation pops up. What part of the country your in, what seasons etc.. then put it together yourself. The knife and compass on that list are the 2 most expensive items that you might not have laying around.
Take a look here, these guys are one of the few that I have found that have all the bits and pieces necessary to assemble a kit from. Your neighborhood Walgreens and Walmart will have all the first aid stuff. Took me a bit to settle in on what I needed in my kit, then I deleted half of it and added in some other stuff. Here in S Florida we don't have to worry about cold weather, so I keep the contents the same all yea round. I put one together for my son in law (x navy seal) in Denver, he has 3 versions of it now due to seasonal changes.
Get a good blade (or make that too), get a good backpack to keep it in, have fun with it.

works better with the link
http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/
 
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I did some shopping around when this was a discussion on the RAT forum.

Picking the same, or equivalent pieces, plus the RC6 from one of the less expensive dealers, it all came out to $20 over the cost of the RAT kit, and I did NOT factor in shipping.

So this is one of the cases where, in fact, it's not cheaper to assemble it yourself.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
I did some shopping around when this was a discussion on the RAT forum.

Picking the same, or equivalent pieces, plus the RC6 from one of the less expensive dealers, it all came out to $20 over the cost of the RAT kit, and I did NOT factor in shipping.

So this is one of the cases where, in fact, it's not cheaper to assemble it yourself.
Click to expand...

I did something similar but it was about $10 over with shipping. I believe if you like to have as much gear as possible, this is a great kit. Or, if you don't already have the stuff, it is also a great deal.
 
I am going to take a day or two and go through my stuff. Now is a good time to get everything together before winter. Surviving on ND hiways is a real concern as you get older. It is a long ways to anywhere around here. It is a 200 mile round trip to the VA and only one town in between that is big enough to find any help day or night. A good car kit is a must. In our white outs, you are not going anywhere. Stranded in the winter is by far the most likely survival situation I would probably face other than a complete breakdown of civilation as we know it.
 
Great idea, on the car kit front. I decent sleeping bag or couple of wool blankets, candle lantern with a couple of 8h candles will go a long way towards keeping you warm in your vehicle while awaiting help.
 
I didn't do the research so I'll trust these guys that did. Very well could be thats a deal, IF you need a knife like that.
For the OP, your car kit idea is a requirement up there. Look at some of the ski equipment suppliers, lay in a supply of those chemical hand warmers to with the stuff kgd suggested. Batteries, a CB radio, hand held radio, Marine radio, anything for communication. A GPS so you can tell help where exactly you are, those are the things you need. If you break down getting out of the car ans trying to shag it on your own is stupid. You probably lready know this stuff tho. YMMV from a guy in florida
 
We keep a old mattress in the back of the 4x4 pick-up with a couple sleeping bags. We have a good topper on it. I would hate to spend the night there but it would sure beat freezing.:thumbup: That is about all we travel in during the winter. The candle lantern is a great idea. I have several for power outages but never even thought about packing one in the truck.
 
I personally would buy the knife and then use the other $100 or so to make up my own survival kit. I have both purchased kits and made up kits in the past and now only use made up kits.
 
This looks like a good deal on the whole kit for sure. I have been looking at purchasing the knife, so I think I might get the whole kit and kaboodle.

Thanks for the link as well.
 
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