Customer Reviews

Whistle Creek Survival Kit in a Sardine Can

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Another "Survival Kit in a Can" product. This has a cheap toy whistle (you need better, and I have read a review which sez the whistle in this kit didn't work, which is very bad), a cheap pack of matches (needs better and a flint would be good also) one good tinder cube- enough for one fire, a small poor compass, a fishing hook, and some poly thread which can be used for fishing line if you have to. Most other kits like this have a needle also, so the thread can be used for sewing too.

For Medical, you have 1 bandaid, an alcohol swab, a couple of painkillers, and a triple antibiotic ointment. This is not bad at all for this sort of kit. I'd want 2-3 bandaids, myself.

For "food" you have a small candy, gum, a packet of bullion, a tea bag, and sugar. Well, since a real good idea when 1st lost is to STOP! and make a cuppa, this is OK for that purpose.

For tools, etc we have a foot of duct tape- very nice, a single edge razor blade (a good addition if you already have a decent knife) and a few other things.

The kit is compact, and fits in a pocket well. It is completely waterproof and sealed in a sardine tin. The bad news is, this kit is not as closely packed as the others, and it rattles a little. Annoying. You supposedly use the can itself as a signal mirror.

So, if you supplement this with a good knife, a better whistle, a survival blanket or bivvie, a small 1st aid kit and a firestarting flint with some extra tinder, it's not a bad thing for situations where you aren't going to be too deep in the outback. But all by itself.....

I got this as a gift because I'm into hiking, camping, and other outdoorsy stuff. I had this sitting around unopened for a while and decided to open it a few hours ago. I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed.
Contents:
A small pencil (the kind used for scoring in golf), tiny packet of salt, band-aid, paper-clip, cheap plastic whistle, one use of antibiotic ointment, 650mg acetaminophen (2 tabs), alcohol wipe, bag of tea, single edge safety razor, 3.5" duct tape on wax paper, fishing hook, spool of thread, chewing gum, cube of fire-starter, safety pin, cheap compass, tootsie-roll, book of matches, instructions and one plastic bag.

For starters, I assume that the mini tootsie-roll was the "Energy Nugget" mentioned on the lid, which made me chuckle. The first-aid items are pretty good but there's only one use of each. I'm not really sure what exactly you'd use the razor for, as it's just the blade and trying to do much else with it other than cutting paper would be pretty dangerous. The bag of tea is a good idea but you better have something to soak it in. The spool of thread is very weak, and you better be snaring chipmunks and catching baby fish. The compass is about .5" in diameter and is all but useless. It must be almost perfectly level to work, and mine is about 45 degrees from north. The pencil is fairly useless as they leave very little paper to write on and the only way to sharpen it would be the razor or a rough surface. The whistle is extremely cheap and flimsy. The duct-tape is woefully short. And the book of matches is very useless. Starting a fire with those kind is very difficult compared to a bic lighter or wooden matches.

The sheet of instructions and uses that come with the kit are also horribly inadequate. The first-aid instructions are more or less correct, but they provide little information if you didn't know first-aid beforehand. The list of items would be more useful if it wasn't there. For example: Tea bags "can be used as a soothing compress", string can be used for a snare (doesn't show how to make one), fishing hook can be used as an "emergency button" (I assume for clothing).
WORST OF ALL, and this is the reason I decided to give it 1 star instead of 2, it RECOMMENDS you use the safety-pin as an "emergency suture" and that you should use the duct tape to "dress wounds". Doing either of these things is a horrible, horrible, awful idea. A safety pin should NEVER be used to keep a wound closed and the only time duct tape might be acceptable to use to close a wound is if the patient will almost certainly die from blood loss.

tl;dr
This kit is a neat little novelty, but you shouldn't plan to rely on it in a survival situation. If you ARE concerned about wilderness survival, you can make a MUCH better $15 kit than this thing (most things can be found around your house). More important than your kit is your knowledge about survival. The shows where people survive in the wilderness with just a knife are proof of that.

ONE STAR because: You can create a similar kit at a fraction of the price. The directions are mostly misleading, unhelpful, or even hurtful. If you have one it's a neat conversation piece, just don't let them open it.

Not a bad kit for the money. You can buy several and tuck them away in different places. These are compact and store easily. Fishing gear in an emergency kit always makes me laugh. 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/extreme kit or on a planned fishing trip. I know we all think about crash landing in a remote part of the world near a great fishing lake and the fish are biting... not likely. I'll take a compass over a fish hook any day! Make a fish trap instead - fish swim in and they can't swim out. While the trap does its work you can prepare firewood or signal for help. Good luck!

I picked this up to keep in my hiking pack. It's small enough so that you wouldn't notice it when you have it in your pouch. I haven't actually opened it up to see everything in it, but I've read it's contents and it looks to be enough to sustain for a day or 2.

It's a pretty cool little kit. Why not keep one in your glove box? My husband added it to his emergency survival kit in his car. It was a fun gift.

once received i had some problems with the product i contacted customer support and they resolved the problem asap i would definitely work with this company again worth the purchase price

First I want to begin by saying most of the bad reviews are given by people who have never been in an emergency situation before. They find most of the articles in the kit useless and have no idea what they are doing.

That being said I believe this kit serves it's purpose. It is a survival kit designed as a one-time use emergency situation. Some of the items are cheap but serve their purpose well. I caught 17 fish in one day with the fishing tackle provided and the razor serves as a good back up blade in case you don't have a knife.

Overall I would said this is a pretty good deal for the price you are given :)

This is a kit good for a minor problem and fun to show off at the office. For example, all of your matches are wet and they won't light? Well, the one in this can probably will. It is something that you can use to wait out a summer squall, but not for a mountain assent.

Well I Probably wont buy this product again. It could have been better.
Some of the items were sort of cheap. If you are looking for a survival kit I recommend you
buy one from[...] There quality is better and the cost is cheaper.

I've been looking for this kind of kit for years now!! Thanks for adding it to your list. Will put one in car and one in daypack,"just in case" Also add one to my camp trailer.