There are a number of "survival items" that people should bring on camping trips, which can be a hassle to round up and pack every time. The Outdoor Survival Stick offers a solution, by keeping everything ready to go in one stowable device.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Stick is made by Hong Kong outdoor gear company Mars Players. It appears to be an equip-it-yourself version of the company's existing Emergency Tool Kit, which comes preloaded with various bits and bobs.
The Stick incorporates seven cylindrical hard-anodized aircraft aluminum segments which screw into one another to form a single baton-shaped unit. These segments include a compass on top, followed by a hammer head, four storage bins, and a flashlight.
Both the flashlight and the hammer head can be removed then reattached to the top of the Stick at a right angle. Silicone rubber sleeves help users keep a grip on it.
Powered by a 1,400-mAh lithium battery, the flashlight offers High (200 lumens), Mild (80 lumens) and Flashing output modes. One charge should be reportedly be good for three hours of use in High or eight hours in Mild.
The largest of the four storage bins is designed to hold items such as batteries and lengths of paratrooper cord, with the smaller three assigned to things like fishing line/hooks, first aid gear, waterproof tape, and matches. A graphic printed on the side of one bin even suggests sticking condoms inside … you can never be too prepared.
The whole thing measures 13.8 inches long by 1.9 in wide (351 by 48 mm), and is claimed to tip the scales at about 1.85 lb (839 g) minus its user-supplied contents. It's IP68 water-resistant, meaning it can withstand being submerged to a depth of 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) for up to 30 minutes.
Assuming the Stick reaches production, a pledge of US$129 will get you one – the planned retail price is $169. And no, it's not the only device of its kind. Potential backers might want to check out VSSL's Essentials survival kits, among other similar-but-not-quite-the-same products.
The Outdoor Survival Stick is demonstrated in the following video.
Source: Kickstarter
those suggested contents makes little sense. A light plastic one would likely suffice and be more likely to float.
But this has a hammer -- nothing but dead weight. No built in axe, knife, firestarter, water filter. The integrated light is useless -- eight hours of low grade light? Seriously? A cheap over the counter head light can run 35 hours or more on batteries in low mode, and still flash, have bright modes, have red light, etc.
For the price they are asking I could easily assemble a compact multitool (knife, saw, pliers/tools, and probably a firestarter all in one), headlamp, waterproof match case, compact first aid kit, water filter, several mylar survival blankets, 50'+ of 3mm nylon string, a small fishing kit, and pack the whole thing -- possibly including my PHONE (a serious survival tool as calling for help is key if you happen to have service) into an IP68 waist pouch that I might even be wearing if I wandered away from a camp and got lost WITHOUT my pack. A kit intended to be carried strapped to your pack is -- pointless. Literally. If I have my pack, well, I have plenty of room for resources.
A waist pouch or pocket pouch or even a waterproof plano box are all going to be lighter, easier to carry in a pocket or on your person, easier to throw into a kayak or boat as well as fasten to a pack, and won't contain a hammer, as nearly anyplace I'm likely to be will have rocks or big sticks that I can use for that purpose in the unlikely event that I need to hammer something.