OmegaMan Tested: EDC Survival Keychain by Survivalhax

EDC Survival Keychain

Field tested by our guest blogger, OmegaMan quoted: “A great little paracord keychain with a ear piercing whistle attached to a durable aluminum case filled with survival essentials!”

EDC Survival Keychain

“This is a great addition to any preppers’ everyday carry (EDC) or bugout bag. Here’s what you will be shocked to find inside the survival case: Fire striker bar & tinder, fishing swivels, fishing float & weights, fishing line & hook, 2 safety pins, a wire saw, and a knife!”

DETAILS:

It’s a key chain, a survival kit, and a waterproof pill container all in 1.

The 10 in 1 Paracord EDC Keychain is a waterproof aluminum EDC (everyday carry) pill bottle.

A durable carabiner and 550 paracord are used so you can take this mini survival kit anywhere.

If you carry your car keys everywhere, you’ll have a much better chance of surviving the apocalypse.

No need for a bug out bag, this is small enough to fit in your pocket.

What’s Inside?

There are technically 11 separate pieces inside the canister. 

  • Fishing line
  • Hooks
  • Weights
  • Floaters
  • Sinkers
  • Swivels
  • Eye knife
  • Cotton tinder
  • Fire starter rod
  • Safety pins
  • Wire saw

The paracord is over 4 feet long when unraveled and has an emergency whistle attached to it.

Our goal was to make a reusable PSK (Personal Survival Kit) that gives you the ability to catch a fish, gut it, and cook it.  Sure there are easier ways to do this, but none that fit on your keychain.

What Can This Mini Survival Kit Do?

From nothing, you can make a Fishing Pole 

  1. Can you find a branch in the woods?  Great you’ve got a fishing pole.
  2. Open your EDC bottle and pull out the fishing line.
  3. Tie the line to one end of your branch or stick.
  4. Attach your hooks to your fishing line.
  5. Add your sinkers and floaters.
  6. Find a bug or worm for bait.
  7. You are now fishing, bushcraft style.

No survival kit would be complete without a way to start a fire.  And in order to start a fire, you need wood. The finger chainsaw can slice through branches with enough elbow grease. Slide two sticks in the finger holes for extra torque.

Contents:

  • 1 x Waterproof EDC container
  • 1 x Paracord
  • 1 x Fishing line
  • 2 x Hooks
  • 2 x Weights
  • 2 x Floaters
  • 2 x Sinkers
  • 2 x Swivels
  • 1 x Knife
  • 1 x Tinder cotton
  • 1 x Fire starter
  • 1 x Saftey Pins
  • 1 x Finger saw
  • 1 x Whistle
  • 1 x Carabiner

Specs:

  • Total length: 9.2 inches
  • Bottle length: 3.3 inches
  • Bottle width: .9 inches
  • EDC bottle material: Aluminum Alloy
  • Paracord length: 3 inches
  • Untied Paracord length: 4 feet
  • Weight: 0.14 pounds

ORDER NOW

Product Review: First Aid Survival Kit with N 95 Mask

It’s always fun and intriguing to review a quality survival product.

Recently we were asked to review the First Aid Survival Kit with N 95 Mask from firstaidkitsurvival.com. When the well packaged box arrived at our door, inside it was a beautiful red, durable..and I mean well-made nylon compact survival kit that held no less than 200 pieces inside.

First Aid Survival Kit with N 95 Mask from firstaidkitsurvival.com

The company specifically designed to address a variety of injuries. We love how organized the accessories were laid out which even included a easy to understand and informative first aid brochure.

Also included, was a multitude of well thought out various bandages of sizes shapes and purposes, gloves, tweezers, safety pins,  a carabiner, a eye pad bandage and even a emergency whistle. Besides the N 95 mask, somehow they even managed to fit an instant cold compress and emergency whistle inside this nice kit.

First Aid Survival Kit with N 95 Mask from firstaidkitsurvival.com

The First Aid Survival Kit was a impressive, really nice product to review. It honestly is very reflective of the company’s  motto “Our products are designed to protect and save lives”….

OmegaMan for yearzerosurvival.com

REVIEW: Survival Hax Fire Starter Flint w/Waterproof Tinder Holder

Here’s the recent review on the Survival Hax fire starter flint w/waterproof tinder holder by our guest blogger OmegaMan:

We recently got to try the new survival hacks firestarter flint and waterproof tinder holder kit. It doesn’t yet have a fancy name but that’s what it’s called.

Survival Hax

It came in I slim 1″x 1″box that is 6 inches long. Inside it contained a 6 inch long/quarter inch thick spark stick rated for 20,000 strikes!

It comes with a beautiful durable para cord wrist strap. We wish it would’ve said how long the para cord is if you unwind it.

Attached on the wrist strap is a handheld stryker tool with a concave edge to easily slide down the rod without slipping off. Also on the striker tool is a built-in can opener stamped with a small ruler. Because the striker rod comes with a beautiful black coating on it we found it took a few strikes to wear off but finally produced some amazing sparks by holding the concave edge of the striker tool and running it down the side of the rod. We also sometimes achieved  better sparks by just using the flat edge of the tool against the striker rod.

We got a kick out of the bright orange whistle, which lets out an ear piercing shrill when we tried it.

A bonus surprise was a little black tinderbox keychain about the size of a pill holder. Inside it was filled with a little supply of tinder. We’re not sure what type of tinder but possibly a waxy substance.

As with most of the products we tried from Survival Hax, once again this is a nice little durable survival tool. We do wish there was maybe a few more instructions that explained everything a little better besides just a few comments on the outside of the box.

This tool speaks for itself and could definitely save a life out in the wilderness.

Here’s a link to check it out with a nice discount code if you’d like to further enhance your survival kit:

Survival Hax Fire Starter Flint w/Waterproof Tinder Holder

use discount code SH50FIRE at checkout

Apocalyptic Dish Washing

by Guest Blogger OmegaMan

If you’ve prepared, you’ll hopefully have enough long term food and water supplies in an apocalyptic scenario. Ever wondered how you are going to clean your dishes after you eat with out wasting water?

Gross-Pile-of-dishes

In all the survival training manuals I have ever read, I have never seen this issue addressed. I know a perfect solution that will not waste your precious water supply but yet effectively clean your utensils and most anything else for that matter. Have you ever heard of Ammonium Chloride?

Probably not by that name. Or, you may have put it in your swimming pool as an algae control. But, most likely you know it by the popular brand name Lysol.

Ammonium chlorides in fact are so effective at sanitation that they are even used by the CDC in their employee wash down stations.

Also, did you know many bars use ammonium chloride compounds to sanitize bar glasses? Have you ever seen the dip and rinse techniques used by bartenders?

I often wondered what they were using, then asked. Much to my surprise one of the most common brands used is: Steramine.

Steramine

Wow, talk about effective! – 150 tablets for roughly a $10 investment.

Each tablet sanitizes a gallon of wash water. What a great and inexpensive way to protect your family without the huge expense of spray cleaners, soaps and save on storage. All it takes is one minute to effectively destroy most pathogens. Just one minute that will save your precious water supply and may save your life.

I hope you enjoyed my little survival tip, be sure to check back often more more insightful posts. Stay Prepared…OmegaMan

Waterproof Your Survival Gear

A big thanks to our guest-blogger OmegaMan for turning us on to this great waterproofing product. Although we don’t carry it in our line of premium survival products, it is readily available from hardware stores or Amazon Rust-Oleum NeverWet® Liquid Repelling Treatment Kit

This waterproofing system could be used in many ways on your preps, waterproof all of your survival, hunting, hiking, fishing, camping, or outdoor gear.

See OmegaMan’s video test of this product:

  • NeverWet liquid repelling treatment is easy to apply and dries to touch in 30 minutes.
  • Treated surfaces repel mud, water, ice and other liquids. The durable treatment can be used on tools and equipment, work boots and gloves to repel water and mud.
  • Protects gear and equipment from moisture and significantly reduces or eliminates clean-up. Use on surfaces indoors and out.
  • Not intended for application to electronic products
  • Sold as a two-part kit that can effectively treat from 10 to 15 square feet.

 

Note:  Works great if you know when and how to use it.

Some guidelines:

Yes, this does work. It repels water completely. However, it does leave a white haze ( and if you don’t see that haze, you probably haven’t used enough to be effective).

If you spray this on white shoes, fabrics, etc….the haze really isn’t noticeable. Works great on white athletic shoes! Also on canvas slip ons, etc.Water and other liquids roll right off. But I found that I had to reapply often on items which got heavy wear. Still, if you do this diligently, your items should look newer longer.

While product literature says not to apply to clothing, work boots are noted as acceptable. So work boots are not considered “clothing”…just in case you’d classify them that way.

So….NEVER wet? No. It does wear off and will not last forever. But while it is effective it is VERY effective. so it definitely keeps items looking newer. Just keep that milky color in mind. I wouldn’t spray it on black fabrics.

 

Available on Amazon

A Day At Smokey Mountain Knife Works

Our guest blogger OmegaMan recently visited the Smokey Mountain Knife Works, here is his re-cap of his great day at their facility.

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-Kn

Located in Sieverville, Tennessee, Smokey Mountain Knife Works falls into the greater Gatelinberg, Pigeon Forge area.

They advertise themselves as a knife store “If It Cuts, We Carry It”  but you will not believe what is waiting inside for you..so much more than you ever imagined!

Upon first entering the large retail center you will be taken back by an amazing collection of Civil War rifles that are actually for sale. Dozens upon dozens of these ancient beauties line the walls and can be had for $500 to thousands depending on condition.

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-7

The greater retail space is broken into smaller sub sections mostly by manufacturer. Boasting over 2,000,000 knives….every knife you can think of is here from pocket knives to tomahawks. This is a multi-level store with the upstairs housing an amazing historic collection in their History of Knifes Museum. You could spend an easy hour alone tracing back the history and interesting evolution of blades.

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-3

One section houses Camo gear, tactical vests, holsters, patches and related military garb. Need some MRE’s…there over there!

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Another is dedicated to Swiss Army knives. What an amazing assortment!

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-4

Need an air raid siren…they have those too, although the clerk is only able to demonstrate it on a limited basis, (very loud in the building lol).

SOG Knives, United Cutlery, Case, etc, Mykel Hawke, “Gunny”, Gerber, Buck frost Cutlery, Gransfors Bruks…you name it… showcase upon showcase…over 157 brand names….unbelievable!!!

Downstairs was amazing too. An incredible assortment of collectibles. I mean fossils (trilobites and everything), Civil War relics , World War II items including helmets, uniforms, letters and photos. I could have spent all day in this area going through thousands of rare items. So, so cool. Beyond description!

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-6

Country cooking and southern retail items took up a major part of the bottom floor as you walked by streams, and waterfalls meandering through water wheels and old mill machinery. Oh..look….”there’s a gattlin’ gun over there”…

A-Day-At-Smokey-Mountain-2

Most people only see the outside front of the beautifully massive 100,000 sf Smokey Mountain Knife Works outlet. Little do they know the company has another massive building in the rear. Employing over 250 people at any time, all were very courteous and knowledgeable.

Head on up to the greater Gatinberg, TN area, you will not be disappointed. There is so much to do from Dollywood, to the miles upon miles of tourist attractions in the greater tri-city area.

But definitely check out Smokey Mountain Knife Works. Every member of my family had so much fun and all took home something to remember!

 

read the next survival blog post

 

Protein Poisoning or Rabbit Starvation

by Guest Blogger OmegaMan

Many survival books discuss the topic of “Rabbit Starvation”.  The purpose of these articles is to remind the survivalist to keep a mixture of fats and proteins in their survival diet….that is to not just rely on the lean meats and proteins of such lean animals rabbit as a sole food source.

In essence, the stress put on a person during a survival situation, along with a lack of diversified nutrients can cause acute malnutrition if one relies on lean proteins as a food source.  Common symptoms which take about a week to appear are fatigue, headache and most concerning…diarrhea, low blood pressure and heart rate. This is caused by a build-up of urea and ammonia in the body as the kidneys struggle to digest large amounts of lean proteins.

There are stories of people gorging themselves on large quantities of lean meats alone that their stomachs will become distended.

Vilhjalmur Stefansson the Canadian arctic explorer wrote that the people eat till their stomachs are distended; but no matter how much they eat they feel unsatisfied. Some think a man will die sooner if he eats continually of fat-free meat than if he eats nothing, but this is a belief on which sufficient evidence for a decision has not been gathered in the North. Deaths from rabbit-starvation, or from the eating of other skinny meat, are rare; for everyone understands the principle, and any possible preventive steps are naturally taken.

Remember to eat the rabbits liver and brains to get some needed fat. The diarrhea may not go away until fats are added to the diet.

Remember, the real point is to get an intake of various essential nutrients and not just rely on pure protein from rabbits or any other lean meats. When possible, vary your diet with carbs, grains, proteins and important survival fats.

A little unknown fact is that in Air Force Survival  recruits are taught to eat the undigested leaves from the rabbits stomach to also add to their dietary intakes. I am told it tastes like a bitter pesto.

 

What Do Rat Whiskers And Surviving Have in Common?

by Guest Blogger OmegaMan

Psychiatrist Curt RichterEver heard of Psychiatrist Curt Richter? He studied the consequences of emotional stress when trying to survive. He noticed that when living things are subjected to great pressure, many will just give up and die. If the stress was psychological, then why did the subjects mind and body appear to collapse?

In short, Richter was experimenting putting rats in a tub of water. At room temperature the rat could swim about 80 hrs non-stop before giving up. If he stressed the rat by lowering or raising the water temperature or even blowing air into its face, a rat could still swim between 20 and 40 hrs. He also found that once a rat picked its direction, it would generally stick with either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction without changing. Many things from ants to lobsters will do this if one or their antennae or whiskers are cut also.

Richter decided to study the effects on direction by cutting the whiskers on just one side of a rats face. By accident…guess what they discovered? The rat swam for only a few minutes, gave up and sank to the bottom! Just for the record, they actually rescued it.

How could this happen? What effect could cutting whiskers have on survival longevity? Well, upon investigation, it wasn’t so much in the cutting of the whiskers as it was in the procedure. He found that his assistants had un-intentionally frightened and stressed the rat by first capturing it in a firmly held black bag and then dropping it into water. It was the “trauma” induced fear response that had sent the rat into over stimulated exhaustion.

Curt Richter also found if he removed the rat just before sinking, let it rest for a few minutes, the rat would relax and seem to realize it in fact that it could survive. If thrown back into the water, it could swim for hours. If it was allowed to play with the stressful black bag first and then thrown back into the water and rescued several times…its survival training would cause it to perform better than those rats without training. Interesting how this relates to the survivability of humans thrown into their own survival situation.

In summary, it was concluded that momentary “HOPE” had an extreme influence on helping the body & mind, cope with an adverse survival situation.

Remember…Never panic! Never give up…!