Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit
If you were forced to survive in the wilderness using only what you had in your pockets, do you think you’d make it?
There are a wide range of pocket-size survival kits on the market that purportedly would allow you to do just that. We were curious about their quality. So, we did what we always do: we bought one and decided to put it to the test.
The Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit is lightweight and compact, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand yet able to contain an impressive array of survival supplies. After spending some time with the Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit, I have to admit that there’s a lot I like about it, and a few things I’d like to see improved upon.
Survival Kit Contents
The Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit weighs just 180 grams (6.35 ounces) and is advertised as containing “more than 40 essential items.” Let’s take a look at those items one by one, shall we?
Metal Container
Let’s start with the container in which the Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit is packaged. It’s a metal tin (aluminum, I assume), measuring 4.33” x 2.76” x 1.57”. It has a whole range of potential uses, from cooking and boiling water to digging and making a reflector signal. It’s not waterproof, for what it’s worth, but it’s a great multi-purpose container.
Emergency Whistle and Fire Striker
The two-in-one emergency whistle and fire striker are exactly as advertised. The whistle makes a clear, loud and piercing tone, and the ferrocerium rod and steel striker throw a good spark.
Water Resistant Red LED
This is a nice little light, and the included batteries seem to be fully charged. The red light is useful for finding your way around after dark, and the water-resistent band around it is a nice touch. I also like that the light has a lanyard hole so you can attach it to a backpack, key ring or hang it inside your shelter as needed.
Mini Light Sticks
These are the tiniest glow sticks ever! Each one is supposed to glow for 4 hours, giving you 8 hours of emergency light total. I cracked one, and it lights up just as it should, with a luminous chartreuse-colored glow. It’s not what you’d call a dazzling amount of light, but definitely not bad for something the size of a matchstick.
Liquid Filled Compass
It’s a nice little compass. It’s plastic, nothing fancy, but it points north, which is about all I can ask a compass to do.
Reflective TACTI-GLOW Paracord (2m)
The 2-meter length of 7-strand, 550lb paracord is a great inclusion. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is no end to the ways that paracord can be useful in a survival situation. It’s great stuff.
Wire Steel Saw
I’ve always had mixed feelings about wire saws. Personally, I find that using a piece of wood to fashion one into a bow saw is more effective than trying to saw a limb just by pulling it back and forth with one’s hands. Unfortunately, the tension created by trying to make a bow saw was enough to break the wire steel saw that came with this kit, rendering it essentially useless. Pretty disappointing.
Waterproof Paper (1 Sheet)
My kit came with one very small piece of waterproof paper, measuring about 3.75” x 4.5”. Actually I’m pretty sure it’s half a sheet, as it’s clearly part of a page from a little notebook that was cut in half. It’s perfectly good quality waterproof paper, a little more of it would be nice. It’s not like a whole sheet would have taken up too much space.
Pencil
The kit contains a basic lead pencil, about 3.5 inches long. You can, of course, use it for writing notes on the included waterproof paper, but pencils can have all kinds of uses in a survival situation. Shavings from the pencil can make great tinder.
Copper Snare Wire (1m)
A 1-meter length of 0.6mm diameter (23 gauge) copper wire is included in the kit, with the intention that it can be used to fashion a snare. It’s adequate for catching very small game like squirrels and possibly rabbits, but I’d like to have something a little stronger. Copper is a very soft metal, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that it’ll hold something even as small as an adult rabbit without breaking. Swapping in some galvanized steel wire might be a good call.
Sewing Kit
The sewing kit contains one needle, two buttons, one one safety pin, and 6 different colors of thread (not sure how long the threads are). It’s pretty basic, but would be handy for a variety of repairs in a survival situation.
Paperclips (2) and Safety Pins (2)
You also get a pair of paperclips and a pair of safety pins (separate from the one in the sewing kit), which can come in handy in all kinds of surprising ways. Use them to hang clothing, repair a zipper pull, help hold a shelter together, splint a broken toe, you name it.
Ranger Bands (2)
Ranger bands are basically heavy-duty rubber bands that are made to be more durable and hold up to repeated use. They have a wide range of potential uses (secure gear, attach a tourniquet, make a non-slip grip). The kit supposedly comes with one small band and one large one, though I’m pretty sure the ones I got are both the same size.
Water Carrier
The “water carrier” included in the Limitless Equipment survival kit is a condom. Aside from the possibility of getting lucky in the wilderness—may the odds be ever in your favor—it has a lot of other potential uses. It makes a perfect water carrier, but can also be used as a flotation device or to waterproof sensitive items like tinder or electronics.
Water Filter Kit
The kit includes two water purification tablets and one coffee filter. The former are good for making sure water is safe to drink; the latter is good for filtering out sediment prior to drinking.
Tinder Extender in Vial
This is a little plastic vial of petroleum jelly, which is a great help for starting fires. Adding it to your tinder can extend flame life, and is especially useful in windy conditions.
First Aid kit
The exact contents of the “First Aid” potion of this kit might vary slightly. Mine came with a 5cm x 5cm wound dressing pad, an alcohol swab, a sterile single-use surgical blade, and… that’s it. I wouldn’t want these to be my only medical supplies if I found myself in a dire situation, but I suppose it’s better than nothing.
Fishing Kit
Sealed in its own zipper bag, you’ll find a fishing hook tied to an 8-meter length of 6 lb. fishing line, spooled around a foam winder with floats, a sinker, and a pair of grib-like soft plastic lures. We published our own guide to making a survival fishing kit a while back, and I’m partial to my own, but this is a pretty good start.
Tampon
Tampons are great in a survival situation. It’s about the most absorbent material known to man, so it’s amazing for dressing a wound. It also makes good tinder should the need arise, or can be used as a wick for a makeshift candle. I’m glad to see that one is included here.
Tin Foil
A 30 square cm sheet of tin foil is another nice inclusion. You can use it to cook on, to collect and boil water, as a signal, or to keep things dry. A small strip of it can be attached to a hook to make a fishing lure. You never know when it will come in handy.
Extras
My kit also came with a few extras that were not in the product description: two bullion cubes, and packets of sugar and salt. Call it a bonus!
Final Thoughts on the Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit
The contents of this survival kit vary widely in quality and usefulness, but overall it offers a solid range of supplies. The emphasis here is definitely on quantity over quality, and there is a certain advantage to that. If one were to attempt to survive using only the contents of this kit, it’s not a bad thing to have a lot of different items, many of which can serve multiple purposes.
And hey, there’s no law that says you can’t open this kit up and customize it. Take a few things out, add a few of your own, and make it work for you. Additional first aid supplies would be nice.
The Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit isn’t meant to include every single thing one could ever need to survive. There’s no shelter component, and the kit is designed with the assumption that the person using it will also be carrying some sort of knife or multi-tool.
And yea, the saw broke the first time I tried to use it. So there’s that.
Given the constraints of the size of this kit, I’d say it does a decent job covering as many bases as possible. If you want a larger or more in-depth kit, there are certainly some available (and for what it’s worth, Limitless Equipment also makes a lot of other gear that pairs well with this kit).
But if you want a survival kit that fits in your pocket and weighs less than your iPhone, you could do a lot worse than the Limitless Equipment Mark 1 Survival Kit.
Alan Dale is an experienced backpacker and adventure sports athlete who pays the bills by writing. Married with a small brood, Alan often has his kids in tow on many of his adventures. You can visit Alan here: https://siralandale.com/
