Don’t let its size fool you. This is one very big survival kit in a very small package.
The motto of Solkoa, a small, veteran-owned survival equipment company based in Colorado Springs, Colo., is “Preparing our nation’s best for the world’s worst.” It has, for the past nine years, been providing the highest levels of our government’s military programs with survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) equipment with capabilities to meet the standards to be used in the country’s most clandestine operations. The very name, Solkoa, is a portmanteau of solus, meaning alone or uninhabited, and koa, which is Hawaiian for warrior.
For years, its equipment has been contracted with the government and not available to the general public; that is, until 2008, when it began to offer limited run equipment in three categories: survival kits, fire starters and SUMA containers. This year, it introduced the SUMA Professional Personal Survival Kit (PSK), 28 professional-grade survival tools in a compact nylon bag, aimed at survival and resistance for those avid outdoorsmen who require a quality kit with the best Solkoa has to offer.
The nylon pouch holds an orange emergency blanket, a 60-cubic-inch waterproof LOKSAK storage bag, two Fastfire tinders, and the waterproof SUMA container, which holds everything else. The 6061 anodized aluminum container is suitable for cooking (the small holds just over eight ounces of liquid) and is strong enough to be used as a digging tool. It is available in four colors: black, tan, red, orange, and comes in two sizes, small (2½x4x1½ inches) or large (3x5x1½ inches).
For navigation and rescue, an ACR WW-3 orange whistle rated at more than 100 decibels and the credit card-size signal mirror with reflective tape on its reverse are included, along with a 14mm compass that glows in the dark.
With long-term survival built into its design, the PSK is one of the few that provide first-aid essentials with the inclusion of 0.5 grams of antibiotic ointment, a small glass pill bottle, and a 2×2-inch medical-grade pad. There is a 3.5-inch saw blade with no handle and a compact IDL multi-tool wrapped in a noise-suppressing piece of inner tube. Made of stainless steel, it has three screwdrivers, a bottle opener, tweezers, wire cutters/strippers, a knife, a file and pliers.
Starting a fire is made easier with the NATO-type waterproof matches (with a striker), four pieces of cotton tinder, a ferro rod, and the credit card-size fresnel lens. The six water purification tablets are enough to clean six liters of water, while the very complete fishing kit (line, weights, hooks, and floats) might help provide a meal. Barring that, there’s a traditional P-38 “John Wayne” can opener if you’ve packed your own.
To see in the dark, the button-style flashlight’s LED is bright. A few surprising items are weather-resistant paper and a small pencil to take notes or write a short journal, and the 6 feet of highstrength cord and 24 inches of thin wire can be used the tie up most anything, while the 2×24 inches of duct tape has a multitude of uses. The sewing needle can be coupled with the fishing line to make clothing repairs or even, perhaps, to close wounds.
There are many survival kits on the market, but you would be hardpressed to find one as complete, compact, and useful as this one.
Size: 8x6x2 inches
Weight: 453 grams (1 pound)
Price: $124.99
Small Kit
- SUMA container, small
- Nylon zipper pouch
- Emergency fishing kit
- Emergency blanket
- Emergency sewing kit
- Duct tape
- P-38 can opener
- Kevlar line
- IDL mini multi-tool
- Steel wire
- Thread/line, 14 pound test
- Cotton pad
- Antibiotic ointment packet
- Personal medicine vial
- Button compass
- Emergency signaling mirror
- Photon II LED micro light
- Emergency whistle
- Pencil with eraser
- Fresnel lens magnifier
- Five sheets “Rite in the Rain” paper
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Included are several ways to start and maintain a fire, as there are usually several situations in which a fire is needed, and not all of them require the same methods. The matches and striker, as well as the cotton tinder, are both sealed in a waterproof bag, while the FastFire tinder is individually sealed.Emergency matches - Four fire tinder tabs
- Two fire tinder cubes (FastFire)
- Sparking flint rod
- Six water purification tablets
- Waterproof bag – 9×6 inches
Additional components in the large kit:
- SUMA container, large
- Type III nylon cord
- Folding razor blade 18mm baseplate compass (replaces button compass)
- Two additional fire tinder cubes (FastFire)
- Two additional water purification tablets
- Additional waterproof bag – 9×10 inches
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the December 2014 print issue of American Survival Guide.