For those serious about wilderness preparedness, the search for a truly comprehensive and high-quality survival kit can be a challenging endeavor. Many kits promise readiness but often fall short on durability or crucial functionality. Stepping into this demanding arena, the ESEE Advanced Survival Kit commands attention. As highlighted in the video above, this kit is not designed for a quick dash home; instead, it provides the robust tools needed to not just survive but genuinely thrive in extended wilderness scenarios. Carrying a price tag well above $500, it makes a bold statement about its quality and intended purpose, positioning itself as a top-tier option for dedicated bushcrafters, survivalists, and outdoor adventurers.
ESEE, renowned for its commitment to rugged, practical gear and its background as a legitimate survival school, packs this kit with meticulous attention to detail. Every component reflects a deep understanding of what it takes to endure the elements, procure resources, and manage emergencies when far from civilization. This detailed breakdown explores the various elements of this advanced survival kit, offering insights into its design, functionality, and why it stands out in a crowded market.
The Foundation: A Robust Carrying System
The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit starts with its carrier: a heavy-duty Cordura bag. This material is widely recognized for its excellent resistance to abrasions, tears, and scuffs, making it ideal for harsh outdoor environments. The bag features ample MOLLE webbing, allowing for external customization and attachment to other gear like backpacks or vehicle panels. A substantial carrying handle and a versatile sling strap system further enhance its portability, adapting to different carrying preferences.
One innovative feature is the removable map pouch, secured by Velcro. This section unfolds to reveal a waterproof casing, perfectly designed to protect maps from the elements. It even includes a small flap to secure the entrance against water ingress. This pouch is remarkably compact, fitting comfortably into a cargo pocket, and includes a dedicated slot for a pen. Additionally, a metal clip provides a crucial security measure, allowing you to tether the map pouch to your main pack, preventing loss in dense undergrowth.
Essential Medical Preparedness
Beyond navigation, immediate medical attention is paramount in the wilderness. The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit integrates this critical aspect with two Israeli bandages located in a secondary zip compartment. These highly effective field dressings are considered among the best for managing serious injuries in remote settings. Their multi-functional design allows them to serve as a primary dressing, a pressure applicator, a secondary dressing, and a closure device, making them invaluable for staunching blood flow and protecting wounds. Learning their proper application can be life-saving.
The Heart of the Kit: The ESEE-4 Survival Knife
Perhaps the most iconic item in the kit is the ESEE-4 knife. Encased in a durable Kydex sheath with a bright orange handle for high visibility, this knife is a proper workhorse. It features a convex bevel, known for holding an exceptional edge and excelling at both heavy-duty tasks and fine carving. Survival and bushcraft enthusiasts have long praised the ESEE-4 for its resilience.
Measuring approximately a 4-inch blade with a thick 4 to 5 mm spine, the ESEE-4 is a full-tang knife, meaning the blade extends through the entire handle, ensuring maximum strength and durability. Jimping on the spine provides a secure thumb grip, while a comfortable finger choil allows users to choke up on the blade for precise tasks. Testing it on tough oak and ash firewood, the knife effortlessly handled batoning and splitting, demonstrating its robust construction. The convex grind also proves superior for tasks like filleting fish or skinning game, creating clean cuts without the “butchery” often associated with steeper Scandi grinds on such delicate operations.
Illumination and Visibility
Navigating or working in low-light conditions requires reliable illumination. The ESEE kit includes a Petzl Tikina head torch, a dependable and compact light source. This head torch offers three brightness settings: a low “firefly” mode, a medium setting, and a bright mode, covering most wilderness lighting needs. Its rotating head allows for precise light direction, and it locks securely into place.
Complementing the head torch is a small, green button torch. These compact lights are excellent for discreet map reading or signaling, offering both momentary and constant-on functionality with a clever catch. The green light minimizes disruption to night vision, which is a significant advantage in nocturnal wilderness activities.
Water Security: Purification & Storage
Access to safe drinking water is fundamental for survival. The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit addresses this with multiple well-packed water collection bags. These medical-grade bags feature a wire closure system and are designed for portability, offering four 1-liter carrying options without the bulk of traditional water bottles. Users fill a bag with water, add two Potable Aqua germicidal tablets (the kit includes 50 to 100 tablets), seal it, and wait the recommended 30 minutes for purification.
The Potable Aqua tablets effectively kill bacteria and viruses, making untreated water safe to drink. This multi-bag system is a highly efficient and space-saving method for managing water needs in the field, ensuring continuous access to potable water.
Comprehensive Shelter & Signaling
Protection from the elements and the ability to signal for help are critical survival components. The kit contains a bright orange indoor emergency survival blanket, measuring a substantial 48 inches by 84 inches (120 cm x 213 cm). This blanket reflects body heat, offers protection from water, and its vibrant color makes it highly visible for rescue. It can be used as a poncho, a simple tarp shelter using its metal eyelets (spaced about every foot), or even folded to create a ground sheet for insulation.
Further enhancing shelter options, the kit includes two 45-gallon trash bags. These seemingly simple items are incredibly versatile. They can serve as makeshift ponchos during unexpected rain, or be filled with leaves and natural debris to create an insulated, albeit rustic, mattress. Their multi-purpose utility makes them an essential, lightweight addition to any survival pack.
Beyond Basic Utility: Climbing & Cordage
For navigating challenging terrain or setting up complex shelters, specialized cordage is invaluable. The kit provides 25 feet of 8 mm climbing-grade rope, boasting an impressive tensile strength of 4,200 pounds. This robust rope is capable of full ascents and descents, making it suitable for a variety of tasks where strength and reliability are paramount. Crucially, it comes with a proper climbing-grade carabiner, not a decorative imitation, ensuring safety and integrity in demanding situations.
Additionally, the kit includes 140-pound test ballistic trip line. This super-strong cordage offers a high strength-to-weight ratio, making it useful for perimeter security, setting up tripwires, or other applications requiring a tough, discreet line.
The Mess Tin Survival Kit: A Kit Within a Kit
Within the larger ESEE Advanced Survival Kit lies another treasure trove: the Mess Tin Survival Kit. This standalone kit, valued at approximately £250, is a testament to ESEE’s thoroughness. It’s so comprehensive that it almost functions as a complete survival system on its own, and the mess tin itself can be used to boil water or its lid as a signaling mirror.
Navigation and Information
A standout item is the Survival Navigation Waterproof Notebook. ESEE, as a survival school, excels in providing detailed instructional materials. This notebook contains a wealth of information: how to travel along an azimuth, read contour lines, build fires, use ground-to-air signals, and tips for escape and evasion. It also includes sections on river crossing, declination, map scales, and grid paper for practical application, making it an indispensable resource for both learning and real-time navigation.
A Suunto base plate compass accompanies the notebook. This is a high-quality, adjustable bezel compass, allowing for accurate bearing readings—far superior to basic button compasses. Additional survival cards cover topics like camouflage and provide further valuable tips.
Fire Starting Essentials
The Mess Tin Kit includes multiple ways to ignite a flame. A Swedish Light My Fire steel is present, known for its reliability and ability to throw hot sparks even in adverse conditions. Waxed jute twine serves as an excellent fire tinder; fluffed up, it readily catches a spark and burns consistently. BCB survival matches, stored in a sealed container with a striking pad and some tinder, offer a waterproof ignition source. Even a fire starting gel is included, burning with a long-lasting, invisible blue flame perfect for igniting stubborn tinder.
Tools and Repair
A wire saw provides an effective means for cutting firewood or small branches. It can be used by hand or converted into a more efficient bow saw using two sticks. Snare wire, typically brass or copper, is included for small game procurement, such as squirrel snares. Ranger tape (marking tape) helps mark routes or trails, ensuring you can find your way back.
A Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, likely a Hunter model, offers a multi-tool solution with various blades, screwdrivers, bottle openers, and more. A comprehensive sewing kit, with thicker needles, is provided for repairing clothing, bags, or other gear, proving vital for maintaining equipment integrity in the field. A large roll of duct tape offers versatile utility for repairs, fire starting, or even makeshift medical uses at a stretch.
Putting Fire to the Test
The video demonstrates the effectiveness of the kit’s fire-starting components. The fire starting gel, once lit, burns with a steady, long-lasting blue flame, ideal for kindling larger fires. It proves incredibly persistent, burning for nearly five to six minutes. The waxed jute twine also shines, easily fluffed up by crushing and twisting, then igniting readily with a spark from the fire steel. Both methods highlight the kit’s robust fire-starting capabilities.
Why Choose the ESEE Advanced Survival Kit?
The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit stands out due to its unwavering commitment to quality and comprehensive design. ESEE’s reputation as a survival school is reflected in every item, ensuring practical functionality over gimmicks. While the high price point is a consideration, it directly correlates with the superior quality of components, many of which are made in the USA. A significant portion of the cost is attributed to the inclusion of the ESEE-4 knife itself, a tool widely regarded as one of the best survival knives available.
This advanced survival kit provides all four core basics for extended wilderness sustainment: effective shelter, reliable fire-starting tools, comprehensive water purification, and robust food procurement methods through fishing and trapping. Unlike many “get-home-quick” bags, this kit is specifically designed for long-term survival in the wild, empowering individuals to manage a range of challenges effectively. It truly equips users to not just survive, but potentially thrive, in remote environments.
Survival at a Premium: Your Questions Answered
What is the ESEE Advanced Survival Kit for?
The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit is a comprehensive collection of high-quality gear designed to help you survive and thrive in extended wilderness situations, not just for a quick trip home.
Who makes the ESEE Advanced Survival Kit?
The kit is made by ESEE, a company renowned for its rugged, practical gear and its background as a legitimate survival school, ensuring every component is designed for real-world use.
What is the main knife included in the kit?
The kit features the ESEE-4 knife, a highly durable and versatile tool known for its strength and ability to handle both heavy-duty tasks and fine carving in the wilderness.
How does the kit help you get safe drinking water?
It includes multiple water collection bags and Potable Aqua germicidal tablets. You can fill a bag with untreated water, add the tablets, wait, and then the water is safe to drink.
What are the core survival needs this kit addresses?
The ESEE Advanced Survival Kit provides essentials for the four core basics of wilderness survival: creating effective shelter, starting reliable fires, purifying water for drinking, and methods for food procurement.
