Anyone who’s spent time in the great outdoors knows the first challenge comes long before stepping foot on a trail. Before you start a fire or protect your food from bears, you need to actually pack your gear. VSSL wants to take a little pain out of your backpack-cramming with their series of outdoor utility tools which come packed in slim and useful cylinders. We checked ‘Supplies’ out to see if you should pre-order one for your next grand adventure.
WHAT IS IT?
An 8″ canister that doubles as a flashlight and includes a compass, beeswax candle, razor blade, six water purification tabs, wire saw, emergency whistle, waterproof matches, fire starters, fishing gear, signalling mirror, Kevlar rope, reflective trail markers, can opener, and first aid supplies.
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
Campers and hikers who understand the importance of efficient packing.
HOW DOES IT FEEL?
Lightweight enough that it won’t be a backpack burden, but solid thanks to the seamless extruded military specification anodized aluminum used for the tube.
WHAT WE LIKED:
Besides a ton of our camping and hiking essentials in one easy to transport container, we really liked the clean and minimal design on each individual canister. It doesn’t look like something you’d buy at a style-challenged outdoor retailer.
WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE:
Some of the containers, especially the wire saw/whistle one, were a bit tricky to pack back up after we used them.
COOLEST FEATURE:
The dual mode LED flashlight can detach from the rest of the cylinder and still operate so you can carry it around as a pocket LED flashlight if you wanted to.
WOULD WE BUY IT?
Yes. In fact, we’d buy the other versions—First Aid, Shelter, and Zombies!—to pack the perfect bag without the bulk for our next outdoor excursion.
GIVEAWAY
Want to win the VSSL Supplies kit we tested out? Comment on this post on Facebook to be entered to win. We’ll pick a winner at random on 11/4/14. Good luck! Comment here.
