SEAL Team Six SUMA Survival Kit Review

If your looking for the most bad ass wicked military gear on the planet – no one has the better gear than SEAL Team Six.

These guys have an unlimited budget and are the ultimate description of “High Speed Low Drag”.

They get to test exotic weapons and gear before it is released to the rest of Special Forces.

The inside scoop is that the U.S. Navy has purchased 300 SUMA survival kits for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) aka SEAL Team 6. The SUMA kit is made by SOLKOA.

SUMA Survival Kit Review
This small and compact survival kit has recently been in the news as DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six) picked up several cases of these bad boys.

The FastFire SUMA Containers are a little pricey but when you consider you can cook and boil water out of the container it comes in– this is not your normal Altoids tin survival kit.

Pretty much has everything you need when the SH*T Hits the Fan.

You can buy the container for $59 or slowly build your own supplies.

The mac daddy fully loaded case ($120 plus) has a ton of survival gear.

List of the contents you can put in the hard case:

Compact Multi-Tool
This tool packs a punch and easy to fit in a small case for quick travel.

You will want to make room for this mini-tool to fit in the case so that you will have room for other goodies.

I like that it has twelve functions scissors and pliers, fine edge blade, serrated blade, bottle opener, medium flat driver, small flat driver, cross driver, file and retractable lanyard. This Gerber Dime multi-tool is just the right size for a survival kit.

Check out the SGPT Review of the Gerber Dime.

FERRO  ROD

I like to keep a ferro rod handy if I am out in the woods. Its just a stick of magnesium that doenst take up much room. Perfect for getting sparks when you need it to start a fire.

I take cotton balls with some vaseline on them. I fluff out the cotton ball and use the ferro-rod to throw a spark.

It lights up instantly and the light coating of vaseline helps it burn much longer.

I like to have this as a backup in case my lighter goes bad or gets wet. Having a ferro rod is a nice handy tool that you can use to your advantage.

Water Purification Tablets

In a nutshell, use according to the directions and you’ll be just fine. If you decide to be lazy and not use them you will have a lot of problems.

The Potable Aqua Water Treatment bottle contains 50 tablets; you use two per quart of water.

In really murky water, I use three. The active ingredient is Tetraglycine Hydroperiodide 16.7% and each tablet contains 6.68% of Titratable Iodine.

This is the same stuff that I used in the military and you dont want to try and drink jungle water if you dont have these tablets. You will end up with bad diarreah and vomiting and be a liability to your platoon.

Electrolytes

You will want to add a few electrolyte tablets in your survival kit. You can break them up into portions and add them to your water. This will give you vital salt that your body is losing due to excess heat.

I believe hydrating and fueling should be independent of each other. Nuun sport hydration allows me to hydrate according to the varying needs of each training session, without introducing sugars to my system. I can then manage my fueling (I only use Gu) in a controlled manner.

Starflash Signal Mirror 
Sturdy, unbreakable and scratch-resistant. It’s a lightweight addition to any kit and will serve its purpose. It can be seen for miles. Make sure you practice aiming with this as it can get a little bit tricky with the angles.

Overall the StarFlash Emergency Signal Mirror is an excellent device. The only thing that I can see is that it doesn’t have a hole large enough to thread straight 550 paracord through it so you have to improvise and possibly use the inner strands as a loop.

Emergency Blanket

I carried an extra Emergency Mylar Thermal Blanket in my ruck as a just in case things really got cold and I needed a backup. I have used this more than once on a cold night to cover up with and keep me warm. As a backup I broke out a heat tab and warmed up a cup of dehydrated chicken soup broth and made something hot to drink.

I also tried to push my feet through it (holding on with my hands and with two feet pushing as hard as I could) and all it did was stretch a little but nothing serious. However once it is punched (with a knife on purpose on my part), it will continue ripping fairly easily. Over all this is an excellent, very light weight, cheap price to not freeze in a crumby situation. (one side silver other side blaze orange)

Compass

Of all the button compasses I’ve ever had in my life, this is absolutely the BEST one I have ever owned. I don’t know how those people in Finland did it because this little thing is very accurate, contains no air bubbles, and spins easily.

It’s not meant to replace your main compass, obviously, but it’s tough, accurate, small, and clips anywhere. The Suunto Clipper Compassis a bit of a challenge getting it clipped onto the edge of something, but that’s okay because you know the compass isn’t going to fall off and get lost. I bought a cheap map case at Wal-mart for keeping topo maps dry, and this compass is clipped to the edge. I already own several and will probably order more.

LED Thumb Light

I’ve unfortunately bought several other brands and types of this relatively simple device. And I’ve paid WAY too much for some of them that broke easily or had other significant problems.

This gem works exactly like it promises. The LRI AR Photon LED Micro-Light design is simple and durable, avoiding some of the delicate parts that other LED keychain lights sometimes use. These other lights might look “cooler”, but I’ve found they are prone to breaking

Kevlar Cord
(yellow or green in color)

4 safety pins

Can Opener

This item takes up very little space but is indispensable for opening cans of food so that you can eat. Pretty important stuff.

I still have a p38 from 25 years ago and it still works just fine.

Pack of antibiotic ointment. This could become one of the most important items if you scratch your skin or get a thorn in your foot.

You will want to prevent infection and get back up and moving.

A small tube of Neosporin Antibiotic Ointment can go a long way to help you prevent the pain of infection.

2 feet of stainless steel wire

26″ Duct tape (brown or green)

Fresnal magnifying lens

4 Sheets of Waterproof notepaper (desert tan color)

Pressurized ink pen

2″ x 2.5″ cotton pad

2 liter water storage bag

Backup items if your looking just for SOLKOA brands:

Description: Solkoa’s Ultralight Multi-purpose Aluminum container is engineered to withstand the worst of conditions and to be used for multiple purposes. Designed for the minimalist, the ultra-lightweight enclosures are machined out of billet 6061 aluminum, which makes them four times lighter than stainless steel and half the weight of titanium.

Lower-end survival kit containers in the commercial marketplace are manufactured out of tin. Although inexpensive in cost, they provide little protection for the high-end survival tools within your kit.

The SOMA containers are hard anodized to be suitable for cooking over any heat source – and rigid enough for digging. They have undergone the most rigorous testing and are used by outdoor professionals worldwide. Specifications: Outside dimensions: 2-1/2″w x 4″l x 1-1/2″d Weight: 3.1oz. Type of Material: 6061 aluminum.

Question: Who makes the container? It is made by SOLKOA.

Question: How can I find out more info on going the US Navy SEALs? Check out the website here:

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