Doug Ritter Survival Gear

[Bob Bankhead]

FYI: Just found this doing a search for some stuff.

Doug is a survival specialist (not a survivalist) who redesigns existing gear and gets the manufacturer to make it for him. See all his gear at http://www.equipped.org/dr_gear2.htm#lights.

Among his many items, he has redesigned the newest Photon Freedom light. See it at http://www.equipped.org/dr_photon.htm.

The case is now yellow instead of black so you can find it easily. Magnets have been added to the clip so you can attach it to any steel surface. A tube has been added over the bulb to block light side-scatter. Same price as the original Freedom.

[Brett .]

Bob,
Thanks for bringing up “survival” gear. I met Doug Ritter, and participated in one of his tests. He is a leading expert on survival gear (as you said, most definetly not a survivalist). His factory produced modifications to the Photon light, the Fox 40 whistle, etc.. show an attention to detail that many of us at this site could appreciate; as do the incredibly detailed analyses of gear on his website. All free, all great reading. I am a lightweight packpacker, but I always carry Doug’s 3.9 ounce ‘pocket survival pack’,a thermal sheet, and a lockback knife in my pocket when hiking. I really wonder when I read about XUL backpackers carrying just a mini-bic as their “survival gear”(for example). Preparadness is a balance between the risks, and the mitigation strategy. We should all carry a few ounces of survival gear.

[John S.]

That light came out some months ago. It was mentioned in a BPL article last week as favorite gear for a few BPL staff. I have yet to buy a photon freedom…one of these days.

[Bob Bankhead]

Brett, you are so right. His $27.50 Pocket Survival Pak is great. I’ve seen it at REI.

Read about the kit, what’s in it, how to use it, why some things aren’t in it, survival techniques, etc. at http://www.equipped.org/psp/amk_psp_faq.htm#content_details

Aeromedix.com bundles the PSP with his Photon light for $42 (a saving of 11%), with his knife for $132, and as a threesom for $150, all at a slightly reduced price. The knife, while interesting in its yellow case, is too rich for my blood at $107. He also has a nice little portable cell phone handcrank charger too.

The whistle, signal mirror, and spark ignighter with tinder are also available separately as refills at Aeromedix. I’ll buy the whistle for my wife. http://www.aeromedix.com/index.php?_siteid=aeromedix&action=sku&sku=amkpsp

[Doug Johnson]

Cool survival kit- some great elements in there.

I’ve been using the Doug Ritter light for about 2 years now and I’m a huge fan. The black tube really knocks down scattered light and the yellow is much easier to find in dark duff. Great stuff!

[J R]

I have this kit.

Its very well done. It is NOT complete, as even Ritter himself will say, but it has everything you need to improvise your way to safety.

Add in a good knife, a space blanket, a few waterproof matches (WITH the striker), and maybe some PotableAqua tabs wrapped in tin foil and you have a pretty good kit.

Definatly worth the money – if you tried to replicate this kit with seperatly bought items of equal quality, you would spend at LEAST as much, and probably alot more.

PS (that happens to be longer than my actual post) – whats with this “not a survivalist” BS non-sense? People – including Ritter – need to get over the label-me-this-label-me-that kindergarten crap. If your a student of survival, be it modern, primitive, post apocolyptic, or specialty, you ARE a survivalist.

From wikipedia – “A survivalist is a person who anticipates a potential disruption in the continuity of local, regional or worldwide society, and takes steps to survive in the resulting unpredictable situation.”.

So, if its a nuclear war or a plane crash, if you are a person who anticipates and takes care to overcome a disruption in your particular version of “the status quo” you ARE a survivalist.

Dont think Ritter is a survivalist? Check out his disater prep kit packing lists.

Dont get sucked into the oggie boogie media propoganda machine that says that to be a “survivalist” also means your some sort of Unabomber nutjob. Hell, the unabomber wasnt even a survivalist, he was a Luddite. BIG difference.

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