Gear Pods Modular Survival System (Photo Heavy)

[mistwalker 0]

I got a new piece of gear some time back that has stayed in my truck, and has gone out with me on all of my trips to the field since. It is a modular emergency survival system called a Gear Pods Wilderness, with each component specialized to a specific need or set of needs. The wilderness kit contains a fire and cooking component, a first aide kit, and a shelter system.

 

 

 

 

 

It came with a canvas carry case that has quick release clips at each end for quick access to either end of the system. It will attach to a pack via a heavy canvas strap with a heavy duty snap fastener.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This system does come with a small cutting tool, more on that later, but the carry case also has a pouch on the side for adding a larger, more substantial tool, and they sell the Ritter RSK MK5 on their site. I happen to already have one. The Becker BK-13 Remora will also fit as will larger folder like a Wenger Ranger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of the components is marked with a universal symbol for the contents within, and the case is set up to be market with matching symbols for easy identification of contents, a handy thing if multiple kits are involved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nodular system consists of multiple polycarbonate containers and polypropylene terminators and connectors. The containers open at either end and can be connected in various configurations to suit personal needs. The contents all come in their own stuff sacks so the contents can be removed and the containers used for transporting other things like water if needs be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are also empty containers and terminators available in three lengths; small-1.5”, medium- 3”, large-4.5”, and extra large-6”. All container are 3.25” outside diameter of terminators with an inside diameter of 2.75”. They can even be stored in two pieces in the nylon sleeve so you have more lids available and more options. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each component comes with a list of contents, and I keep the first aid kit on the end for quick access. The FAK is a simple one but fairly comprehensive. However it also has room for adding some user specific items. For example I am going to add some acetaminophen and benadryl to mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While it does come with matches, a Spark-Lite, and a fresnel lens. The system marked fire component is a more complex than just fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spark-Lit and tinder-quick work really, and even works well in damp conditions, and can be used effectively with just one hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATO matches and strikers individually sealed in a plastic pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signal mirror

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water purification tabs and a folding, free-standing, sealable, and reusable water container.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safety pins, needle, fish hooks, and split shots

 

 

 

 

 

Spark-Lite, Tinder Quick, Esbit fuel, Fox 40 whistle, duct tape, and nylon cordage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folding knife and saw, cordage, wire, flash light, pencil and paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stove system has worked really well the times I’ve used it to heat up some bullion on the trail. Brought the water to a boil quickly and maintained it for a full seven minutes, do not over fill the cup to avoid a boil-over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shelter system comes with a 4.5’ x 6.5’ silicon-coated, rip-stop nylon tarp with nine fastening loops, nylon cordage, line tensioners, and a milar thermal blanket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a simple lean-to starting with the ridge line only making cuts in the cord as I got the ridge line up and the corners tied down. Had I used a ridge pole I may have been able to save on cordage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tarp has reinforced corners, and heavy stitching on the tie downs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some photos of the lean-to up. Not a huge shelter by any means, but considering I am 6’-2” tall and weigh roughly 270 pounds, it’s definitely large enough to help one escape the worst of wet weather, and get out of some cold wind. Supplemented with another small tarp, a heat sheets e blanket, or some natural materials, a fairly substantial shelter could be fashioned relatively quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has a high degree of visibility from decent distances too.

 

 

 

 

 

All in all I think it’s a great little kit. I think it’s perfect for my needs of a comprehensive kit for dealing with contingencies on my wilderness outings. I can see where it could work well for people on SAR crews as well. And the empty containers option is a good one for people who already have the gear and just want to make up a good modular system for carrying it to the field.

 

 

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[simpleman 0]

That's pretty cool. They sure are proud of them though. "Just the pods" option will prolly be popular.

[mistwalker 0]

That's pretty cool. They sure are proud of them though. "Just the pods" option will prolly be popular.

 

I thinks it's really cool. True, they aren't exactly cheap...then again neither was my truck, or my knives, or most of my other gear, or the value I place on my time...

[oldfatguy 0]

Awesome information, Mist.  I've read up on those and wondered how well they would work.  I love the modular design.  Thanks for passing along some really useful information (once again!)!  

 

You seem to manage to find all the cool stuff (if you'd want to do a tutorial on how you do that, I'd be all over it!!)!

[Snow Walker 1]

Very good post and I like what I see!  Thanks alot for adding another item to my gear whore list :reallymad:

 

I noticed the signal mirror is a quality one, I can tell by the grid sight and how it's designed.

 

Very nice system!

 

 

[KentuckyWoodsman 1]

From the pictures it appears to be decent quality too.

[Swede 4]

Good content Mist and thanks for the trouble and time doing this.  :thumbup:

[mistwalker 0]

Thanks for all the kind words guys, glad you enjoyed the post. I try not to get this picture crazy most of the time, but this is a complex system.

 

I thinks it's really cool. True, they aren't exactly cheap...then again neither was my truck, or my knives, or most of my other gear, or the value I place on my time...

 

Just to clarify this, the bolded part was brought about by another's coments somewhere else on it being cheaper to build their own kit. I like the containers in this system, and when I looked into going the build it myself route using G.P. containers I was at $156.00 and multiple orders on the internet or driving to multiple locations to get most of the stuff and that didn't even include a stove at that price. It didn't take me but a few minutes to realize how much cheaper and more convenient it was just to buy the system. The components are well made and I'm really happy with the product.

[Muddy Pete 0]

I like the fact that it' s modular. Lots of of options there. How heavy is it? and do you have a link?

[Tatonka 0]

Great review on the Gear Pods Mist. That is a great looking system to have placed in your vehicle or pack/packs. great for people who want a survival kit system or for one's that have the gear already but want another system to have for other times when you may not have your kit with you. Most have more than 1 pack and sometimes we do forget to place our kit in the other pack/packs. So that gives people a great way to have a quality survival system to carry or place in their other pack/packs or for the first time buyer looking for a survival kit.

 

[razor sharp 0]

i might have missed it but what is the price for it mistwalker. most modular systems you purchase weather it be survival kits, bicycles, tools even,  you pay less by purchasing the whole kit from a place like the one that makes those pods. they get discounts from the manufaturer that we regular folks dont get. so if you peice it together yourself you will almost allways pay more. i like to personalize my kits alot for different senerios (car camping, backpacking, vacation trip in december, etc.) but for a buy it, stash it, pull it out if you need it i have to say i like that system. 

[Guest smallgamehunter]

looks to be a decent system

 

that would make an awesome kit for a vehicle or even to carry backpacking i like the minimalist approach of it

[mistwalker 0]

Awesome information, Mist.  I've read up on those and wondered how well they would work.  I love the modular design.  Thanks for passing along some really useful information (once again!)!  

 

You seem to manage to find all the cool stuff (if you'd want to do a tutorial on how you do that, I'd be all over it!!)!

 

Thanks OFG, glad you liked it, I like the kit quite well.

 

These days it usually finds me

 

 

Very good post and I like what I see!  Thanks alot for adding another item to my gear whore list :reallymad:

 

I noticed the signal mirror is a quality one, I can tell by the grid sight and how it's designed.

 

Very nice system!

 

 

 

Thank you, for a keep in the truck grab and go kit I like it a lot. By attaching to the side of my pack it frees up a LOT of room in my pack. A lot of the components are AMK, like the mirror, or the same ones used in AMK and Doug Ritter kits which have historically used good stuff.

 

 

From the pictures it appears to be decent quality too.

 

All of the components are good quality kit.

 

 

 

 

I like the fact that it' s modular. Lots of of options there. How heavy is it? and do you have a link?

 

That was one of the big draws for me too, I like lots of options The weight is 28 oz.

 

Here is a link to this particular kit, they have others on the site though.

 

http://www.gearpods.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MK-3

 

 

Great review on the Gear Pods Mist. That is a great looking system to have placed in your vehicle or pack/packs. great for people who want a survival kit system or for one's that have the gear already but want another system to have for other times when you may not have your kit with you. Most have more than 1 pack and sometimes we do forget to place our kit in the other pack/packs. So that gives people a great way to have a quality survival system to carry or place in their other pack/packs or for the first time buyer looking for a survival kit.

 

 

Thanks Tonk, my thoughts exactly!

 

 

i might have missed it but what is the price for it mistwalker. most modular systems you purchase weather it be survival kits, bicycles, tools even,  you pay less by purchasing the whole kit from a place like the one that makes those pods. they get discounts from the manufaturer that we regular folks dont get. so if you peice it together yourself you will almost allways pay more. i like to personalize my kits alot for different senerios (car camping, backpacking, vacation trip in december, etc.) but for a buy it, stash it, pull it out if you need it i have to say i like that system. 

 

The price for this one is $165.00. That's exactly what I ran into when I started looking at the do-it-yourself option, higher prices.

 

And yep, that was the idea, something I could keep handy or grab and go, that didn't weigh a lot and still gave me something to work with. I spend a LOT of times miles from the nearest paved road.

 

 

looks to be a decent system

 

that would make an awesome kit for a vehicle or even to carry backpacking i like the minimalist approach of it

 

Could also be a good light weight kit for SAR work.

[simpleman 0]

I hope I didn't come off in the wrong way. I think the G.P.'s are a great idea. I like the idea of having a kit in the truck that is compact. My truck is a rolling fortress with all my gear stuffed in it. It would take me a few minutes to get it all gathered up should I need to leave it behind(which I would hate to do).  I also agree you can't put a price on good equipment.

I just wanted to clarify that I didn't intend on being negative in any way. I figured more along the lines of most of us already have a lot of this equipment just needed the containers.

[mistwalker 0]

I hope I didn't come off in the wrong way. I think the G.P.'s are a great idea. I like the idea of having a kit in the truck that is compact. My truck is a rolling fortress with all my gear stuffed in it. It would take me a few minutes to get it all gathered up should I need to leave it behind(which I would hate to do).  I also agree you can't put a price on good equipment.

I just wanted to clarify that I didn't intend on being negative in any way. I figured more along the lines of most of us already have a lot of this equipment just needed the containers.

 

It's probably me who should say I meant no offense. Granted many of us do, but I have noticed a major influx in people new to the study taking interest.

[Tatonka 0]

I like the fact that you can also build on the modular system also. They have a pod for the emergency bivy also. Their other systems look good also. Am going to definately order a couple to give to others so they have a good start on a kit. Up here you need to have a kit with you. I am also looking into adding that to the 4 wheeler so no matter what your never without a kit. And being in pods your kit stays dry and dust free. Which we have a lot of dust.

 

 

[Holly 0]

I love the fact that you take the time to test out the gear thoroughly before you ever make any recommendations.  :yes:  Thank you for taking the time to take the pictures, then posting them so we can see what is included in these Gear Pods. 

 

You know what a gear-junky I am.  I want one of these to go in Zippy, my little Kia here in England.  :hugegrin:

[mistwalker 0]

I like the fact that you can also build on the modular system also. They have a pod for the emergency bivy also. Their other systems look good also. Am going to definately order a couple to give to others so they have a good start on a kit. Up here you need to have a kit with you. I am also looking into adding that to the 4 wheeler so no matter what your never without a kit. And being in pods your kit stays dry and dust free. Which we have a lot of dust.

 

 

 

Yeah, I love how you can get a kit or mix and match and build your own. I definitely love the container system.

 

 

I love the fact that you take the time to test out the gear thoroughly before you ever make any recommendations.  :yes:  Thank you for taking the time to take the pictures, then posting them so we can see what is included in these Gear Pods. 

 

You know what a gear-junky I am.  I want one of these to go in Zippy, my little Kia here in England.  :hugegrin:

 

Thank you Holly, I really like this system, and think they make a great kit to keep stored in a vehicle.

[Adi 0]

Nice review Misty, I left it a bit before commenting because as you know I have a connection to Gearpods as a distributor and helped select contents of the survival pod

 

The kit is great. All of the items in the kit are quality items which meet the requirements of use, functionality and cost. Gearpods are one of the only survival kits on the market that come with both a shelter and cooking elements. Ok some people will argue that its hardly a pocket survival kit but my answer is it is a complete survival kit which is a compromise between the each fundamental survival skill and size. I can assure you it is one of the smallest survival kits off the peg you can buy which answers all the survival needs. And, it is not much more expensive than the Ritter Pocket Survival Pak which comes with a long lists of what you should add to make it better!

 

I love the tarp, it is one of the best signal panels I have ever seen and its multi use.

     

 

[sh4d0wm4573ri7 0]

Nice bit of kit and great job on the step by step