Keep2Go

The Keep2Go is a portable PET plastic tube that can be used for different purposes.

The tubes has a screw-on plastic cap that has a hole to thread a lanyward or a cord, a small lanyard with a cord lock is included.

The Keep2Go is available in several sizes from 1.0 to 2.5 oz in several different colors. All the models are TSA safe and can be used to transport liquids on a plane.

The containers can be also used to store food and are dishwasher safe, they float but not if you fill them with something heavy.

Multipurpose plastic containers are useful for small kits, for liquids and medications and are helpful when you are outdoors and can be quite practical for swimming while holding some essentials like cash.

You can read more at the official website.

Cash Can

The cash can is a novelty container designed to keep some cash for emergencies.

The capsule is 1 1/2 Inches Long built in solid brass with a small bar inside. This cool little cash keeper is for just one bill, which is to be folded in thirds, then rolled around the center bar. The center bar with the note is then inserted in the container and through a hole in the top. Then a split ring ot a clip goes through the hole in the bar the bar then can't be removed from the container as long as the splitring or clip is blocking the hole.

Very clever solution and very practical, o-rings at the bottom of the container make it water-proof. You can use it to keep some emergency cash in your keychain, or as a very elegant gift. The design is also practical to store a mini roll of duct tape cut to fit the inner bar or some nylon thread.

We believe a removable ring makes more sense than a split ring in some uses to be able to quickly access the contents without removing the split ring. We really liked this product either to keep some cash, some duct tape or as a gift, it is small, sleek and works great. Our strongest recomendation is that ordering one is not going to be enough.

You can read more and order for $13 from Sunshine products.

Spy Capsule X-Large

This is the X-large version of the popular spy capsules frequently used to carry pills and other small items.

This capsule is about 2 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter, it is opened at the middle and it has an o-ring to make it water resistant. At the top there is a hole with a split ring.

The capsule is large enough to carry AA, AAA or C123 batteries, and it can also be used to store money, mini survival kits and other items.

We didn't like the way the capsule opens in two halfs, the space inside would be more usable if the threads were located at the top as in other capsules. When you open it contents will come out unless they are very tight.

The construction in anodized aluminium is very solid and there are several colors available: red, green, blue, black, purpke and gold. The size is probably too big for a keychain but can be used hanging from a backpack or inside a survival bag or kit.

You can order from EDC depot at $7.

JezeBra Pill Fobs

This pillfob is one from the many available designs at Jazebra. The fob is made of medical grade stainless steel. The fob we tested was 12mm in diameter by 50mm long, enough for about 6 or 7 standard sized aspiring tablets.

The fob has o-ring seals to make it water proof and airtight, the construction is very solid and sleek. The stainless steel attachment point is good for a keychain or neck carry, there is no paint to wear if carried in a keychain.

There are models ranging from mini fobs for neck carry to larger capsules that can be used for survival kits or as a water tight container for different things.

You can read more and check the different models following this link. Prices from $18.

HighGear Adventure Plus

This is a multipurpose tool that can be used as a mini survival kit. It has several elements; the two sliding orange wings have a 5x magnifying glass in one wing and a mirror in the other.

The front of the tool is a white LED flashlight, next to it there is a digital thermometer that can display temperature in Celcius or Farenheit. The next element is a liquid filled floating dial compass, at the end opposite the LED light there is a whistle.

In the bottom the tool has a dry storage compartment, that is long and flat so it is useful for matches, some very thin tinder and maybe a folder bill or some paper. Pills may or may not fit depending on their size.

The tool weights 2 oz (56g) and measures 4 3/8'' x 1 1/2'' x 3/4'' (11.1 x 3.8 x 1.9 cm). The flashlight and thermometer are powered by two CR1616 coin cell batteries.

Compared to other similar tools with several elements this seems to be a of a higher quality, the compass is very good, the thermometer works perfectly and the dry compartment is very useful. The whistle is ok to signal for attention and the magnifier works fine and can be used to start a fire if aimed carefully. The mirror is not really suitable for serious signaling.

This is a nice tool offering a good selection of tools, most of them will be probably used as backups for your bigger more serious tools but they can certainly work if needed.

You can read more at the product page or order for $20 from REI.

Scuba Capsule

These are spy/survival capsules with a shape similar to a scuba oxygen tank. They are wider than other capsules being 2'' long with a 3/4'' diameter.

As other capsules this one can be used to store cash, pills, thread and other small items, they are very common for small items when geocaching; the wide body makes them useful for pills that won't fit other capsules and for other round items with a diameter as big as 3/4''.

They are made of aluminium with a rubber o-ring for sealing, so they will be water proof and dunkable. The capsule wall is quite thick so impacts and falls won't damage the capsule and its contents. They are slightly bulky for a keyring but that depends on personal preferences. They come with a split ring and a couple of extra o-rings, if you are going to take them underwater using two o-rings instead of one might be a good idea for extra safety.

If you think about using them as C123 battery holders please check some of the capsules fit a 123 battery and others don't due to minimal finishing details. One detail we liked is that since the capsule is opened near the bottom you can use almost all the volume of the capsule to store mini kits without anything dropping when you open it.

You can order them in red, blue or gun metal silver for $5 each from this website.

Lee Valley Magnet Compass

This is a fun novelty item from Lee Valley. Basically it is a barrel shaped neodynium magnet, due to its shape when placed on top of a flat surface it will orient in the North - South direction.

Curiously the magnet does not have a marker to differentiate North from South but at least it points you to the NS direction. The magnet comes inside a small survival capsule with a mini lanyard for transportation. So basically you get a very small magnet and a survival capsule when you order this item.

It is not a compass you will use for navigation but it is a nice gift and a fun item and being just as small as the picture shows you can practically put it anywhere as long as the magnet will not affect other objects. The aluminium capsule is a nice one too.

You can get them for $4.50 following this link.

Spy Capsule Hook

The hook spy capsule is a mix between a mini carabiner and a spy capsule; since the clip is integrated in the capsule attaching the capsule to different items is very easy without even needing a split ring.

The hook is slightly shorter than the regular spy capsules and it is as wide as the small ones, the large spy capsules are about 14mm wide (0.55in) while the hook is 11mm wide (0.43 in), the same as the shorter capsules. This is important if you plan to use it for pills since crushing pills to make them fit is not a good thing. Oval pills will be fine, round pills might have a problem.

Built in aluminium the hook capsule has an o-ring to make it waterproof the overall length is 3 inches and the compartment is about half the size of the capsule (1.5 in).

The clip looks solid and makes attachment to belt loops, backpcks or keychains a very easy task, this capsule is probably ideal to keep quick access things outside a backpack like some cash, matches, toothpicks, tweezers, pills (check diameter), salt, sugar etc. You can clip the hook outside the backpack or use it as a zipper pull with the advantage of having a quick acces water proof storage for small items.

The hook capsule retails for $4.50 and you can get it at EDCdepot, only available in black at the time of this review.

TAD Gear's Life Capsule Tactical

The "Tactical" is a survival capsule from TAD gear that is smaller and has less features or configurations than the Delta model but is much cheaper and very usable.

The capsule is approximately 0.88" diam. X 4.24" length and has two compartments, the main compartment where you store your items and a small button sized compartment in one of the ends that can be used to store a button compass, a pill or another small and flatish object. One of the caps has a lanyard hole that can be used to thread cord as big as 550 paracord to carry the capsule in a neck lanyard or hanging form a backpack.

The basic package includes: Glow Cord for Neck Lanyard, Emergency Mini-Candle, Matches, a liquid filled brunton compass & Tinder-Quik. You can add a TAD Gear's OS nylon sheath for an additional $7.50 (retail value $16 without the capsule) you can also add a Spark Lite fire starting device.

The capsule is constructed in HA-III aluminium with a gray finish; the built quality is excellent. The primary compartment is 2.6" deep with an inside diameter of about .575" Both end caps have scallops machined into their tapered ends to aid in installation and removal. The endcaps are interchangeable and will fit on either end. The "Fast Thread" design refers to the fact that the threads have 3 starting points instead of one, so you'll catch the threads within only a 3rd of a revolution than 'finding' the one starting point when you install the endcaps. This makes the endcaps quicker to put on. Solvent-resistant O-rings on the body compress when the end caps are installed for a water-tight seal.

In terms of what you can carry the capsule is certainly small for several items, specially in terms of width but you can use it to carry small objects like tinder, a fire starter, mini pen, mini glow stickie, band aids, currency, pins, needles, pills, tweezers, nylon cord and other smallish items that can be useful in case of need and can be lost in bigger cases.

The capsule is compatible with the Delta model so if you have both you can combine delta modules and caps with this capsule. You can also order the X-Acto end cap accesory that was conceived for the Delta model but is compatible with the "Tactical". There is also a small threaded hole in one of the caps that is intended for extra accesories to be announced, the modularity and ability to expant with extra caps and accesories is one of the great things that makes this capsule different than others in the market.

The price for the "Tactical" is $58 and you can order from TAD Gear.
Update: The 3.0 version of this capsule is now $34 from TAD Gear with just minor cosmetic changes to the one reviewed here.

Pocket Grappling Hook

This is a pocketable hook that was designed by EOD robotics for the troops. It was conceived to be used in the field for things such as getting equipment, moving things to safe place, getting cables, backpacks etc. They should not be used for rescue or to try to hold a person.

The device is hollow, the 3 protruding hooks can be unscrewed and stored inside the case for transportation; when in use you can put sand or dirt inside the case to add extra weight. Or maybe you prefer to use it as a survival capsule.

A strange item indeed it's something that some people will never need and a neat solution for others it just depends on what kind of activities you do.

You can get it from CountyComm for $75.

Spy Capsules

Spy capsules are just small cilindrical aluminium containers that can be used to store different items like pills, tinder, a rolled bill, secret messages, flint, sugar, tabasco sauce, spare parts, screws, etc.

These capsules are available in different colors : red, blue, green, black, purple and gold. They are constructed in aluminium and have an o-ring to make them waterproof. This particular model is 2 3/4" long and 5/8" in diameter.

The capsules are a great adition to your keychain, you will probably find you will need more than one to store different items, one for medicine and one for small items for example. This version is slightly wider than other capsules sold at some retail stores so they can accomodate pills that you will have to break in other models.

The capsules are not easy to find but don't worry since you can order them online from EDCdepot for $4, they also have a version with a small compass on the bottom for $4.50 and you can check for other sizes or versions of the capsule.

Sun Company 7 in 1 Survival Tool

This is a 7 in 1 survival tool by Sun Company. Tool #1 is a whistle, the pealess design is fine for bad weather and can be used in rain conditions, the whistle is quite loud, not as loud as a Fox40 but requires less force to be blown so it's good for children, elderly or people that have suffered an accident and need to call attention. Certainly good enough to call for help in case of need.

Tool #2 is a thermometer with both Celsius and Farenheit scales, it works fine. On the side of the tool opposite the thermometer you can also find tool #3 a spark striker, just strike it with a metallic object to produce sparks, this doesn't work nearly as well as a specialized fire starting device but it is quite acceptable in emergencies but I wouldn't recommend it as your primary fire starting device.

The external cap features tools #4 and #5, a compass and a signaling mirror. The liquid-filled compass works fine and has luminous material so it can be read in the dark after exposure to daylight, the signaling mirror is very small and doesn't have a hole in the middle to aim so it is probably barely usable for serious siganling purposes. Behind the first cap there is a second cap with tool #6 a 3x maginifier that can be used to start a fire using sunlight, it works very well. Between the compass cap and the magnifier cap you can store a small pill or tablet, either medicine or something else like a water purifying tablet, it is a nice thing to have this mini compartment available.

The last tool is the storage chamber itself, a sealed compartment protected by o-rings where you can store different items, compared to other survival capsules this one is slightly wider and that is a bless to store several items that are very hard to store in smaller capsules. On the side there is a plastic attachment point for a lanyard, a small piece of cord is supplied with the tool.

The plastic construction is not as solid as aluminium but is light and the plastic is strong enough to resist impacts and daily usage. The different tools work well and the storage chamber is particularly good, considering you already have a compass, whistle, magnifier and fire starter you can put several things in the chamber and have quite a complete survival kit packed in a small useful tool.

You can read more from Sun's Company website and you can order for $6.99 from EDCDepot.

TAD Gear's Survival Capsule Delta

This is probably the ultimate survival capsule. The Delta is a modular survival capsule that includes 3 modules and some end caps to allow multiple configurations.

The main module is a classic hollow survival capsule module, it has a small compartment in one end that can be used to store a button compass or some medication. The second module is a whistle and also has the pocket clip, the whistle is quite loud and waterproof. The third module is a locator module with a tritium tube inside.

One of the caps has a hole for a lanyard, the other is a plain cap and there is another one with a crenelated end that can be used as an impact cap. The capsule is compatible with TAD's gear cheaper "tactical" capsule and there is an optional cap that can be purchased to use xacto cutters. If you buy both capsules you can play lego with them but unfortunately the colors don't match.

You can use your delta in several different configurations, maybe some extra caps or accesories would have made this even more modular than it is and the TAD guys may be planning to release extra modules or caps in a near future, the x-acto end cap is a positive sign in that direction. The price is $148. You can find more info or get it from TAD Gear.