Are you Hunter? Camper? Hiker? Trapper? Snowmobiler? Mountain Biker? Cross-Country Skier? Kayaker? Pilot? Do you travel often to far away exotic places, spend a lot of time off the road and in remote ares? Well if you answered "YES" to any of these questions, then you need a survival kit.

Sure, there are lots of survival kits on the market, but not many of them weigh less than 6 ozs, cost under $25.00 and come with these basic essential survival items needed in all survival situations whether you're lost or stranded in the wilderness, desert, jungle or the mountains.

COMPASS - While full size compasses are better than small compasses, you can’t pack & carry'em so easily inside a pocket survival kit. And you know those little itty-bitty tiny compasses you see others selling? Well guess what, they might look cute as a "button" which is what they are called but they’re worthless. Why? Because most of them are cheaply made and the magnetic North seeking needles don’t stay magnetized very long. But the compasses that come with all my survival kits I guarantee they'll stay magnetized for a long time. If they don't, just let me know I'll replace it free of charge, how's that? And one of the compasses you wll receive with your SOS Survival Kit will be one of these three general direction compasses here, (see photo).

FIRE STARTER - You’ve heard of the magnesium fire bar, right? Well the fire starters that come with all my SOS Survival Kits are called magnesium & flint "fire rods." They’re thinner, lighter and will produce 1,000s of sparks whether they're wet, dirty or muddy. Can’t get a spark to ignite your tinder? No problem, just scrape a few magnesium shavings from the mag side, place the flint side down near the shavings and then vigorously run your knife across the flint to produce a shower of sparks and you've got FIRE! If you think the "Spark-Lite" is a better fire starter than mine, think again. Though it's about the same size (see photo) it's not an "all weather" fire starter and won't produce as many sparks or fires. Wanna bet?

SIGNAL MIRROR - Yep, a full size signal mirrors will no doubt reflect sunlight at greater ranges, but finding a place to store & carry'em can be a bit of a problem. On the other hand, a signal mirror much too small might be easy to pack & carry but it won't reflect sunlight very far. Therefore by choosing a signal mirror not too big, not too small, something in between - you can’t go wrong. And the signal mirrors that come with all my survival kits are 1 x 2 inches in size, made of durable acrylic plastic (not glass) and won't break so easy.

SIGNAL WHISTLE - Though there are many types, the worst ones are metal whistles and those that come with little balls. Why? Because they freeze up and don’t work very well in extreme cold weather due to your moist [mouth] saliva. And so the best type to have in a survival situation is either a durable plastic or aluminum “ball-less” whistle. The same type that comes with all of my SOS Survival Kits which is one of these whistles.

FOLDING KNIFE - Well of course big knives are better than small knives, especially in a survival situation. Duh? But if you're going pack & carry a small compact survival kit then it’s best to carry inside of it a small compact knife too. Don’t ya think? Provided it doesn’t dull so easy and will keep on slicing & cutting wood, game, fish and other things you will need to use it for. And so that’s why all the knives that come with my SOS Survival Kits the blades are serrated. Meaning they’re “jaggered” and “tooth like” so you don’t have to worry about sharpening'em all the time like “straight edge” knife blades.

FLASHLITE - Though there are about a hundred different types, the best type to pack & carry in a survival kit are small LED flashlights. Why? They will not only provide you plenty of light when the sun goes down but they take up very little room in a survival kit. And because LED flashlite batteries are small and thin, not like AA, C & D size battery flashlights, you'll be able to pack & carry several extra sets in your survival kit that weigh almost nothing. And the LED flashlites that come with all my SOS Survival Kits have both, a touch and on & off switch for continuous lighting.

WIRE SAW – Nope, mine are not one of those cheapo, low quality, worthless wire saws you see others selling. It's made by BCB Int’l, the same type used by our US Army & Air Force Special Operations, the British SAS and other NATO/Allied Forces. It consists of 8 strands of stainless steel wire containing a hundred (+/-) tiny teeth “per inch” that will cut through wood, plastic, bone, ice and aluminum too. And the best way to use it is not by placing your fingers through the loops but by attaching some parachute cord or a piece of wood through the loops so you can grasp and hold it better while you’re sawing. And I offer two types (see photo), tightly rolled and ready-to-use, for more information about my wire saws and some other types, click on my "Survival Saw" page.

Now if you were to buy these same or similar products somewhere else I guarantee you would spend almost TWICE the amount of money. Wanna bet? Don't believe me? Ok, then shop around and see for yourself. Here's the average price that I found them selling for online; Wire Saw - $10.00, Magnesium & Flint Fire Starter - $8.00, Small Compass - $5.00, Signal Mirror - $5.00, LED Flashlight - $5.00, Serrated Folding Knife - $5.00, Tornado or Aluminum Whistle - $5.00. Go ahead, add it up and see what you get, but keep in mind these prices don't include the shipping & handling fees a store or seller would charge you. And so if you think you can find these same or similar products cheaper somewhere else, show me where I will let you have my survival kits at half price, 50% off. Care to accept my challenge? As Howie Mandell would say "DEAL or NO DEAL?"

So once again, here's what you get with my SOS Survival Kits...

Compass	Fire Starter	Signal Mirror	LED Flashlite
Signal Whistle	Folding Knife	Wire Saw	Sold Separately

One of several advantages my SOS Survival kits have over other kits is that they can be worn around the neck or attached to your belt. Meaning it would be kinda hard to lose or misplace should you find yourself in an unexpected survival situation. You know what I mean? And here are your choices of SOS Survival Kits;

SOS Necklace Survival Kit - $19.99 Unassembled / Assemble-it-Yourself Kit.

SOS Necklace Survival Kit - $22.99 Fully Assembled & Ready-to-Wear.

SOS Budget Survival Kit - $14.99 Unassembled /Assemble-it-Yourself Kit.

SOS Paracord Survival Kit- $24.99 Fully Assembled, Comes/w 10 ft of paracord.

SOS Keychain Survival Kit - $22.99 Fully Assembled & Ready-to-Use

You can use the tape for...	marking trails...	signaling...	for a first aid bandage too.

Here's how to use the water purification kit "condom" as a water container...

(a) open & hold with one hand...	(b) carefully dip in water...	(c) stretch & force water down...
(d) repeat until it's full of water.	(e) add water tablets, wait & drink.	Got an extra sock?

So what do you think, are these SOS Survival Kits unique or what? You betcha and they're only $14.99, $22.99, and $24.99. And I gotta tell ya, I absolutely enjoy assembling and selling them because I know someday they could save someone's life in a combat or outdoor survival situation. Either yours or someone you know and really care about. Make a great birthday or Christmas gift, don't ya think? As a former Army Ranger (now retired) I wouldn't sell you a survival kit that I, myself, would not use or bet my own life on.

Here I am putting'em together.	Check out www.PvtMurphy.com

And just so you know, all the survival items that come with my survival kits were put through a series of tests to make sure they were durable and of good quality material. And so before I purchase them in large quantities from different suppliers, here’s what I did...

First they were dropped from a three story building, submerged in water, placed in a freezer, frozen, then defrosted, put in a B-B-Q grill, heated to a temperture of about 110 (+/-) degrees, stepped on and then the final test was...I ran over them once with my car. The results? Well of course my tests were a bit extreme and some of the items (obviously) took a bit of a beating but the only item that was broken and didn't work was one the three compasses. As for the rest of the items, they all continued to work just fine.

QUESTION: How many other survival kit sellers and manufacturers do you think would put their kits through these same extreme tests and post the results on their website? ANSWER: Not very many! And so should you decide to order any of my survival kits remember this, Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back! And should any items arrive defected, I will replace it FREE OF CHARGE.

What's that? You don't like my survival necklace because you're afraid you might get it entangled in something and hang yourself? Well fat chance that'll ever happen, but yea, it's possible. And so that's why my survival necklaces come with a "breakaway safety chain" just in case you do find yourself in such an unfortunate predicament. Then all you gotta do to get out of it is grab the chain with one or two hands, pull it down sharply and it'll come apart. Did I think of everything or what? DANGER / WARNING: You should never wear the survival necklace on the outside of your shirt, always underneath it to avoid the possibility of getting it caught or entangled in something. But if you're one of those who don't like wearing anything around your neck, no problem then all you have to do is make yourself a pocket survival kit like one of these below.

Click on photos" twice" to enlarge.

Soap Dish Container - Plenty of room to pack inside a pocket rain jacket and a space blanket too and still have plenty of room for some other survival stuff. Metal Candy Container - Can use it as a cup for drinking or collecting rain water and if you polish the inside cover it can be used as a signal mirror too. Plastic Film Container - Though a bit small, you can still pack inside a few basic survival items and wrap some fishing line and duct tape around the outside. Shoe Polish Can - Flat, durable, water-tight and compact. Again, like the plastic film container, you can pack a few basic essential survival items inside of it. Plastic Can Keeper - This is my favorite survival kit container because it's durable, airtight and will float too should you accidentially drop it in the water.

Click"twice" to enlarge.

What's that? You don't want to carry a survival kit in your pocket and you don't want to wear one around your neck? No problem, then just attach a few of these items to your car or house keychain, jacket zipper, belt, knife sheath and a whole bunch of other things. Check out the photo, am I a genius or what? Don't answer that. But seriously, aren't these some good survival kit ideas? You betcha, so why waste your money on a more expensive and less useful survival kit than mine. Did I mention if you're not completely satisfied with any of my SOS Survival Kits I'll refund your money back to you? I did? Oops! Sorry I forgot!

As with any survival kit, it doesn't do any good to own one if you don't know how to use all the items that come with it. Duh? And so the only way to learn is to practice, practice and keep on practicing until you do know how to use all the items. And to further improve your chances of survival you should review and practice some of my survival tips listed here on my website. Such as… how to start a fire, build a shelter, snare game, filter & purify water and signal for help. And if you wear or carry one of my survival kits and remember just these few pages, you will no doubt be much better prepared for an unexpected outdoor survival situation than others.

It's better to buy and carry a lightweight, compact survival kit and maybe never having to use it than to find yourself someday in a survival situation wishing you had purchased one. Makes sense, don’t ya think? Sure does. Ya never know, someday you just might find yourself lost or stranded somewhere and the only thing that'll save your sorry @ss from exposure, hypothermia and dying is a survival kit. You know, the one you WISH you had purchased but didn't?

How To Use The Wire Saw In case you're wondering about my survival necklace wire saw...“how in the hell am I suppose to remove that damn wire saw from inside that rubber tubing?" My Response: You don’t remove it, you just cut right through it and then peel it off. I once read this on someone's survival forum... "cutting and discarding that survival necklace tubing is wasteful, you should be able to remove it from the wire saw without cutting it so you can use the tubing to suck water from small puddles." My Response: First of all, the tubing is only there to protect the wearer from being scratched and cut up while the survival necklace is being worn around the neck. Second, you shouldn't go around drinking puddle water unless you can filter and purify it first. And if you don't have any means of filtering & purifying it, what damn good does the tubing do ya? Dumbass! To Assemble My Tightly Rolled Up Wire Saw... First cut the paracord where the two melted ends meet and then unravel it. Then unroll the wire saw, straighten it out, bend inward the ends, slide on the split rings, secure them in place, cut the paracord in half and secure them to the split rings like in the photo.

Now the best way to use my wire saw is to insert a wooden stick through each split ring so you can grasp & hold onto it better either as a one or two person hand saw. Or another way that works well is to attach the wire saw to a sturdy but flexible stick so it can be curved and used as a wooden hand saw. As a general wood cutting rule, you should never use a wire saw to cut anything thicker than your wrist or arm. Why? Because the thicker the wood - the shorter the strokes and the more time you'll waste trying to cut through it. To save time, energy and burning up precious calories, cut only 1/2 to 2/3 through the wood and then break it the rest of the way with your foot or by slamming it up against a tree or rock. Works for me every time!

How To Use The Compass

(a) Place the compass in the palm of your hand (b) hold it level with the ground so the magnetic needle can move freely, (c) rotate the compass until the magnetic North seeking needle is directly in line with the letter "N" for north, (d) choose the direction you wish to travel in, (e) pick out a distinctive feature in that direction such as a tree, boulder, hill, etc (f) look down at your compass to determine the azimuth (1-360 degrees) to that distinctive fearture and (g) start walking towards it. When you have arrived at that spot repeat these same steps over and over and over again until you arrive at your final destination. And there you go, that's how you use a compass.

Now if you're wondering… "What destination? If I'm lost, how in the hell am I suppose to know which way to go?" Well if you're that lost, instead of wandering around aimlessly in circles like a damn idiot, just pick any direction and use the compass to keep yourself orientated in that direction until you find or bump into civilization. Or better yet, climb the nearest hilltop or tree to see if you can spot civilization anywhere, roads, houses, etc. And if you do, determine what direction it’s in from your present location and then get a moving before the sun goes down.

How To Use The Signal Mirror Provided you've got sunlight, all you gotta do is (a) hold the mirror in one hand near your cheek, (b) extend the other arm forward, palm facing and then form a "V" with your index & middle finger, (c) then place the target (a helicopter, airplane, ship, etc) in between these two fingers and (d) reflect the sunlight first onto your arm and then up & down in between the "V" and your rescuers should see it.

How To Use The Signal Whistle

How To Use The Signal Whistle First scrape some magnesium shavings from the mag side of your fire rod on or near your tinder. Then place the flint side down near the magnesium shavings & tinder and with the use of your knife scrape vigorously the flint [side] to produce a shower of sparks and presto - you've got FIRE! And don't worry if the fire rod is wet or muddy, as it will still produce sparks and a fire. But instead of depending on the magnesium shavings to get your fire going, it's best to get in the habit of learning how start a fire without the use of any magnesium and using it only when you really need it like in bad weather. To learn more about fire making, go to my "Fire Making" page.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER...

TERMS OF SALE: You must be at least 18 years of age to purchase my products. Therefore whoever places an online or mail-in order you are certifying that you are at least 18 years old or older and you are purchasing my products in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. International orders & customers are responsible for knowing the import laws, fees, and taxes on the items being imported and assume all risk or loss of any confiscations made by customs. Please do not purchase any of my products if your country does not allow them to be imported. All the knives that come with my SOS Survival Kits are strictly for survival and outdoor use only and they should not to be used as weapons.

WORLDWIDE ORDERS WELCOME! But you must first contact me for a shipping quote. And when you do please tell me which products you are interested in purchasing, the quantity and the country where you are located. And as soon as I find out the cost I will let you know the total amount to send, and I accept both - USD and Euros.

POSTAL INSURANCE IS OPTIONAL! This means it's up to you - not me! But no postal insurance - no replacements should your order arrive damaged or not at all. But be advised rarely has anyone asked to have their order shippped via insured mail and I have only received one complaint so far. Again, it's optional, up to you - not me!

RETURN POLICY & REFUNDS: When you receive your order and if it’s not what you expected or something arrived defected. Please contact me right away via email (survivalnecklace@hotmail.com) so I can try to quickly resolve the problem either by forwarding you a replacement or a refund. Do not send anything back until we have discussed what’s wrong with your order. Note: No refunds will be given until the item is returned.

DELIVERY TIME: Please be patient, don't send me a nasty email asking "Hey Rick, I sent you my damn money ten days ago, where's my freakin order?" All orders are usually shipped out within 1-3 days after receiving your payment. If you fail to receive your order in less than 2-3 weeks, it's NOT because I'm sitting on your order but because the US Postal Service is taking their sweet time in delivering it to you. Trust me, almost every damn time some impatient customer sends me an email asking about their order, it usually shows up the same, next or a few days later in their mail box. And so when you finally do receive your order, check the postmark on the package to see when I mailed it. But if you're one of those impatient individual's who can’t wait a few weeks for your order and you think everyone is out to screw you. Then please don’t bother ordering anything from my website but instead take your damn business somewhere else! I'm not joking, this is only a part-time business for me - not full time, so please be patient. Ok?

QUESTIONS? Should you have any questions or you need to contact me for any reason, please be patient as I do not sit in front of my computer 24/7/12 waiting for email messages. And so if you don’t hear from me within 24-48 hours, please don’t assume I am ignoring you or I took your money and ran to Switzerland with it. Running this online store & website is only a hobby and part-time business for me, not full time. But rest assured I will try my best to get back to you within 24 hours or less unless I am away from home, extremely busy or it’s a weekend/holiday which is when my computer is “off” like me. Email: Survivalnecklace@hotmail.com Snail-mail: Army Ranger Rick Tscherne, US Army Retiree Section, Unit 31401 Box 8075, APO, AE 09630

DISCLAIMER: Under no circumstances can the seller (Army Ranger Rick F. Tscherne) be held liable for any injuries, deaths, property damage and or criminal misconduct due to carelessness, improper assembly, misuse and or abuse on the part of the buyer. When you purchase my survival kits and books you are automatically agreeing to use them at your own risk and will accept full responsibility and liability for the use, transfer and or resale too. If you are not willing to accept these terms & conditions then DO NOT order my products.

WARNING: If you weigh less than 100 lbs and or you do not have full physical use of both your hands and arms my SOS Necklace "breakaway safety chain" could fail to come apart if worn on the outside of a shirt. Therefore to avoid injuries, being choked or strangled, always wear the necklace underneath the shirt and never on the outside.

NOTICE: I do NOT live in the United States, I am retired [US] military and live here in Italy. When I decided to retire and live here I liquidated, closed out and moved everything I own to here. I did this for legal and security reasons. Although Italy is now my new home and legal residence, I am still an AMERICAN and I will never give up my US citizenship.