Free Survival Gear – Is It Worth It? We Tell You the Truth! [Updated for 2023]

A lot of people are looking for free survival gear. You can take advantage of these offers as long as you shop around a little.

I did the homework so you don’t have to! Look under each offer to see if it’s worth it or not.

You can find free survival gear from quite a few companies that make more expensive gear. One of the latest marketing techniques that survival companies are using is to give away a free item with the hopes that the person who takes advantage of the free offer will become a long-term customer.

Normally the company asks that the customer pays for the shipping costs. These usually run somewhere between $3 and $6 and basically covers the actual cost of the item.

Most of the offers below are structured in a similar way. The price you pay covers the shipping for a piece of gear or training and the company hopes that you’ll be impressed enough to continue to buy from them.

Some of these offers are decent, and some of them just aren’t worth it. I’ll tell you which is which.

I’ll keep adding offers as I find them and get a chance to test them out.

Free Survival Kits

Paracord Survival Kit – Another “survival grenade”. 10 items wrapped in 9 feet of paracord. Comes with 16 free survival PDFs that aren’t mentioned anywhere but you get e-mailed the link in the order confirmation e-mail.

You can get something similar on Amazon for the same price but it doesn’t come with the PDFs.

  • Actual Price: $4.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Ape Survival Survival Grenade – Typical “survival grenade”. Contains 15 items. The best use for these is to simply clip it on a bag until you need it. Comes with 3 free survival PDFs that aren’t mentioned anywhere but you get e-mailed the link in the order confirmation e-mail.

You can get something similar on Amazon for the same price but it doesn’t come with the PDFs.

  • Actual Price: $6.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Free Survival Tools

Free Karambit – This karambit is around 7.5″ in overall length and would be a decent, cheap defensive knife.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

USMC Neck Knife – Free neck knife with a partially serrated blade in the style of the beloved K-Bar.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • Alternative: The karambit above is a better knife and built better.

Strikepen – LED flashlight, pen, tungsten striker point, and two interchangeable tools.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? YES
  • Alternative: This no-name 2 pack tactical pen set is also a good deal for the same price. They don’t have the extra tools or flashlight inside, but they come with 6 refills.

Survival Card Multi-Tool –  Typical survival card. It contains 11 tools. It also comes with 2 free survival e-books.

  • Actual Price: $9.97
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: The Small Business Survival Card below is less expensive and comes with three e-books.

Survival Business Card – Typical survival card. Contains 11 tools. Comes with 3 free survival PDFs that aren’t mentioned anywhere but you get e-mailed the link in the order confirmation e-mail.

You can get something similar on Amazon for the same price but it doesn’t come with the PDFs.

  • Actual Price: $4.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Credit Card Knife – This is an interesting little knife that folds up and hides away in a wallet. It isn’t practical for everyday use but it could come through in a pinch.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: I would go with the credit card knife farther down the page. It’s the same thing and half the price.

Rescuecard – One of the better-looking survival cards. It contains 14 tools.

  • Actual Price: $8.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: The Small Business Survival Card above is less expensive and comes with three e-books.

Knife Card – Another folding concealable credit card knife. This is pretty much the same thing as the one above, but it’s half the price.

  • Actual Price: $4.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Free Flashlights/Lanterns

Hybeam Tactical Flashlight – Another LED flashlight. Aluminum body with a beveled edge for striking. Comes with a lanyard. Less expensive than any of the equivalent items over on Amazon.

  • Actual Price: $6.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Q5 TacLite – Uses a new Q5 CREE LED emitter to throw light up to 1100 feet. It uses a single AA battery, has an aluminum body and pocket clip. Great as a backup EDC flashlight or to put in the car.

  • Actual Price: $8.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: Any of the other flashlights here.

J5 Tactical Flashlight – LED flashlight outputs 250 lumens with aluminum body and pocket clip. Another great back up light for the house or the car. Less expensive than any of the equivalent items over on Amazon.

  • Actual Price: $6.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

 

Hybeam Micro Tactical Flashlight – Very small, water-resistant, and easily slips into the pocket. Aluminum body with a pocket clip. Less expensive than any of the equivalent items over on Amazon.

  • Actual Price: $4.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Free Emergency Fire Starters

Everstrkye Match – Contains a ferro rod, wick, and fuel for more than 15,000 strikes. Limit 10 per household.

  • Actual Price: $3.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

 

FireKable Paracord Bracelet – 80 feet of usable cordage with a ferro rod.

  • Actual Price: $4.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Everstryke Waterproof Lighter – Usable for 15,000 strikes. Sealed to prevent leakage of fuel.

  • Actual Price: $3.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Optic Fire Starter – A simple, yet often overlooked fire starter. Focuses the sun to light tinder quickly.

  • Actual Price: $2.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Free Preparedness Books, Videos, and Training

Miscellaneous Free Survival Items

Deck Of Seeds Cards – This is an interesting deck of cards. It has info about different herbs, vegetables, and other food on the back of each card that gives tips on growing and harvesting them.

Wasn’t in stock last time I tried to review it.

Valois SSD-90 Tactical Knife Belt – A web belt with a concealed knife in the buckle. Adjustable from 24 to 52 inches.

Wasn’t in stock last time I tried to review it.

 

Emergency Survival Blanket – Typical mylar blanket. Good for throwing in a bug out bag, car, boat or backpack.

  • Actual Price: $3.95
  • Is it worth it? YES

Free iPac T-Shirt – Free iPac t-shirt with a Glock pistol on the front.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: Any other T-shirt…

Free American Patriot T-Shirt – “American Patriot” T-shirt.

  • Actual Price: $6.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: Any other T-shirt…

Armor.1 RFID Blocker – 5 pack of RFID blockers to prevent scanning of credit cards and chipped ID cards.

  • Actual Price: $9.95
  • Is it worth it? NO
  • A better alternative: Alpine Rivers RF-ID Blockers come with 14 credit card sleeves and 4 passport sleeves for the same price!

Conclusion

Free survival gear isn’t actually free, but that doesn’t mean that all of it is worthless. There are a lot of offers out there that I wouldn’t suggest (it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad) but there are a few that actually make sense when you take a good look at them!