Surviving in the wilderness is not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of deaths every year form people going out into nature and not knowing what to do and paying the ultimate price. Shows and movies have made us believe that we could technically survive with just a little luck and perhaps a pocket knife, but that could not be further from the truth, once night comes and you do not have shelter, clean water or a fire going your odds begin to tank and your Swiss Army knife, as multitooled as it is will not really help. But what if we told ou that there is something that would help? Quite aptly called the Lifesaber this is the tool you need if you are lost outdoors and need to survive.
Of course, your survival will go a lot better if you have the appropriate outdoor gear and are at least somewhat familiar with camping or at least roughing it a few nights, but this tool is really good and even a novice could find most of its uses helpful if they really are stranded. The Lifesaber features a USB power generator, high-lumen flashlight and lantern, UV water purifier, plasma firestarter, and a panic button that triggers an SOS siren and a blinding strobe to scare off threats, all packed in a shell the size of a kitchen knife.
Is the Lifesaber worth its weight in your kit?
It is unlikely that you would have this piece of kit with you unless you were already planning to do some off roading or adventuring, mostly because it is not the type of gadget that people just own. Priced (as of this article’s publishing) at $179 it is not a cheap piece of gear, but when you consider how many tools this replaces and the usefulness of having them all in one place that does not weigh a ton, if you are a fan of the outdoors you may consider it. But if your idea of camping is a cabin in the outskirts of a town this product will never again cross your mind unless you are a serious prepper.
The features are good and quite useful, starting with the UV water purifier which negates the need for filters or water purifying tablets. These are still heavily recommended, especially in long trips, but in a pinch the UV water purifier will work, except you will never be sure if the water is clean until you have already drank it and it is too late to go back.
The plasma firestarter requires a bit of caution and it is not for the faint of heart. It goes up to 2,000 °F (1,093 °C), which fairly intense and dangerous but very useful if you are in a damp area where kindling is not easy to come by and wood is fairly humid. A little effort will take you a long way and although it will still be frustrating to start that fire, it will most certainly be better than to try to start it with a couple of sticks or even a traditional lighter.
The flashlight is also useful in the woods, it is a 3,200-lumen LED which is fairly handy especially if you must walk at night to keep moving or, if you have it on your car, to change a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, which is where they always seem to blow.
Two features that might not be as useful if you are truly lost on the wilderness are the built-in power bank and the hand-crank generator. The power bank is impressive, it includes a 5,000-mAh rechargeable battery and comes with a multi-tip USB-C cable to charge different devices which will allow you to charge your phone and make an emergency call or text if you have signal, but if you are lost, you will likely not have signal. The hand crank has a telescopic handle that extends from the top, letting you crank at various angles, and, according to the company, two and a half minutes of cranking nets you a “Quick Charge” worth 900 joules (250 mWh), enough to turn on your dead phone and make a call.
Despite packing all of this in, the Lifesaber stays surprisingly portable. At 1.2 pounds (around 544 grams), it really is light enough to clip to your backpack without it feeling like a brick.