SOLKOA Survival Systems SUMA Tin?

[Jared]

I actually liked the velcro particularly the way its been imporved here


And was thinking of doing something similar for watever tin I settle on

forset fella does yours also have the high intensity silver reflective panel in the lid? Or was this a mode lawindustries have done themselves?

The straps are a standard Velcro (company) product I think?

 

[L.I_Sales]

The strap options vary between the two versions. Typically the version we sell has straps you can pull back on themselves to hold the lid down if you over stuff it. The SOLKOA version normally ships with velcro that sticks to itself, adjusting with a single strap.

 

[Corso]

The strap options vary between the two versions. Typically the version we sell has straps you can pull back on themselves to hold the lid down if you over stuff it. The SOLKOA version normally ships with velcro that sticks to itself, adjusting with a single strap.

welcome to the forum mate

 

[L.I_Sales]

Thank you sir, its a pleasure to be here and offer some help if we can. Its very relaxed and friendly here.

Perhaps we should look at doing a pass around or something so people can see one of these and have a little play with them?

 

[21st century pict]

The SUMA tin is manufactured by SOLKOA Survival Systems Inc.

the inside of the box under the lid.

SHOT Show 2012 Solkoa SUMA Container. https://youtu.be/KaoPxTB4e1I

There is also a short thread about the tin on BushcraftUSA " Building-a-Survival-Kit-Using-SUMA-Container"

 

[Wildpacker]

There is something of a mystique built up over the issue of a survival tin. My view is that a survival tin is just a tin to contain my critical survival kit, it is not in itself important. There are two crucial requirements of such a tin. Firstly it should be small and light enough to fit in the average pocket and secondly it should be big and strong enough to carry your kit. Strictly speaking the latter requirement is partly a function of how much kit you consider critical, most people have far too much.

Obviously you should have your tin on you at all times unless you possess the skill of knowing exactly when the unexpected crisis is about to hit you - a gift enjoyed by few. If it's too big or too heavy it's going to be somewhere else when you aren't. If you simply want a 'bushcraft kit' that contains everything you need to light fires, snare beasties, saw logs and so on, and you only intend to carry it on your wilderness trips, possibly belt mounted, then that's a different requirement altogether.

For many years my survival tin has been an old tobacco tin which essentially cost me nothing. It is light, a perfect size, robust and effective. It is waterproof if you use good quality electricians tape wrapped around the join and has stood the test of time. If you can't fit everything into it you need to re-think your survival needs.

The suma tin featured in this thread is a great piece of kit if impressing your friends is the number one requirement, it scores highly in that measure due to both its cost and its 'shiny toy' rating**. It possibly does everything my tobacco tin does, and I'm not sure whether it does anything by tobacco tin doesn't - I'm not impressed with the velcro straps though, if for no other reason than it would make it very uncomfortable in your trouser pocket. I'm actually not a great fan of velcro anyway for a number of off-topic reasons.

FTR, shiny coating inside lid (if present) is a gimic pretending to be a survival feature. Signal mirrors need a hole in them which would compromise the watertightness of the tin...

** Edited to point out that 'shiny toy rating' has nothing to do with the toys shinyness, just a figure of speech.

 

[Corso]

we've all made those, been a lads companion since the 1980's

this though is something else I for one would not want to boil water in a baccy tin

nor is it pocket carry either its more a mini mess tin

 

[Wildpacker]

nor is it pocket carry either its more a mini mess tin

You'll not have it on you when you need it then. More of a man tin than a survival kit.

 

[Wayland]

I just rely upon survival pockets...

 

[L.I_Sales]

There is something of a mystique built up over the issue of a survival tin. My view is that a survival tin is just a tin to contain my critical survival kit, it is not in itself important. There are two crucial requirements of such a tin. Firstly it should be small and light enough to fit in the average pocket and secondly it should be big and strong enough to carry your kit. Strictly speaking the latter requirement is partly a function of how much kit you consider critical, most people have far too much.

Obviously you should have your tin on you at all times unless you possess the skill of knowing exactly when the unexpected crisis is about to hit you - a gift enjoyed by few. If it's too big or too heavy it's going to be somewhere else when you aren't. If you simply want a 'bushcraft kit' that contains everything you need to light fires, snare beasties, saw logs and so on, and you only intend to carry it on your wilderness trips, possibly belt mounted, then that's a different requirement altogether.

For many years my survival tin has been an old tobacco tin which essentially cost me nothing. It is light, a perfect size, robust and effective. It is waterproof if you use good quality electricians tape wrapped around the join and has stood the test of time. If you can't fit everything into it you need to re-think your survival needs.

The suma tin featured in this thread is a great piece of kit if impressing your friends is the number one requirement, it scores highly in that measure due to both its cost and its 'shiny toy' rating**. It possibly does everything my tobacco tin does, and I'm not sure whether it does anything by tobacco tin doesn't - I'm not impressed with the velcro straps though, if for no other reason than it would make it very uncomfortable in your trouser pocket. I'm actually not a great fan of velcro anyway for a number of off-topic reasons.

FTR, shiny coating inside lid (if present) is a gimic pretending to be a survival feature. Signal mirrors need a hole in them which would compromise the watertightness of the tin...

** Edited to point out that 'shiny toy rating' has nothing to do with the toys shinyness, just a figure of speech.

As the charming Corso mentioned, this is part of an operational belt kit, that is to say when things go wrong, so when you drop your bergen the essentials are with you. Its a spread out survival kit, hydration kit, medical kit in some instances etc. This is not a carry when you know you are going to have trouble, this is part of your everyday equipment and every one carries it in one way or another.



The kit/tin is not at fault, its the user who doesnt think in a military approach. Thats not being offensive, thats just your mind does not work this way. The kit is to provide you with a set of tools to operate and solve problems. So for digging, boiling water, beating a moose to death (sarcasm) anything like broken laces etc can be solved.


At times climbing, you may lose your backpack and need to fend for yourself with what is left. Think of this tin as the place to get everything and its in your webbing or Osprey depending on which unit you are a part of.

The shiny coating in the lid, thats not a shiney coating as a heliograph, thats a signal panel, any light from search parties or rescue parties are concentrated and reflected back to the same source allowing location signalling. Its an upgraded version of SOLAS and made for the military and SAR industries. The velcro is to allow the tin to close, while giving you a spare for other duties.



Once again, not being disrespectful, but bushcrafters dont think like the military and vice versa, so its not a pocket carry, its a belt carry, its to give you a valuable life line when you need one and solve problems. It can be sacrificed for an IED, a weapon, etc. A tobacco tin will merely make a person laugh under those circumstances.You cant defend yourself with a baccy tin. This is the difference in mindset.



If corso is willing to run it, then I'll happily give a tin for a pass around so you can get a better look and understand.

Any questions, or if I didnt explain myself very well please let me know. We have a bunch of these tins back in stock as people asked for them. Im happy to help answer anything I can.

 

[Wildpacker]

As the charming Corso mentioned, this is part of an operational belt kit... ...Think of this tin as the place to get everything and its in your webbing or Osprey depending on which unit you are a part of... ...but bushcrafters dont think like the military and vice versa, so its not a pocket carry, its a belt carry... ...It can be sacrificed for an IED, a weapon, etc... ...You cant defend yourself with a baccy tin. This is the difference in mindset.

Um. My point exactly. Bushcrafters don't think like military etc. This is a bushcraft forum not a military one and while there may be a few wannabes the majority do not spend their daily lives running around wearing webbing. A survival tin should be on your person at all times not just when you are playing soldier. Don't get me wrong, as I said in my previous post, for civilians it's a fine bit of kit for impressing people. It's just not a survival kit - and I very much doubt whether many people here will use a suma tin to defend themselves either.

The shiny coating in the lid, thats not a shiney coating as a heliograph, thats a signal panel, any light from search parties or rescue parties are concentrated and reflected back to the same source allowing location signalling. Its an upgraded version of SOLAS and made for the military and SAR industries. The velcro is to allow the tin to close, while giving you a spare for other duties.

Um again. Belatedly I think I understand, is the inside of the lid something like a high-vis jacket? I suppose if you were illuminated by a searchlight and you wave your tin lid around enough then you may get lucky, but if you've got all that belt kit on it would probably be easier to get your torch out. If you spend any time with a mountain rescue team (non military of course) looking for a missing person you find that even spotting a torch in the dark in adverse conditions is quite a challenge, someone trying to reflect searchers torch light anything over a couple of hundred yards is doomed to failure. Even a reflective jacket wouldn't be a lot of use.

Be that as it may I do carry a stainless steel heliograph in my humble 'baccy tin' and that can be used day or night, if so desired. And if they keep the searchlight still enough, aimed. And who knows, I might cut a reflective strip off my overalls and glue it inside the lid - you never know it might help one day, thanks for the suggestion .

Interestingly SOLKOA themselves do sell a "Featherlight Day/Night Mirror" as part of a kit that is described as "the minimum components necessary for signaling to rescuers". And guess what, it has a hole in the middle...

Anyway, I bow to the fact that in a military context the suma tin may be the proverbial dogs, and there is also no reason why lots of civilians shouldn't own one simply because they like it. But I still maintain that in a bushcraft context it's just a splendid 'man tin' and that more particularly as a survival tin in everyday civilian use my 'baccy tin' knocks it into a cocked hat. Largely because mine will be in my pocket when I need it.
On the other hand, the 1oz SOLAS survival tin I do like, and at £3 it may sooner rather than later replace the distressed Golden Virginia one.

 

[Tony]

Sorry guys, this thread has ended up being a promotional thread and that's not fair on other commercial entities that get stopped from doing this so I've closed the thread and may well remove it altogether.

We allowed an initial post as we usually do when it come to commercial companies etc but this has run too far.