Alpha Outpost Subscription Box Review – January 2016

Alpha Outpost is a monthly subscription box packed with preparedness and survival gear for the discerning man.  The box is veteran-owned and run, but not everything in the box is your typical survivalist fare — they bring a sense of humor to their curation, offering “survival” support for more commonplace scenarios, too.

The box is branded on all surfaces with slogans and a cool topo map graphic.

The theme for this installment is “the Gentleman.”  While some months will feature more traditionally tactical items, this month provides gear for navigating more social situations.

If you’ve had a swiss army knife before, that’s what this box was like.

The full contents of the box.

The info card gives a quick and dirty rundown of the contents, including a bit of salty humor.  You can tell that this box is targeted to guys and put together by vets.  Lots of machismo, but all in good fun.

A list of retail value is also provided.  This selection came in at a whopping $95 over subscription price!

First up!

Whiskey Stones: These cool your drink and keep the water out of your good whiskey.  This set has the Alpha Outpost logo on them, but it looks pretty cool (and if your name starts with an A, you can claim they are monogrammed!).   I was really impressed that the kit came with nine stones and a wooden box to store them in.  Also included were two glasses (seen in the review photo, above).  They have a great beaded bottom and a nice heft.

Tactical Pen:  Made out of aluminum (like a fighter jet or Corvette), this pen is super durable and deceivingly light.   One of the features is a surface actually designed for collecting a DNA scraping from an attacker!

Black Rifle Coffee:  a four ounce bag of ultra-caffeinated brew.

Pocket Notebook:  Field Notes makes a great notebook and is often featured in Bespoke Post and similar boxes.  This booklet is perfect for hauling around in a breast pocket.

Lip Balm:  This beeswax-based balm is on par with any you’ll find at the store.

Power Bank:  A charger to provide extra life to any USB-friendly device.  AO will even send a Lightning adapter upon request.

Comb:  Eminently practical, this one is also very stylish.

Black Tie:  The picture doesn’t do this tie justice.  Very silky and slick, this is perfect for those days when you can’t decide what color is appropriate.  Also ideal for formal, or somber, occasions.

Handkerchief:   Offering a [clean] handkerchief is a classy gesture.  They are also extremely handy to have around.

Flask:  This is a perfect golf-course companion.  Emblazoned with the enscription,”A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.”

ReadyMan Card:  Designed by special forces operators, This set of picks fits sleekly into a credit card slot in your wallet.

As you can see from the above pics, this box did not disappoint!  It was absolutely loaded with great stuff.  Unlike many survival-type boxes, this one is sure to get some use prior to a major emergency.  A fun, but very practical selection of gear.

Visit Alpha Outpost to subscribe or find out more!