You can get anything by subscription these days: food, hygiene products, and you guessed it- survival gear. ‘Survival gear’ is a broad term that encompasses tactical, outdoors, knives, firearms- many types of gear can be focused on. And it turns out that there are good subscription boxes for all of them. Here are the 10 best survival subscription boxes that are worth checking out (plus some honorable mentions and a few editor’s picks).
Subscription boxes continue to grow every year. Forbes noted that subscription box revenue almost doubled between 2021 and 2022, so it’s safe to say this convenient way of shopping and gift-giving isn’t going away anytime soon. Still, there is a big difference between some boxes and the best survival subscription boxes at the top of our list. But, let’s go ahead and get to the awesome survival gear that gets shipped out.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Why Get a Subscription Box?
You may think you’ve seen it all, but we guarantee you haven’t.
We’ve been reviewing survival gear and sharing our preparedness knowledge for the better part of a decade now and continue to encounter new gear and learn new things every day.
One of the easiest ways to keep up with new gear is with a fire-and-forget survival subscription box. Have the research done for you and get curated kits to your door every month (or quarter, if that’s more your speed).
Millions of preppers and survivalists subscribe to at least one type of box at this point, and there are a handful of good brands to pick from.
Below, we list out the top 10 subscription boxes in order of popularity, with a few highlighted editor’s picks.
10. TacPack
Founded in 2014, based in Columbus, Ohio
Tactical Gear
Previous rank = N/A
Mostly tactical gear with a smattering of EDC and survival gear.
TacPack has been around for a while but has been held off or low on the list because it’s not technically a survival box. These boxes are made for tactical enthusiasts first and foremost, but you’ll find a good EDC knife or survival tourniquet here and there.
The gear they provide is quality, but you may not have much use for it if you don’t have an AR platform, Glock, or one of the many firearms they provide accessories for. If you are looking for a subscription box that is more survival-oriented, you’ll need to move higher up the list.
9. Nomadik
Founded in 2016, based in San Diego, California
Camping and Preparedness Gear
Previous rank = N/A
Themed boxes for specific emergency functions are smartly curated and delivered quarterly.
Nomadik has switched it up since we last reviewed their monthly box. Now, they’ve moved to offering quarterly boxes at higher price points. This appears to be a smart move on their part, since they can offer better gear from brands like Gerber, Solo Stove, UCO, etc. Despite the huge price hike, they offer plenty of discounts on their site to bring it a little lower.
We’ll have to monitor what they offer before we move them further up in the rankings, but for now it looks like Nomadik is headed in the right direction.
8. SHTF Survival
Founded in 2019, based in Moultrie, GA
Survival Gear
Previous rank = 9
Guaranteed 2x value gives you a good deal on a wide range of survival-oriented equipment
The SHTF Survival plan is owned and run by the survival gear retailer CH Kadels, so they pack a wide range of gear. With costs starting at $20 and going up to $90 for the Elite subscription, none of the plans are all that expensive. The gear they include is always worth at least twice the cost, per their retail prices.
7. Nutrient Survival
Founded in 2016, based in Reno, Nevada
Food Storage and Drink Mixes
Previous rank = 8
Subscribe to your favorite Nutrient Survival shakes, meals, and hydration mixes to get monthly boxes over 20% off.
Nutrient Survival isn’t just subscriptions, they also happen to rank highly in our best food storage company roundup review with long shelf life food that isn’t just there for calorie count but also is packed full of nutrition. Certain items in their catalog can be shipped monthly on a subscription basis.
This is one of the underrated and under-used survival subscription services, and as an editor’s pick, we hope to see it climb the rankings in future reviews.
Their offerings really excel for mobile survival kits and getting a subscription to Nutrient Survival is a smart way to improve your kits and overall preparedness.
6. Barrel & Blade
Founded in 2017, based in McDonough, Georgia
Tactical Survival Gear
Previous rank = 7
With a tactical focus on survival gear, Barrel and Blade offers a few plans that can interest survivalists.
Starting at $50 and topping out at $100, Barrel & Blade is predictable in what they supply. They offer a range of tactical equipment but are mostly focused on firearms attachments and knives. One of their $100 plan levels is exclusively knives, with a knife-of-the-month option.
Realistically, we found better tactical options that are more popular (so they are further up the list). If you are looking for a focus on blades and weapons attachments it could be a pick for you.
5. Steel to Reel
Founded in 2019, based in Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Survival Gear
Previous rank = 6
Dakota Meyer heads this outfit and happens to be the first living US Marine in 41 years to earn a Medal of Honor.
First things first: Dakota Meyer is a legend.
He’s built a high-quality subscription box that provides gear from great brands like Ready Hour, Snugpak, and one of my all-time favorites: ESEE Knives.
The monthly plans range from $65 – $130 and the quarterly plan is $400. It is a bit on the pricey side, but that makes sense considering the name brands Steel to Reel works with.
4. Apocabox
Founded in 2019, based in Central Indiana
Wilderness Survival Gear
Previous rank = 5
Bi-monthly subscription to hand-picked survival gear by the legendary Creek Stewart.
Creek Stewart is somewhat of a bushcraft and survival legend, heading up one of the premier wilderness schools and authoring plenty of guides. These boxes are curated around specific survival skills every other month and are just beautiful to look at.
There are two main plan levels at $50 and $75, but the way the gear is curated is top-notch quality. This one we are surprised more people haven’t gotten involved with yet, and expect it to climb our rankings in future reviews.
3. Clubtac
Founded in 2017, based in Lewes, Delaware
Tactical Survival Gear
Previous rank = 3
A military-first type of survival box with plenty of high-quality tactical gear and a unique ‘rank’ system for loyal subscribers.
Clubtac wears its stripes on its sleeves putting military gear front and center. Monthly subscriptions span $39 – $175 per month. You may even get a survival manual or two that you’ll recognize from your service days if you’re a veteran like me. A lot of the gear feels like it could have been right at home in my deployment bag- but now it goes right into my bug out bag.
This subscription is obviously great for veterans, or those that are military or tactical enthusiasts. From the gear to the rewards program, everything is military-themed and well-executed.
For any of the boxes that are standard or higher, you’ll get a better deal on the first month by subscribing through Amazon.
2. Crate Club
Founded in 2016, based in New York, New York
Tactical Survival Gear
Previous rank = 2
With a focus on tactical operations gear, Crate Club partners with some high-quality brands to deliver the goods.
Crate Club offers monthly or quarterly ‘crates’ that span between $50 and $200 monthly cost, and their quarterly General box runs $400. Clubtac is similar with the military theme, but Crate Club has been around longer and leans into general tactical equipment more.
The boxes are not filled with ‘filler’ gear- they focus on sourcing high-quality gear from recognizable brands, which also makes them one of the more expensive options. If you are looking for a tactical survival box, a Crate Club subscription won’t disappoint.
1. Battlbox
Founded in 2015, based in Statesboro, Georgia
Tactical Survival Gear
Previous rank = 1
The brand to beat continues to dominate survival-oriented subscription boxes as it closes in on a decade of ‘missions’.
Battlbox is the big boy of survival subscription boxes, and the biggest by far. They work with a huge range of brands and consistently push boundaries with their various mission-themed boxes. Their wide reach helps the boxes stay fresh and introduce you to new things. Some of their unique gear has made it into our reviews, including a handcuff key bracelet and sunglasses specifically made for survival.
Unique gear isn’t the best part though- the real clutch move is how they ship quality gear. I’ve received very little chaffe from Battlbox, and instead get top-tier equipment I can rely on in actual survival situations. From gas masks to glow sticks, it is all gear that consistently ranks high in our tear-apart reviews.
Their subscriptions run monthly and cost between $35 and $170, so they are not back-breaking expensive like some of the other boxes on our list. If you are looking for a no-brainer winner of a subscription box, a Battlbox subscription outperforms the rest.
Honorable Mention Boxes
These subscription boxes didn’t quite make the top 10 or are no longer shipping customers anymore. Still, they are worth getting down to let people know we considered them in the ranking.
- Alpha Outpost – Founded in 2015, based in Illinois – There isn’t much evidence of people subscribing to this box anymore. It seems they are focused on spicy memes now, which we can’t blame them for.
- Never Enough Tactical – It looks like this box that started in 2016 folded before 2020 claiming issues with Facebook ads. It tried to launch a comeback in 2022 under the name Lyfe Crate with an Indigogo campaign that petered out before it even started.
- Prep Boxes – It looked like this one might survive, but its old website is showing a 404 error now that it’s folded under. It charged $60 a month for well-known gear like Ready Hour emergency food and Seychelle water filters.
- Survival Box – With a buggy website, high costs, and unresponsive service- this is one to pass over after it fell off our top 10 list.
- Survival Skill of the Month Club – Another one from Creek Stewart, this PDF is either mailed or digitally delivered at a low cost. It’s not technically a box, but it does help you learn some survival skills and get you out of your comfort zone.
The Final Word
Subscription boxes can be a great way to get out of your comfort zone with new gear and skills. Having curated boxes arrive on your doorstep is much more useful than most preppers realize. Plus, they always make great gifts for that prepper who has everything.
Here are some other guides our subscribers have found helpful:
If you have any favorite subscription box that we may have missed or chose not to rank, weigh in below in the comment section. We’ll take the time to review it before our next roundup and see where it stacks up.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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