"Zero Day" Minimalist Survival Kit ZDSK

I might use too many smiley faces :D
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 09:37:47 PM

Woo! Another week closer to getting you all your Zero Day Survival Kits!

What's up ZDSK FAMILY!!! (picture me swinging my arms around frantically while yelling through a huge smile ;)

So lets jump right into updates!

Production update: So far the fishing spools, and end caps are done and complete. The fire piston rod, spool holder, and fire plugs all started on their various machines as of Monday afternoon. I ordered up extras of these pieces as well for anyone that would like to get extras.. Honestly the fire plug is pretty small and Ive already lost one from my prototype kit :( Good thing is though, there's two in every kit ;)

Add On update: We hit a slight bump regarding the Hobby Blade Adapter design but a revision is already done and being reviewed by the machine shop engineers. This shouldn't put us behind for the add on stuff, it should still all be ready when the surveys go out. It in no way affects the main project of the Zero Day Survival Kit, that is still chugging along right where we should be =)

Website update: The website is evolving quite nicely! If anybody would like to see what it looks like right now please visit http://www.zerodaysurvival.com/index.html I would love to hear any thoughts on the website or any suggestions on what you all would like!

Survey update: I'm moving forward more and more each day with the Backerkit surveys. Cant wait to see what you all think of them :)

STICKERS!! lol so this is a new topic and....  well.... I may be a little too excited about it :D So I have a local Design shop that is working on a few designs for the ZDSK Swag rewards... I found out some pretty cool info on Friday.. Once I have the designs, I can get however many stickers printed off as needed! My thought originally was that I would have you all vote on which sticker design you liked best and that would be the ONE sticker everybody would get.... but instead, I get to show you all EVERY sticker design and you get to pick which one you want!! I have two designs I had made right at the end of the KS campaign, if anybody would like to see those just email me at [email protected]. They're high resolution so I'm not sure if they would display correctly if I added them in the update..  I also found out it would be pretty easy to get T-Shirts etc made.... IF anyone is interested :D

Last but certainly not least, (cheesy alert!!!) I believe in Kickstarter and I am thankful for each and every one of you. As I'm sure you all do, I back KS projects I think are cool and would like to see be a real thing. KS is an awesome community (that's you!) that grows with all of us! Soooo in the spirit of bringing you other cool projects, I have one to tell you all about!

Some of you may know Brad from Tactical Keychains, if you don't know him you probably at least know of the TUKK Titanium Knife Keychain or any of his other amazing projects. Well Brad is back with an awesome little EDC keychain Magnetic Quick Release! This guy makes awesome key chain stuff and.. well.. he's just a darn good guy! Give it a quick browse, get some cool gear ;) I heard a rumor there are some pretty sweet stretch goals!

Im going to party like it's my birthday...... Cuz it is!!! :D
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 11, 2015 at 11:02:29 PM

Well ZDSK Family, it's time once again for our weekly update =)

So I know I say it every time, but I am going to keep this update short lol..

Production update: We are moving forward and picking up speed! I am thoroughly impressed with the Machine Shop making the parts for the ZDSK! The Fishing Line Spools are finished and clearing Quality Control, once they clear I will do final inspection and those will be fully complete. The end caps are already being machined, the last update I got was that the end caps (240 pieces total) are at about 95% machined. Those parts will also go through Quality Control, as will all other parts.

Add On update: I am expecting the remainder of the parts I ordered for the prototyping of the add ons (side-project stuff) to arrive early next week and that should be everything I need to finish prototypes to show you all. These add on prototypes will include the Day/Night Signal Mirror, Hobby Blade Adapter, and Glow In the Dark parts.

Website update: The website developer is in the process of adding in a few new features, to include the special "thank you" page for all you amazing backers =) Your names will go on the website once the surveys are completed, this will allow anyone who does not want their personal information listed to let me know beforehand.

Survey update: I am more and more impressed with BackerKit the more I use it! I really do believe you are going to love how user-friendly the surveys are going to be =) The surveys will go out as we get closer to the machined parts being complete!

So as the title reads... yes, today is my birthday... and yes ironically enough my birthday is on Veteran's day and I am a veteran.. I want to say a special thank you to all our brave Men and Women of the Armed Forces. Thank you for your service!

Hope the rest of your week is awesome!!

Landon

Insert funny "subject" line here ; )
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 04, 2015 at 05:16:59 PM

Happy Wednesday ZDSK Family!! Its time for our weekly update!! :D

So, not too much to cover this week so ill keep this post short and to the point.

The kickstarter funds transferred into my account as of yesterday so getting the prototypes of the add on stuff should go substantially smoother now. Ive already started ordering up things that I will need in order to complete the project (i.e. O-rings, Storage Vials, Shipping materials etc.).

Production of the Zero Day Survival Kits is already well underway, the first pieces are already coming off of the line (Fishing Line Spools). There are a total of 10 parts per each ZDSK so essentially we are at 1/10 complete for both materials (Alum&Titanium). I should be going up to the machine shop later in the week to review the first pieces, this will ensure that all pieces will meet strict quality control measures. I'm waiting on permission to bring a camera to take a few production pictures :) If anyone is interested in adding an extra fishing line spool (or any of the other parts that make the ZDSK) to their order just let me know. I'm thinking it might be beneficial to have an extra spool or two for different pound test fishing lines.

I have a meeting with my website guy next Tuesday to discuss the direction of the new website and get things moving on that. The names of backers will be added to the website under its own special "thank you" section AFTER the surveys go out (surveys will go out closer to the end of Machining but before Anodizing) There will be a question in the survey for backers to choose whether they want their name listed publicly as a backer or not, plus a little section to add a message! ;D

I also have a meeting with my local Design/Print shop this week regarding the custom ZDSK sticker! They have been working on drafting a few different designs that I will be reviewing. I will get digital renderings and then I will be looking for feedback on which sticker you all like the most! If anyone has any suggestions or if there is anyone looking to display their artistic talents, send me a message.

That's pretty much all the info I have right now. There is nothing significant to report regarding any obstructions to our production and fulfillment timeline, we are still right where we need to be. As always, if you need anything or have any questions or concerns please let me know.

Have a great weekend ZDSK FAMILY!!!

Landon

Is a "2 week Anniversary" a thing? 0_o
over 8 years ago – Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 06:42:11 PM

Happy Wednesday ZDSK Family!!! :D

First, thank you to everyone for your feedback from last week's update! I sincerely appreciate all your ideas and enthusiasm!! It's not only exciting and encouraging to hear your thoughts but it also lets me know that I am on the right path forward. I do feel it is important though to say, any of the side project "add on" stuff is exactly that: Side Project.. It will not deter nor detract me from my primary focus and that is the Zero Day Survival Kit and Backer Happiness.

Tomorrow night marks the official 2 week "anniversary" of the ZDSK Kickstarter campaign being successfully funded :) Hopefully the funds will clear into my account shortly and that will mark the "official start" of the Manufacturing Phase. I use quotations around "official start" because at this point we've already begun. The Machine Shop has already been working diligently to get everything in order and begin production; this past Monday I was informed that they are using "Domestic Origin" materials!!

I don't have the prototypes for the add on stuff yet (Signal Mirror, Hobby Blade Adapter). Originally I planned on having those for this update so I could show pictures (and hopefully videos lol), but I also don't want to rush. Once the Kickstarter funds clear it will make it a little bit easier for me to make the prototypes without sacrificing quality.

All in all, we are exactly where we should be and I'm happy to say there are still no roadblocks or obstacles in the way of production or timely shipping :)

So it seems like every week I tell you all about a cool Kickstarter project... Most of you are probably aware, and more than likely already a backer ;) but Brent Garcia has a new Kickstarter project! If you're not familiar with the Gravity Hook or Brent you should probably change that lol. Brent is a great guy, amazing creator, and his projects re-inspire the kid in me! GOOD LUCK BRENT!!

Sharp and glowy things ;) new ideas for your consideration!
over 8 years ago – Wed, Oct 21, 2015 at 12:38:09 PM

Happy Wednesday ZDSK Family!! :)

So just a few things to bring to you all this week but I would really love your thoughts and feedback. First and foremost, I have been going back and forth with the machine shop and all good news thus far. The shop's projected production schedule for all orders (not just our ZDSK project) looks good so as of right now it does not appear we will have any significant delays due to the Machine Shop being "backed up". The machinists have the prints and drawings of all the ZDSK parts to be made and are working on the programming. We're still about a week away from the kickstarter funds transferring to my account, but the machine shop is already progressing forward, ordering up required tooling, ordering metal and material etc.

This is the part where I would really love feedback and opinions. A few ZDSK family members have sent ideas of add-ons for the survival kit, so I would like to see who would be interested and see if we can get them made along with the survival kits.

The first idea is a small Day/Night signal mirror. I have an AutoCAD drawing of this piece and will be making a prototype hopefully within the next week so you have a visual representation. The overall idea is a small metal disc around the same size as a quarter, with one side being polished metal (Mirror finish) and the other side having a highly reflective infrared surface (Glint Tape). There would be a small hole drilled in the center for aiming. The size would be small enough to stow inside the cap of the ZD survival kit but would add a very beneficial capability.

The second idea is an adapter piece for the Fire Piston Rod inside the survival kit that would attach a #11 Hobby Knife blade (Exacto Knife blade). Again, I have an AutoCAD drawing of this and should hopefully have a prototype by next week's update. The concept of the hobby knife blade adapter is to have a razor sharp knife edge for worst case scenarios. The Hobby Blade itself can be stowed inside the survival kit and then attached when needed.. It's a small blade, but a perfect size for things like filleting a fish, cutting survival ParaCord, or worst case if you needed it for small first aid. (Apologies for the horrid picture but I wanted you to have a visual idea)

The third idea is a glow in the dark material in the "trenches" on the outside of the survival kit. I have been playing around with Glow in the Dark powder and mixing it with various epoxies and resins and have found one specifically that is strong and durable as well as being overall bright. (These pictures were taken after about 3 minutes of exposure to sunlight, no filters, no editing, with about 1 minute in between the "day" and "night" pictures.) The concept is that in the event you accidentally drop your survival kit at night, you would have a much better chance of finding it because of the glow in the dark. 

There are a few other ideas as well but ive already gone over my 5 million word limit per update lol.. Please let me know how you feel about these ideas, I know I want these for my personal kit ;)

On a side note, if you all are interested in other cool tools and outdoor gear, check out the Lions Grip Multitool! Not only is it an awesome idea with a million uses, but Jesse and Marc are AWESOME people! I'm a backer on their project but there's only 48 HOURS LEFT and they're still a little short of their goal :(

Thanks ZDSK FAMILY!!! Cant wait to hear your thoughts and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week,

Landon