What to know about 5col Survival Supply?

Discussion in '5Col' started by 5col, Nov 14, 2018.

  1. 5col

    5col Moderator Staff Member

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    Here's what to know about 5col Survival Supply:
    We're a family-owned business based in Durham, NC. Our goal is to offer high-quality survival gear. The sporting goods market is flooded with low-quality products marked "survival." Where they go low, we strive to go high.

    5col Survival Supply is proud to be an authorized ESEE dealer. We carry products from companies like Source Tactical, Hill People Gear, Aquamira, Solkoa Survival Systems, Exotac, White River Knife & Tool, Wm. Smith & Son, and many more. In addition, we have a range of 5col-branded products. These are typically items like TinderQuik Tabs, Ranger Bands, and paracord, and they come in little brown pouches.

    -We offer free shipping to US and APO/FPO/DPO addresses. We also ship internationally, but that's not free.
    -Orders received by 10:00 am EST will ship that day.
    -And now we also offer free returns within 60 days of purchase.

    You can find our site here: https://www.5col.com
    The forum discount code is SHEEPLE, and is good for 5% off all orders.
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2018
  2. mtngoat

    mtngoat Member

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    He will also let you sit next to his heater when it’s cold and muddy.
     
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  3. 5col

    5col Moderator Staff Member

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    It's true, I will!

    This little sucker was expensive as heck, but I might have paid even more for it last weekend.

    56357866285__6317C8B6-D729-4C74-A5FA-689B9619126E.JPG
     
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  4. mtngoat

    mtngoat Member

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    It sure was nice Sunday morning
     
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  5. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Administrator of the Century Staff Member

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    Some of the very best service I have ever had and the best prices on shipping from the US to here !!
     
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  6. shaneadams90

    shaneadams90 ESEE Knives Marketing Director Staff Member

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    Beth and Andy from 5col are just good people...Andy is a squared away dude (Beth is too bc she keeps Andy on point)

    He's been to our WFR class at the Farm and the guy is good in a bad situation....also had the opportunity to suffer a bit with Andy at Overland Expo this past weekend...I appreciate what 5col does and what they bring to the ESEE family.
     
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  7. DiscoveryLover

    DiscoveryLover Member

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    I always wondered how the "5col" name came about?
     
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  8. 5col

    5col Moderator Staff Member

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    That is a good question.

    In 2001 I was a project manager for a tiny web shop. We just finished the redesign of Drew Pinsky's website (drdrew.com). The webpage had three columns--two columns of content, and one column of advertising. The client demanded a fourth column of ads, and then a fifth column of ads. It was a bad idea on all levels, but ultimately they wrote the checks and we followed orders. But I HATED it. Soon after that the client went out of business, and then the company I worked for failed as well. Beth and I hadn't even been married a whole year at that point, we were both unemployed, and we we were half a country away from all our friends and family. On July 9, 2001 I set up an Ebay account to try and raise a little cash for unemployment. When I set up the account, I was thinking about that stupid fifth column of advertising and how I didn't want to work for idiots anymore. And so I used 5col as the username.

    A few years and a few ups and downs later, I started a company selling survival gear. I started on Ebay because that's the cheapest way to do it. Since my username was 5col, I named the company that as well. I meant to change it when I thought of something better, but 8 years later it's starting to seem like I'm not going to have any better ideas.

    We should have a contest to see who can come up with a better meaning/story for the name 5col. Maybe give away a Gibson Pinch?
     
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  9. DiscoveryLover

    DiscoveryLover Member

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    Very nice, thank you. I would have never guessed that.
     
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  10. shaneadams90

    shaneadams90 ESEE Knives Marketing Director Staff Member

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    That is an awesome story....I love names with meanings and the stories behind them....

    when I owned my own shop I used to say: "If I'm going to work for a dummy, I may as well be THE Dummy and I'm the dummy here."


    not that that applies now......jus'sayin
     
  11. Delkancott

    Delkancott Member

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    It's a good name and a real story. I say keep it. Make 5 columns of survival to market as kits.
     
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  12. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    5col has been a blessing for this forum. He has always offered help with giveaways and stocks the BEST paracord EVER among other things. He supports all the companies I love like ESEE and HPG. Thank you sir.
     
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  13. DYSPHORIC JOY

    DYSPHORIC JOY Administrator Staff Member

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    I am dumber than a box of hammers. I always thought the company name was a clever take on the 5 Cs of Life (COL) in a survival situation from a campcraft perspective.

    1. Cordage (Y’all sell the best available)

    2. Combustion (Fire/lighting mechanism)

    3. Cutlery (Obvious)

    4. Container (Hydration procurements/ cooking)

    5. Cover (Shelter development)

    Well, I feel like an idiot. Either way, appreciate the work you all do and have always been a very satisfied customer.
     
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  14. 5col

    5col Moderator Staff Member

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    I actually didn't hear about that until we were a ways down the road with the 5col name. It seemed at the time like that's Dave Canterbury's concept, so I stay away from it.

    Plus, it leaves out some important ones like:

    -Contact rescuers
    and
    -Cadminister first aid
     
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  15. DYSPHORIC JOY

    DYSPHORIC JOY Administrator Staff Member

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    Using Cs was around long before DC and can be applied to numerous things like contact-concealment-cover-cauterize-compress....I figured you narrowed it down some otherwise you would be 50Col.
     
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  16. boss_crew

    boss_crew Member

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    Love this so much. How often do we see such short-sighted decisions from business owners with no real vision? You guys are a blessing and I will continue to support you however I can! Thankful for you
     
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  17. jeeter

    jeeter Member

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    Interesting story. I figured the "col" part was from the abbreviation for Colonel. The 5 I was stumped on.
     
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  18. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    How do you decide what gets put on the website to sell? Do you get to test all the gear first?
     
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  19. 5col

    5col Moderator Staff Member

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    When we first started out, I made a spreadsheet that listed everything specified for every military-issue survival kit. Then I went down the list and found the best version of each of those items. That's how we came to sell things like Type IV parachute cord and Howard Glass signal mirrors.

    In a lot of cases, we have tried gear out before we put it up for sale on our site. I bought a Tarahumara and carried it around for a few months before we contacted HPG, for instance. For other things, we look to the experts. I've never applied a tourniquet to someone who actually needed it, but I feel comfortable taking Joe and Evan's word on which ones are good. I've never used a Mk10 Finger Light, but I know a guy who does and he really likes them.

    Ultimately, I'm a shopkeeper, not a survival expert. That means a big part of my job is paying attention to what other people use and like. I want to feel confident that my customers can trust the products I sell.

    I also really enjoy finding small American factories that do one thing and do it really well. Derma-Safe and Thompson Snares come to mind.
     
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  20. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    I like this philosophy a lot.
     
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