Best Survival Advent Calendars | Tested

An Advent calendar is a great way to ramp into the season of Christmas. I’ve loved the tradition ever since my grandmother gifted me custom Advent calendars each year growing up- it gave me great memories with her that I’ll always remember.

Now, you can get specialized Advent calendars that focus on a wide range of topics, including survival. The gear in these isn’t going to knock your socks off, but they are a great gift for beginning preppers or young survival enthusiasts.

My main recommendation is for the MyLune Survival Advent Calendar, which has a good assortment of tools and solid presentation.

If you need an EDC-focused option, the BoxNoble fits the bill with gear that is useful every single day. I also suggest a general-preparedness-focused budget option and show how to make your own survival Advent calendar.

MyLune steps up from the competition with better tool selection, a hard case, and more outdoor survival versatility.

Specifications

• Theme: Survival tools
• Contents: 24 days (listed below)
• Advent Type: Boxes
• Calendar Size: 17″ x 11″ x 2.5″
• Calendar Weight: 3 pounds, 3.6 ounces
• Complete Kit Size: N/A (Doesn’t fit in case)
• Complete Kit Weight: 2 pounds, 0.2 ounces

Compared to other Advent calendars, this one really packs in some value. Notably, it has a full hank of paracord (others include about 10 feet), an assisted-opening knife, a hardshell case, a folding multitool, and an all-weather notebook.

MyLune Contents By Day

Here is what you get for each day that you open the MyLune Advent calendar:

1. Folding knife
2. Ferro rod
3. Multi-function tool card
4. Wire saw
5. Mylar emergency blanket
6. Tactical pen
7. Carabiner (locking)
8. Hard case
9. Fishing lure (shrimp)
10. Survival whistle
11. Compass
12. Hemp firestarters
13. All-weather notebook
14. Camp utensil multitool
15. Mini screwdrivers
16. Paracord (full hank)
17. Fishing kit
18. Paracord bracelet
19. Bottle clip
20. Keychain cache
21. Folding keychain multitool
22. Carabiner (locking)
23. Phone dry bag
24. Fishing lure (double treble)

My main complaint is that the survival gear doesn’t fit in the included hard case, but that’s not much of an issue since most of it is wearable, meant to be stored in your pockets, or in your bug out bag. The second gripe is that it does have a repeat- two days will give you locking carabiners.

For a solid survival-focused Advent calendar, pick up a MyLune Survival Advent Calendar.

This Advent calendar is the common punch-out style that has more general preparedness-focused gear than other survival Advents.

Specifications

• Theme: Survival tools
• Contents: 24 days (listed below)
• Advent Type: Punch-out
• Calendar Size: 17″ x 11″ x 1.5″
• Calendar Weight: 1 pound, 12.2 ounces
• Complete Kit Size: 10″ x 4″ x 3.5″
• Complete Kit Weight: 1 pound, 2.0 ounces

Because this calendar is the traditional punch-out style, it has some of those common issues with the plastic liner not lining up completely with the punch-out top, and some gear migrating between the boxes if it is shaken.

Zizicg Contents By Day

Here is what you get for each day that you open the Zizicg Advent calendar:

1. Gloves
2. Compass
3. Tactical pen
4. Hemp fire starter
5. Phone dry bag
6. Mini carabiners (x2)
7. Paracord
8. Fishing lure (double treble)
9. Red survival kit bag
10. Mini screwdrivers
11. Folding camp fork
12. Paracord bracelet
13. Folding camp knife
14. Mosquito head net
15. Fishing kit
16. Multitool card
17. Gear clip
18. Rain poncho
19. Mylar emergency blanket
20. Folding camp spoon
21. Water bottle clip
22. Wire saw
23. Survival whistle
24. Ferro rod

If you want an inexpensive preparedness-focused Advent calendar, get a Zizicg Survival Advent Calendar.

This calendar has some solid gear inside for EDC, including many wearables, keychains, and a tactical pen.

Specifications

• Theme: Survival tools
• Contents: 24 days (listed below)
• Advent Type: Boxes
• Calendar Size: 15″ x 12″ x 1.75″
• Calendar Weight: 2 pounds, 3.3 ounces
• Complete Kit Size: 10″ x 4″ x 3.5″
• Complete Kit Weight: 1 pound, 6.0 ounces

It’s a large box with a flip-up lid that has 24 smaller number-labeled boxes nested inside, in order (which is nice).

The main drawback of the BoxNoble was that there is a paper with ‘spoilers’ behind the boxes. When you get about halfway through the calendar, it’s very easy to spot and gives away some of the upcoming items. The paper also lets you know what a few of the items were for, like the clip tourniquet, medical tape, and water bottle buckle.

Another drawback is that this kit sells out relatively frequently. When Christmas season starts up, it seems as though they can’t keep the BoxNoble in stock.

BoxNoble Contents By Day

Here is what you get for each day that you open the BoxNoble Advent calendar:

1. Compass
2. Fishing kit
3. Pocket bellows
4. Hemp tinder
5. Water bottle buckle
6. Flashlight
7. Paracord tether
8. Fishing lure (climbing)
9. Mylar emergency blanket
10. Carabiner (locking)
11. Multi-function tool card
12. Small carabiner (x2)
13. Clip tourniquet
14. Tactical pen
15. Multitool tableware
16. Paracord bracelet
17. Nail tool set
18. Ferro rod
19. Mini screwdrivers
20. Survival whistle
21. Wire saw
22. Paracord
23. Red storage bag
24. Medical tape

Most of these are usable, so it’s a respectable loadout for an Advent calendar. The one piece of gear I would never consider using is the clip tourniquet: stick to the CoTCCC Tourniquets. I wish the red storage bag was labeled as day one, so you could fill it as you opened the calendar each day.

If you want an EDC-focused Advent calendar, get a BoxNoble Survival Advent Calendar.

Comparison Table

How I Tested the Calendars

First, I compared the kit contents across a wide range of Advent calendars. Next, I measured and weighed the kits sealed and looked at how appealing they were packaged as an Advent calendar.

To test, I popped open each day, documented, and tried out the various survival tools. This helped me compare the quality of each kit and see the versatility of the tools they included.

Lastly, I practically used the kits out in the woods, where I typically test some of the best survival gear available.

Why Trust TruePrepper

Survival tools are important for preparedness, and understanding the limits of China-sourced Advent calendars is also important. We don’t exaggerate gear performance in our reviews and are always straight-up about our testing, including quality and durability.

Hi, I’m Sean Gold, and I’m the founder of TruePrepper. I have degrees in both Emergency Management and Engineering, so those, paired with my veteran background, make me especially qualified to review survival tools under a preparedness scope.

I’ve been using survival tools for as long as I can remember, and I rely on the best in my survival kits. I understand how decisions based on reviews of survival gear can affect lives, and I strive for thoroughness, keeping this in mind.

What to Look For

The best survival Advent calendars have several important features to look for:

1. Value
2. Survival Tools
3. Presentation
4. Size & Weight
5. Versatility

Who you are buying for can also affect what you should specifically. Prepping and survival are broad umbrellas that embrace a wide range of hobbies.

You can find Advent calendars addressing specific interests, like fishing, hunting, knife collecting, gardening, and more. While those are great, we focus only on the kits geared specifically for outdoor survival.

Value: Cost vs. Benefit

The amount of money you spend on something like a Advent calendar gift shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. These premade calendars are meant to be cheap- if you are looking for higher quality gear, a custom advent calendar would fit the bill and let you pick some seriously good survival supplies.

That said, most of these tools at these price points are a pretty good deal considering the amount of survival versatility you get from them and the memorable calendar presentation that gears anyone up for Christmas.

Survival Tools

The tools you get each day from the calendar are the main thing to consider. I cracked each calendar open to take a look at every tool, how it fits in a survival kit, judged it’s quality, and noted which day it came from.

Survival Focus

Sometimes the tools included in a survival kit are just borderline related to survival. Some first aid tape, for example, if it is low quality- isn’t really going to be used in any capacity- even for what it is designed for.

Quality

The quality is pretty low across the board for survival Advent calendars. Still, some are slightly above others with more features or better quality steel on generally the same tools.

Presentation

The presentation is the entire point of an Advent calendar. If it wasn’t for this, you could just get a cheap survival kit and move on.

I found the boxes to be the best presentation, and the punch-out style to be the worst. Custom advent calendars can do whatever they want to hide the 24 presents leading up to Christmas.

My grandmother found that moving from a ‘calendar-style’ presentation to a burlap bag with small wrapped presents inside worked best for her. She was cranking out Advent calendars every year to keep up with me, my brothers, and my cousins.

Size & Weight

The size and the weight of the kits we compared correlated with their quality and tool selection- the heavy Advent calendars are the ones to get when it comes to survival.

This is somewhat opposite of what we typically suggest, with ultralight gear often performing best for our bug out bags. But, knives, multitools, and robust eating utensils add up to close to twice the weight of Advent kits that leave them out.

Versatility

A survival Advent calendar’s versatility hinges on it’s completed survival kit. After Christmas has come and gone, whomever got the calendar should have a small survival kit ready to go.

This isn’t always the case, since some don’t fit in the included case/bag or don’t address key components under the Survival Rule of Threes.

DIY Survival Advent Calendar

If a cheap premade kit isn’t quite what you are looking for, you can always make a homemade Advent calendar. My grandmother did this for five grandchildren every year, and we all remember it fondly.

To get started, you need to hunt down 24 gifts, and small survival tools will work best. Check out our latest annual gift guide for a few ideas to get started, but here are a few more general ideas:

Slap some wrapping paper on each one and throw it in an inexpensive bag that can double as a survival kit container.

Sources & References

My experience and the testing I did to find the best survival Advent calendars are useless without a list of my research sources and references. I leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with my hands-on testing and survival experience:

Griffith, J. (1908). The Origin of Advent, and other Three Weeks’ Celebrations. Nature. Issue 79. Pages 36 – 37. (Source)

Lundmark, E. (2023). Banal and Nostalgic – Memories of Swedishness in the Christmas Calendar. Temenos – Nordic Journal for the Study of Religion. Volume 59. Issue 1. Pages 29 – 51. (Source)

Senn, F. (1971). The Meaning of Advent: Implications for Preaching. Concordia Theological Monthly. Volume 42. Article 64. (Source)

Conclusion

Advent calendars have a special spot in my heart, since my grandmother gifted me one each year while I was growing up. While they have evolved since then, they are still a great tradition that can build excitement and anticipation for Christmas.

They can also help build preparedness, with the Advent calendar gifting one small survival tool at a time.

For more Christmas gift ideas, check out our latest Christmas gift guide: Best Prepper & Survival Christmas Gifts.

See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.

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