Survival and Outdoor Safety promotes survival kits and how to use them as the foundation for learning how to survive in the outdoors. "Survival kits present an inexpensive, practical way for everyday people to prepare for an unexpected, overnight stay in the outdoors," said Gene Ward.

Ward acknowledged it's possible to train people how to survive with nothing but their bare hands and what they find in the wilderness. But, he pointed out, that kind of training is expensive and can take years to be effective. Starting a fire with a bow and drill, for example, is an excellent backup skill to learn, but it is not a substitute for having a means to start a fire in extreme conditions. Ward described survival kits as more realistic and more likely to save lives.

Survival and Outdoor Safety's mission is to reach as many people as possible with basic, easy-to-understand, realistic and accessible survival education.