Business Spotlight: Survive Maine

Being prepared in the event of an emergency makes sense and in the aftermath of the global pandemic, has prompted many to think about what would be needed to survive should another crisis arise. 

Now a new local store makes it easy to do just that with an assortment of goods and products made right here in America for nearly every survival situation. Survive Maine at 608 Roosevelt Trail in Windham is ready to assist everyone to be prepared should an emergency occur.

“We’re trying to sell strictly American-made goods for every survival situation,” said Aaron Karp, Survive Maine owner.

Survive Maine offers an assortment of freeze-dried foods and dehydrated foods. They also sell medical equipment, first-aid kits, tourniquets, fire-starters, equipment required for camping and hiking, tactical gear, knives and products from Black Rifle Coffee Company. They can help everyone equip for any type of situation and storage use.

“A lot of people are under the assumption that if food is freeze-dried or dehydrated it doesn’t taste good and that’s not the case,” Karp said. “We sell dehydrated food made by the Good to Go Company in Kittery and it’s really delicious, comes in many different sizes and has a 2- to 5-year shelf life.”

According to Karp, freeze-dried and dehydrated foods weigh very little and as a result are preferred by camping enthusiasts and hikers because they can be stashed away in a backpack and are easy to transport because they are so lightweight.

Blue Force Gear is sold at Survive Maine including plate carriers, tactical belts and slings. They can assist in creating 72-hour emergency preparedness bags featuring blankets, knives and tools, water filters, pre-made hiking bags, and an array of other survival gear.

Karp said he’s wanted to open a store offering survival supplies for some time, but he could never find the right location for it until he decided upon Windham.

“This is a great community and we’re in a great spot here,” he said. “Since I’m a camper and a hiker myself, I’ve been very interested in survival equipment and gear for a while.”

Survive Maine’s prices are highly competitive and may in fact be substantially lower than what’s typically available at big box stores with more product diversity and availability.

“The most challenging aspect of setting up this store has been getting the supplies we need as everything’s been shut down for a while,” Karp said. “But we’re working with wholesalers and that helps save our customers money as the prices are set by the dealers.”

Preparations to open Survive Maine have been about eight months in the making and Karp said they are ready to be a resource for the community for everyone’s survival needs.

“What we offer is reliability and we stand behind every product that we sell,” Karp said. “Our staff is familiar with every product in the store and has the product knowledge to make recommendations for nearly any kind of situation whether you are going camping deep into the woods, stuck in your car during a snowstorm, or for any situation at home.”

The store also has a classroom and is used to teach CPR, first aid, and basic life support, with each course certified by the American Red Cross.

Survive Maine is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Communications is essential in any business and having used all of our products, we have the expertise and the knowledge to advise you what you will need for any survival situation,” Karp said. “And, best of all, you can feel good that many of these products are made right here in Maine or elsewhere in the United States.” 

For more information, call 207-572-1008 or visit https://survive-maine.com/ <