Not shooting equipment: the light, fire and cord carried in a vest pocket. UST has made them since 1936.
Image: UST (AOB Products Company)
- Founded 1936
- Head office Columbia, Missouri
- Group American Outdoor Brands
- Speciality Survival and outdoors
- Warranty Limited lifetime
- Categories Accessories
History
What is carried before dawn
UST makes no firearms, ammunition or anything fitted to one: it is not shooting equipment and this page will not pretend otherwise. It makes torches, lighters, compasses, cord, multi-tools and camp kitchenware. What brings it here is the other half of a hunting day: the long hour before dawn, the dark stand, the return by head torch and the stretch of country where nobody can lend a lighter.
The company states two things about itself on page 2 of its catalogue: it has made survival, camping and outdoor equipment since 1936, and it wants people outside. It names no founder or factory; it does publish a limited lifetime warranty and a head office —Columbia, Missouri, after moving from Jacksonville, Florida—. It is now an American Outdoor Brands brand, and AOB Products Company signs the catalogue footer.
The catalogue has four sections: light, tools, fire and camp. Fire explains the brand best. TekFire lighters are electric and fuel-free: an arc instead of a flame, so there is no butane and no altitude adjustment, and they recharge by USB. SparkForce is the opposite, a 28-gram ferrocerium striker whose scraper sits inside the cap so it cannot throw a spark in a pack. Paratinder cord, wound around the lighter and shovel, completes the system: unwinding it reveals a red tinder strand in the core —about 90 cm around the TekFire and 2.4 m around the ParaShovel PRO handle—.
For light the brand is measured in hours, not lumens. The 60 day duro lantern gives 1,200 lumens on high and lasts 41 hours there and 60 days on low on six D cells. The see-me 1.0 beacon runs for 17 continuous hours and is visible at 5.5 km on a clear night: the maker points out that this exceeds the one nautical mile required by the United States Coast Guard. Spright lanterns use folding silicone and collapse onto their own base for travel. Beside light is signalling: the StarFlash Micro mirror weighs 14 grams —with the maker’s warning that this one does not float— and both baseplate compasses are liquid-filled, with rotating bezels and map scales.
What crosses customs to reach Spain spans light, fire, navigation and signalling, tools and cord, and cooking and camp: folding silicone Flexware, anodised-aluminium cookware, tableware, the table and towels. Every item is checked by number against the 2023 catalogue, allowing the real name of each part to be published here rather than the name it happened to receive in the shop listing.
Product families
What we distribute
Arranged by what each item solves at six in the morning: seeing, lighting, navigating, cutting and eating.
Light
Lanterns for camp, a head torch for occupied hands and beacons for being seen.
Spright lantern
A folding silicone globe diffuses the LEDs and collapses onto its own base for storage. The base has an integrated hook for hanging it from a tent roof, the globe glows in the dark after exposure to a light source, and the unit is IPX4 protected against splashes from any direction. Spright produces 100 lumens on high and runs for five continuous days in night mode on three AA cells; 3AAA applies the same idea at a smaller size —57 lumens, four days, three AAA cells— and adds a flickering candle mode. Supplied as a pair.
Spright Solar USB lantern
The same folding silicone globe without disposable cells: 860 mAh lithium battery charged in three hours by USB or fifteen to twenty hours by its solar panel. Four modes —high, low, amber night and flickering candle—, split-ring hook, USB cable and IPX4. Folded height 51 mm; weight 179 g.
Reference
60 day duro lantern
The large lantern: 1,200 lumens on high, 41 continuous hours there and 60 continuous days on low with six D cells. Impact- and weather-resistant rubberised ABS, IPX4, recessed base hook for inverted hanging and removable globe. High, medium, low and SOS modes.
Reference
LED Bulb 1.0
A bulb-shaped light designed to hang inside a tent: soft, diffused light, 40 lumens on high and four modes, including amber night light and flashing. It runs on a single AA cell and includes a carabiner for attaching it to a branch, pole or the user’s equipment. It weighs 79 g with the cell fitted.
Reference
SplashFlash light
Lighter-sized —76 × 25 mm, 28 g with cell— with 360° light: 25 lumens for eleven hours on one AAA. High-impact ABS, overmoulded rubber lens guard and IPX7 for thirty minutes at one metre. Key-ring carabiner and SOS.
Reference
SplashFlash head torch
A 28-gram head torch —the weight of the preceding light’s battery itself— producing 20 lumens for eight and a half hours, with a magnifying lens to focus the beam. The tilting head directs the light, while the adjustable strap and clip allow alternative mounting. IPX7 and SOS mode. Two CR2032 button cells are included.
Reference
see-me 1.0 beacon
For being seen rather than seeing: 17 continuous hours visible at 5.5 km on a clear dark night, compared by the maker with the 1.9 km nautical mile required by the US Coast Guard. Twist-on, with cord and hook-and-loop strip, IPX7. Two AAA cells not included.
Reference
Fire
Two methods of ignition, neither with a flame for wind to extinguish: electric arc or ferrocerium spark.
TekFire PRO fuel-free lighter
Electric arc ignition: no flame, butane or altitude adjustment. 300 mAh lithium battery rechargeable by USB, ten-second safety cut-off and Paratinder lanyard that unwinds to about 90 cm with a red tinder strand in its core. 76 × 38 × 20 mm and 54 g.
Reference
TekFire LED fuel-free lighter
The same USB-rechargeable electric arc with an LED torch beside it, and the two operate separately: two presses of the button switch on the light without activating the arc. An indicator flashes red while charging and remains steady when complete; there is a ten-second safety cut-off and the same approximately 90 cm Paratinder lanyard. It measures 76 × 38 × 23 mm and weighs 60 g.
Reference
SparkForce ferrocerium striker
A ferrocerium rod that throws a shower of hot sparks and lights almost any kind of tinder. The scraper stores inside the removable cap, protecting the rod and preventing a spark inside the pack. Closed, it measures 79 × 19 × 10 mm and weighs 28 g, so it fits into a minimal survival kit.
Reference
Navigation and signalling
Items working without batteries or coverage: two baseplate compasses and a mirror.
hi vis folding map compass
A baseplate compass with a liquid-filled capsule and fluorescent green base, providing contrast against the map beneath it. It folds, and opening it reveals the sighting mirror and slope clinometer. Rotating bezel. It measures 94 × 64 × 18 mm and weighs 65 g.
Reference
Deluxe map compass
Long clear baseplate with magnifier and engraved measuring scales for route work. Liquid-filled capsule, rotating bezel, adjustable direction line and breakaway lanyard. 128 × 60 × 16 mm and 51 g.
Reference
StarFlash Micro signal mirror
The reduced version of the company’s signal mirror: 51 × 38 × 3 mm and 14 grams. It is the item that needs neither a battery nor network coverage. The maker highlights one distinction worth noting: this model does not float, unlike the larger StarFlash.
Reference
Field tools and cord
Pocket-sized throughout: flat multi-tools, shovels, tick remover and Para cords.
Tool A Long Sasquatch multi-tool
3 mm stainless plate with eight functions: four-size hex key, can opener, wing-nut wrench, flat and Phillips screwdrivers, one-inch ruler, cord cutter and bottle opener. Carabiner, TSA compliant, 91 × 64 mm and 34 g.
Reference
Tool A Long Moose multi-tool
Square counterpart: 81 × 81 mm, 37 g and seven functions —38 mm carabiner, bottle opener, three-size hex key, cord cutter, Phillips screwdriver, wing-nut wrench and flat screwdriver—. The same 3 mm stainless steel and TSA compliance.
Reference
ParaShovel PRO multi-tool shovel
254 × 48 mm, 141 g shovel that also cuts, saws, measures and levers: cord cutter, saw blade, cutting edge, inch marks and tent-stake puller. Paratinder-wrapped handle unwinds to about 2.4 m with tinder strand. Black-oxide corrosion finish and carrying sheath.
Reference
U-Dig-It shovel
Eighteen grams. One-piece 7075-T6 aluminium, 173 × 61 × 20 mm, with belt or pack carabiner. Intended for removing debris and burying waste at camp.
Reference
Tick Wrangler remover
Nine grams of aluminium with a fork shaped to remove the complete tick. Engraved inch and centimetre ruler for identifying the species. Does not bend, rust or break.
Reference
Reflective Para 325 cord
Fifteen metres of nylon cord with a reflective strand braided into it: by day it is a cord, and at night it returns the head-torch beam, making a guy line laid close to the ground visible. The core strands can be pulled out for fishing line or sewing thread. A carabiner is included. The maker warns that it is not climbing rope.
Reference
Para 550 cord
The company’s thick cord: thirty metres of high-strength nylon with a carabiner, in black or the “cool funk” pattern. It is intended for securing shelters and equipment, while its core strands can be unbraided for fishing line or sewing thread. The maker repeats the same warning as for the other two cords: it is not climbing rope.
Colours
- Black
- Cool funk
Para 1100 cord
Nine metres of high-strength nylon, the length that fits in a vest pocket and solves everyday problems: tying, hanging or replacing a lace. Its core strands can be removed in the same way as those in the other two cords. It is not climbing rope.
Reference
Camp kitchen
Almost everything collapses: folding silicone Flexware makes up half the family.
Flexware folding bucket
Five litres of capacity that take up almost no space when folded. The reinforced plastic rim incorporates a spout and hanging hook, with a folding handle and rigid base. It carries water, firewood or anything that otherwise takes two trips. Expanded, it measures 197 mm high by 254 mm across and weighs 357 g. Dishwasher safe.
Reference
Flexware 2.0 folding sink
A sixteen-litre folding TPR body with two handles for moving it when full, plus a rigid plastic rim and base that keep it upright. Washing cookware no longer requires a tap. It stores flat when closed; open, it measures 457 × 343 × 178 mm and weighs 863 g. It also works as a carrying basket and is dishwasher safe.
Reference
Flexware 2.0 folding bowl
Food-grade heat-resistant silicone to 149 °C with rigid rim. 710 ml, 102 mm high by 127 mm across and 108 g. Dishwasher and microwave safe, BPA-free.
Reference
Flexware coffee filter
Flexible non-stick silicone cone sitting over a cup with a no. 2 paper filter. Does not absorb odours or transfer flavour. Open size 83 mm high by 114 mm across; 102 g. BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
Reference
Flexware Mess Kit lunch box
Folding silicone box with two compartments and integrated fork-spoon in the lid. Rigid rim, heat resistance to 100 °C, dishwasher and microwave safe. Open size 213 × 149 × 70 mm; 295 g. BPA-free.
Reference
Packware Mess Kit tableware
A complete service inside a cup: handled cup whose lid and base become bowls, cutting board/strainer, fork, knife and spoon. BPA-free durable plastic, dishwasher and microwave safe. Closed size 175 × 127 × 56 mm; 230 g.
Reference
UtiliTensil cutlery set
A corrosion-resistant stainless-steel fork, knife and spoon with a carrying sheath, weighing 82 g in total. Each handle adds another tool: bottle opener and ruler on the spoon, can opener and several sizes of hex key on the fork, and a wing-nut wrench on the knife. It measures 178 × 45 × 25 mm.
Reference
Bamboo cutting board 2.0
Bamboo, a dense and non-porous grass that withstands moisture and is less liable than wood to bow, warp or crack. Its surface stands up to chopping and filleting, while its size fits in a car boot: 300 × 224 × 10 mm and 425 g.
Reference
Duo Cook Kit cookware
Hard-anodised aluminium cookware for two: a large 1.3 l pot with its 600 ml lid-bowl and a small 900 ml pot with its 400 ml lid-bowl, all nested into the same volume. Capacity marks are engraved on the walls; plastic-covered folding handles save space and prevent burns, and a drawstring mesh bag is included. Weight: 448 g.
Reference
Solo Cook Kit cookware
Single-person lightweight version: 201 g, 132 mm high by 107 mm diameter, hard-anodised aluminium with internal markings and silicone-covered folding handles. Dishwasher safe, BPA-free, with mesh bag.
Reference
Camp
What sets up the stopping place: a table and something to dry with.
Pack A Long folding table
Waterproof, easy-clean aluminium table with folding top and legs, stored in its own bag. 561 mm high with 406 mm top, 1.2 kg weight and 13.6 kg load rating.
Reference
Microfibre towel
Super-absorbent microfibre —88% polyester and 12% polyamide— that removes water better than a terry towel at a fraction of the weight: 68 g for the small size and 146 g for the large. It stores in its own zipped bag. Gentle machine wash and air dry.
To read
UST catalogue
This catalogue is published in Spanish.
UST in the shop
Lanterns, head torches, fuel-free lighters, compasses, cord, multi-tools and camp kitchenware.
The shop is available in Spanish.