Survival Kits You Should Always Carry!
It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a quick snowshoe trek or an hour-long stroll along a wooded path. Common sense dictates that basic survival tools be taken along. Above all, this gear, or kit, must be lightweight and convenient to carry, or it gets left behind.
That said: BEWARE! If you don’t know how to use the materials in the kit, and don’t practice with them, you may develop a false sense of confidence. This attitude could get you in a lot more trouble!
Keep basic tools with you at all times. On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other knife rides in a pouch on my belt.
Mention survival kits among recreationists and an argument/discussion will follow.
At one end of the spectrum is the guy who takes the heavily-loaded backpack full of gadgets, doo-dads, knick-knacks and neat stuff. He may not go far, because of the pack’s weight, but he’ll be safe. Unless, one time, he decides to leave all that stuff at the car, since he’s never used anything and it’s damned heavy. And he’s just going a little way…
Then he becomes the optimist, the guy at the other extreme. Since he’s never been in an emergency situation, then it stands to reason that nothing will ever happen. He denies the need for survival gear, because he’s never been in an emergency.
Somewhere between these extremes is the common sense approach.
Here’s my take (and of course, this opinion may place me squarely in the survivalist wacko camp!): Everyone should have a collection of survival tools with them at all times.
As I type this, I have a butane lighter in my pocket, a whistle, knife, fingernail clippers, LED flashlight, small knife and magnesium stick on my belt clip, and a Swiss Army knife in my belt pouch. My wallet has firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror in it. This gear goes with me everywhere it’s legal.
Suppose I have to run out of my house, right now. Let’s say an earthquake just hit and all the pictures are falling off the walls and it looks like the fertilizer just hit the fan. If I have to sprint for the door and can’t grab anything else, I have the minimum tools on me to make a fire and stay warm and signal for help.
If I can grab my jacket on the way out the door, there is an Altoids tin mini-survival kit in the pocket. And if I can get to my car there is a full component of survival gear in there, including food, water, a sleeping bag, and several tarps. I won’t waste any time looking for equipment, when the walls may literally be falling down around me.
Any personal survival kit will ultimately boil down to opinion, knowledge, skill levels and the season.
Let’s start here: Many experts agree that a minimum kit should contain the following materials:
Carry survival gear in your wallet. I always have (from left) firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror with me.
- survival knife Cold Steel SRK San Mai III® Knife 38CSM
- firemaking tool(s) Swedish Firesteel- Scout Model
and firestarter - compass, Suunto M-3DL Compass
map and GPS - mirror (for signaling)Ultimate Survival Technologies 2×3 StarFlash Emergency Signal Mirror
- signal whistleUltimate Survival Technologies 2×3 StarFlash Emergency Signal Mirror
- flashlight Ultimate Survival Technologies 2×3 StarFlash Emergency Signal Mirror
- Some form of shelter
While commercial survival kits are available, the quality of some items is sometimes reduced to cut costs. Some things, such as fishing hooks, sinkers and line are included because people think they need them. And some items are included in commercial kits because they’re cheap and take up space.
The safest bet is to make your own survival kit. Start with a realistic assessment of your skills and needs, then start researching. One size doesn’t fit all – a survival kit that works in the cold winter of Oregon, will be different than one designed for Florida, and vice versa.
Every town has a survival guru with a website, but that doesn’t mean they know anything. In fact, be leery of any survival website – here are a lot of people out to make a fast buck. Start by contacting the people who work with emergencies every day: police, sheriff’s departments, search and rescue, the Red Cross and see if they have recommendations for necessary gear. They will also have a pretty good idea of who is good teacher and who is a fraud.
If you have certain medical needs or conditions, make sure the kit includes the appropriate medications.
Then, educate yourself. Practice with your survival tools. Don’t take any recommendations at face value, unless the source has been proven to be reliable. Then, make your survival kit, and take it along.
Every time.
For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:
- STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
- Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.
- Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
- Find the most effective fire ignition system.
- Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
- It can kill you: Hypothermia
A comprehensive list!
All survival kits are based on individual skills, terrain, climate, and personal preference. I also think that ease-of-carry and convenience are paramount!
Here’s some thoughts, based on hands-on experience:
I don’t like wire saws: I broke one on a 9-day wilderness canoe trip, and it wasn’t even stressed very much! Also, the teeth tend to gum up and need frequent cleaning.
Matches: DANGER! They will fail, no matter how well they are packed. (You didn’t mention firestarter – I find that a necessity anywhere an emergency fire might need to be made in a damp climate.)
Space Blanket: Make sure you have a real space blanket with grommets and quilted surface. The Mylar blankets are junk and dangerous.
Sheath knife – Check out the Frost Moro style. I’ve used them extensively, and they will do the job.
To bad we don’t have a campfire to sit around and discuss this topic! I would encourage you to check out a couple stories on my site: The best fire ignition system; “New Role for Old Style Firestarter,” and “The Best Survival Knife?”
Thanks for your comments and feedback!
I think that a few things have been missed out, here is a list of my survival gear:
Lock knife
Penknife
Multitool
(am looking for fixed blade knife)
Wire saw
Water purification stuff
Whistle
Sleeping bag
Camping stove w/ gas
Wind/waterproof matches
Ordinary matches
Rope
Folding spade
Emergency bag (space bag to you americans)
Buff TM
Waterproofing spray
Ordinary saw
Spare clothes
High cal food (Kendal’s mint cake)
Maps
Compass
Headtorch
All this fits in and around my rucksack along with any other items i may need for a specific camp or such.
Extra clothing is definately a necessity!
The best thing you can carry with you at all times is a fleece sweater or a jacket preferably water-proof. I’m not saying don’t carry the other items. Remember too, when driving someplace carry the clothing you would need to survive if your car breaks down. If you are going from your comfortable home over a mountain pass to a mild climate remember to at least have the clothes in the car to survive in a mountain environment.
Your site is interesting too!
Excellent site
From using the equipment, enjoying being outdoors and enthusiasm for the topic!
Whilst looking bing I determined this webpage, Survival Kits You Should Always Carry! | Survival Common Sense – Wilderness or Urban Emergency Preparedness and Safety Guide. I should say I realistically like it and can bookmark and arrive once more shortly.
I don’t know why the feed won’t work. We had internet problems here last week, and several of my other feeds got fouled up. Let me know if you continue to have problems!
Fantastic Blog, I just observed this post although exploring through Google I think that you and I could were good friends in a past living – the posts that I have studied so far are in reality charm to me and to my sense of personality! Anyway idle talk aside, it appears that your RSS feed won’t appear to operate in my browser (that is Google chrome) are you in a position to notify me how I can fix it?
I hope it’s time well spent! I’ve done my best to make that happen. Thanks for checking the site out!
Amazing
I found your site on Ask searching for something totally unrelated- and now I’m gonna have to go through all the old posts 
Good bye my free time today, but this was a really spectacular find.
You’re getting it! You are questioning what you read! The story is about what works for me, based on my experience. It may not work for you. SO, read what I wrote, apply it to your skills, abilities and needs, and come up with your own survial kit. Keep me in the loop – I love seeing what other people find out. Remember this common sense mantra: My survival kit will not keep me alive. My gear will not keep me alive. I WILL KEEP ME ALIVE!!!
Do you really think it works that way? I’ve read other articles discussing it differently…
Thanks – any survival-related subjects you want to read about? Just let me know.
It’s always great to stumble across a new website this great I will be coming back here for certain
Thanks! I intend to keep up the good work, so please come back!
Well I was just searching on Google for some videos and songs of my favorite singers and just came across your blog, generally I just visit blogs and retrieve my required information but this time the useful information that you posted in this post compelled me to reply here and appreciate your good work. I just bookmarked your blog?.