The most essential part of your kit is the multi-day supply of food and water for you, your family and your pets. Additional batteries for the flashlight are also a good idea. Being prepared means being equipped with the right supplies you may need in the event of an emergency or disaster. Store your supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit that you can use at home or take with you in case you need to evacuate.
The four basic needs of almost all survival situations are shelter, water, fire and food. The following team helps meet the needs of these four priorities:. The order of importance of the following essential elements is determined by the needs of a given situation:. Everyone in nature should carry a personal first aid kit at all times.
It is a fundamental element that should not be left at home or in the car. Always carry enough pressure dressing with you to stop bleeding from a wound caused by the largest weapon you carry. All kits should be stored specifically for nature trips, with the idea that you can be stranded in nature for an extended period of time. Choose the equipment you take wisely, take a first aid course in the desert before you leave, and consult a doctor about any medical problems or concerns before packing your kit or leaving for any nature trip.
A quality, liquid-filled observation compass is essential as a navigational aid. I recommend a genuine Silva Expedition 15TDCL 360, produced in Sweden by Silva AG (the real Silva company), manufacturers of the best compasses in the world. These compasses must be purchased in Europe. Personally, I bought two recently in the UK and it was well worth the trouble.
If you can't get one, the second closest is a SUUNTO MC-2, which is available nationwide. Carry two sections of more than 3 m of good quality nylon rope or a small diameter climbing accessory rope with you. Each section can be up to 15 m if possible. The lightweight cable is OK, but the quality of the cable makes a big difference.
Don't buy cheap, thin, or weak cables. Backing up your cable with 3m of adhesive tape and 1.5m of lightweight cable. Remember that the adhesive tape can be wound on your knife sheath and the waterproof match container for easy storage and quick retrieval. Always carry a high-quality signal mirror or glass heliograph with you.
Glass mirrors always perform better than the readily available plastic alternative. They may seem to work, but practice with both and you'll quickly see that glass mirrors are the only option. I recommend placing it with your personal first aid kit to protect it from damage. NAVIGATION — Map, Compass and GPS.
When planning your route before your trip and helping to orient yourself in your environment during your activity. Know how to use a topographic or relief map and your compass or GPS unit before you go out. SUN PROTECTION: sunglasses, sunscreen and hat. Sunscreen is necessary to protect the skin and eyes from the strong UV rays responsible for sunburn and skin cancer.
Wear sunglasses, apply sunscreen and wear a hat. Protective clothing, such as pants and long-sleeved shirts, can also help minimize sun exposure. Coyne only uses Energizer, and Ramey doesn't move from his Panasonic Eneloops “because they last a long time sitting on a shelf, and Survival Mom loves the ones in Survival Frog (unrelated). Whichever first aid child you choose, Mike Glover, crisis management and response expert and host of the popular FieldCraft Survival podcast, recommends that you always maintain a 30-day supply of over-the-counter medications (such as pain relievers, colds, allergies, antidiarrheal medications), as well as any prescribe medications.
While these items are great to have ready and ready to use, the most important survival essentials are your skills and knowledge of how to survive. Most people only think of carrying a small wilderness survival kit when they should consider carrying critical wilderness survival items. Additional items will be useful during a survival situation to make you more comfortable or simply to make it easier to survive. On the other hand, if you are interested in learning about the different types of survival knives, and not just the basic ones, I made a separate post on how to choose the best survival knife.
Jim Cobb, editor-in-chief of Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines, likes the 5.11 Tactical RUSH24 bag, saying it's “rugged” without being ridiculously huge. If you want more variety and are thinking of supplementing your broth with freeze-dried foods, Survival Mom, Prepper Potpourri and David at Preppers Survive like Mountainhouse. . .