Your emergency survival kit will save your life

Disaster/ Emergency Survival kits are discussed by many people nowadays, including the government. It is great that this topic is becoming more and more popular not only because it’s a good idea; survival kit can literally save someone’s life. It’s impossible to predict when you can get to any emergency situation and to leave your house because of it. But if a survival kit is well prepared, you won’t need to waste your time, you will take this kit as soon as possible and leave realizing that now all the things you may need for your survival are with you.

A survival kit doesn’t have everything you’d like to take with you though. Packing this kit is not the same as packing your suitcase for a summer trip. Survival kit means that you’ll pack the items which can be really necessary if you get to any emergency. So, if you want your kit to be useful, it’s important to focus on survival items, that’s it.

It can be really difficult to pack all the items into your survival kit. Imagine that you’re making a list of everything that you’ll probably need… It will bring you to a big number of items. That’s why at first you should think about the most necessary things. Make sure that you have the most important items on your list. And after that, if you realize that you have some space in your survival kit, you can add something else.

What you need in your disaster/ emergency survival kit

Food.

Every kit should have survival stuff for 3 days minimum; so, it means that you should take food which will be enough for you at least for 72 hours. Don’t take cans with you, because they weigh too much. It is much better to take something lighter like dried food.

Water.

There is no doubt that you will really need some water, although it’s impossible to take as much water as you need for these 3 days.

Water filtration means.

As it is unreal to take all the water you need, you can put means of water filtration into your kit. It will help you to purify any water which you will find. Two means of water filtration in your survival kit are enough.

Bottle for water.

Imagine: you find a water source. Will it be enough for you just to drink this water? Of course, you will also need to fill your bottle up with this water, so that you will be able to drink it later.

Backpacking cooking items.

Probably some food which you have in your kit needs to be properly cooked, so you will need special cookware. Backpacking type is usually made of magnesium or aluminum, which makes this cookware weigh not too much. 

Fire Starters.

This is what you will definitely need in your survival kit. Take some waterproof matches and a lighter with you, because this is how you will make fire. Another useful item is a metal match, but put it in your kit only if you really know how to use it.

Tent.

If you need to spend a night somewhere, you’ll be in need of a good shelter. There is nothing better than a tent. But in case if you don’t have a tent, you can take a tarp. If you use this tarp and a good rope or cord, you’ll get a great shelter.

Paracord.

When you think about survival in general, the first thing which gets into your mind is a rope. You can use it in different situations. But you need to choose the perfect rope, which will be really strong. And the best choice is paracord (parachute cord), as it is very thin but too strong.

Knife.

Here is the most necessary thing if you need to survive. Be very serious when you choose a knife. Find a proper one, which has a fixed blade and a full tang, because these characteristics are must-have if you want a knife for serious and regular use.

Hatchet + hammer tool.

This is a tool that has a hatchet on the one side and a hammer on the other side. You will definitely need a hatchet because it can help to get a woodpile which is necessary if you want to start a fire. A hammer will be needed when you decide to set up a tent, because for that you should put a tent’s parts into the ground.

Copies of documents.

As you are preparing the survival kit for an emergency situation, don’t forget that you will need copies of the most important documents with you. Of course, you can’t put tons of paper into your kit. So, it’s better to scan all these documents and then copy and paste them on a flash drive which can be put into the kit.

Compass + Maps.

As you’re getting out of your house, you’ll go somewhere, and you definitely need to understand what your route is. Take road and topographical maps, because you will need both of them. Of course, you need to have maps of the whole itinerary from point A to point B. But if you get into any trouble, which will make you change the route, you will take a look at your map to realize where to go next.

Raincoat.

Rain can appear anytime. If you don’t want to be wet and cold, you should take a raincoat. Besides, you can also use it as a sheet during your sleep. And you can carry something in it if you don’t have enough space in your kit.

Outfit.

Of course, you can’t take a suitcase full of clothes, but you should choose at least one type of your outfit which you can wear when you decide to change clothes for any reason.

Hygiene products.

You need to care about your health, and personal hygiene is definitely an important point. So, take a very small kit with some things which can help you to stay clean: soap, toothpaste and etc.

Fishing Equipment.

As you have food for 3 days only, you’ll need some more food really soon. The easiest way to find food is to catch some fish. You don’t need to take many items of the fishing equipment, just choose something that will help you to catch fish.

Gun.

Unfortunately, you can face enemies: animals or even people. Both of them can come to you if you’re in the woods. No one really wants to be killed, so you have to take a weapon to protect yourself from any angry creature.

Is your survival kit ready?

Don’t forget: your emergency survival kit must include those items which are necessary exactly for you. It’s important to remember what’s the temperature in your city/state/country. Take some sweaters, if it’s cold. If it’s dry and hot, take more bottles of water. Don’t choose items based on someone’s opinion, your survival kit must be based on your necessities.

To find out how to build your ultimate disaster survival kit check here.

You should also know really well how to use every item which you take with you. Don’t even think about choosing a cool survival tool just because you saw it on TV or because someone told you to if you have no idea how to use the tool. Remember that if you take all this stuff that others recommend you, then your kit will be overloaded. So before taking any item, think if you really know how to use it.