Best Equipment to Consider Having for Any Survival Situation

True survivors are always equipped to handle any situation. Would you be equipped to survive a situation like widespread looting during a riot? The best emergency gear can help you survive, but you need more, and it needs to be able to serve more than just one purpose aside from self-defense.

1. Survival Tent

Having a sturdy tent is essential for outdoor survival. A tent can protect you a significant amount from the elements when you go camping or during SHTF outside without the security and comfort of your home’s walls.

A tent will be useful for many things, like giving you a cozy place to sleep and protecting you from weather elements like rain, direct sunlight, wind, and cold. Additionally, it will act as a barrier between the residents and dangerous creatures and insects like snakes, scorpions, spiders, and so on. 

A good tent will protect you from a variety of hazards, so be sure to select a durable model. One that won’t crumble with the slightest wind blow and won’t permit moisture or water to seep through. Therefore, test your tent in advance to ensure that it can resist the weather before using it.

Silver Whistle

2. Whistle

It can be terrifying, unpleasant, and even dangerous to become lost in the woods or any other distant region. However, a nice, loud whistle can help you indicate your location so that rescuers can find you and save your life. Screaming at the top of your lungs might not always be helpful and might even damage your voice.

When SHTF, a loud whistle will be especially useful during natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, or tsunamis because these SHTF scenarios can result in people becoming stuck in certain places. Rescuers may not hear you if you shout at the top of your lungs, but a whistle will be heard even from a distance. It is therefore one of the most essential items you should have with you anytime you go outside to explore.

3. Knife

No matter if you’re going camping outside or when SHTF, a knife is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment you can take. It will be useful in a variety of circumstances, such as while attempting to cut a rope, slice vegetables, cook food, carve a stick, go hunting, go fishing, defend yourself, and so forth. 

You aren’t prepared for the outdoors if you don’t have a knife. The presence of an axe, a spade, or any other cutting implement is irrelevant. Some tasks are best completed with a knife.

4. Parachute Rope or Paracord

If you’ve ever closely seen a parachute, you’ve also likely seen a paracord or parachute cord. It is the thin nylon Kernmantle rope, which was widely employed in the suspension lines of US parachutes during World War II, to suspend the flyer from a chute. It’s a powerful cable with numerous uses in today’s world. The paracord’s strength and durability gave it the nickname “550 cord,” which denotes that it can support 550 lbs. much force without snapping.

As a survivalist, having a paracord set in your gear assembly will undoubtedly be useful for binding things together, securing animals, erecting a tent or shelter, repairing equipment, suspending food or other materials in the air away from the reach of animals, making snares, pulling things, starting a fire, and other things.

5. First-Aid Kit

You should always have a first aid kit with you and become familiar with its use before going on any outdoor adventures, whether they involve hunting, fishing, or simply going camping with friends. Things can go wrong at any time, so having a first aid kit and being how to use it yourself might improve your chances of survival in the absence of trained people.

6. Water Bottle

Water is one of the most essential resources that someone would require to exist in any circumstance. Not just any water, but clean water. You may carry clean water with you to quench your thirst and stay hydrated by using a durable, lightweight water bottle.

7. Solar-Powered Radio

As a survivalist or in an emergency, such as if you are lost in the woods, you must be able to determine the weather and, if necessary, find shelter. If you’re moving, you should also be aware of your direction. You can achieve this with a portable radio that is powered by solar energy. If you ever need to go camping, trekking, or engaging in any other outdoor exploratory activity, this is a vital item to have in your survival kit.

8. Multi-Tool

An all-purpose survival gear, a small pocket multi-tool can be used as a knife, saw, plier, screwdriver, bottle opener, and even a wire cutter. Every prepper needs this all-in-one portable gadget in their survival gear. It comes with a sturdy nylon pouch that you can attach to your hip and is so compact that you can just slip it into your pocket.

9. Flashlight

Use a hand-cranked or solar-powered rechargeable flashlight to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. When you go camping or trekking, bring it along so you have a flashlight for emergencies. It is a much-needed survival gear that you should always carry with you.

A young woman in a comfortable sleeping bag in a tent, top view. A tourist in a sleeping bag. A traveler wrapped in a red sleeping bag. Travel, camping concept, adventure. Traveling with a tent

10. A Space Blanket or Sleeping Bag

Despite how much you might want to bring your comfortable bed with you, you’ll need to settle for something a little more portable and lightweight. For a chilly evening, sleeping bags and space blankets are two of the greatest options. A sleeping bag manages to occupy a substantial amount of space in a survival backpack despite often being able to be folded up and packed within a carrying sack.

11. A Map and Compass

The ability to use a compass to find directions is known as orienting, and it is one of the most crucial survival skills someone can master. Of course, you could argue that GPS is superior to compasses and are more modern, but a GPS is useless without a power source or battery to function. The earth’s magnetic field is all that is required for a compass to function. You can find your way if you can figure out how to utilize it to navigate. When you go hunting, fishing, kayaking, touring, or camping with pals, you may get left behind. You can navigate a return to your camp using a compass and some decent orientation skills.

12. Cup

You won’t recognize the significance of a simple cup until you need one and it’s missing. If you have the correct cup, you may use it to hold water, make hot tea, and occasionally even cook a simple meal in the woods. Never undervalue the value of including a basic cup in your survival kit.

13. Hiking Boots

If you’re lost in the wilderness, you’ll probably wind up wandering a lot. There may be times when you need to traverse dirty rivers or swamps or climb up difficult terrain. Additionally, you must shield your feet from the environment and blisters. The key to survival is a good pair of hiking boots or shoes that are both secure and safe. 

If survival necessitates walking 5, 10, 20, or even 30 miles or more to reach civilization, you may think you can get by without them or with a simple pair of sneakers, but you’ll regret not spending the extra money on good hiking boots for your journey if it means you’ll have to walk those distances.

14. Lighter or Matches

Having the capacity to make a fire is one of your key worries when trying to survive in the woods. Fire can keep you warm, allow you to cook food, and assist you to warn someone of your location if you are lost or stranded. An essential item is a set of waterproof matches or a lighter that has enough lighter fluid.

15. Pest Repellent

Bug spray might seem like more of a luxury item when it comes to basic survival in the wilderness, but this isn’t the case. Avoiding bacterial and parasitic infections can be achieved by protecting oneself from insect bites. There are many top-notch brands that you can stuff into your backpack, but it’s best to be aware of the dangers you face and pick a solution that eliminates those critters.

Preparing for emergencies is about accumulating the knowledge, materials, and tools to manage whatever life may throw at you next. A power outage that lasts a few days, or a flood that compels you to flee for many days is only a transitory circumstance.