Knowing what should be included a survival kit will help you determine what is essential when it comes time to create a survival kit. Unfortunately, choosing what must be and should not be included in the kit can be difficult if you don’t know what your priorities should be.
To simplify things, you can research and find out what experts recommend, and then add features that are specific to your needs, such as medications or additional medical aids. But to start with the basics, you should consider including the following in your own survival kit.
Food
Food is one of the most important items that must be considered when deciding on what should be in a survival kit because having an ample amount of food allows you to stay full and well nourished for a few days, particularly when you need to survive.
But since you need to keep your survival kit light, it is best for you to select food packs that are specially formulated for survival situations. These food packs usually come in durable packaging, are fortified with nutrients that you need for a particular period, and are neatly packed so as it can be easily placed inside the kit. In addition to that, these food packs are also formulated with a long shelf life.
Water
Water is also among the items when deciding on what should be in a survival kit. Just like food, this must always be included in the kit since water will help keep you hydrated while surviving the challenging outdoor environments.
According to experts, a basic survival kit should include an ample amount of water, which is about a gallon per person per day. But due to the weight concern, many survival experts strongly suggest that you go for available water products that are specifically formulated for survival and disaster preparedness.
These include things like water purification tablets, or SteriStraws, which can be used with an available water source, such as a lake, river or stream. Using these products will purify/sanitize the water so that it is drinkable. This is a lightweight solution to the water problem and you will not have to carry around the recommended one gallon of water needed by one person/day.
Knife
Your survival kit should also include a knife because the tool is very useful when you are left to survive outdoors. You can use the knife for protection against harmful animals. Second, the knife can be used to cut branches that you can use when making a fire. It can also be used to clear an area that will serve as your base or temporary dwelling while outdoors during the survival period.
Emergency blanket
An emergency blanket should be one of the first items that you should include in your survival kit since it will keep you warm and prevent hypothermia, which can be a killer. You can use this to make it through a cold night or to survive in an area where the temperature is low. In addition, this can also serve as your shelter since you can use this to create a tent if need be.
First aid kit
Don’t forget to include a first aid kit in your survival kit because having one can help you in the event that you incur minor injuries during the survival period. But since you cannot bring a lot of items in your first aid kit, you need to select those that are essential. For best results, try to include band-aids, sterile tape and gauze, and an anti-infectant cream or ointment.
If you want, you can also include a number of medications that you can take to fight possible illnesses that might confront you during the survival period.
Stainless steel water container
You also need to have a stainless water container in your survival kit because it can be used to hold water. For better results, experts recommend that you choose the container with a screw-on lid. The container can also be used to boil water to make sure that it is safe for drinking, especially when it is obtained from a questionable source.
Matches/fire starter
Aside from the items that were discussed above, you should include matches or a fire starter in your survival kit because being able to build a fire is important to survival especially when you need to warm yourself at night. Aside from that, you also need fire to cook your food or boil water for drinking. It will also help keep wild animals away, and cut down on the amount of insects.
Flashlight
Finally, make sure to have a flashlight with extra batteries included on your survival kit. This tool is quite important since it will provide you with the needed light when traversing dark paths or when moving around at night. For best results, try to go for a flashlight with LEDs and those that can be mounted on the head. It is a good idea to have an extra set of batteries that you can use when the first set runs dry.
