Survival Kits - Everything You Need To Know

A survival kit or bug out bag is arguably the most important piece of your emergency preparation.  If an emergency or disaster strikes, you may be forced to stop and leave your present location at a moments notice.  With that in mind, I recommend that you keep a survival kit in your vehicle so you will be prepared in the event that you need to "bug out" in a hurry.

Here's a breakdown of what I keep in my survival kit or bug out bag. This bag is kept in my car and will help sustain me for more than 72 hours if need be.  Certain items are more important that others, and I've tried to point out the items that are essential and those that are beneficial to have but not as necessary.  

The Pack
The first step is to pick out your main pack.  It's important to have a durable backpack to fit all your gear and supplies in.  I suggest (and personally use) a backpack known as the MOLLE Assault Pack (as pictured) by made by Specialty Defense Systems or SDS for short.  The quality of this pack is incredible.  It is super durable and also somewhat waterproof.  This is the same equipment that is provided to the soldiers presently serving in the United States military.  So I say, if it's good enough for combat, it's good enough for me. 

You can get this backpack on ebay (they run between $30 an d $85 depending on whether the pack is new or used).  If you go with this pack, you won't be disappointed

A nice aspect of this pack is that it is part of the larger MOLLE system which means that there are a number of different packs, pouches and other items that coordinate with this pack.  In addition to the assault pack that is shown in the picture, I also have the larger main pack which I use to pack extra clothes and footwear.
 

Signaling and Communication
A StarFlash signal mirror will attract attention to your spot.  They're rather cheap and that makes it a nice addition to your pack.

A whistle is an essential item.  Your voice will give out from yelling long before you can stop blowing on a whistle.  Plus a quality whistle will be extremely loud and can be heard a great distance away.  Essential if you're trying to get rescued in a secluded area.

I keep some high visibility surveyors ribbon wrapped around a bit of yardstick.  This surveyor's "tape" is great for tracking your steps in the wilderness or leaving a trail for rescuers.  It is very lightweight and can be indispensible if you need to leave a trail.

Knives and Sharpeners
It is important to have a quality knife or two in your survival kit.  I recommend that you have at least one fixed blade knife as well as a folding knife.  There is an incredible amount of information on the internet about knives.  I could not possible tell you what the best knife is since that answer depends on several factors, such as local environment, budget, etc. What I can tell you is what characteristics should be found in a quality knife. 

First off, you want a knife that is made with quality construction.  If we're talking a fixed blade knife, you want a knife that has a full tang.  You also want a knife that has a sharp edge, and can keep that edge.  This is important because the longer the knife can hold that sharp edge, the less frequently you need to sharpen the knife.

You'll also have to decide if you want your blade to have a straight edge or a partially serrated edge.  There really is no consensus as to which option is better.  However, keep in mind that keeping your blade sharp is important and a straight edge is much easier to sharpen than a serrated edge, especially in the field without  specialized sharpening equipment.
 

In my opinion, some quality brand name knife manufacturers are: Ka-Bar, S.O.G. Benchmade and Spyderco.  Regardless of the knifes you keep in your pack, you should also keep at least one or two mechanisms to sharpen the blades.  There are a number of alternatives for sharpening your blades.
 

Navigation
Make sure you have a few maps packed into your pack.  I recommend packing maps of the local area, the state, as well as the region (New England, Mid-Atlantic, etc.).  In the event you need to get far away, these maps will become extremely valuable, especially if time is of the essence.  Having a compass and a back up is essential.

GPS units are nice and handy, in fact they're great for finding that alternative route out of dodge when the highways are a parking lot of panicked drivers.  However, I personally prefer to use GPS units solely in my car when I know I've got a constant power source.  I'd hate to be off in the woods relying on a GPS unit to find my way to safety and have the unit fail because the batteries died.

Light Sources
A flashlight is an essential item in any survival kit.  Currently I have two flashlights: I carry a Surefire 6P LED light that is probably one of the most durable flashlights available.  It provides a super bright 80 lumens and will run for 11 hours on one set of batteries.  As a back up, I also have a Duracell crank led flashlight with radio.  because it's a crank flashlight, I never have to worry about batteries going dead.  Plus, the Duracell light also can charge my cellphone.  I also keep a few glow sticks and a collapsible candle in its holder in my pack as well.

Shelter and Warmth
If you are creating this survival kit to keep in your care in case of an emergency, then your vehicle can act as your main mode of shelter.  If that's the case, I suggest keeping at least a large tarp and two wool blankets in your vehicle.  Additionally, there are a number of "emergency shelters" that you can include in your kit.  These small tent like shelters are are usually small, compact and lightweight.  Worth including if you won't have your car as a shelter. 

First Aid Kit
You can buy a commercial first aid kit to keep in your pack, but I'd suggest that you either make your own or supplement you kit to include some additional items.  Regardless, you should keep the following items in your first aid kit:  lip balm, hydrogen peroxide, benadryl, pain/fever relievers, hand sanitizer, afterbite, tweezers, band-aids, gauze pads,medical tape, antiseptic wipes, triple antibiotic wipes, burn jel, scissors and eye wash.

I also keep some additional items in my pack that you wouldn't ordinarily find in a commercial first aid kit.  The additional items I include are: bug spray, sun tan lotion, any personal medications you may need, etc.

Don't forget personal items such as prescription medications (though be careful about their shelf life if kept in your vehicle during high summer temperatures).  Also, it may be appropriate to keep some feminine hygiene products on hand as well.

It would also be a good idea to keep a surgical and suture kit in your pack as well.
 

Fire Starting
Fire starting is an essential skill in any emergency situation.  Simply carrying some matches won't cut it.  I recommend having gear to provide for at least three ways to start a fire.  My favorites items are the Blastmatch firestarter, Light My Fire Swedish Firesteel firestarter, and a magnesium and flint bar.  All three of these methods will produce a shower of sparks hot enough to ignite your tinder and get a fire going.  The first two items will work under any kind of weather conditions, even extreme wind. 

In addition to generating a spark, you need tinder to get a fire going.  The cheapest and most readily available tinder are items like dryer lint, and Vaseline coated cotton balls.  I simply keep the dryer lint in a ziplock baggie and the cotton balls in a waterproof canister.  There are commercial tinder products such as TinderQuick tabs, esbit fuel tablets, fire paste, etc that can also assist in starting a fire.  I also keep a Bic lighter around as well.  Regardless of what options you chose, you should make sure you have at lease two or three types of ignition as well as two or three types of tinder.

 

Water Purification
Access to water is essential to life.  While a person can go for several days without food, a person cannot go for any extended period without water.  It is important to have some water stored in your vehicle for this purpose.  However, it is also important to have some options should you need to purify water from a suspect source.  The best option is to keep some purification tablets in your kit.  They are small and lightweight.  In addition to purification tablets, I also have two Frontier emergency drinking straws in my kit.  These straws allow you to place the filter end into water source and drink directly from source.  I also keep a collapsible Nalgene bottle in my pack.  this is great to use as a purifying container. You can continue to drink from your main water bottle while this is purifying additional water.  Plus it folds up when not in use.

Food and Sustenance
It's important to keep some sources of food in your vehicle.  Of course, you need to be aware of shelf life issues, especially if its during the hotter months.  I recommend some of the emergency food ration bars or MRE's.  Dehydrated foods or jerky is also a great option.  I also keep a couple of military issue mess kits with utensils and a small cutting board in my pack.

It's also a good idea to keep some items that will assist in gathering food items such as snare wire for small game or a slingshot.  In my pack I keep a small fishing kit that I have put together that will greatly improve my chances of obtaining food if I'm near a water source.

Miscellaneous Items
Here are a few items that don't really fit into any other of the above categories.  These items are not necessarily as important as those listed above, and some are just more for comfort than necessarily survival.  In any event, if you've got the space in your pack, these items will make your life easier in the event of an emergency.

A small fishing kit can be handy if you're on your own for an extended period of time.  Not only can it provide a means of catching fish from a water source, but it can help you make snare traps, etc.  The contents of a fishing kit have many uses besides just fishing.

 

A small notepad and writing instrument.  They do make notepads that can be used in inclement weather. 

I've found a great product called Hand-E towels.  These little tablets take up practically no space and are extremely light.  They expand into a decent sized hand towel when placed in water.

A small roll of duct tape and a tube of super glue.  Great for fixing things in more ways than you know.

A deck of waterproof playing cards to pass the time, entertain yourself or kids.

I have a U-Digg It folding shovel in my pack.  I also have a larger folding snow shovel in my car during the winter months.

A pair of work gloves

Small roll of toilet paper.  Again in an emergency situation you could go without it, but if you have it you'll be a little less miserable.

I recommend that you carry 50ft of 550 paracord rope in your pack.  Don't skimp - get the real 550 cord.  It makes all the difference in the world.  This stuff has thousands of uses. 

A wire hand saw is great for trimming down small branches to use for firewood.

I also carry a product called Knot-A-Bag.  This is a continuous roll of plastic bag.  It is housed in a plastic container and you can make any size bag that you need by simply pulling it out and knotting it.

I suggest you carry some additional reusable camp towels or other towels.  If you need to do any work on your car you'll be happy to have these around afterwards.

A pair of binoculars.

I've also got a Bible in my pack to help keep the faith and hope.

Finally, it is important to remember that a well stocked survival kit can be virtually useless if you don't have the knowledge or skills to use the items packed in side.  Be sure to become familiar with the tools and make sure you've got a good grasp on how to use them.  Being well prepared can bring you a sense of calmness in an emergency.

I hope this article has helped you and inspired you to prepare your own survival kit.  For more information and discussion on survival kits as well as emergency and disaster preparation, please visit our forum.