When it comes to preparing for a survival situation, most people understand that food and water should be at the top of the list. Those are also the easiest items to stock up on, as they just require a quick trip to the grocery store. But many people forget some of the other vital tools and accessories that can go a long way towards making a survival scenario a little less unpleasant. Here are a few of the items you won’t want to go without.
1. First Aid Kit
You’ll need to take care of your health in a survival situation, which means that you need to have a first aid kit. Whether it’s band-aids and gauze in a boo-boo kit, or more advanced equipment in a trauma kit, being able to treat yourself while waiting for available medical attention could save your life.
2. Camp Stove
All the food in the world won’t be any good if you can’t cook it. Whether it’s dehydrated survival food or canned vegetables, being able to heat the food you have stored is important. Be sure to have some sort of camp stove and fuel on hand so that you can cook meals in the absence of electricity or natural gas.
3. Matches and Fire Starter
You may need to light your camp stove fuel with matches, or use matches to start a fire in your fireplace. Make sure to have plenty of waterproof matches or other sort of fire starter on hand.
4. Flashlight
A flashlight will be an absolute necessity for being able to see in the dark, peer into collapsed structures, or make light when candles present a fire risk.
5. Batteries
You’ll want to have batteries stashed away to power your flashlight, as you’ll likely be relying on it quite heavily. For that matter, stock up on batteries for anything you have that will require them.
6. Candles
For background light in the evening, a candle can be a good choice. Just make sure it has a stable stand and take adequate precautions to ensure that you don’t accidentally set yourself ablaze.
7. Solar Charger
For your rechargeable items such as smartphones, you’re going to want to make sure that you have a solar charger to keep them powered up.
8. Radio
A radio can be indispensable to keeping up with the outside world and communicating with others. Even a cheap Baofeng set only to receive weather band stations can be a lifesaver.
9. Multitool
A good multitool can help you fix all the little things that will need fixing, while not requiring you to lug around an entire toolbox.
10. Hatchet
Since you’ll likely have a knife on your multitool, get a small hatchet too so that you can cut and chop small twigs and trees, whether it’s to clear debris or when you’re gathering wood to start a fire.
11. Duct Tape
Duct tape has so many uses that it’s hard to imagine being without it. Have at least a roll or two on hand for when you really need it.
12. Blankets
Especially in winter, you’ll want warm blankets to keep your body heat stable. But don’t underestimate the importance of blankets during wet, windy summer conditions, as even then your body can be subjected to hypothermia.
13. Water Filtration
Even if you’ve got plenty of water stocked up, it can’t hurt to have something like a Lifestraw available just in case you need it. It’s cheap insurance just in case something happens to your water stockpile.
14. Bolt Cutters
You may find yourself in need of cutting down a chain link fence, or gaining access to a storage shed to which you lost the key. A pair of bolt cutters doesn’t take up much space but can come in very handy.
15. Toiletries
Don’t forget to stock up on soap, towels, toilet paper, etc. Being clean and tidy can make any survival scenario a lot more bearable than being dirty and smelly.
