Best 12 Gear Items for Your Outdoor Survival Kit

When it comes to working or enjoying the outdoors, being prepared is key! It’s especially true when hiking, camping or off-roading into the backcountry. A well-stocked outdoor survival kit is the difference between life and death.

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So, I must ask, if you could only take 12 survival items with you, what would they be?

For us, this is our top 12 and most important items for wilderness survival – period! Let’s put it out there and say, every time you venture into the outdoors, whether by foot or car, these survival items should be in your pack at all times!

1. Fire Starter – A MUST-HAVE for Your Outdoor Survival Kit!

If you ask any hardcore outdoor enthusiast, and by this, I mean the men and women that sleep on browse beds bringing very little with them – the #1 survival tool would be a toss-up between a fire starter and knife.

I will venture a guess and say, that the decision would be based on your skillset and comfort level. There are those that can forge from fire and then there are those that can spark a fire from items found in nature.

Fire starters are #1 on our outdoor survival kit list for a reason. It aids in:

If you had to choose only one type of fire starter to go into the woods with, go with weatherproof matches in a stormproof container. These stormproof matches will light in all weather conditions and are easy to use.

Lighters run out of fuel and are temperamental under certain weather conditions. A Ferro rod is fantastic, but it takes time to learn, and in a survival situation, you don’t have the luxury of time!

2. Knife, the Ultimate Survival Tool

The second most critical piece of survival equipment is a good-quality stainless steel knife. Opt for a heavy-duty, full-tang general-purpose knife. This type of knife is ideal for survival situations and a must-have in a basic outdoor survival kit.

As a survival tool, it has many, many uses. It allows you to prep food, cut branches, skin animals, make essential bushcraft tools, fillet fish, cut holes into ice, forage for food, build a shelter (batoning wood), fend off animals, hack through the brush, etc.

3. Survive the Night with a Tarp

In an emergency situation, you’ll want a tarp in your wilderness survival kit. Not just any tarp, but a lightweight, heavy-duty tarp. The best survival kit item is the Arcturus tarp. It has a reflective Myler side that can double as an emergency blanket. It also comes with reinforced corners and grommets.

Grommets give you options when building your shelter. The tarp can also be used as a ground cover to help protect you from the cold, a stretcher to help carry someone to safety, gather water, or even as an S.O.S. signal.

4. Paracord – Survival Kit’s Best Friend

Another basic survival kit essential is paracord, which makes life easier when facing life-threatening situations. You can procure food by making traps, snares, fishing nets, and a fly fishing lure. Or use the paracord to make a ridge line or tie down your shelter, tie down gear, make a handle for your knife, create a bow drill, make repairs, start a survival fire, or even as wilderness first aid.

Look for a mil-spec 550 paracord, which implies a minimum 550 lb breaking strength. This type of paracord is strong and versatile enough to get you through most survival situations. 

Some paracords like the Titan SurvivorCord come with integrated survival strands, which help ensure survival and cuts back on the amount of gear you have to carry. The SurvivorCord, for example, which we use and love, features a built-in twisted waxed jute for quick fire starting in the rain, a 30 AWG wire for hunting, and a 25lb monofilament fishing line to reel in desperately needed food.

5. First Aid Kit – Never Leave Home Without One

No pack should ever be without a first aid kit. Accidents and illnesses can and will happen. Be prepared to deal with them! Most importantly, know how to properly use the items in your medical kit. And no, I’m not talking about Band-aids. Take the time to learn how to assess, treat and protect the wound or injury.

And, let’s not forget about ticks! I have seen people try to flick off a partially embedded tick – it doesn’t work!

Along with the items from a basic first aid kit, include the following necessary supplies in your wilderness medical kit:

If you do not have an emergency antibiotic kit, I would highly recommend getting one. There are no doctors in the wilderness. Something as simple as a urinery tract or intestinal infection can be delt with in the bush. One sip of unfiltered water can also put you in a world of hurt.

When seconds count, we highly recommend using a JaseMedical antibiotic kit if your doctor can’t help you. They provide various kits depending on your needs and activities. Use discount code ‘BUSHLIFE10’ to save $10 off to protect yourself from medical emergencies – we do!

6. Compass with Signal Mirror – A Survival Kit Must

Every basic outdoor survival kit needs a compass! Technology can and does fail, especially in the woods. As an outdoor enthusiast, make sure your outdoor survival kits have a quality compass.

A compass like the Suunto MC-2 is a multi-purpose survival tool that has built-in features like a magnifying glass and a mirror, offers adjustment for declination, a sighting hole and notch for more accurate direction taking, a ruler, scale and locks onto North in seconds.

In an unexpected situation, the compass magnifying glass can assist in starting a fire. Should you lose your glasses, it can help you read print or forage for insects. Use the mirror to signal for help, check for ticks or injuries, or send a message if you know Morse Code.

7. Process Wood Faster with a Saw

Another must-have survival gadget is a cutting tool. Saws like the SilkyBoy PocketBoy folding saw or their larger BigBoy are lightweight and take very little space in your outdoor survival pack. Most agree that a quality knife can handle cutting, splitting wood and bark peeling. The thing with the saw is that it can help process wood faster, which is what you want in a survival situation.

When time is of the essence, setting up a survival camp and/or making a signal fire needs to be quick. Save your knife’s blade for more important survival tasks.

8. Make Drinkable Water Quickly with a Water Purifier

Never go into the woods without a water purifier or filtration system, even if it’s only for a short hike. Hydration is vital, especially when partaking in outdoor activities. Most people never carry enough water, nor do they bring anything with them to source more. Three days without water is all you have!

To survive, you will need to source water. Chances are that water will be contaminated. If you drink it, you risk an illness you may not recover from in the wild.

Water purification systems like the Grayl Geopress filter out 99% of all pathogens, particles, heavy metals and chemicals. The life cycle on a Grayl filter is 350 uses, and makes swamp water taste great! You may not think so, but trust me it does.

9. Headlamp for Hands-Free Navigation

Navigating at night is best done with a headlamp. It also allows your hands to be free to complete tasks.

Some headlamps feature red and green lights. Red light helps preserve night vision, and green tends to be brighter, which allows you to see more detail and a bit further than the red light. Some say animals do not react to green light, which helps with emergency food procurement.

10. Stainless Pot for Emergency Preparedness

No outdoor survival kit should be without a stainless steel pot. It makes life easier in the bush – allowing you to:

Look for a pot that features foldable butterfly wings and a bail handle. Unlike regular handles, butterfly-winged handles affixed to the pot do not fall off. The bail handle makes it easier to cook over a campfire with a makeshift tripod, bail water or, as a secondary option – pull your pot from the fire. 

11. Poncho for Surviving the Elements

The poncho is a very versatile item to have in your kit for survival. Not only is it used for personal protection from rain and wind, but it also has many uses in emergency situations.

12. Tea Bags, Broth Cubes, Brown Sugar for Your Survival Kit

MREs are great ration for any outdoor survival kits, but this post focuses on the must-haves, and these few food items are more vital than an MRE. Foraging for food in the forest can be done once your campfire and shelter are in place. 

To keep your strength and energy levels up, tea bags, broth cubes and brown sugar are emergency essentials that will get you through the next four days and a must on any survival gear list. 

Sugar provides energy to your organs. Without sugars, you can’t survive. Brown sugar also contains traces of potassium, sodium and calcium. 

Your body loses salt through sweat and urine. Without replacement, you will weaken, cramp, get lightheaded and eventually be nauseous. 

Broth cubes help replenish the lost sodium in your body and make bland meat and flora taste good.

Tea is known to heal and keep you hydrated, focused or calm (depending on the tea). Black tea, dandelion and chamomile are the better options for your survival pack. These teas help reduce inflammation, offer pain relief, aid with upset stomachs and urinary infections, etc. Certain tea leaves can also be applied topically for first aid treatment and is a phenomenal fire starter.

Best Survival Kits

The best survival kit is one that you can put together yourself. A bug out bag or emergency survival kit helps you get through whatever situation you are facing in the wilderness. 

Many prefab kits feature low quality gear, like paracord that can’t hold the weight of your gear, or a bushcraft knife that is dull or breaks because it’s tang does not sit in the entire length of the handle.

Even headlamps that short out after 30-minutes of use. And then, there’s my husband’s favourite – the cheap, flimsy emergency blanket that does nothing for you in the bush. It’s an interesting read on why he loathes the emergency blanket.

For these reasons alone, I suggest that you put together your own emergency kit. Skimp where needed to save money, but on emergency gear that makes or breaks your chances of survival – spend a little more and get gear that lasts and works!

An Outdoor Survival Kit Provides Peace of Mind in the Great Outdoors!

Agreed, the backcountry is stunning and the perfect setting for all kinds of adventures. It can also be a scary place when you’re unprepared. Most people walk into the wilderness not thinking about what can happen, they’re just happy to be there, partaking in their activity. You need to pack more than a cute sweater, snack and the latest, trendiest water bottle.

Unfortunately, emergencies occur when you least expect them or in the case of Murphy’s Law, when you’re least prepared!

Wilderness survival becomes more manageable, and the forest becomes tamable when you’re prepared with at least these 12 essential survival gear items. I’ve said this before and will mention it again, don’t just carry these survival supplies, learn how to use them properly before you are faced with an emergency!

To be fully prepared for a wilderness emergency, read our Backpack Gear Load Out post to discover what other survival tools you can add to your outdoor survival kits.

Remember, knowledge and preparation are the keys to self-reliance!

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