Survival kits should:
- Be light weight and compact
- Be with you when you need it
- Contain equipment that you can rely on
- Be adjusted according to the season and
the expected weather
- Include the equipment you will need to
survive a night or two in the season
Basic survival kits should contain:
- Shelter material
-- Large, heavy duty, orange, plastic bag
-- Plastic or fabric tube tents
-- Mylar survival bags
-- Sheet plastic
-- Parachute line
- Fire Starting Materials
-- Matches contained in a waterproof case
-- Cigarette lighter
-- Metal match with a scraper
-- Vaseline impregnated cotton balls in
a waterproof container
-- Candle
- Signaling equipment
-- Whistle with a lanyard
-- Glass, or good plastic, signal mirror
with a lanyard
-- Fluorescent plastic surveyors tape
-- Brightly colored fabric
In addition to the basic three categories
of equipment also consider the following equipment:
- Additional clothing for warmth and protection
from wind and wet
- Sturdy fixed or folding blade knife
- First Aid Kit
- Metal cup
- Flashlight with a headband and spare bulbs/batteries
- Food bars high in carbohydrate
- Water purification tablets
- Folding saw
- Compass
Additional thoughts on survival kits:
- Periodically check the serviceability
of all survival kit components
- It’s no good to you unless you have
it with you when you need it
- Each person in a party should have their
own kit
- Commercial kits compromise the quality
of the components in order to keep the overall price of the
kit down -- it’s better to build your own.
