"irrigardless of location" doesn't make sense within the context of absolute essentials for a survival kit. What you need to survive in an area that is hot during the day and warm at night is simply different from what you need to survive in an area that is icy day and night, to give just one example. Your location, the time of year, your situation (such as whether you can be rescued if you stay alive long enough, or whether you need to get out on your own when rescue is not likely) are determining factors.
Your level of competence at various survival skills will also affect what is essential. Some people may need firemaking devices in areas where others could make fire from friction, for example.
Anyway, some likely essentials may be:
A way to ignite combustible material (matches, lighter, flint, fire drill, reactive chemicals, or some such)
Tinder material (dry grass, vaseline soaked cotton, cedar bark, fatwood, trioxane, hexamine, etc.) to catch fire and burn hot enough and long enough to dry out and heat your fire materials (wood, tires, or whatever)
Items for gathering and preparing combustible materials (knife, axe, saw, etc.)
Items for gathering and containing water, and making it safe (surgical tube, sponge, towel, or some such; water filter, iodine, chlorine, or some such; pot, bottle, bladder, or some such)
Items for making shelter (knife, saw, hatchet, etc.; tarp, bivy, etc.; cord)
Items for signaling (fire, mirror, whistle, strobe, flares, personal locator beacon, cell phone, etc.)
Items for first aid (medications, bandages, tape, etc.)
Items to navigate your way back to safety (compass, map, flashlight, GPS, alitimeter, sextant, etc.)
Items to prevent hypothermia (warm clothes, fire, bivy sack, etc.)
Mike
Let's hear it.