Top ten most important survival items

List based on a Colorado summer enviroment.

1) My Pure/Katy Water filter, Hiker model
2) Swiss Army Champion model knife
3) My ferro/mag fire starter
4) My silva ranger compass (has a mirror on it)
5) Bottle of multivitamins
6) My gigapeak TI teapot (far better than a simple pot)
7) My Integral Designs bivy sack, the bright orange one.
8) My camelback mule to carry this stuff and water
9) An REI one soft shell jacket, black, with hood.
10) Larger bottle of Purell ETOH based sanitizer ( also good fire starter)

First thing I'd do , enviroment permitting, is use the saw on the SAK to cut myself a decent hiking staff with a shovel point for use as a digging stick/ light javilin.

A few decent throwing sticks could be gathered for use on any handy small game, and I could carve a whistle with the SAK, given time, materials, and need.

Take Care,
Jeff
 
I'm no expert, but here are my ideas, based on the Cascades of North Cetral Washington State, and assuming I was smart enough to have some warm clothes....

1. My Sleeping bag. - always a hedge againt Hypothermia
2. My Buck Model 185 (in a leather sheath) ...OR my CS Rifleman's Tomahawk
(I'm undecided)
3. My SAK Rucksack
4. Magnesium firestarter
5. 8oz Glass bottle of Resublimated Iodine Crystals for treating water. (see Ron Hood's Woodsmaster Vol 3.)
6. Coffee Can with bail
7. Localized book of Wild edibles (I only know about 20, but if I was more learned, I might trade this for fishooks)
8. Heavy weight Space Blanket (Sportsmans Blanket)
9. 32 oz. Nalgene bottle
10. Large bag of Costco Trail mix so I don't hypo glycemic out before I can get my act together.


I can make a good debris hut, I can braid cordage from bark, I know how to make a rough arrow and head and a survival bow, (but a throwing stick would be first)

Well, that's my ideas, whadya think?
 
In order of importance and when not tweaking for a specific environment..

1 Knife
2 Fire Starter
3 Communication Device (Radio or Cell Phone etc)
4 Flashlight
5 Whistle
6 Mirror
7 Water Purification
8 Water Storage
9 Compass
10 Cordage

That's whats most important above all else IMO. After that comes FA supplies, particularly wound managment and meds for dealing with fever, allegies and stomach problems that could cause dehydration.

After that I'd say duct tape is next on the list. Everything else (pocket saws, other tools, food rations, etc) is much less necessary or more easily improvised IMO or simply more easily done without in a short term (72hr) survival situation.

Keep in mind this is my list for my knowledge level, mindset and skillset. YMMV greatly. :)

One more note. I find the first 3 items to be trememdously more important than the rest (but you asked for ten so I gave you ten :)). A reliable knife, fire starter and communication device will take you a looong way with the right skills and mindset
 
My only outdoor activities are:
fishing
hunting
day hiking
So I will only need to "survive" one night in the bush at most!
1) I always inform others of my whereabouts and expected return time.I'm usually with a partner or two anyway.
2) I look at a weather forecast and dress appropriately. When I dress in the morning I always have : wrist watch, keys, cash, handkerchief and a small SAK
if I'm fishing I carry a creel over my shoulder or if day hiking or hunting a shoulder bag that has the following:
3) cell phone
4) flashlight
5) toilet paper
6) food ( sandwiches, apple, snacks)
7) ibuprophen ( hey, my back hurts)
8) flask of likker. Its 5 o'clock somewhere
9) water bottle or canteen
10) if I'm hiking: x-tra socks
if I'm fishing: my fishing tackle
if I'm hunting: my gun and ammo
this may not qualify for a "survival" situation, but that is all it will ever be for me. The point is that no one will be magically placed into a survival situation. You will always be doing something else at the time.
 
since i'm in an urban environment, my top ten might be different.

short Ka-bar USMC knife w/kydex sheath
Nuwai 5W led with 3 stage switch.
poncho
cash in small bills (300$)
cell phone
small first aid kit
GPS
water bottle (filled)
Vic swisstool spirit
space blanket in winter.....in summer: food bars


small backpack to house the items and to store extra scavengered things.

the GPS might be switched out for a Ruger revolver in .45LC with GOLD DOT ammo depending on the situation....;)
 
Bill,

Can you get a cell phone with a GPS built in? I'm not to gadget savy, but I think they have those.

Jeff
 
1) rucksack/daypack/or should bag
2)bivvy bag
3)sleeping bag
4) 'camelback' water bladder
5) at least 2 x 1 litre water bottles
6) 2 x 'billies'
7)hunting knife
8) machete
9) water proof container with matches
10) paracord
(uma thurman)
 
1) canteen and Water purifying pills
2) 9" knife
3) Compass
4) Sleeping bag
5) Food pouch (Energy bars and guarana seeds)
6) GPS
7) Cell phone
8) Extra batteries for cellphone and GPS
9) Firesteel and tinder
10) Gun (probably a 22)

By the way, this will all fit on a web belt except for the sleeping bag. If guns were out, I would go with a nice pair of snakeboots.
 
Growing up I was a Boy Scout, and I couldn't possibly put a price on the things I learned growing up. We used to have "survival campouts" where we started the weekend with ONLY a compass and map. We would use the compass and given coordinates to find food/gear that the leaders hid for us to find. At the end of the day we had to use what little gear we collected to build shelter and cook dinner. My best exeriences growing up were in the Boy Scouts, and the particular leaders I had were especially bent on teaching us survival. To this day I will still take minimalist camping trips. Above all the gear in the world the most important thing is between your ears:thumbup:

Wilderness survival
1) Compass/map
2) Water bottle
3) Water tablets
4) First aid kit
5) Emergency blanket/tarp
6) SAK Camper (with two blades, saw and can opener)
7) Flashlight (We used to be denied flashlights on our survival trips)
8) Good lighter (who needs firesteels when you have butane?)
9) Para cord
10) Survival guide

You don't need to waste a slot in the lineup for sleeping bags and other things. We had to insulate with leafs/pine needles, build shelters with branches and sleep by the fire. I would also take my $20 SAK camper over your Swamp Rat/Busse/huge whatever. When your lost in the woods you don't expell energy by felling trees with your five pounds of steel. This isn't keyboard comando time, how many have actually camped in the minimalist style??? Compass and Map above ALL ELSE!!! When lost in the wilderness what is most likely to save your ass than knowing how to get out!!! Have any of you actually tried to start a fire with a fire steel? It sucks. Bring a good lighter. I have actually started a fire with two sticks, really, I did. It sucked:thumbdn:

Urban survival (WW3, natural disaster, Urban setting)
1) Glock 23 with extra ammo
2) 12 Gauge Shotgun with extra ammo
3) .308 rifle with extra ammo
Thats it. Stay home with my supplies and keep unprepared looters from taking them.
 
Hi Rusty,
Was just reading your post and you've got important items I think. I've found the fire steel really easy to use with a bit of practise and the best thing about them is that the worst thing that can happen is to lose it :) otherwise they are an important backup that will never fail you as long as you can strike it and you know how hard it is to start a fire with a couple of sticks.

I always try to carry a map of the area I'm in and get familiar with the landscape but I cant help thinking of the time when murphy says I'm not allowed to use the map.
 
Rusty,

I was a Boyscout.

With a sleeping bag or bivy sack: I don't need the parcord to build a tarp shelter, am more independant of the enviroment, save the time and effort of gathering possibly non existant materials to insulate a shelter or build a fire.

The sleeping bag or bivy sack would be the very last things on my list to go.
I can land navigate, even in some remote mountain valley in the fog.
I can survive giarrradia ( sucks but isn't immediate) and a few days without food, even in the winter. But I can't just shrug off hypothermia and a good sleeping bag works to combat hypothermia even when you can't get a fire going.

I do at least as much ultralight weight hiking and camping as anyone I know, in some of the least pleasant Colorado conditions. I have a $500 sleeping bag because of that, because way out yonder, I want to be able to crawl into a warm water proof cocoon at the end of hard climb or river crossing and not die.

Also, over the long haul, I found the ferro magnesium fire steels to be vastly more reliable then either bic style lighters ( which freeze when wet, jam,and don't work over 11,200 feet at 30 degrees F, generally) or zippos (leaky and heavy) or matches ( brittle in cold and subject to damp). I usually carry a bic style lighter, but don't depend on it at all. For me, the firesteels work better at the extreme end of things.

I agree with you about the SAK over the big knife, generally, but I don't ever need a can opener in the woods. It's all about the saw and the tweezers for me!

Take Care,
Jeff
 
The goal is to get rescued isn't it?

Cell phone
signal mirror
whistle
something to light a fire
something big and sharp
a tarp
a pot
something to hold water in
clothing for the climate
your brain

Skam
 
-Knife- folder or fixed
-Flint and steel
-Fishing line and hooks
-Compass
-Signal mirror
-Whistle
-Para Cord
-GPS
-Poncho
-Tarp

Atleast thats what I carry.
 
This question is completely dependent on environment and I am making the assumption that I am wearing the appropriate clothing. That said. Having spent a year in the Amazon I never moved on the river without the following.

1)Large fixed knife- Camillus pilot worked fine for me.
2)good para cord
3) An american made lighter (S. American lighters actually melt)
4)Tarp
5)Flashlight (mini mag)
6)Fishing Line and hooks
7)Good quality cloth Fishing hat (its a rag, a pot holder, a pillow, and so much more)
8)one gallon ziplock bag containing Toilet Paper
9)mosquito net
10)Small med. kit

on trips that I knew would last more than a day or two I also brought a small pot, a machete, and a thin cotton sheet.
 
After Hurricane katrina, I have a new attitude about survival equipment, and what's good to have on hand. here's my ten.

1. one candle.
2. a couple of trash bags (big ones) you can do a lot with them, including shelter.
3. portable water filtration, ie. burkey sport bottle.
4. One MRE. there is enough stuff in one to keep you nibbling for a couple of days, while you're fishing, or setting traps. It also has a book of matches inside for fire starting , and the empty bag is useful too.
5. knife.
6. Paracord.
7. insect repelant.
8. compass.
9. first aid kit.
10. angle head flash light, with a few feet of duct tape rolled around it, and maybe some fishing line and a hook tucked inside.
 
I think a better question would be how would you survive on your normal PSK if you had to stretch it out for a month? Most PSKs are meant to get you by for 72 hours. What 10 things out of your PSK will you use the most?

You are going to have to set up some kind of reliable shelter. Then you will have to have a reliable water source within three days. You will have to find a pond, stream or some water source. You will need a reliable food source before three weeks. Animals will come to water. If you have those three things then the rest will be trying to minimize suffering until you are rescued.

1. CS fixed blade knife
2. 50' braided nylon cord (shelter)
3. ferro rod
4. dental floss 50 yards (snares & fishing)
5. Coghlan Survival bag
6. compass (find way back to camp)
7. 2"x3" glass signal mirror
8. 36"x36" aluminum foil (cup)
9. gallon ziploc bag (water container)
10. first-aid kit (lots of items in there) or duct tape
 
1. knife
2. good shoes
3. firestarter
4. cord
5. something to hold water in
6. fishing stuff
7. basic cooking equipment
8. flashlight
9. sleeping bag or whatever
10. smoking equipment
 
rusty edge said:
Growing up I was a Boy Scout, and I couldn't possibly put a price on the things I learned growing up. We used to have "survival campouts" where we started the weekend with ONLY a compass and map. We would use the compass and given coordinates to find food/gear that the leaders hid for us to find. At the end of the day we had to use what little gear we collected to build shelter and cook dinner. My best exeriences growing up were in the Boy Scouts, and the particular leaders I had were especially bent on teaching us survival. To this day I will still take minimalist camping trips. Above all the gear in the world the most important thing is between your ears:thumbup:

Wilderness survival
1) Compass/map
2) Water bottle
3) Water tablets
4) First aid kit
5) Emergency blanket/tarp
6) SAK Camper (with two blades, saw and can opener)
7) Flashlight (We used to be denied flashlights on our survival trips)
8) Good lighter (who needs firesteels when you have butane?)
9) Para cord
10) Survival guide

You don't need to waste a slot in the lineup for sleeping bags and other things. We had to insulate with leafs/pine needles, build shelters with branches and sleep by the fire. I would also take my $20 SAK camper over your Swamp Rat/Busse/huge whatever. When your lost in the woods you don't expell energy by felling trees with your five pounds of steel. This isn't keyboard comando time, how many have actually camped in the minimalist style??? Compass and Map above ALL ELSE!!! When lost in the wilderness what is most likely to save your ass than knowing how to get out!!! Have any of you actually tried to start a fire with a fire steel? It sucks. Bring a good lighter. I have actually started a fire with two sticks, really, I did. It sucked:thumbdn:

Urban survival (WW3, natural disaster, Urban setting)
1) Glock 23 with extra ammo
2) 12 Gauge Shotgun with extra ammo
3) .308 rifle with extra ammo
Thats it. Stay home with my supplies and keep unprepared looters from taking them.
Click to expand...


That makes 2 of us..
You're about ?? 50 years old ?
My scoutmaster was a Korean war vet ( 2 tours) and golden glove boxer.
I grew up in the mountains of Va.
He made " Man Scouts" out of Boy Scouts.
Snares, drops, "noodling" ( thats reaching under a rock or the underside of the creek bank and catchin' some food )
Raw crawdad tails aint all that bad LOL
Shelter was simply finding young pines, breaking off a ton of branches and piling them onto a fallen tree.. It worked OK.. even in heavy rain... READ.. no knife used.

One VERY important thing that all of the armchair warriors :D neglected to mention was a fair supply of PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES. ( if you need them) :confused:

The absolute #1 necessary item in the world is proper footware for any terrain you might get caught in.
I wear lightwight Gore Tex hiking boots ( Vasque) everywhere I travel.. Yes.. NYC included.
They do fine without socks, if need be. ;)

Another I didn't see was IODINE.. For injuries as well as effective water purification.

Black 3M electrical tape. Fixes anything and you can wrap up a BAD cut, if need be. Duct tape is too big.

If your plane crashes you can forget about having your knife handy.
Sharpen a nice piece of fuselage on a rock and hammer part of it into a handle.
Fold, fold fold fold, break, to shape.
You can gut and scale a fish with broken glass ( tell Emeril)
You can sharpen a belt buckle on a rock.

In closing.. Now that everyone hates my post ;)

Fatazz Amerikkans like me would do well not to eat for 4-5 days as long as we had water... :cool:
 
Ah, Scouts! Once our Troop had a "survival weekend." You were dumped off one at a time in the outback of Camp Pendleton. You got to wear a "regular set of cloths" (shirt, sweater, jacket, hat - regular outfit for that place and time of year). In addition, you were allowed a pocket knife and all you could fit in a 1 lb. coffee can.

That's the windup. Here's the pitch. The list needs a metal container.

That coffee can was a muti-use tool -- limited only by imagination. You can't cook or boil water in a zip-lock bag or condom. You can't dig with a piece of aluminum foil. But beating on the bottom of that can with a stick made a nose that carried quite a distance and brought the (deliberately scattered) Scouts together -- to use our carefully plotted choices of what went in each Scout's can. We had a blast!

Today? Drop Scouts off in a Marine maneuver area rich with unfired blank 30.06 rounds --- and other "neat" stuff? (Boy that C-rat chocolate tasted vile!) Never! Too bad.
 
I miss doing wilderness survival weekends with the scouts. The Order of the Arrow trips were always fun too, and the young scouts weren't there, so, that was good too.

Socks. I think socks are a very important part of a survival kit.
 
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