Survival Gear Checklist
Emergency situations can happen anywhere, at any time. Some parts of the world are afflicted with bad weather and prone to natural disasters. But it doesn’t require a dangerous situation for an emergency to occur. Bad luck, bad timing and bad preparation are all it takes. Having survival gear on hand at all times keeps people safe.
The types of emergencies that people should prepare for can include things like having no electricity for days because of a power outage. It can mean being prepared if there is a flood or a hurricane. Emergencies might also involve tornadoes, forest fires and sudden blizzards on a highway. But the fact remains that emergencies might also involve a house fire, a tire going flat while four-by-four driving in the mountains, or becoming lost on a camping trip. There are fifteen pieces of survival gear that will help a person in almost any emergency situation.
One of the most important pieces of gear is a map. We should have a map of the campground we’re going to be staying in, of the mountains we intend to hike in, of the caves we’re going diving in. And we should know how to use it. A compass helps with map reading, as does a GPS receiver. Second to a map, we should have a flashlight. Darkness is a danger not because of the boogey man but because we might stumble and fall and injure ourselves. Emergency food rations should also go into the pack we keep our survival gear in. A chocolate bar at the right time can give us needed energy to keep on going, walking towards our rescue.
Extra clothing should be among the things we put in our survival gear or emergency kit. Wearing layers is helpful in cold situations and clothing can be used for other things as necessary. Rain gear can help us build a shelter if we don’t need it to break the wind or keep us dry. Sunglasses, a sixth item for our pack, can protect our eyes from the reflecting sun and help us to keep going. Any item in a survival pack can be used to do something other than it was intended. Always keep that in mind when packing.
A simple first aid kit is also important to include when packing emergency supplies. It should be able to handle simple cuts and burns and possible snakebite and allergic reactions. Another item to add to the survival gear list is the all important multi-purpose tool. This might have pliers, a knife, tweezers, things that could be invaluable when a person is in dire straits. And the ninth thing to include when packing survival gear is some means to start a fire. Water proof matches or a firesteel rod that will shower sparks onto a pile of dry tinder are ideal.
Surprisingly, it is easy to find ways to disinfect water so that it’s safe for drinking. If we can start a fire, we can boil the water underneath a piece of plastic or other solid container, and drink the condensation. There are also disinfection chemicals we can pack in our survival gear in case we haven’t been able to start a fire yet. Having a whistle is also important in case of an emergency. We might not be able to move but rescuers are looking for us and can’t hear us shouting. A shrill whistle sound would be sure to get their attention.
An emergency shelter doesn’t have to be a big tent that takes up a lot of room. A simple tarp or space blanket can be made into a shelter using branches and logs, rocks to hold the corners down, or even pressed against a snow shelter for extra dryness and insulation. Add to the list of necessary items twenty five feet or more of cording. This can be parachute cord or simple rope but it’s a must-have for survival gear. The fourteenth item to add to an emergency kit is insect repellant of some kind. No one wants to be lost forever and eventually there will be a return to civilization. If its possible, avoid mosquitoes and ticks that might be infected with parasites or other diseases, by packing bug spray.
Regardless of whatever else goes into an emergency kit, the most important piece of survival gear we can bring is ourselves. Our will to live, and to survive, is the most important tool we have at hand in cases of emergency. We have to remember that rescue could be just around the corner and that we must not give up five minutes before the miracle. All of the above items are valuable but our will is the most valuable of all.
Emergency situations can happen anywhere, at any time. Having survival gear including survival foods on hand at all times keeps people safe. All you need to know on ultimate survival kit, a click away!
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