• Home
• Life and Death Matters
• Repeat After Me:
  S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L
• Plan to Survive
• Must Have Water
• Keeping Your Head Straight
• Being Smart About Shelter
• Making Fire
• Survival By Environment
• Desert Survival
• Cold Weather Survival
• Tropical Survival
• Sea Survival
• Everyday Worst-Case Scenarios
• When It's a Bear, Don't Stare
• Sinking Underwater
• If Your House Catches Fire
• Avoiding Hypothermia
• When Lightning Strikes
• Getting Out of Quicksand
• Lost at Sea?
• Taking on a Shark
• Snake Bites
• Killer Tornados
• Plants and Animals
• Plants You Can Eat
• Plants You Can't Eat
• Dangerous Animals

Survival Kits

The environment is the key to the types of items you will need in your survival kit. How much equipment you put in your kit depends on how you will carry the kit. A kit carried on your body will have to be smaller than one carried in a vehicle. Always layer your survival kit, keeping the most important items on your body. For example, your map and compass should always be on your body. Carry less important items on your load-bearing equipment. Place bulky items in the rucksack.

In preparing your survival kit, select items you can use for more than one purpose. If you have two items that will serve the same function, pick the one you can use for another function. Do not duplicate items, as this increases your kit's size and weight.

Your survival kit need not be elaborate. You need only functional items that will meet your needs and a case to hold the items. For the case, you might want to use a Band-Aid box, a first aid case, an ammunition pouch or another suitable case. This case should be —

• Water repellent or waterproof.
• Easy to carry or attach to your body.
• Suitable to accept components of various sizes.
• Durable.

In your survival kit, you should have —

• First aid items.
• Water purification tablets or drops.
• Fire starting equipment.
• Signalling items.
• Food procurement items.
• Shelter items.

Some examples of these items are —

• Lighter, metal match, waterproof matches, flint with built-in striker.
• Snare wire.
• Signalling mirror.
• Wrist compass.
• Fish and snare line.
• Fishhooks.
• Candle.
• Small hand lens.
• Oxytetracycline tablets (diarrhoea or infection).
• Water purification tablets.
• Solar blanket.
• Surgical blades.
• Butterfly sutures.
• Condoms for water storage.
• Lip balm.
• Needle and thread.
• Knife or multitool.

Include a weapon only if the situation so dictates. Read about and practice the survival techniques in this manual. Consider the nature of your trip and the environment in which you will operate. Then prepare your survival kit.