Placing a few crucial items in your survival kits can make all the difference in your chance for survival. Try to collect the items listed below and place them in your survival kits. The items can be placed in a small container such as an altoids tin. An altoids tin is extremely portable and makes for a great survival kit. Survival kits that are any bigger can be extremely inconvenient to carry. Having a survival kit could help save your life in a disaster or an emergency.
It’s important to waterproof your survival kit. You can easily waterproof your altoids tin with a strip of duct tape, which can be removed and replaced very easily.
Experience has shown that each item earns its place in survival kits, although some are more valuable in certain survival situations than in others.
Here is a list of useful items to place in survival kits:
- Matches
You can make your own waterproof matches by dipping the heads of ordinary matches into melted candle wax. Matches are the easiest method to start a fire for survival.
- Survival Pill
A nutritional supplement is very useful when food is not readily available. It’s extremely portable and can sustain your life until you are able to find food.
- Candle
Candles can be used as a light source. You can even cut a candle into smaller pieces to fit them easier into your survival kit.
- Flint
Flint can easily start a small fire and also works well when wet.
- Small Magnifying Glass
This item is great for starting a fire with the help of direct sunlight. It can also be used to search for small twigs to burn.
- Needles and thread
Make sure to pack a lot of needles. Include various sizes of eyes and sturdy thread that will wrap well around the needles.
- Fish hooks and line
Carry an assortment of various fishing hooks, both large and small (remember that a small hook can catch both big and small fish, but a large fishing hook can only catch large fish). Also include a lot of line to potentially catch birds as well.
- Compass
Always make sure when purchasing a compass that you know how to read it (some compasses are puzzling). Make sure you have a liquid-filled type compass that doesn’t leak or have any bubbles in it. Lastly, check that the pointer pivots freely.
- Beta light
A beta light is an everlasting “light emitting crystal” the size of a small coin. It is a useful fishing lure and useful for reading a map at night.
- Snare wire
Extremely useful for catching game animals in a survival situation. Keep in mind that it is illegal and should only be used in a wilderness survival situation.
- Flexible saw
These can be used to cut down pretty sizeable trees. Take off the large rings at the end of the handles and replace them with wooden toggles, as this will save space. Cover in a film of grease to protect from rust.
- Medical kit
Only include items you know how to use. Use cotton wool to store medicines in air-tight bottles. This is a brief list of some medications that will cover most diseases: Analgesic, Intestinal sedative, Antibiotic, Antihistamine, Anti-malaria tablets, Potassium permanganate, Water sterilizing tablets.
- Surgical blades
Carry at very least two scalpel blades of various sizes. You can make a handle from wood when necessary.
- Butterfly sutures
These can be used to hold the ends of wounds together.
- Plasters
Be sure to pack different sizes of waterproof plasters, for maintaining cuts and small scratches. They are used as butterfly sutures, when not available.
- Condom
A condom makes a great water storage bag and can hold 1 liter (2pt.) of water.
