Survival Kit List - The Survival Gear List You Need

You cannot control what will happen. You cannot control the weather and you cannot control society, but you can control how prepared you and your family are to handle dire situations like natural disasters, pandemics, civil unrest, and just about any other serious situation.

Let me first dispel the idea that having everything on this checklist will mean you are prepared. It is a step forward but without a plan, without survival skills, having these items will only get you so far. Brush up on your outdoors skills like making fires, cooking primitively on an open fire, tying knots, basic "roughing it" things.

Without basic survival skills I would bet a million dollars that a man with two sticks, a survival knife, and survival skills could outlast you. There is a plethora of survival information out there for free so I would suggest taking advantage of it. www.Ready.gov and FEMA.gov have great information and I have some Hubs that include information on essential survival skills.

Below is a fairly comprehensive checklist of things you may need to survive various situations comfortably. I hope it serves you well, and don't forget that while this list may fit many families well, every family has their own special needs and circumstances so be sure to think of those when preparing. But do not forget that the most important things are skills, and plans. Without those this list is just a list.

And remember multi-use survival items are the best way to invest your space!

Survival Kit List

Food:

• Stockpile Dehydrated, freeze dried, canned, other nonperishable
• Means of getting your own food (Hunting, Fishing, Crabbing, Trapping, Growing)
• Gun, or other hunting utility
• Bullets, lots of them. (In tough times bullets become quite scarce.)
• Snares (for trapping food)
• Seeds (for growing food)
• A survival fishing kit
• A Means for cooking (Fire, Charcoal BBQ, Camp Stove.)

Water:

• 1 Gallon per person per day (3 day minimum suggested by www.Ready.gov)
• Ability to filter dirty water (filtration and purification are different. Filtering may not necessarily eliminate bacteria and other contaminants.)
• Ability to obtain water (Rainfall, lake, river, ocean, humidity collection)
• Jugs, Coolers, etc to hold water
• Ability to purify dirty water (the SurvivalStill for example. Video below)

Below is a video I found from Prep Fx that shows a cool device called the "Survival Still."

Clothing:

• Clothing for proper weather conditions (Including all that MAY occur. NEVER assume what the weather will be, anticipate what it COULD be.)
• Proper footwear (Often forgotten about. Must be comfortable, and durable. Anticipate walking a lot.)
• Hats (These are good because they will protect you from sun, shield you partially from rain, help maintain body temperature, and can be used for various things like holding water.)
• Gloves (Similar to hats, they will protect you and can be used as extra pockets as well.)
• Underwear and socks (Pants and shirts you can wear for a week, but socks and underwear should be changed frequently.)

How will you store your food (Especially freshly hunted or grown.)
Will your food provide ALL of the nutrition you and your family will need (Consider a child's needs are different than an adults)? If not you can consider these options:

_ Vitamin supplements in case of dietary deficiencies
_ Salt and other minerals that are vital in case of dietary deficiencies
_ Plates and utensils (Not disposable, these are convenient normally, but trash pick up may not be available.)

Shelter: (Varies widely with situation.)

• Stay at home (objectively assess your homes ability to protect you. It may be hard to accept, but sometimes your home isn't the safest place.)
• Tent
• Sleeping Bags
• Arrangements with Family or Friends
• Hotel/Motel
• RV

Medical:

• First Aid Kit (Band-Aids, Cotton Swabs, Rubber Gloves, Antiseptic, etc.)
• Birth Control
• Prescription drugs
• Other Medicine (Tylenol, Advil, Pepto Bismol, Rash/Itch Cream.)
• Crutches, Slings, Wheel Chairs, etc.
• First Aid Book

Hygiene:

• Soap
• Hand Sanitizer (To help ration water.)
• Toothbrushes, Toothpaste
• Floss
• Manicure Set
• Toilet Tissue
• Feminine Sanitary Products
• Garbage Bags to properly contain garbage and various other unpleasant items.
• Adult Pregnancy Prevention Measures (tried to word that as child friendly as possible.)

That's a quote from Mike Tyson that is true for many things. As good as your intentions may be, during a survival situation, you must be ready for things that you wouldn't expect.

• Gun, Bow and arrows, crossbow (for those against guns. This can serve as protection and for hunting.)
• Bullets, arrows, whatever ammo for whichever tool. (These disappear from shelves during downturns.)
• Window fortifications (Plywood, hurricane shutters, Security Film, etc.)
• Discreet safe (Nothing screams open me like a safe, but a discreet one may be a good investment. Like a wall or floor safe.)
• Gas Masks
• Bullet proof vests
• Mace or Bear Spray (This is especially good in the wild to protect against animals without hurting or killing them.)
• Taser (Less lethal than a gun but okay protection if you know how to use it. Don't buy one unless you intend on learning how to handle it because nothing could be worse than your adversary taking it from you to use on you.)

Many people don't anticipate needing many of these items in times of turbulence because they believe they are safe in their homes and that they live in good neighborhoods. Allow me to assert that when people are faced with dire situations under stress, they will do what they must to survive.

• Emergency Crank Radio (Read my review on the Eton FR300 Crank Radio!)
• Crank LED Flashlights (LED because they are energy efficient and last very long.)
• Crank Lamp
• Batteries (Just in case)
• Solar battery chargers are nice
• Solar Cell phone charger

Try to ensure that all electronics are crank or solar (Crank is better as you won't be at the mercy of the clouds). Lots of people stock up on batteries which is great and all but it's far better to not have to depend on batteries being around unless you have rechargeables and the ability to recharge them without a wall outlet. But keeping your electronics to a minimum is great.

Entertainment:

• Books, Magazines
• Puzzles, Puzzle Books (Crosswords, Word Searches, Sudoku.)
• Crank Radio (This will also be under Electronics, but it fit here as well.)
• Board Games
• Pens, Pencils, Pencil Sharpener, Crayons, Colored Pencils
• Minor portable exercise equipment

Miscellaneous:

• The Right Knife
• Bug Repellent
• Scissors
• Sewing Kit
• Candles
• Lighters
• Batteries
• Matches
• Blankets
• Heater (Propane is good when electricity isn't available.)

I also highly suggest preparing a car survival kit in the event that you are out and may need something.