If you have watched Man vs Wild, you will notice that Bear Grylls carries only three items, a water bottle, a fire starter, and a knife. This should be the basis of any survival kit. Here's a list of what I carry in my smallest kit:
- Water Bottle - Water is the most important consideration during a survival situation. You can't go very long without it. I use a wide-mouth Lexan bottle to carry my water in.
- Water Purification Tablets - You want to make sure your water is safe to drink. I have already blogged about the importance of water purification. I decide to carry tablets in my kit since it's a fast way to kill pathogens and my area usually has clear water sources and no need to filter out heavier particles.
- Fire Starter - I carry a steel and flint tool with a magnesium strip similar to what Bear Grylls uses. Waterproof matches, lighters, and tender can also be carried but lighters when wet may not light unless you have an electric lighter.
- Knives - Check out my blog entry about knives and how to select and take care of them. I carry one fixed blade and one multi-tool.
- Whistle - Three short whistles is considered a distress signal. A high pitched whistle blast can be heard farther than yelling. You may want to carry one in case you get stuck in an environment you can't get out of, such as falling in a hole or ravine that you can't climb out of.
- Wire Saw - This tool comes in handy when building shelters from natural materials.
- Rope/Cording - I carry a few feet of nylon cording. It can be used to secure shelters and packs made from natural materials. You can use the inner thread to make snares, fishing line, nets, and other useful objects.
- Hand Warmer - In situations where it's wet and cold, a hand warmer can help prevent hypothermia.
- Flashlight - I carry a small Maglite flashlight in which I have switched out the original bulb with an LED bulb. The LED gives more of a whiter light and prolongs battery life.
- Sunscreen - Getting a sunburn in a survival situation can be debilitating and dangerous. I have seen this left out of many kits. Sunscreen is very important and should be considered for any kit.
- Lip Balm - Not as important as sunscreen but chapped lips can lower morale in a survival situation. Most lip balms are small enough to include in any kit; so, why not?
- Survival Cards - There are different sets out there that are available. I use a set created by Lee Nading. It includes a lot of information on survival techniques and even includes a list of edible plants. Best of all, it's weatherproof.
- Candy - The candy is more to help a clear state of mind in survival situations.
All of the items I have listed above can be easily stored in a fanny pack except for the water bottle and larger knife, which I carry on my belt. There are other items that you may want to consider to add to your kit. These are: a compass with a built-in signal mirror, emergency blanket, insect repellent, small fishing kit, small first-aid kit, and pictures of love ones. Don't underestimate the importance of the pictures; these have got many people out of survival situations and even wars by providing the will to survive.
Here's a picture of my small survival kit:
