An emergency can occur at any time. They aren’t always
considered when we make plans for things. And they can
happen in good times and in bad. Survival gear packed in
advance can safe our lives in the most desperate situations.
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.
The first thing to keep available in case of an emergency is a map. It should be a topographical map with features. Not only should there be a map but there should also be someone who knows how to read it. Having a compass or GPS receiver would also help if possible. A flashlight is the second piece of emergency equipment. It’s dangerous to wander around in the dark. Along with both of these, an emergency pack should have extra dehydrated food, for energy purposes. It may not seem like survival gear per se but without energy, people often find they have no strength to help themselves.
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.
Normally people aren’t planning on staying lost forever. It’s better to be safe than sorry when packing an emergency kit of survival gear. Be sure to add some way to make water safe to drink. There are disinfection kits available but there are other methods to use too, like solar methods that turn water into condensation that can be collected safely for drinking and cooking. A whistle is another important piece of the kit. Being able to make noise without much effort, and a noise that will be heard for a long distance, could be critical to being rescued.
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!
Tags: essential survival gear, survival foods, survival gear, survival gear catalog, survival. wilderness survival
