A wise man once said, “Safety doesn’t happen by accident.” To live in a world as dangerous and unpredictable as ours, you always have to be intentional about keeping yourself safe. When given careful thought, you realize that there isn’t such a thing as going overboard when preparing for emergency situations. Whether it’s a fire emergency, natural disaster, the zombie apocalypse, or just preparing to defend yourself when you get in life-threatening situations, it’s always important to carry the right survival gear.
While safety is a priority when you step into the great outdoors, you can’t go around carrying guns and massive safety equipment looking like a walking Swiss Army Knife. No way! So how can you carry the right gear to protect yourself.
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re stuck in the great outdoors, on an exploration trip, trapped in the wilderness after a plane crash, left alone on an island as part of a shipwrecked crew, or you had to leave the comfort of your own home after an apocalyptic event to increase your chances of survival; then prepping for it is the best thing that you can do.
Because it’s in our nature as humans to choose life over death, you have to be prepared to grind it out in the wild. This is necessary because in our world, survival isn’t only for the fittest;it’s for the best prepared.
From the process of packing your gear to deciding what routes to take and setting off, you increase your chances of survival without having all that cortisol and adrenaline in your bloodstream all the time, especially not while trying to pack essential items into your survival bag. Remember, it’s important to travel light!
It’s easy to grab anything you think may be useful for you out there. But you may end up with so many useless items in the end.
So how can you tell what items are useless and which will come in handy as you cling onto life in the wild? What gear will you need to pack in your survival bag?
Well, cast away your worries because we’ve done all that for you. Yeah, we’ve selected the top 10 items that will significantly increase the chances of keeping you alive if you found yourself having to live in the wild.
You can just follow this detailed wilderness survival checklist so that you will know precisely what things you need to survive in the wilderness.
Without further ado, below is the ultimate wilderness survival checklist of all the things you’ll need if you, unfortunately, have to survive in the wilderness for some time.
Trust me, you won’t survive a week without Numbers 9 and 10.
Table of Contents
1. Survival Knife
While so many people will still prefer to carry a gun for protection, the first item you’ll need in any survival situation you find yourself in the great outdoors is a survival knife.
If you have a knife at hand, then you bring it along with you whenever you have to go and live in the wild. A survival knife can help you with so many things that need to be done while you’re out there.
The knife has a well-crafted rugged structure that can help you cut through vines and thorns on your way while hiking.
It’s also the best hunting tool that you can have if you need to hunt and kill some of the animals you’ll encounter in the wild for food.
You can also use the knife to slice the fruits and vegetables that you can find.
One interesting and extremely useful variant to the survival knife is the Swiss Army Knife. This particular multi purpose tool is so helpful and fits nicely in your pocket.
While it’s like a typical pocket knife, larger models of the Swiss Army Knife may include more features like a regular screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener, awl, and corkscrew.
Other tools that it may contain include both regular and Phillips screwdrivers, rulers, hoof cleaner, fish scaler, hook remover, file, pliers, saw, and scissors.
You see why having a survival knife, especially a multi purpose one, can be extremely useful for survival in the great outdoors.
Swiss Army Multi-Tool
Victorinox Swiss Army Multi-Tool, Fieldmaster Pocket Knife
FOR OUTDOORS & EVERY DAY.
DURABLE CONSTRUCTION.
COMPACT CARRY. KNIFE DIMENSIONS.
TRUSTED QUALITY.
2. Rope
Imagine surviving a plane crash on a mountain and having to find your way down with the rest of the survivors. It doesn’t matter how good your freehand climbing skills are; the second thing you need to pack is a Rope. In order to increase your chances of survival in an unknown terrain, your ability to navigate the landscape is very important. You need to have at least the 550 paracords.
The 550 paracord is a lightweight nylon kernmantle rope that was designed to be used for parachutes. However, modern versions of the paracord can be modified and used in survival situations to create a fishing line, fire tinder, and even snare wire.
You can use it to build your shelter, hang your food to be safe from other animals, and you can tie it to your waist in case you need to rappel down from a high place, like a mountain. It’s going to be a useful tool for you once you’re out there. So better save some space for your rope since you never know when you will need it.
3. Insect Repellent
From recent studies, it has been shown that the number of described insect species is approximately 91,000 In the United States. Yeah, that’s a lot, and the scariest part is that thousands of these species are trying so hard to suck your blood, and many could kill you in the process without even thinking about it. Many of these insects, like mosquitoes, spiders, fire ants, etc., carry parasites, viruses, or toxins harmful to us.
So while prepping your survival kit, make sure to bring an insect repellent as well. Yeah, very important! These specially formulated substances are applied directly to skin, clothing, or other surfaces to discourage insects from climbing on that surface or landing on it.
Even though the insect population’s distribution varies depending on your location, you don’t know what the insect population out there can give you in just one bite. If you want to survive, make sure to stay away from insects that cause malaria or dengue, which will be fatal to you. It’s best to bring a potent insect repellent along so that you and your family will be safe from one of the dangers of surviving in the wild.
4. Waterproof/Windproof Lighter
Starting a fire in the wild is one of the most essential survival skills anyone can have. Think about how much of a badass you’ll look to use only a couple of stones and some twigs to start a fire for the group or family. However, if you were unable to start a fire when you went camping as a kid, don’t play hero and just bring a lighter. There’s nothing wrong with that.
A waterproof or windproof lighter is the perfect fire-starter everyone needs because of its ability to resist water and strong winds, which are common environmental problems in the wild.
This tool is small enough to fit in your pocket. This way, you can easily ensure that you can make a fire to stay warm at night, cook your own meals, or disinfect your wounds and cutting tools and equipment. Find one that is waterproof and windproof so you can always count on it.
5. Tent/Shelter
Make no mistake, living in the wild is nothing compared to living in the comfort of your home. You’re continuously being pitted against the forces of nature in a battle that you will always lose because mother nature has it all, from snow to hail, rain, scathing sun, and sleet. To survive such harsh weather conditions, it’s important to find yourself a good shelter.
In times like this, it’s better to just bring your camping tent so you will have a shelter to stay safe. If you don’t have one, just find something with the same material to do a makeshift tent once you’re out there. But it’s best if you can just have a tent so that it is less bulky and you don’t have a hard time playing MacGyver when you really don’t know how to build a shelter out of leaves and twigs.
Survival Shelter
Go Time Gear Life Tent Emergency Survival Shelter
2 Person Emergency Tent – Use As Survival Tent, Emergency Shelter, Tube Tent, Survival Tarp – Includes Survival Whistle & Paracord
6. First Aid Kit
Because you’re doing your best to stay safe and to stay alive out there, you also have to be equipped to spring into action in times of medical emergencies. This is where the skill of first aid comes in handy.
First aid is the emergency treatment given to a person who has sustained any type of injury. Because you’re living in unfavorable conditions with hazards in every corner of the wilderness, injuries are almost inevitable.
While prepping things you need in the wild, ensure that you have your first aid kits packed in your survival bag. Stock it with the usual medicine, gauze, alcohol, scissors, bandages, disinfectant, antiseptic, cotton wool, painkillers, etc., to make sure that you are ready in case you need it. Accidents can quickly occur, especially if you are in unfamiliar terrain, so it’s better to have your first aid kits since you cannot predict what might happen.
You can easily buy a fully stocked first aid kit on Amazon or buy the individual items yourself.
7. Raincoat
You may already have a tent or shelter to keep you dry on rainy days, but what about while you’re hiking? You certainly can’t keep yourself dry with an umbrella. This is where the need for a raincoat comes in.
They are specially designed waterproof garments that prevent water from getting in contact with your body. Modern raincoats are often designed from breathable fabrics. Examples of breathable fabrics are Gore-Tex or Tyvek and coated nylons. These fabrics are termed ‘breathable’ because they easily allow vapor to pass through so that your sweat can easily escape.
A raincoat is important because you need to stay dry, especially if you are trying to stay alive. When you’re wet all the time, you lose body heat, and your temperature drops easily. It’s not a good idea to just let yourself get soaked in the rain since it will be easier for you to catch a cold when you’re out there. Because medical supplies are limited, getting sick will not give you a good chance of survival.
8. Extra Clothes
Of course, you still need to have extra clothes so you can change when you have to. You can still take a bath while trying to survive so that you can stay clean and healthy. Giving off foul odor because of your dirty clothes is a faster way to get yourself killed by wild animals with a keen sense of smell. However, depending on the odor’s foulness, you could probably kill the animal first before it kills you. Okay, maybe that’s a bit farfetched, but you get the point.
Just bring clothes to last you until the other one gets dry after you wash them. Remember, your aim is to travel light while packing only essential things. You don’t need to bring a lot of clothes; you’re not going to a fashion show.
9. Food
This is probably the second most important thing to pack in your survival bag. FOOD is the source of life, energy, and nutrition. The only thing that will keep you going out there when everything else tries to hold you down.
While you may be a good hunter or gatherer, you can’t always hope to find some tasty animals or edible fruits in the wild. So make sure you bring as much food as you can since you don’t expect to find a feast once you’re out there. You can bring dried fruits since it’s not bulky and it can keep you energized. You can also bring salt and other spices, so if you have to hunt for food, you can always use them to make your food tasty.
Your body needs food daily to provide energy for work, growth, and repair of worn-out tissues. Injuries sustained in the wild will heal better when you eat healthily, and that’s why food and nutrition are essential for survival.
10. Water Purification System
The last and final item that must be in your survival bag is a functioning water purification system. Because finding clean water for drinking and cooking is almost impossible out there and we cannot survive without water, having a means of purifying water is crucial.
Water is the source of life, and research shows that a single drop of water contains about one million bacteria. According to Costalwiki, “In a drop (one milliliter) of seawater, one can find 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, and about 1,000 small protozoans and algae.”
This is a huge problem for anyone looking for good drinking water in the wild. So you will need to bring a water purification system since you can’t just carry huge water containers easily.
Water purification systems are able to remove physical impurities from water by filtration while chemically purifying the water either by chlorination, flocculation, or the use of electromagnetic radiation such as UV light.
There are slim types of water purification systems so that you can just slip it into your bag easily. That way, you can make sure that you will not catch amoebiasis while you’re exploring the wild.
Water Purification System
SurviMate Filtered Water Bottle BPA Free with 4-Stage Integrated Filter Straw
For Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, and Travel
【Advanced purification System 】
【Long Lifespan & Replaceable 】
【Ultimate Wilderness Survival Assistant】
【Instant Fresh Water】
11. Sleeping Bag
There are times when you will need to spend the night outside.
Maybe because you have to avoid danger, or perhaps you forgot to bring your tent.
You also may plan on sleeping in a safe place so that you can get away from the predators while you rest.
Whatever the reason is, it might be a good idea to bring along a sleeping bag with you so that sleep won’t be an issue and you’ll still be able to survive whatever situations come your way.
You can throw a sleeping bag in your bag and go out there with confidence that you will be warm enough to stay alive.
The thing is, it is better to carry a sleeping bag that’s waterproof and has a hood so that you can keep the insects, water, and wind out, and you won’t have to look for your tent every few hours.
Conclusion
Preparing for any survival situation in the wild is not as difficult as it sounds. As long as you know the basics, you can easily pinpoint which items you should prioritize. You also have to consider that you will have to walk long distances to get there. So don’t bring unnecessary items that will just add up to your load. Make it just enough for you to survive for a few days. From there, you will be well adjusted to your new surroundings. You can then just follow your instincts to keep on surviving in the wild.
If you have any questions or want to know more about getting the right survival gear, don’t hesitate to send us an email. We’ll be glad to hear your thoughts and questions.
