We receive a ton of suggestions from our readers; but one of the most popular emails we receive is from readers who want to share what’s in their bug out bag or survival kit.
We would like to thank everyone for their suggestions and have compiled a list of the top 101 pieces of Survival gear our readers carry with them. Some of these items are great for Bug Out Bags and wilderness survival, while others might be better suited for an urban survival situation.
This is a list of what our readers find most important to them and is in no way a list of what we think you should or shouldn’t carry. Everyone’s needs are unique and will change depending on a number of factors. The list of survival gear is presented so you can see what others carry, and to give you some ideas if you’re just getting started in preparedness.
Survival Gear List: 101 Top Suggestions from our readers.
- Cell Phone
- Water Bottles
- Flashlights
- MultiTool
- Pocket Knife
- Knife (we recommend the SOG Knives – The Seal Pup Elite Knife)
- Emergency Food or MRE’S
- First Aid Kit
- Compass
- Personal locator beacon (PLB)
- Hiking Backpack
- Sleeping Bag
- Canteens
- Sewing Kit
- Maps
- Duct Tape
- Plastic Tubing
- Lighter
- Space blanket
- Plastic Freezer Bags
- Crowbar
- Fire steel
- Waterproof Matches
- Emergency Candles
- Hiking Tarp
- Water Storage
- Water Filter
- Camp Axe
- Shovel
- Flares
- Signal Mirror
- 4 Season Tent
- Ham Radio
- C.B. Radio
- Bivy sack
- Whistle
- Good Hiking Boots
- Thermos for Cooking
- Chlorine Bleach
- Water-purification tablets
- 550 Paracord
- Hiking Hammock
- Tinder (for fire starting)
- Machete
- Plastic painters tarp
- Salt
- Mylar blanket
- L.E.D. HeadLamps
- Fishing line
- Dental floss
- Extra Socks
- Gloves
- Rain suit or poncho,
- Wide Brim Hat
- Ultimate Survival Kit
- Bandanas
- Bible
- Playing Cards
- Fire Extinguisher
- AM / Weather Radio
- Riffle
- Ammo
- B.B. / Pellet Gun
- Slingshot
- Snare Wire
- Multi-Vitamins
- GPS Device
- Portable Camping Stove
- Propane
- Batteries
- Solar Chargers and battery power banks
- Fishing Pole
- Magnesium Fire Starter
- A Survival Tablet
- Saw
- Plastic Trash Bags
- Binoculars
- Shortwave Radio
- Eating and Cooking Utensils
- Scissors
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Jumper Cables
- Cable Ties
- Oil (for your vehicle, can also be used to start a fire or create smoke for a signal fire)
- Tool Kit
- Tire Repair Kit
- Hard Candy ( can give you a boost of energy and a boost to your morale)
- Emergency Credit Card
- Personal Identification Papers
- Family Photos (morale Booster)
- Dust Mask
- Lantern
- Money (Putting a $20 or a $50 in you kit might come in useful someday)
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Pepper or Bear Spray
- Can Opener
- Chemical hand warmer packets
- Energy Bars
- Survival Books
- YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Survival Gear List at Amazon
Don’t forget backup contact lenses/glasses, menstrual products and medications.
what i think is that ,well suviving long term is not what you happend to bring on your trip,journey,whatever you would like to call it is your commen sense i’ve been in perdicament that i did’nt use my common snse and got me into a bigger predicament
I believe the word you were searching for is “predicament.”
if you ever have to go and bunker down and survive i would recomend,the desert,forest, or newmexico,the swamp and river in mississipi or louisiana,and the mountains like the rocky mountains,where you pick to survive is based on your opinion and where you were raised, i like new mexico because i was raised there and there is all types of terrain.but unpredictable weather!
Sounds like New Mexico is a great place to bug-out or survive.
have any of you people have any training for emergencies such as broken bones. should be the number one item on survival get some training for emergencies.
List is ok for the most part, some shit u need, some will be a waste of space, I.e. cell phone, get a radio or sat phone. Some one said cold weather gear, that’s good too, but u have too keep it dry to work, if your cheap a trash bag will work. Ammo definitely, but get ammo for a common caliber. 7.62×39, 5.56 NATO, or common civilian weapon ammo. Also u need some shit to clean your gun? They stop working if u don’t… Extra mags/ what ever feeds it. It’s hard to hear, but food is over rated, use if u get MREs like this says, strip them of things you dont need, there big, and they add up in weight. YOU HAVE TO HAVE WATER or be able to purify it. You need salt too, not just because u need it in small amounts to live(more so in hot climates) but you can preserve food with it too. Get a compass and map. If your set on electronics, which are awesome, get a solar charger. Solar chargers are actually pretty cheap. All electronics will break/malfunction in a day or 10 years, but it will happen. Some one here said some shit about gun packs, unless ur a sniper with a plan, u should have your “gat” available quick fast in a hurry. Have a tarp/ tent too. Keep copies of important documents. Vodka was a good suggestion. Gold, silver, platinum.
Keeping everything ready to go is the most important. Ammo, lots of it for lots of guns. Alcohol can be traded, baby formulas too.
A harmonica is good for entertanement if you are not worried about noise, a pencil and small pad would be good for essential notes or a journal or last will, and a small cutting board would give you a washable surface to prep food on in stead of just a small mess kit.
the bird never sews or reaps but is always fed
Another thing you might could use is a bow and arrows. it has reusable ammo
My cross bow and survival buck knife. Doesn’t get much better when it comes to a stealth assault or a defense in some cases
Regardless of how long the list, large the packback, or even how much knowledge & experience we have, if/when we are pushed into a serious, extended, survival situation, we will find ourselves in need of something; even if it is only peace and a trusted companion.
Having said that, prepare spiritually and that will provide the Peace of a Trusted Companion. Then grab your backpack and go for it!
Remember….Improvisation is the mother of necessity. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
For want of a nail, the survivalist was lost.
At the very least, get a cheap picture hanging kit with several small nails, screw eyes, stainless steel cord, etc. Just toss in the whole package. You’d be surprised what good a simple nail can be. Screw eyes can be makeshift pulleys for lamps and food (don’t ever feed a skunk… unless you’re at a creek and can soak it off for three days >-P )
Also, if you have the room throw in some clothespins.
And last week I saw the coolest thing, a spear point. ( http://www.eseeknives.com/arrowhead-ah-1.jpg )
I hate to be the obvious “bad guy” here…but you are NOT “living off the grid”. The only thing missing in your list is a direct telephone line to the ATF and a large orange X painted on the roof of your house, cabin, boat, tent, teep-pee, mud-hole or where ever it is you plan to “survive” a crisis. 11 of the 101 items make no sense at all.
01.Cell Phone(TRACKED BY CELL TOWERS)
10.Personal Locator Beacon(TRACKED BY SATELLITE)
33.Ham Radio(LOCATED BY RADIO SIGNALS)
34.C.B. Radio(LOCATED BY RADIO SIGNALS)
60.AM/Weather Radio(LOCATED BY RADIO SIGNALS)
67.GPS Device(TRACKED BY SATELLITES)
78.Shortwave Radio(LOCATED BY RADIO SIGNALS)
89.Emergency Credit Card(One swipe shows your location)
90.Personal Identification Papers (YES…of someone else!)
91.Family Photos(Do NOT comprimise the privacy of your family please!)
94.Money-Putting a $20 or a $50 in your kit might come in useful some day…if you are vacationing in Tia Juana,Mexico GREAT!!! Otherwise…water, food, ammo, alcohol, precious metals and medical supplies are the only currency in a crisis.
You actually have some good items on your site…just NOT the ones listed above.
I agree completely. When i first read this i was like “nope, nope,nope,nope for everything youve listed haha. IF you are to bring a cell phone, remove the chips from it. the ONLY use i could see in a cell phone is the flashlight most newer ones have. (which mine includes more code) but if you already know it then you dont need a phone to do so. just bring a flash light
I agree with John Murphy. The list of 101 things while most of it is comprehensive it’s not going to help you truly bug out. If SHTF my wife and I will disappear. I know this list is a list of things to help you survive and as I mentioned, a lot of it has merit but how long do you think you’ll live if everyone who’s anyone can find you. It could be a military mindset that drives me in this direction but even my family knows they’ll never find me if I dont make contact.
The basic premise of this list is survival, part of survival is using all your resources, including the government or whomever your worried about finding you. The situation you are describing sounds more like evasion. Whether or not your evasion is for legitimate reasons or not is beside the point. I also am distrustful of any organization that wishes to control all aspects of your life, but i would still use them to accomplish my objective. If you are going to evade someone a hair dye kit and some way of changing your normal appearance would be helpful.
list isnt a bad start def need to weed through the not so needed items though if you all want some info on some really good supplies how to use them and why get the book called ” Patriot” really good book, story about a guy who planned very well for the comming collapse. great story as well very inforative on survivalist supplies and methods.
an interesting add that i found when reading the army survival manual is the addition of a condom as a water bladder. They are compact and though made of thin latex rubber are required to be made strong. When it comes to compact water carrying devices, as odd as it is to say, you probably cant beat a condom. (just be sure to get the unlubed kind, haha)
remember that mre’s are bad for you use them as a last ditch source only there only for if you have a multivitamin with you cause of all the perservatives in them and just while I’m talking get a gas mask it servives a lot of things and it will look intimitating to an enemy like sunglasses but this is in theory mind you
MRE’s are ok, but there’s a reason we in the military refer to them as “Meals Rejected by Everyone”. Some of the meals are downright horrible. Not to mention some of the meals can bind you up. Still, if there’s nothing else available, then they’re the best choice. Something I haven’t seen mentioned in the sites I’ve been perusing, and think might be useful, is instructions on how to construct a solar still. Unlike water filters, which occasionally need to be replaced, a solar still continues to produce clean water as long as the materials and water source hold out. Also, I saw someone mention something about gold, silver, and platinum. Those are excellent ideas. Alcohol also. However, one can’t forget some of the other HUGE luxury items: chocolate, sugar, dyed cloth (bolts of it can be bought at fabric stores), perfume, shampoo, body wash, and anything else anyone can think of to use as a trade item. Naturally, plenty of people, weapons, and ammo to protect those treasures isn’t out of the question either.
Afterthought: One can never overestimate the usefullness of a dog and a cat. Dog: 1) Early warning system. I know this should be painfully obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people out there don’t like or want pets. Dogs have senses that are more sensitive than our own. A few dogs in camp will ensure that no one can surprise you, regardless of the time of day. 2) Many dog breeds were developed for hunting. You can train them to hunt, and bring the kill to you. 3) Good for group morale. Studies have shown that there are good health benefits to owning a pet. Cats: 1) Study how the Black Plague was able to spread so rapidly across Europe. Having cats around you is a good thing. 2) Cat owners have told stories of finding dead animals left on their porch by a feline friend. In a survival situation, this would be a very good thing, for very obvious reasons.
her in the phil we use laminated plastic as a roof for our hammock,and we only carry machete,we use it for fishing in shallow water,we dont carry utensil we get all the things we need in in the forest for our survival, including medicine.
A couple of more basics to keep on hand would be cornstarch and baking soda. Cornstarch is great for soothing chapped skin and irritated skin. It can be used as a deodorizer for shoes and body. Baking soda has a lot of uses too such as brushing teeth, another deodorizer and cleaning. Both are environmental friendly.
Might as well throw ur whole house on ur backpack…