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
I know this may sound stupid to some, but one handy thing to have would be a pencil sharpener…. its small and easy to store. Run out of fire starting material? No problem… just grab yourself a small twig and use the shavings as tinder! Also safety pins may not be a bad idea to have. There are many uses!
Thats an awesome idea. I have taken a ziplock back of cotton balls with a little bit of alchol dripped on them as well.
I would also bring a compact Bible… nice to see there are still believers who aren’t afraid of what people say!
Hey thanks for the list im 14 and have a hard time thinking what i need. You helped alot and i would like tutorials on on survival and a list on how to make shelter…… Im going to be a prepper soon and need more info! But overall THANKS!
Thanks for the list and all the comments about it. Very useful.
Nice comprehensive list. This helps me to evaluate these items in order of importance.
Good list, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t know where to start. Make sure you have a survival book that can help you easily identify foods in the wilderness that are not poisonous. Learning what is safe for you to eat will come in handy. Also learn how to hunt and fish, and how to use the majority of the animal to your advantage. The meat is good, but you can use much more of the animal for other uses.
19 is the same as 47
You should also add painkillers, laxatives,diarrhea tablets and hemorrhoid cream/suppositories, urinary infect.tablets, no one wants to be trekking for miles with any of those problems!
Any of you guys can tell me what forest is a good place to servive in California because in maybe a few months or maybe like 2 or 1 years I’m heading out to forest….and I will bring my own supplies I already know what I a need
WTF, survival means just that, to survive. The list above means that you are tied down to your kit, that is not a survival list its a camping in harsh terrain list. why have a tent and a bivvi bag, too much weight, way too much kit.
The list sounds like a luxury camping vacation, not a survival kit or bug out pack. Perhaps it is intended for a ‘survivalist camp’ . In an end of the world situation, bug out or being lost in the middle of nowhere, I will always choose mobility over convenience. A pack should have multiple means of starting a fire: mechanical means (magnesium firestarter and striker, chemical (a strong oxidizer and organic reagent, store separately in plastic containers opposite sides of pack), compass, water purification tabs or other means of purification,also an 8oz steel container to boil water when the tabs run out, 5×5 sheet of plastic, Good carbon steel knife not stainless (carbon steel is better for generating sparks), tampons, 3 types of cordage (amsteel 7/64 dia or 1/8 dia-50 feet, dental floss,braided stainless nylon coated fishing leader-20ft,military grade collapsible canteen,soap for disinfecting wounds (ivory is best), a shotgun, ammo for defense (#4 buck, 00 buck) not for hunting unless absolutely needed, first aid kit.
Of all of these the knife and a means of starting a fire are the most important, of course. A shotgun should not be used for hunting unless you don’t mind giving away your position, the fishing leader can be used for effective heavy duty snares(nylon coating can be fused over flame to form loops no need for collars or crimping, plastic sheet for shelter, water collection, moisture barrier, tampons can be used in a variety of ways,Amsteel is much stronger than paracord of the same diameter, floss for fishing line and smaller snares, Pad metal container with plastic on the outside to keep it quiet spare socks on the inside,collapsible canteen is burped of air to keep it from sloshing around.
Your pack without the shotgun should weigh 8 to 12 lbs., dry (no water in canteen). 2 options: a good multi-tool(I recommend Gerber since it can be opened one handed and all components lock in place)and 10 fish hooks for small fish 5 freshwater, 5 saltwater. If you want a Bible, by all means it is up to you, but having been in survival situations myself, if you are going about the business of survival you won’t have time to read it. My preference is to pray while hiking, setting a snare, building a shelter etc.
One thing I added to my pack after spending real extended time in the bush was:
a spice or seasoning packet. (salt, pepper, garlic salt, bullion cubes etc your choice)
The kinds that are a explosion of favor in the smallest of pinches
It will weigh next to nothing for a decent amount and can take up about the same amount in volume room. But wow what a moral difference and plain out adding some pleasure it can have to be able to put at a minimum some salt in your broth or grub.
Not to mention it has actual real medical/health worth.
But beyond that some bullion cubes even if you have to crush them up, garlic salt pepper. You could simply grab some free tear packets of the stuff.
I am sure those that have spent good deal of time in the bush can tell you just how good that first mouthful of even a bullion cube infused broth tastes after a few weeks of nothing but water and unseasoned meat and plants solely from gathering.
IMO in a real survival situation having something like this that brings both physical and psychological comfort is a real moral booster and you need that as much as you can get during boot strap times.
Anyways nice to see a basic pull list to help people get in the mind set of things to bring.
Good list!
A few bits and pieces I wouldn’t take personally but that’s just my preference :)
As for the bible debate, it’s not for me, I’m not religion myself, but I’m all for anything that improves someone’s quality of life, be it the Bible, Quran, Riveda, the belief in science or just a personal moral code!
I don’t believe in God in the traditional sense, but I certainly believe that there is something much much greater than me.
Anyway, good list, learnt a few bits from this that I shall be adding to my kit :)
Peace
I am AMAZED
Out of 101 Survival Gear Supplies, it takes but one, the Bible to bring on
1 year and 2 weeks worth of comment.
Clearly shows that there are as many opinions as there are days in a year.
It is without a doubt that a disaster / survival situation will bring such matters to the forefront.
Why to the forefront? Well in such a situation, one comes far closer to death than is comfortable and the mind wants to know, what’s on the ‘other side’
Where you turn for that is your call and yours alone.
God bless
Seeds for fruit and vegetable would help
How long do you plan on being lost
Im 66. I spent 55yrs inAlaska, and have many stories. However the good intentions of many people to ‘escape’ to the wild with everything you could think of usually ends in disaster. No matter how,who or what weather will eventually do you in. We are weak, turn up the heat, cook dinner and go to bed in a completely dry enviroment. In the outdoors even in the summer you can die from hypothermia. It just takes longer. If you add snow and wind even quicker. Chill factor is one of the most important tools to understand. Especially if you add women and children and dogs. High energy foods are a must. We used to eat like pigs before going out to work. Cold temps require more calories to stay warm. When at rest yourbody pulls blood into the trunk to keep your organs warm. The hands and feet then get cold so you get up and move around. Then the wind pulls heat off you and exposed skin, so you resume sitting out of the wind. The Iditarod mushers will eat butter to keep going as it is 100% fat. You need windproof, waterproof headgear as your head will bleed off a lot of heat. For men taking a leak isn’t easy with a temp of 5degrees and wind at 10knots. For women its even worse. If you get wet you die. If you’re stupid you’ll die. The sentence is carried out immediately without appeal and/or a second chance. Drinking whiskey to keep warm is another myth. Dont. Smoking is another vice you can do without. Going cold turkey when they run out will probably get you shot. The people who do survive will be tuff and resilient. Only by helping each other and making some difficult decisions will one survive.
I think they should add 4 to 8 cm Carbine clips to the
list
Mountainhouse freeze-dried food is also a good alternative if you can’t get mres or other things like that they’re easy and faster to fix up than the mores but they also taste good. Mountain house make them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
there are lots of items on this list that are for situational uses only and not basic survival. Knowledge should be ranked 1 on the list as it takes such to use some of these items to your advantage and survival. When making a choice of items consider if it has multi uses and does not require other items to make it continue to work. Crank or solar flashlights. Straight bowie knife has thousands of uses. Water filtration is good but always have a back up filter or posess the knowledge to purify naturally. Three elements of survival are food shelter and water traditionally. I say four..adding knowledge and mental ability to the mix. A mentality and knowledge is lighter to carry and when everything breaks or runs out will keep you alive. Our ancestors wore animal skins and carried sticks..the problem with survival is not the gear or even having it..its the fact that we have lost the basic skills to survive period.
I think that everyone has the right to think what they want and if I we’re going to make a list I would think mobile fast movement so I like some of the things on this list a backpack with d rings a survival knife a small tent a change of clothes MREs paracord magnesium fire starter solar light or charger of sorts sewing kit first aid kit not from the stores one you put together your self include super glue and a life straw and quality boots