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
this is the first time i have been on this. And its talking about survival and how to prepare yourself and items and materials one might need in certain situations to survive.
Im a practical Gentleman and realize everyone has a opinion and is certainly entitled to it. Be that SAID. I love the list of 101 items! and yes i carry a small bible in my own kit. To each there own i say. And last i checked the Number one book sold year after year after year is the Bible, again be that said seems everyone jumped on the band wagon to blast that Gentleman out over his inquiry about the Bible being on the list. Seems nobody questions the deck of cards , one item that most likely wont be in my kit.
. I honestly wasn’t going to comment but after reading some of the comments people said to that Gentleman i felt compelled to leave my two cents. Lots of ya’ll left impressive rebuttals and Sarcastic comments with eloquent big fancy words most people might have to look up.
. When we couldhave just said.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS!
Sorry if my response wasn’t as demeaning or off color as yours. I just simply would have said like the hard candy or family pictures or other item’s on the list its moral support for those who believe.
The list is a guide not a absolute. A start or building block to what you might want in your kit. Not a law.
Anyway not defending or debating anyone. Just wanted to say something that wasn’t so harsh.
Great list and i believe it can help people that might not think of everything.
Like the item in question.
survival means survival. this list is a great starting point. now, tailor it to meet your NEEDS, depending on your situation, not on your moral, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs. stay alive.
Great list, roll your eyes all ya want
Ok.. you list a lot of items that would take various size batteries yet I don’t see batteries on the list.. another item to list is solar lights that you can get at the dollar tree for a buck each.. that way you have another source at night after leaving them out in the sun! Now for those of you complaining over the Bible on the list.. it is a great item to have. But if you disagree that is fine.. where is your contribution to the list though??
Some of this stuff is in my BOB, some is in my car kit and much of it is cached at my BOB. quite a bit of it I’d never bother with, like the ham radio. if shtf, I aint believing one word anyone says on a radio
the first stupidity is living where it gets (and stays) really cold. why risk it?
people lived just fine for thousands of years without lights or anything battery powered, people. You can use a torch for what little needs to be done at night. for short term things, like a car wreck, etc, sure, lots of stuff is helpful, but it’s also not capable of being long term, and it’s bulky and heavy.
It’s been a while that i was last here. there has been some new items added,will not go over again, did that 2012. most of these items are not really needed. i spent twenty six years out there. checking old growth, timber companies ,make sure they replant, 95% did,national woodland,keep thier contract. rivers, lakes, fish, wildlife over all.two weeks was a short trip. most 30 to 35 days, very little with a truck. 80% on horseback, but some 20% on foot. three edge items, pocketknife,huntin knife 8 inch blade, machete 24 inchs. 550 cord about 75 feet, just me. duct tape a roll. military backpack the large one. webb belt canteen and cup set up,the old steel one like in the 50s and 60s. firearms, we did not want to much loud bang, 38 side arm 22 mag rifle, both light, and a fair punch.hammock,lighter dist, two firesticks.lots of jerky,about three pounds flour,hard candy,about a third cup of salt,suger,pepper. the flour mix in water gets a thick paste wrap on a stick bake over fire, with what you may want in it , salt or suger, not taht bad with alittle jerky. Two man tent, Thats me. about six pounds then, less now.two changs of cloths fairly well set,, that’s woodland . can’t say about other areas. just my say about making it in the outdoors . good luck to all.
almost forgot wool blanket and military poncho, that was a bed roll. again luck to all.
Thanks to whoever put thought into this. I never was much of a end times person but the bible says its coming so no doubt we need to get ready. I already got a couple 55 gal drums full and burried at my deer camp
I have never seen such a list. Will I be blessed with a lorry to move this crap. This is not survival its home from home. Let’s do away with the bible and replace it with some snare’s. Let’s get rid of the bb gun and replace it with a nice shotgun. The list goes on. Good luck surviving with that lot. At least you will be able to trade with the natives. Don’t forget your teddy bear. Morale you know.
Why is everyone so focused on the bible??? Lists like these are intended to be customized. They’re ideas, not requirements. Shouldn’t we be more focused on the fact that the list isn’t well organized, frequently redundant, and gives some bad advice?? What was that?? Did I just hear you ask for examples??? Okay, I’ll give you some.
Canteen, water bottle, and water storage…. I have to believe the difference between water storage and canteen is the water storage is the 300 gallon rain catcher for holding a massive amount of water, while the canteen is the smaller water container you carry on your person throughout your day…. where does that leave room for “water bottle”?? It’s redundant and pointless.
CB radio, HAM radio, short wave radio, but not a walkie talkie…. hummmmm. I have 2 hand held radios I can listen in on FM, emergency channels, and things like police dispatch. In addition to be in communication for several miles through town. For survival purposes (keep in mind, this is all my opinion, I can easily argue against my own point, if you think that lugging a short wave radio around because you think it will be useful do it) I find that being mobile and receiving emergency information is more important than being able to send signals across the country. All my necessary outgoing transmissions will be a few mile radius.
Bleach. Not their fault, noobie mistake. Bleach has a shelf life of about a year at room temperatures, is difficult to store and is easy to make an awful mess with. Calcium hypochlorite however is almost the exact same thing, but with a few exceptions. It’s a powder, making it easy to store, difficult to make a mess with, and has no shelf life…. Okay, they’re not that similar, but they both are used for water purification. About 2/3’s of a teaspoon to a gallon of water makes your purification solution. Mix one part solution to one hundred parts water, and you have clean water. okay, cleanER water.
Pocket knife, knife, multi tool. Bleh, it’s like he was putting down repeated items just to fill 101 items. Any mutli tool worth its salt is going to have a knife. Having a high quality fixed blade sheathed knife is a necessity, having a folding pocket knife??? Not really. If I didn’t have to worry about weight, and I had all the storage space in the world, would I include a pocket knife…. yeah, probably, is it necessary? Not really. Instead why don’t you include a knife sharpener. I’d way rather have one sharp fixed blade than 2 dull ones.
Tinder…. You’re stupid. If everything around you is so wet that you can’t find any viable tinder, then you’re surely not going to be able to keep a fire going. Concentrate on finding/making a place where you can stay dry, and bundle up.
Lighter/waterproof matches/magnesium strip/fire steel. My god. Look, we all understand that fire is important you’ll be in a world of hurt if you can’t make a fire. That said, I have an oxygen acetylene torch in the garage, should I include it in my survival kit??? It’ll make a fire real quick. Of course not. Pick your method of fire making, then include a magnesium strip as a reliable back up, and call it a day. Mine is a lighter. If the lighter gets wet, I have the magnesium, that works every time.
Plastic painters tarp/hiking tarp/tent/space blanket….. Do I really have to go through this again??
Saw. Of course have a saw, of course. But I think that a little specificness (that’s a word… honest….) is important sometimes. I keep three wire saws in my truck pack. Why a wire saw?? Because if you’ve never used one, you’d be amazed at how well they work, they don’t take up the volume of a samurai sword, and it’s perfect for whatever you’d need it for when stranded and…. really need to… you know… cut stuff…. Why three?? Because they because they have a little bit of a reputation for breaking at the handle, and with their low weight and volume, I deemed 3 to be the appropriate number.
Batteries. Almost a good idea. Anything and everything that is in your survival pack needs to run on batteries. Specifically, rechargeable batteries. And you have to make sure you can charge all of your rechargeable batteries on your solar panels. This addition is a particular mystery to me. It appears that whoever put this list together is going to hunker down and stay put for a good long time… apparently somewhere with working electrical outlets (you know, because of the short wave radio), but includes batteries. It seems strange to be so well prepared, and so ill thought out.
Emergency credit card…. again…. Did anyone think about this before adding it? Who is going to maintain a credit card in their real life so they can store it in an emergency pack, in the event of an survival situation… so they can…. buy things…. That doesn’t sound like an emergency to me, unless you consider a shoe sale is a true emergency.
Oil. Everyone should always keep a quart of the appropriate motor oil with their vehicle at all times, and should check to make sure the oil in their car is at an appropriate level regularly. That’s just good car maintenance, but that’s not the same thing as being part of an emergency pack.
Tire repair kit…. what exactly is this for? Repairing a tire I suppose is the obvious answer, but then what??? I didn’t see a compressor on the list. Both or neither, one or the other is just silly.
BB gun??? Really??? A BB gun??? A sling shot I understand. A crossbow I understand. A BB gun?? A BB gun is a stepping stone for kids to learn firearm safety. A BB gun is not for self defense, a BB gun is not for survival.
There are a lot of other things on here that are conditionally good or bad ideas. Like a dust mask. Maybe you’re stuck in the mid west, and have to deal with the occasional dust storm…. Or maybe you live in China, whatever. But the real moral of the story here is “Your knowledge” was number 101 on this list, and it really needed to be number 1. Using lists like these to get some ideas is great, but no one has the list that will be just right for you. Use your head, have a plan, and be prepared to carry that plan out when the time comes.
I got on this site to get information. I am a devout Christian. I believe in God. I believe He sent His Son to earth to die for my sins. I personally would take a Bible in my kit. if you don’t want to, that is your preogative. but to bash each other for what they believe,( or do not),is not right , regardless of one’s beliefs.just my opinion. it and fifty cents, you can buy a cup of coffee! maybe!
Of course, and you should dusty. I am not a devout Christian, so I would not. But so what. All lists like these should be treated suggestions, not rules.I know people who would really have a hard time getting through a survival situation without scripture, and they should of course bring a bible. The fact that everyone is making a fuss about it not being appropriate for the list should really stop having an internet fit for no reason.
It is an extensive list. I’ll have to buy a truck instead of a bug-out bag to carry it.
Pack a shovel, take the bible and bury it. Let it be found by more enlightened age in hopes they look at the distortion done to its original message and let the brutes go on living without it.
Am kidding…
About survival, thank you for trying. It is said that humans, when faced by nature’s fury and the aftermath filled with death and loss, do not embrace change due to the shock. A bible or any form of comfort that will put the mind and heart at ease may be a good cushion to the striking new reality. If the paradigm changes and the actions are not adaptive or fail to produce fruitful results, like hunting/fishing and making a meal after gathering the necessary materials and nursing a wound at the same time, well, some give up and let themselves die. Words of encouragement have proven to be a decisive factor of survival. Such words may be found in religious scriptures and self help books. An adequate amount of knowledge and how to survive manuals may prove more helpful to have fruitful results in actuality. LOL!
I’d include fire, shelter making tools, weapons, first aid, second ai and torniquetes, and knowing how to dial 991, 191, 119, yes.
I would like to know how to survive FEMA concentration camps.
Lists vary for every person or group. Now, I would have to include blue bunny or face total melt down; and even though he is a big boy now Panda is pretty important as well.
Im sorry but this had to been created by some white woman cause alot this shit is completely useless in survival mode. Seriously sunscreen. Thats like the perfect example of saying white are not humans. Had you been here a long time on earth then needed chemicals to protect you from gods first creation the sun says alot. If your skin peels and cracks from being the sun to long. Whatever you are youre a foreign object. But seriously though I mean wow we got the entire kitchen on this list. You got garage tools on this list. The whole way down all I kept thinking was who the hell is carrying all this shit. Back up credit card? Id? Smh I mean dont get me wrong guys thought of everything. But it seems alot yall slid off the topic a bit. You need a knife and you need scissors? Really! Look im glad yall listed everything including the stuff that you wouldnt be able to take. You could simple just said take the house and the truck. And been done with it.
As Christians we’re supposed to hide God’s words in our heart. If any of the people commenting on this page actually understood that then there would never have been so many ugly words shared here. If you’re truly a light in a dark world you won’t have to stand in darkness pointing out your light. People will see something different and seek God on their own. Carry a Bible… don’t carry a Bible. The word of God can’t be hidden in our hearts until we store it in our brains. Love your neighbor as yourself. The most important message Jesus gave us.
It’s funny how out of everything on this list the Bible is the only thing being questioned. Just lets you know where we are as a society once morals are gone so is everything else. Just verifys that we are truly in “the last day”.