Defunding D.C.

Everyone’s Most Important Survival Gear

Emergencies are unplanned. That’s what makes them emergencies. They are things you can’t avoid, things you didn’t expect. And often, they catch you unprepared. Keep an emergency kit packed full of the right survival gear and you’ll be ready for any situation.

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.

You never planned to get lost, the first time it happened. But that should have taught you to always have a map on hand of where you’re going, and make sure people know where you intend to be, at what time. If you don’t check in, they’ll know when to start to worry and where to look. A GPS receiver would help to have on hand, but you should also have a compass in your survival gear with your map. Keep a flashlight on hand. If you end up staying out after the sun sets, you’ll need light to keep from falling and hurting yourself. Emergency food rations will become important too, as time passes between your emergency and the last time you had a full meal.

It is important to include extra clothing in an emergency kit. Socks can double as mittens in a snow storm. Extra clothing can be used to layer under clothing that’s become wet. Rain gear is especially helpful, as it can also serve as a wind barrier in the cold. Sunglasses are the sixth item to be included in an emergency pack. The sunlight reflecting off of snow, fog or water can be damaging to the eyes and make it hard to see how close rescue is. Every piece of survival gear can serve a double purpose, to help build a shelter or signal for help to a passing helicopter.

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.

Surprisingly, it is easy to find ways to disinfect water so that it’s safe for drinking. If we can start a fire, we can boil the water underneath a piece of plastic or other solid container, and drink the condensation. There are also disinfection chemicals we can pack in our survival gear in case we haven’t been able to start a fire yet. Having a whistle is also important in case of an emergency. We might not be able to move but rescuers are looking for us and can’t hear us shouting. A shrill whistle sound would be sure to get their attention.

Night time is coming and you’re still lost or suffering the effects of an emergency situation. In your survival gear you packed a tarp or space blanket that you can now use to build a survival shelter or to insulate you while you curl up against a log or a pile of rocks. You also brought cording, perhaps in the form of twenty five feet of parachute cord. You’ll need this in your survival gear, either tonight to help you create a shelter that is off the ground and keeping rain off your head, or if you have to scale a hillside that’s too steep to walk down. Another thing you might, even more so at night time, is bug repellant. Insects can carry diseases and parasites. You’re going to be rescued. Include this in your survival gear so that your rescue isn’t marred by sickness.

The fifteenth and most important thing to pack into a kit full of survival gear is something a person can’t pack at all. That’s their will to survive. All of the above fourteen items are worthless if a person doesn’t have that will to live. Sometimes emergencies happen out of the blue. Having survival gear packed and ready for any situation that might arise will save a person’s life. But having the will to think smart, think ahead and be prepared is the most important survival tool of all.

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