Survival Gear: 15 Items You Need to Survive Any Disaster

You are the kind of person who looks at a situation and thinks “What could I do if called upon by necessity?” You make sure your car always has the right weather tires. You stock up on canned essentials. You know some first aid and probably keep a kit in your car, house, or bag. You always have jumper cables and you’re rarely caught without a water bottle. But what is the best way to be the best prepared for any disaster that might come your way?

As survival specialists, we’ve done some serious thinking about the best things to have both in an ultimate go-bag, and just in case you spend a few months cut off from modern luxuries after a disaster. Plan for a family supply and for each person to have their own bag with a minimum of three days food and water, longer is better but let’s start with the critical 72 hours.

 15 Items You Need to Survive

1. Shelter
   • Know how you will stay sheltered from weather and safe from predators. Staying in your home is best, but you may want camping shelters prepared for an evacuation.
2. Water 
   • Water filtration, tablets, and vessels
   • Be able to secure clean water. Water tablets and filtration systems ensure clean drinking water wherever you find a water source.
3. Food
   • Protein bars, long-term meals
   • A short-term survival bag should prioritize protein bars, while long-term survival should plan for non-perishable food supplies, and eventually growing and hunting.
4. Cooking Gear
   • Pans, utensils, grill
   • Don’t forget your portable kitchen, not just the food.
5. Firestarter supplies
   • Flint stick, matches, lighter, tinder, dry fuel
   • How will you make heat? There are many great fire-making supplies that you can pack or forage.
6. Communication devices
   • Cellphones, chargers, walkies, batteries
   • Know how you will stay in touch with family and neighbors. Walkie-talkies, HAM radios, cellphones – and the appropriate power sources – are essential.
7. Local area maps
   • Roadmap, terrain and water map, compass
   • Don’t count on Google Maps. Pack printed maps or atlases with both road and terrain features, including water sources.
8. Weather attire
   • Ponchos, warm jackets, socks, outdoor shoes – location variable
   • Pack backup gear for your region’s extreme weather. This could be extreme winter survival gear or ponchos, goulashes, and spare towels.
9. Protection and safety
   • Gun, knife, bear spray, mace, pepper spray and whistle
   • Prepare to protect yourself from both human and animal aggressors.
10. First aid kit
    • First aid kits can be big or small. Have at least one large kit with a splint, large bandages, and full-sized medicine supplies.
11. Hunting and Fishing
    • Fishing line, hooks, snares, twine, knives, salt
    • Make sure you can source your own meat from the land. Fishing and trapping supplies can provide fish and small game to feed yourself and others.
12. Light Sources
    • Headlamp, flashlight, lantern, candles, flares
    • Make plans for electric and flame light sources. Headlamps are extremely useful, while lanterns and large candles are the most universal.
13. Personal Essentials
    • Medication, glasses and contacts, personal and feminine hygiene, bar soap, dry shampoo
    • Pack toiletries along with the unique personal care items for your family. Each person should carry their own medications, special soaps, hygiene products, and so on. Small children should have their medicines packed in a parent or older sibling’s bag.
14. Utility Knife and Multi-Tool
    • Make sure you have a multi-tool and a good knife. A multi-tool saves you from packing a whole toolkit – or missing anything essential in the utility set. A good knife is useful from cutting paracord to prying open food packages to self defense.
15. Cash and Bartering Items
    • Every emergency kit is needs to have items of trade value. Some cash bills, or barter items like jewelry can help you survive if card readers stop working.

 Key Tips to Survive with Survival Gear

You have your gear but the most vital thing to have is knowledge and being prepared in advance of any situation.

• Read survival and long-term homesteading books.
• Know how to use the resources and structures around you.
• Set up meeting locations and plans for reuniting if separated during a disaster and communications con down.
• Stick together with family and neighbors to form secure plans, teamwork, and provisions.
• Develop skills as a group, lone wolves are less likely to survive.
• Take self-defense classes to ensure safety if society breaks down.
• Take survival classes to use during camping, road trips, and in case of an emergency or crisis.

We provide survival kits, emergency kits, and many additional items at Survive It Gear. We’ve developed useful resources so you and your family can afford meals on a budget and prepare better for emergencies, food shortages, price rises, and natural disasters. You will also find goods and equipment like bug-out bags for safe adventures. Please contact us to start your emergency preparation to be safe during food shortages and price increases. You can also order now from our wide range of survival product categories.