If you are looking to live a life of adventure, then knowing and having the appropriate survival gear is a must. Whether you are a regular or a newbie wilderness explorer, if you don’t have the right survival gear items with you, ninety percent of the time, you’re asking for trouble.
Knowing the right survival gear items to bring is tricky. What survival gear is important and what is not is the most important question that should be addressed before embarking on a great wilderness adventure.
To help you decide, we’ve come up with these 10 handy survival essentials that are perfect for the great outdoors. Take note, these survival gear items will not necessarily keep you comfortable, but they will surely keep you alive.
The 10 Essential Survival Gear Items for Outdoor Adventurers
1. Survival Knife
The knife is probably one of the most important items on this list.
Why? Well, a good survival knife has so many uses. It can be used for cutting rope, opening packages, hunting, building shelter, starting a fire, first aid purposes, and so much more. You will discover many more uses for your knife through experience.
There are a lot of survival knives in the market to choose from. But if you are into wilderness survival or outdoor adventures, then, fixed blade knives are the most ideal. They are more durable and resilient than folding knives as they do not have mechanical movements. Plus, fixed blade knives are also better for cutting larger objects such as branches.
2. Paracord
Paracord or parachute cord is very useful most especially for camping. It is lightweight, very strong, and takes up little space inside your bug-out-bag. You can use paracord in a variety of ways. Here are just some of the uses.
- hoisting food to keep away from wildlife
- building emergency shelter
- making splint for broken bones
- lashing poles
- tent repair
- climbing
- attaching gear to pack
- fishing line
- trap for hunting
- many more
3. Survival Backpack
When going on an adventure, it is imperative that you get yourself the best survival backpack that you can afford.
When looking for an outdoors backpack, these are the three things that you need to consider.
- First and foremost, your survival backpack must be waterproof.
- Second, it should be comfortable to carry and not hurt your posture or lower back even during long hikes.
- And lastly, it should carry much of the items that you need in your outdoor adventure.
If your outdoor bag doesn’t meet these three requirements then, perhaps consider replacing it with a better one.
4. First Aid Kits
First-aid kits will greatly simplify the healing of injuries. You don’t want to make things complicated with dangling skin, infections, and gushing blood. First-aid kits include gauze, bandages, alcohol cleaning wipes, gloves, and other supplies that will help you heal.
5. Tarp
Paracord + Tarp = Shelter.
All you need is a few branches to prop up the ends of your tarp and you’ve got yourself a shelter for the night no matter what kind of terrain you are in. Tarps are also very easy to carry and can fit easily inside your survival bag.
6. Water Bottle
It’s common sense. Without water, you will die. That is why, when going on an adventure, you must never forget to bring your water bottle for you to store your drinking water. Just remember to buy water bottles that are not easily damaged or punctured. Get yourself the best and most durable water bottle possible and fix it to your survival backpack first before placing all of your other survival gears inside your pack.
7. Change of Clothing
It’s very essential that you bring at least one change of clothing for you to change to in case you get wet. Remember that moisture pulls away heat from your body, causing it to focus energy on creating extra heat to compensate. This will make you fatigued and lose brain functionality. Keep warm, stay sharp.
8. Signaling Devices
If you are in the wilderness and there are no cell phone signals, then, you will need an alternate means of communicating with people most especially in emergency situations. You must always bring with you emergency signaling devices before embarking on your grand adventure.
There are many emergency signaling devices that you can choose from. Signaling mirrors, whistles, and flashlights are just some of them. We suggest adding all three in your survival gear items.
There are signaling mirrors that have engraved instructions on the back on how you can use it to signal for help. Example, if you flash the mirror across the sky in some sort of pattern and a pilot sees it, he will instantly recognize that a person is in danger.
Flashlights are also important signaling devices. And if you know Morse code, then you can easily use the flashlight to call for help. Flashlights are also handy if you need to stay on the move in the dark or to simply look for things during the night. Make sure to bring extra batteries.
The sound of a blown whistle is unmistakable to other people who may happen to be in the same wilderness area as you or to cars that are passing by. Whistles are also great emergency signaling devices. These can be used to tell others in your camp that danger is nearby, or that you’ve been injured.
9. Map and Compass
If you are lost in the wilderness and you want to find your way to civilization, having a compass will do the trick. And if you also happen to have a map of the area where you are camping at, then, it will be more helpful. By using your map and compass to navigate, you will be able to find your way back to your camp easily. So before embarking on your wilderness journey, you must first learn the basics of map reading and how to use a compass.
10. Beanie
Yes, you read that right. A beanie, included in your survival gear items to bring along. Why?
Well, no matter what the weather is, even if it’s very hot during the day, always remember that it is always cold at night most especially if you are deep into the woods. And having your beanie with you will help you stay warm at night. Keeping your body warm will also help you focus and keep your body and brain sharp and alert at all times.
