Ultimate Survival Kit: What would you take?

Some great ideas in this thread.

If it hasn't been said already, some of my favorite inclusions:

Food ration bars (have a 5yr shelf life, and each provides 3 days worth of nutrients) (taste like coconut cookies though...but in a pinch...)

Water ration packs (usually sold in packs equal to the ration cases, and also 5yr shelf life). I know, some don't think water goes "bad", but this is designed to be for survival (won't be full of bacteria, etc.)

18" Cold Steel Kukri Machete (whether going through brush, or decapitating a zombie, it's a good weapon/tool)

A really nice compound crossbow. Guns are great and all, but damn loud, and I'd be a bigger fan of not letting everyone for miles around know where I am. (plus, there's a shot at reusing the ammo).

Waterproof Matches (small, and damn useful, even if you have other fire kits, this is always good in a pinch)

Collapsible buckets/jugs (so you can carry things like water/gas you find)

A crowbar (the ultimate skeleton key)

reply to post by Gazrok

Crossbows are loud too. Some are as loud as a shotgun. You'd need to pick one that has a quiet(er) shot sound. I'd suggest going to a range and asking around or just listening to the crossbows in use and asking questions of the owner of the quietest one you heard.

Once you've found a quiet one and purchased it............. practice! A lot!

reply to post by SeenMyShare


any bow can be loud. most bows(including crossbows) can be altered to decrease the sound it causes. but i do agree some are def. louder than others. i personally are partial to recurve bows as they can be small and are versatile and also have a much faster rate of fire than a cross bow.

IMO the best thing to have with you would be other people "strength in numbers". i'm not saying keep an army batallion with you, but there will be many situations where you need an extra set of hands. Also other people will help you keep your sanity and provide comfort in a terrible situation.

Funny that I haven't seen it mentioned....but one thing essential to any kit...

A CAN OPENER

While sure, you can open a can with a knife, etc. (or even the opener on a Gerber or Swiss Army Knife), it's a pain in the *** that can easily be done better with this easy little tool.

Scrounging for canned goods is likely to become a decent idea at some point, so would be good to have a decent way of getting the food out...

reply to post by Gazrok


i like your thinking.. i was thinking about using a knife but you wouldn't believe how many times i have cut myself doing that... though i was practicing but i was just using up my bandaids and rubbing alcohol

reply to post by Gazrok


Man! Such a good point! It's so crazy how use to the little things we've become! Here we are, stock-piling canned food, and not even thinking about how to open it. Kind of on the same note, I think it'll be important to have a small hand shovel. The best way to hide the fact that you were "there" is to hide the evidence and burying any trash is going to be important to covering your tracks.

I had mg bag ready for a few years now. It's not to heavy and I could travel many miles a day with it if need be. (I ware it whenever I can so the weight is no problem). Also I can repack it quickly if I have to get out of an location in a hurry. It contains:

1) various knives
2) changes of clothing
3) tarp ( can be used for shelter, water gathering, excess covering for warmth and storage)
4) emergency water rations
5) water purification tablets
6) first aid kit
7) matches, lighters and a magnesium fire starter (kinda and extra but fire starter sticks, in case of no dry tender)
8) tender container
9) fishing pole and small tackle box
10) multi tool and a spare pare or needle nose pliers
11) ax, hatchet, saw and machete
12) sleeping bag
13) small tent
14) canteen and water bladder (came with the bag)
15) wet ones ( i will be clean even if i haven't come to a water source)
16) bio soap ( small bottle till i can find the soap roots)
17) dental hygiene necessities
18) manicure set ( small one and these can be used for other purposes)
19) hammock
20) a book that helps identify wild edibles, shows basic first aid, how to construct various shelters and how to make clothing from hide
21) pancho
22) compass
23) topographical maps of the area i plan on heading
24) metal cook set and utensils
25) whistle
26) small mirror
27) rope/cordage
28) weapons/ammunition
29) hand shovel
30) wet stone
31) bug spray (lol, my sister is convinced the mosquitoes will finisher her off. I keep telling her to just role in the mud/dirt but i don't think she will. granted it would be funny to watch).

reply to post by Forgoten_Whisper


Hey i am interested in your item 20) i want a book with that type of info but i am not sure which one to get.. there are tones and i just cant decide which is best... (reference: i live in DC area) what book do you use (title and ISBN if you dont mind) I would like to look into it.

reply to post by knowonder


U.S. Army Field Manual 21-76


You can link to the book from here and see if it is right for you:

en.wikipedia.org...


If interested you can usually find it at any army/navy surplus store.

One thing most people never think about is information maps.
I use and have a collection of maps with anything i think may help me survive marked on them

Forest Service fire camps would be a good source of hand tools do you know where they are near you.
Military bases have real good stuff up to armored vehicles and using the base phone book can tell you where things are on the base.
If the military has fallen apart or no longer exists these bases can be a supply point.

Google earth and maps gives you a way to print out maps of a area you may want to use as a survival area.
Then in a pre survival camping or week end trips you can explore the area and mark the locations of things you find for the day SHTF.

I have a map collection that covers over 500 miles
Clean water sources i have checked and found the water source for 100s of campgrounds most are spring water from a covered source that needs no purification.
Solar panels on building, road signs, ECT. that in a SHTF are there for the taking.
In a SHTF do you know where to find hazmat equipment, heavy equipment, your national guard armory.
If you need weapons your local police department may have 100s in there evidence storage. If things have gotten so bad that the cops have disappeared all you have to have is the tools to open there storage. same with national guard armories and gun stores. home owner gun safes.
These tools can be found at your local fire department. you would be suprised at what you can take apart with a K12 saw and the jaws of life tools found at most fire departments.
www.edarley.com...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
Many rural and small town fire department have food supplies MREs ECT for disasters or wildland fires that take days to fight.
Many have amounts large enough for family members to shelter at the fire department in disasters.
Some rural and small town fire departments also are the local civil defence headquarters under the old national relocation plans.
I know much of this because i was a volunteer firefighter in a small town.

Saving all this information may save your life.
Google earth and maps can be printed out on your printer.
The things you find can be marked with numbers and descriptions and GPS coordinates on the back of these maps.
They can then be made waterproof with clear spray lacquer or plastic spray and put in a thin binder.

I don't know if anyone has thought if this, but I would take needle and thread. Like, thick thread and really durable needles. And plenty of them!

reply to post by growlikecrazy

My larger kit includes a sewing awl. (Funny, I was using it this evening.) It's for sewing leather and canvas, like sails and tents and tarps. you can use a lock stitch to join different materials together. I think it cost like, three bucks.

Righto, in no particular order

In my pack
2 pairs combat trousers
2 long sleever OD shirts
1 broad brim hat
Combat boots
2 pairs socks
3 undies
thin singlet

Fullface mask
gloves
knee and shin pads
elbow pads
tinted ski goggles

2 full tang hunting knives
sharpening set
leather man
collapsable fishing rod
spare set of hooks, line, a few lures (heaps of big barra where i'll be running to)
Trangini set
Hoochie (if you don't know, Australian Army canvas cover used to create shealter)
Paracord
Canteen
2 x decks of cards
compact hammock
First Aid Kit
Sewing kit
Hatchet
Zippo Lighter
Mini SAS Survival guide
Small Solar Panel rig i've made (allows me to recharge all be it slowly an iPod, Amazon Kindle (loaded with books), LED headlamp, torch) this solar panel rig is compact but durable, i bring it hunting with me now
Wind up transistor radio.
Condoms
poncho
Camel Back hydration pack (fits into special pocket on pack)
Dehydrated food

In my Leg Drop bag

Notepad
Compass
Topo maps of the areas i'll cover
knife
Paracord
Fire stick
whistle
Some trail mix
And carried by me, or hung on sling Compound Bow, 3 x spare strings and associated junk

There is some more, but thats personalised and taylored for the country we cover, the basics are above.

My hunting mate carries his Crossbow and a similar kit. Mine missus and his partner have their own packs as the 4 of us regularly go on hunting trips out bush for up to 2 weeks at a time. They have the basics of ours but contain a more comprehensive first aid kit, larger canvas cover for making a camp with, space blankets and various dehydrated packs of food. also a water purfier to boot.

We have gotten very good at living of the land, and we know a very large portion of our country side that we are confident of been able to bug out and survive

reply to post by rajaten


Organic Chia Seed is light and can sustain you for months on end. And from what I understand you don't need much of it either. I do like rice, but in a hiking get the heck out situation I'd grab the Chia.

I should add that we also have Mountian boards and Kites to power us along. No, they don't come hunting with us, but as a form of transportation in our area they are great

Medium to warm clothes.

Big Machete.

Good steel toe hiking boots,with ankle support.

Wet weather gear,like a good poncho,and some garbage bags.

A backpack to carry it when ya ain't wearin it.

Some cord to hang it up if it gets too wet.

The knowledge to know how to use these things to stay alive.

reply to post by rajaten

I've heard that in survival situation you can bundle clean socks in like a pop jug and filter water through that before boiling. That works well as long as you have alot of socks stuffed into the jug.

A fascinating subject but how sad to think that confrontation with members of our own species could be one of the biggest dangers.

So I guess an ability to manipulate others/mentalist skills, a general 'gift of the gab' would come in handy, and/or skills such as healing that would be considered important enough to make others feel you are worth keeping alive.

One thing I would like to have is the ability to take the 'easy way out' painlessly, maybe opiates.

stainless ruger mark lll
brick of hollow points.
estwing light axe
water filtration devise
canteens
scissors
needles/sewing kit
dental floss.
swiss army knife
med kit-tape -alcohol
soap dishtowel
pen- notepad-marker
firestarter-lighters sick matches
a candle
fishing line- hooks
a wad of powerbars
whistle.
little crank flahlite
crank radio
spare glasses
paracord
rain slicker
gortex chaps
scarves,bandanas belt
hat gloves
some gold and silver coins.
passport
saddlebags
bowie knife
shotgun
100 rds
mtn bike
20 pds of oatmeal
rum and something to smoke
a pack of smokes
razor blades
hacksaw blades
slingshot
bow and arrows
telescope
compass
blanket-poncho
tarp
mesh bag