Wilderness Survival Kit
A wilderness survival kit contains survival tools and equipment
you would need if you were stranded in the wilderness. A complete
wilderness survival kit is designed to keep you alive should you
become lost or stranded. An unexpected stay in the woods could be
due to an injury or just becoming disoriented. Whatever the reason,
you should be prepared to take care of yourself in the wild.
 A
wilderness survival kit should contain your essentials such as shelter,
fire starting, and medical first aid. Weather is always a factor
in any survival situation. If it's freezing cold or raining, you
will need shelter to keep yourself warm and dry. Losing your body
heat leads to hypothermia,
a leading cause of death in the wilderness. A fire provides a source
of warmth so you can get dry and stay warm. Your first aid kit cleans
up wounds and helps prevent infection. In the woods, infection can
fester and become a big problem. An adequate medical kit is necessary
for any outdoors venture.
At the very least, you would want to have a quality emergency blanket.
An emergency blanket can be wrapped around yourself and is designed
to reflect and retain your own body heat. Every person should have
one of these as a basic shelter item. Emergency blankets keep the
rain, snow, and wind from draining your internal warmth and helps
keep you alive. In a larger kit, you may want to carry a tube tent.
A tube tent can be erected and provide a place to lie down and sleep
while providing cover. These are easily set up and come with everything
you need to provide yourself and another person with shelter.
Starting a fire is probably one of the most essential skills you
could have if you were stranded in the wilderness. A fire provides
warmth, a way to dry yourself, and is a great source of comfort
when in the outdoors. Your wilderness survival kit should contain
multiple ways to start a fire. The military Spark-Lite Fire Starter
provides a proven sparking mechanism along with reliable emergency
tinder that pretty much guarantees your success at this critical
task. A magnesium stick is also a good piece of equipment to have
because it also has its own built in tinder. You shave off the magnesium
and then use your knife to create a spark which ignites the flakes.
For such a necessary and critical survival task, redundancy is key.
Windproof and waterproof matches should also be part of your survival
kit. The more ways to start a fire, the better.
You hope to never have to use a first aid kit but it's negligent
not to have one just in case. Even minor cuts and scrapes can become
major problems in the woods if not taken care of. You need to thoroughly
clean and dress the wounds to prevent infection. You hope to be
rescued or find safety rather quickly, but if a few days turn into
more days, a medical kit will make life more comfortable and can
extend your survivability. Any wilderness survival kit should have
a first aid kit.
 Your
wilderness survival kit should also have signaling devices such
as the signal mirror and a quality whistle. A signal mirror allows
you to get the attention of passing aircraft by reflecting light
towards the airplane. A pilot sees this and knows someone is there
needing help. A loud whistle can alert rescuers to your location
from a very long distance. Don't skimp on the whistle. You want
a pea less whistle; one that works by it's design rather than by
a ball inside of it. Eliminating the possibility of a malfunctioning
whistle increases your chances of gaining attention. A quality whistle
carries much further that you yelling and screaming for help and
you won't exhaust yourself by blowing it. Continuous yelling or
screaming will also make you lose your voice. If that happens, you
won't even be able to yell for help when rescue is close by.
Coast Guard approved 5 year shelf life food and water are always
a smart idea for a survival kit. You can survive weeks without food
and possibly days without water but having them available will keep
your spirits up and allow you to concentrate your energies toward
your rescue needs. You should still be on the lookout for new water
sources though. Without water, your body will suffer tremendously
and steadily decline without replenishment.
There are many other survival items you could put inside a wilderness
survival kit depending on the size of the kit you are carrying.
With a fanny pack survival kit, you are limited by its size. With
a backpack survival kit, you can carry more equipment. Other good
survival items to carry are 550 cord, a shovel, some chem lights
for light, a sierra cup for carrying and boiling water, snare wire,
and a knife. Think about what you may need to have with you in the
wild for an extended unexpected stay. Your survival kit is your
lifeline. You don't need to carry a pack designed for a solo trip
trekking the Appalachians, but essential survival items carefully
thought out can make or break you during an emergency. Always carry
a wilderness survival kit when venturing into the outdoors.
We have put together some wilderness kits that contain essential
and quality items in sturdy and comfortable backpacks.
1
person wilderness survival kit
2
person wilderness survival kit
4
person wilderness survival kit
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