No one likes to think about worst case scenarios. Bottom line, these moments happen in the outdoors. The more we can prepare ourselves with the materials to survive the worst of the worst moments, the better.
To accomplish this, one of the most important things that I carry with me at all times, whether I am out for just a fun day with friends or deep in the backcountry with a serious objective, is a Personal Survival Kit.
My Personal Survival Kit that I carry on all adventures is exactly that, personal. This kit is designed to save my life or another individual's life if needed. It is simple, small, and convenient to carry at all times. This kit is designed to supply humans with three basic needs; warmth, protection and clean drinkable water. With these three needs met, we can potentially survive for weeks. A lot of people get intimidated when thinking about building their own survival kit, however, I will show you that it is not hard to be prepared for that worst case scenario moment.
Let's start with the size. I personally like to use a resealable plastic bag for my survival kit. I currently use a 6 x 9 inch sandwich bag. It is sealable, waterproof, and keeps all my survival essentials together in one simple place.
Warmth. We need fire! Without fire we can’t stay warm, dry layers, or boil water. I like to carry four objects to guarantee I am able to get warm. Waterproof matches/lighter, long burning firestarter, and a flint (just in case). With these four objects, I know that no matter the situation, wet or dry, I will be able to get a fire going to keep myself and anyone else in my party warm.
Water. In some scenarios, food may be out of the question in a survival situation, but clean drinkable water is not. We need it to stay hydrated, mentally aware, as well as for first aid purposes. I prefer to carry water purification tablets. They are very small, light, non breakable, and work relatively quickly. If liquid water is not available I also keep tin foil folded up in the kit (about 4 square feet). This tin foil is to melt snow and ice over the fire prior to purifying with the tablets or boiling.
I also like to carry a small selection of bandaids, alcohol wipes, medical tape, lip balm and electrolyte tablets. These are here to provide help to any medical scenarios if I am separated from my first aid kit.
With these objects all nicely together in my plastic bag, I confidently know that I have what I need to survive in that worst case scenario moment! I hope this inspires you to build your own Personal Survival kit for all your outdoor adventures!
Have Fun and Get Outside!
Have Fun and Get Outside!