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Best kind of survival kit

Q. Hey Gear Guy, I am getting ready to go on a camping trip and just would like to know what is the best kind of survival kit that fits nicely in my backpack and doesn’t take up too much room.
— Scout Stephen, Havelock, N.C.

A. Thanks for the question, Stephen. The easiest thing is to buy a pre-made survival kit like the SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) Scout ($25; adventuremedicalkits.com). This compact 5.4-ounce kit includes a compass, signal mirror, rescue whistle, survival blanket, fishing kit, fire starter and duct tape all packed inside a mini waterproof drybag that won’t take up much room in your backpack.


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17 Comments on Best kind of survival kit

  1. duke of nothingham // May 8, 2012 at 11:51 am // Reply

    in a survival kit you need 2 things 1 decent sized FIXED blade knife and one multi use metal canister if you feel like if you want you can also pack some cordage if you have those tree things you have every thing you need to survive indefinitly in the wilderness.

  2. Trollenvale // April 9, 2012 at 9:14 pm // Reply

    Don’t buy a prefabricated kit. If you make one yourself, you can ensure that all the gear is of good quality and become aquainted with its use. You don’t want to buy a fancy survival kit just to find that the cheaply made whistle breaks once you drop it. Besides, making your own is often much cheaper and infinitely more adaptable.

  3. THISISMYNAME // February 18, 2012 at 8:34 am // Reply

    what i have as an addition to my survival kit is an Altoids can with a magnesium firestarter, small candle, and cotton balls or dryer lint. seal it with electrical tape. the electrical tape can be used as kindling.

  4. I suggest making one in a large hole nalogean bottle and adding a solar light cap. From there you can experiment what to add; solar blanket, magnesium starter, water tablets, etc. Taking the wilderness survival merit badge is a great way to test your kit. Then you will have a real survival kit rather than a toy kit that wouldn’t really do much if truely needed.

  5. i went camping with my dad and other scouts once,and i used a empty tent bag and that did’nt take up too much room in my backpack.

  6. Just make your own! Its fun and You have endless space to put other things that you find in it. I did that and now iI have a kit where I can survive anything from frigid winters to the urban jungle.

  7. I bought one for my son and one for us to tear apart and practice using all the parts and pieces. Excellent starter kit.

  8. I make mi own !! It’s more fun .

  9. Cool! where can you get those?

  10. i took the wilderness survival merit badge and we made our own in an altoids can.

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