What are the top 10 items you would want in your survival kit ?

Please only 10, we will use this for others who visit and ask this question.

a reliable firearm

several different ways to start fire

simple shelter tools and components

long shelf life food items

a knife you can trust your life to (or several)

a reliable way to purify water

food gathering tools (including snare wire and wild food ID cards)

auxiliary kits on fanny pack or on belt

a good compass and map of the area

a decent first aid kit

1 knife
2 lighter
3 bandana
4 cantine with tin cup
5 550 cord
6 water purifire
7 camp stove
8 ponchoe
9 compass
10 fire arm/ammo .22 cal is just fine

1. Knife - fixed blade
2. Handgun - something that starts with "4" preferably.
3. Flash light.
4. Compass
5. First Aid Kit
6. Magnesium/flint
7. Spaceblanket / Emerg Bivy sack thing.
8. Water filter / purifier
9. 8x10 poly tarp
10. Fool proof plan / airtight alibi / lucky rabbits foot.

1. AR15 w/minimum 15-30 round mags

2. Leatherman Tool

3. Magnesium stick

4. 8'X10' plastic camo tarp

5. First Aid Kit

6. 2 quart canteen

7. 100' para cord

8. Sleeping bag

9. Good boots & several pair of socks

10. Wool coat

1. A reliable and familiar firearm (with plenty of ammo)

2. A tough, fixed blade knife

3. An E-Tool

4. A multi-tool (Leatherman or Gerber)

5. Water Purification

6. First Aid Kit

7. Fire Starting Tools (at least 2 different methods)

8. Flashlight (think brighter and lighter)

9. A Compass & A Topo Map of your surrounding area

10. A change of clothes - underwear, shirt, and socks at least.

1. Firearm w/ ammo

2. Firestarter (magnesium starter and cotton balls in vasoline)

3. Food (MRE / ration bars)

4. Multi-tool

5. Small first aid kit

6. Good knife (lock back or fixed blade)

7. Canteen/water bladder w/ purification tablets

8. Tarp/canvas/Mylar blankets

9. Flashlight

10. 550 cord

There's a similar thread to this on the zombiehunters forum, and between the two, here's what has been stirred in my brain. (ok, technically, there's 11 items in my pile...)




1. Large ALICE pack
2. Yugo SKS
3. Flecktarn boonie
4. canteen set (w/ cup & stove)
5. Gerber multitool
6. Ronson lighter
7. New Zealand issue machete
8. Spec-plus Bolo
9. pocket chainsaw
10. Dorcy 1w LED flashlight
11. first aid kit

Now, to keep it at 10, I'd most likely dump the machete. The chainsaw will cut pretty much anything and the Bolo will trim it up. A poncho and liner would be nice. Anyway, 10 items is a mighty tough BOB.

It is kinda hard to say since it really depends on what and where you may be trying to survive. Kit contents may be quite different from one another when assembled for wilderness/jungle, desert, sea and or arctic type conditions. JMHO.


My ideal compact wilderness kit contents would be something along the lines of:

1.) Good quality fixed blade knife

2.) Multi-tool (Leatherman Wave) or Swiss Army knife ( http://www.swissknifeheadquarters.com/product/54876 )

3.) Good compass (Silva and Brunton make some decent ones)

4.) Canteen/cup/stove/pouch kit

5.) 25'-50' of 7-strand 550 cord

6.) Fishing kit (#8 and #10 hooks, 25-50yds of braided spiderwire, split shot sinkers, a couple of sewing needles)

7.) Magnesium/flint fire starter

8.) Edible&Poisonous plant ID cards or Collin Gem's SAS Survival Handbook

9.) Starflash Signal mirror

10.) Knowledge and experience using all items.

Christian for Israel wrote:a reliable firearm

several different ways to start fire

simple shelter tools and components

long shelf life food items

a knife you can trust your life to (or several)

a reliable way to purify water

food gathering tools (including snare wire and wild food ID cards)

auxiliary kits on fanny pack or on belt

a good compass and map of the area

a decent first aid kit

What he said