The best survival gear

Whether you’re preparing for a weekend in the woods or the ever impending apocalypse, having survival gear you can depend on is critical. Should the time come when you need to use it — whether that’s due to a wilderness excursion gone wrong or an unexpected natural disaster — you’ll be glad you have it. Time is of the essence in a grid-down scenario and having things like fresh water, medical supplies, and basic survival tools readily accessible can be a matter of life or death.

Unfortunately, most people have no idea what those basic survival tools are or how to use them. Furthermore, many folks find the process of learning daunting. Yet it’s not as complicated as you might think. Instinctively, you probably already know what you need to survive — basic things like water, food, fire, shelter, and medical aid. To help you out, we’ve created a checkoff list of items typically included in a survival kit, along with recommendations for the best survival gear currently on the market.

THE EASY OUT: BUYING A PRE-PACKAGED KIT

If the thought of putting together a bag of everything you need to survive a disaster seems too daunting, there are plenty of pre-packaged disaster kits on the market, too. This one from Sustain Supply Co is one of the better, all-inclusive survival kits, containing virtually everything two people might need to survive off the grid for 72 hours.

This includes food and water (12 Mountain House food servings, portable stove, 24 packets of Datrex water, collapsible bowls and utensils), light and communication (LED lantern, flashlight, Cyalume SnapLights, two whistles, hand crank radio), fire and warmth (emergency blankets, ferrocerium rod) and a fully stocked first aid kit with bath wipes.

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