Emergencies are unplanned. That’s what makes them emergencies. They are things you can’t avoid, things you didn’t expect. And often, they catch you unprepared. Keep an emergency kit packed full of the right survival gear and you’ll be ready for any situation.
Emergencies are sometimes expected in dangerous weather areas or places prone to natural disasters. Certain parts of the world are known for tornadoes, hurricanes or typhoons. Emergencies however aren’t just weather related. Fire can happen anytime and almost anywhere. Snow storms can come up out of the blue, flash floods are never expected, and some cities experience power outages at random times. If we could keep survival gear on hand, there are fifteen pieces that would be the most important to consider.
The first thing to keep available in case of an emergency is a map. It should be a topographical map with features. Not only should there be a map but there should also be someone who knows how to read it. Having a compass or GPS receiver would also help if possible. A flashlight is the second piece of emergency equipment. It’s dangerous to wander around in the dark. Along with both of these, an emergency pack should have extra dehydrated food, for energy purposes. It may not seem like survival gear per se but without energy, people often find they have no strength to help themselves.
Extra clothing should be among the things we put in our survival gear or emergency kit. Wearing layers is helpful in cold situations and clothing can be used for other things as necessary. Rain gear can help us build a shelter if we don’t need it to break the wind or keep us dry. Sunglasses, a sixth item for our pack, can protect our eyes from the reflecting sun and help us to keep going. Any item in a survival pack can be used to do something other than it was intended. Always keep that in mind when packing.
First aid kits are important to include, especially ones that are compact but serve many purposes. Bandages, antiseptic salves and creams, and ways of treating burns, cuts and allergic reactions could be crucial at certain moments. A multi purpose tool is a good thing to have in our survival gear, as it might help us pry open food containers, build a shelter or an all important fire. The material to start a fire is also essential in survival gear. This could include waterproof matches, a lighter or a rod that one can purchase cheaply that can be scraped to shoot sparks onto a pile of dry grass or bark.
You’re lost. And you’re getting thirsty. You find some water and you want to drink it. Don’t. In your survival gear, you packed at least one method of disinfecting water and making it safe to drink. There are chemical disinfectants you can add to suspect water to make it drinkable. Another item you can pack is a whistle. The sharp shrill noise will be heard over long distances and if you fell and hurt yourself, the whistle may bring your rescuers to you, instead of you hoping to make it to them.
Packing a tarp or space blanket that can double as a survival shelter is important when we’re packing our survival gear. Parachute cord is also helpful but so would twenty five feet of rope. And the fourteenth item to add when we are packing our survival gear should be insect repellant. Bug spray can be used as fuel for fire if necessary, but being able to fend off infected ticks and biting insects is a plus all of its own.
The fifteenth and most important thing to pack into a kit full of survival gear is something a person can’t pack at all. That’s their will to survive. All of the above fourteen items are worthless if a person doesn’t have that will to live. Sometimes emergencies happen out of the blue. Having survival gear packed and ready for any situation that might arise will save a person’s life. But having the will to think smart, think ahead and be prepared is the most important survival tool of all.
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