This may sound like a weighty list, but remember that you can also
carry a couple of these items, such as the whistle and magnesium flint
striker, on a piece of rope or parachute cord around your neck. Remember,
too, that when everything is spread out on your belt or among your various
pockets (obviously, wearing clothes with lots of pockets is helpful) you’ll
hardly notice them at all.
Your Complete Survival Kit
Now that you’ve ensured your survival by strategically stowing a few basic—
yet supremely helpful—items on yourself, it’s time to build your complete sur
vival kit. Just because you’re carrying the same thing on your body (a lighter
in your pocket, for example) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put one in your
complete survival kit. The items in your pockets are your failsafes; always
double up on these items between your personal and complete survival kits.
When building your complete survival kit, keep in mind that the heavier and
bulkier you make it, the more likely it’s going to be a hindrance rather than a
benefit. And as soon as your kit becomes a burden, you increase the chances
that you won’t take some of the items with you in the first place or that you’ll
leave them behind during a trip. If it’s a screaming hot day and I’m climbing a
mountain, do I want to be carrying around 20 pounds (9 kg) of extra gear? You
have to strike the balance: the kit needs to be large enough to carry certain
essential items, but small enough that it doesn’t become a nuisance. Leave the
gear hording to the gear geeks; your job is not to impress your partners but
to enjoy your trip or adventure . . . and to survive if you need to.
You can choose any sort of carrying case into which your survival
gear will fit, but you want the container to be large enough to hold items
of various sizes, easy to stow and carry, durable, and, if possible, water
proof. I like using a coffee can with a lid as my survival kit because it
holds almost all the items I need and can also be used to boil liquid or
cook food. Assuming the lid fits snugly, I can even use it to carry water
or hot coals.
What follows is a list of the items essential to any kit (some can be
used for more than one purpose). You can gather all of them quickly by
consulting the Complete Survival Kit Checklist on page 354 before setting
out on your adventure. Remember that you will have to modify this list
depending on your particular destination, season, weather, and activity:
Survival Kits (^) | 21