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.
The types of emergencies that people should prepare for can include things like having no electricity for days because of a power outage. It can mean being prepared if there is a flood or a hurricane. Emergencies might also involve tornadoes, forest fires and sudden blizzards on a highway. But the fact remains that emergencies might also involve a house fire, a tire going flat while four-by-four driving in the mountains, or becoming lost on a camping trip. There are fifteen pieces of survival gear that will help a person in almost any emergency situation.
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.
It is important to include extra clothing in an emergency kit. Socks can double as mittens in a snow storm. Extra clothing can be used to layer under clothing that’s become wet. Rain gear is especially helpful, as it can also serve as a wind barrier in the cold. Sunglasses are the sixth item to be included in an emergency pack. The sunlight reflecting off of snow, fog or water can be damaging to the eyes and make it hard to see how close rescue is. Every piece of survival gear can serve a double purpose, to help build a shelter or signal for help to a passing helicopter.
A simple first aid kit is also important to include when packing emergency supplies. It should be able to handle simple cuts and burns and possible snakebite and allergic reactions. Another item to add to the survival gear list is the all important multi-purpose tool. This might have pliers, a knife, tweezers, things that could be invaluable when a person is in dire straits. And the ninth thing to include when packing survival gear is some means to start a fire. Water proof matches or a firesteel rod that will shower sparks onto a pile of dry tinder are ideal.
Normally people aren’t planning on staying lost forever. It’s better to be safe than sorry when packing an emergency kit of survival gear. Be sure to add some way to make water safe to drink. There are disinfection kits available but there are other methods to use too, like solar methods that turn water into condensation that can be collected safely for drinking and cooking. A whistle is another important piece of the kit. Being able to make noise without much effort, and a noise that will be heard for a long distance, could be critical to being rescued.
Night time is coming and you’re still lost or suffering the effects of an emergency situation. In your survival gear you packed a tarp or space blanket that you can now use to build a shelter or to insulate you while you curl up against a log or a pile of rocks. You also brought cording, perhaps in the form of twenty five feet of parachute cord. You’ll need this in your survival gear, either tonight to help you create a shelter that is off the ground and keeping rain off your head, or if you have to scale a hillside that’s too steep to walk down. Another thing you might, even more so at night time, is bug repellant. Insects can carry diseases and parasites. You’re going to be rescued. Include this in your survival gear so that your rescue isn’t marred by sickness.
Your survival gear is meant to help you survive and endure any emergency. Unexpected weather or disasters can take a toll on the strongest person’s sense of morale. The final tool in your survival kit must be your will to live. In the dark, in the night, in the middle of nowhere, it’s easy to want to give up. But with a strong will to survive, and all the right survival gear packed in your kit, it is also easy to choose to live. Never give up five minutes before the miracle.
Tags: essential survival gear, survival foods, survival gear, survival gear catalog, survival. wilderness survival
