Survival Tool Box: Why you need one and what should be in it?

When preparing for a major crisis or SHTF scenario, people usually store food, water, and weapons – the obvious necessities – and they often overlook some other tools are also important.

You also need tools such as screw drivers, hammer, and wrenches to repair things when they stop working. How are you going to repair things if you don’t have these handy tools with you?

Being prepared is not only about stockpiling enough food, water or weapons for disaster but it is also about learning skills including repairing or building things – and you’ll definitely need tools for these. It is unlikely that you will be able to buy replacements for damaged or broken items when SHTF.

Knowing how to fix things is a skill that can be acquired by experience. You can practice repairing broken things by looking for something that is broken and then disassembling it. Try and figure out why that thing is not working. Find out if there are parts available for it in stores or online or see if you can find replacement parts from other broken things. But, if the item is not repairable just throw it away; avoid wasting too much time trying to figure out how to repair it. Do not be afraid to disassemble or take something apart and then not being able to assemble it.

Here are some of the basic tools that you should consider putting in your survival tool box:

Shop tools

• 1/4 inch driver socket set – SAE and metric
• 1/2 inch drive socket set – SAE and metric
• 3-4 pound sledge hammer
• Ball peen hammer
• Carpenters hammer
• Channel lock pliers
• Chisels
• Full set of Allen wrenches – SAE and metric
• Full set of ‘torx’ drivers
• Full set of wrenches – SAE and metric
• Hacksaw
• Medium pipe wrench – 14 to 18 inches
• Needle nose pliers
• Regular pliers
• Small, medium, and large pry bars
• Small, medium, and large vise grips
• Small, medium, and large Philips head screw drivers
• Small, medium, and large slotted screw drivers
• Small, medium, and large adjustable wrenches
• Tape measure
• Wood saw

Don’t forget bolts, hinges, nails, nuts, and screws.

Car tools

• Jack
• Lug wrench
• Screw drivers
• Wrenches
• Tire plugs
• Rubber cement
• 12 volt air compressor

Don’t forget to bring a spare.

You can also include kitchen tools

• Can openers
• Cork screw
• Funnels
• Jars or containers
• Kettles
• Knives
• Large pans
• Large pots
• Meat grinder
• Pressure canners
• Sharpening tools
• Wheat grinder

Keep on practicing repairing or building things, you might get some ideas on what other tools you will need to complete a particular repair along the way. You might need other tools that you don’t already have. Start practicing and improving your skills now, find something broken and try to repair it. As time goes by try repairing harder or complicated things.

If a major crisis destroys the world as we know it now, one of the first things we as humans will strive for when everything else has settled will be rebuilding. Become a crucial part of the new, recovering community by acquiring skills that can be useful during such time.