8 Items That Should Be Included In Your Wilderness Survival Kit Checklist

If you are an outdoor lover or an adventure survivalist enthusiast, having a wilderness survival kit checklist is very essential. Why, because of these important facts… One, by just drinking clean water, an average person can survive for at least three weeks without food. Two, without water, a person’s body will give out in just  3 days. And lastly, in extreme weather conditions, a person can only survive for at least 3 hours outside of their core body temperature.

Knowing these facts can greatly help you decide the most important items that should be included in your wilderness survival kit checklist. Items that can help increase your survival chances most especially during the most critical minutes of an emergency situation.

Always remember that when it comes to survival and building your very own wilderness survival checklist, nothing should be taken for granted.

Here are 8 items that you should include in your wilderness survival kit checklist.

1. Survival Knife

In any survival situation, cutting chores are inevitable. That is the reason why a good and reliable survival knife is very important. The survival knife is probably the most important item that should always be included in any survival kit checklist.

A good survival knife has so many uses. It can be used for cutting rope, opening packages, hunting, building shelter, starting a fire, first aid purposes, and so much more. You will discover many more uses for your knife through experience.

There are a lot of survival knives in the market to choose from. But if you are into wilderness survival or outdoor adventures, then, fixed blade knives are the most ideal. They are more durable and resilient than folding knives as they do not have mechanical movements. Plus, fixed blade knives are also better for cutting larger objects such as branches.

2. Fire Starters

Every outdoor survival enthusiast knows that fire starters are an incredibly important tool out in the wilderness. That is the reason why 9 out of 10 outdoor adventurers always carry with them their favorite fire starters in their backpacks .

To survive in the wilderness, starting a fire is very crucial. With fire, you can survive the cold, fight off predators, and cook yourself a meal.

There are practically hundreds of fire starters in the market today. The only thing to remember in buying a fire starter tool is that the tool must be reliable, water proof, and will work in all and in any condition. Lastly, if you really want to buy your own fire starter tool, a quick research regarding the product will be a good idea.

3. Map & Compass

In a survival situation, it is not wise to rely solely on GPS technology. You must also know how to read a map and use a compass to help you navigate your way back to safety. Plus maps and compasses  are very lightweight that there is really no excuse for you not to include it in your survival item checklist.

Check our review on the Top 3 Survival Compasses of 2019 HERE

4. Signaling Devices

If you are in the wilderness and there are no cell phone signals, then, you will need an alternate means of communicating with people most especially in emergency situations. You must always bring with you emergency signaling devices before embarking on your grand adventure.

There are many emergency signaling devices that you can choose from. Signaling mirrors, whistles, and flashlights are just some of them. We suggest adding all three in your survival gear items.

There are signaling mirrors that have engraved instructions on the back on how you can use it to signal for help. Example, if you flash the mirror across the sky in some sort of pattern and a pilot sees it, he will instantly recognize that a person is in danger.

Flashlights are also important signaling devices. And if you know Morse code, then you can easily use the flashlight to call for help. Flashlights are also handy if you need to stay on the move in the dark or to simply look for things during the night. Make sure to bring extra batteries.

The sound of a blown whistle is unmistakable to other people who may happen to be in the same wilderness area as you or to cars that are passing by. Whistles are also great emergency signaling devices. These can be used to tell others in your camp that danger is nearby, or that you’ve been injured.

5. First Aid Kit

If you are planning on going to an outdoor adventure or wilderness survival trip, make sure to include a first aid kit in your survival kit checklist. First aid kits are critical in any emergency situation. That is why it is very important that a first aid kit is accessible to you at all times.

First aid kits will greatly simplify the healing of injuries. You don’t want to make things complicated with dangling skin, infections, and gushing blood. First aid kits include gauze, bandages, alcohol cleaning wipes, gloves, and other supplies that will help you heal.

6. Portable Water Filtration Straw

Another item that should also be included in your survival kit checklist is the portable water filtration straw. As I’ve said in the beginning of this article, you cannot survive very long without clean drinking water. And when it comes to survival, most especially in the wilderness, there is no assurance that the water from creeks and rivers are safe and without impurities. But with the help of portable water purification straw filters, you can at least rest assured that the water you are drinking is filtered, purified, and 100 percent clean.

7. Extra Clothing

It’s very essential that you bring at least one change of clothing for you to change to in case you get wet. Remember that moisture pulls away heat from your body, causing it to focus energy on creating extra heat to compensate. This will make you fatigued and lose brain functionality. Keep warm, stay sharp.

8. Paracord

Paracord or parachute cord is very useful most especially for camping. It is lightweight, very strong, and takes up little space inside your bug-out-bag. You can use paracord in a variety of ways. Here are just some of the uses.

• hoisting food to keep away from wildlife
• building emergency shelter
• making splint for broken bones
• lashing poles
• tent repair
• climbing
• attaching gear to pack
• fishing line
• trap for hunting
• many more

Wilderness Survival Kit Checklist Bonus

Other recommended wilderness survival kit gear item checklist.

• Large, dry tinder bundle in a sealed bag
• Emergency whistle
• Poly-cord rope (50-100 feet)
• Variety of sizes of Ziploc bags (for keeping tinder dry, storing food, collecting water, and more)
• Large rain poncho (can be improvised into a variety of shelters)
• Emergency blanket
• Large stainless steel cup or canteen (for boiling and holding water)
• Water purification tab
• Hatchet or quality large kukri knife (for chopping and splitting wood)
• Wool blanket (maintains much of its insulating value even when wet)
• Fishing line and fishing lures in a small container
• Wool clothing, especially pants, socks and jacket, warm gloves, cap or beanie
• A small stainless steel cooking pot
• Multi-tool
• MREs or dried food meals
• Bow and drill friction fire set (when you are skilled with this, you can make a fire practically anywhere)

There you have it. Our list of items that you should consider when you are making your wilderness survival kit checklist.

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