You don’t have to be out in the middle of the woods to keep a survival kit on you. On the other hand, it’s great to have a few tools on yourself without going overboard, just in case. While we can go into depth about to keep in a daypack or a go bag, we’re going to go the Hatchet route and cover the bare necessities here. These are the survival tools to keep with you with you wherever you go and you’ll wonder why you ever left home without them.
Pocket Knife
The classic pocket knife is definitely an essential multi-purpose tool. Of course, you can cut your apple at lunch with it but it also can be used for many forms of defense. A knife alone is better than nothing, especially if you aren’t familiar with defensive tactics. You can also use a knife to whittle down the end of a stick for a spear either to defend or to spear fish with if your aim and dexterity are good enough.
When tied to the end of a stick, your pocket knife is a primitive bayonet minus the bullets. Aside from being a sharp weapon, knives come in handy for digging, harvesting food, cutting up fabric for bandages, hammering, as a screwdriver, a stake, and creating tinder. Also, you never know when you want to cut the price tag off a new shirt you got so you can wear it right away.
Paracord
A paracord bracelet may not be your style of choice, but for the utilitarian, its uses are endless. Although the paracord is a bit bulky, they tend to be 8-20 feet of rope that you can unravel. Use the finer pieces for many things like sewing torn clothing, repairing broken equipment, make a clothes line, use as floss, and create a trip wire. For larger pieces, use it to replace broken shoe strings, hang a bear bag, tie down items, or tie yourself to a friend when crossing rivers, caught in the snow, or traveling in the dark.
While you can lower yourself with paracord, it is not a good replacement to climbing rope. You can save yourself though by using it to make a shelter, use as fishing wire, as a tourniquet, or to mark your path for efficiently than Hansel & Greta.
Flint, Steel, & a Tuna Can
Flint and steel come together in a small rectangle that is easy to keep anywhere like your keychain or bag. The tuna can though should have fire starting materials in it though like cotton balls, shredded paper, or wood shavings. There are two ways to use the tuna can, you can either make a small fire inside it or you can make a fire on the ground, collect water in your tuna can and boil it over the fire.
Whether you’re lost in the woods or your car dies on the side of the road, you can be sure that you’ll have some heat and clean water if there’s a water source nearby.
Water
Staying hydrated is no laughing matter and unfortunately many people neglect water. Keeping a water bottle with you at all times is a good reminder to drink up and if you’re stuck in traffic, just ran a mile, or it’s just really, really hot out, you’ll be able to save your own sanity and will to live with every sip you have on hand. In other cases, water can be used to rinse out a cut, cool yourself down, or to wash off.
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