What Is the Best Outdoor Survival kit?

The real outdoor life is largely about backcountry camping in the wild, away from civilization and without security. When you equip yourself with the right kind of survival kit, you actually open the door to countless adventurous possibilities safely.

If you are planning to camp in the wilderness, you should ideally have a couple of must-have survival tools to smooth your overall experience. Wilderness camping not only provides you with some of the most alluring camping sites, but it also gives you the opportunity to roam around freely, together with the inexplicable pleasure of being literally alone. In such a situation, failure to bring the right survival kit can mean danger to your well-being. 

Here, we have put together an ultimate outdoor survival kit, comprising 15 wilderness and camping survival tools to help you make the most of your wilderness trip.

1.  Firestarters: When in the backcountry, fire is life. You would require fire to boil water to make it safe for drinking, to cook during your wilderness adventure, and to keep yourself warm. These reasons make firestarters a must-have in your camping survival kit. Firestarters throw off sparks to your kindling to begin the fire process. While you are on a camping adventure, matchsticks may get moist so it’s good to have a lighter on you.
2. Water Purifying Bottle: While camping in the backcountry, you can’t think of surviving without water. Hence, a device to clean water must be included in your survival tool kit. While people usually boil any water available to them near their camping site, it is a great idea to keep a water purification system/purifying bottle at hand that is specially designed for outdoor adventures. These devices are generally quite compact and efficiently filter out anything unwanted to make the water suitable for drinking and/or cooking.
3. Bear Spray: Bear spray is another important tool that must be included in a wilderness survival kit – even when you are not camping in an area, where bears roam around frequently. This is because bear spray can come in handy in warding off any predatory species that might consider you a potential threat. Bear spray is actually a high-potential pepper spray that can hit a target accurately from a fair distance. It will cause temporary blindness and bring shock to any wild animal that might be planning to gorge on you. If you don’t want to carry a Bear Spray you could also carry a Handgun in the caliber of 10mm or .357magnum.
4. Headlamps: Headlamps are a crucial survival kit component as they enable you to observe things around you at night while keeping your hands free to perform other tasks. Obviously, you would never want to see yourself fumbling with your smartphone or a handheld flashlight while trying to prepare your campsite in the wilderness. To avoid being in such a situation, add headlamps to your survival kit for every member of your troop.
5. Multitool: Quite similar to a Swiss Army Knife, a multitool is an all-in tool that must be part of your wilderness camping survival kit. They typically come with small pliers or scissors, tweezers, fold-out knives, and an attachable carabiner. It is considered a must-have survival kit tool since it helps you with a lot of things (from cutting and splinter removal, to setting up a basecamp) that you will require to do while camping in the wilderness.
6. First Aid Kit: In the wilderness, you are often on your own to deal with any cuts, scrapes, bruises, or any other medical conditions that might come up. For this reason, a first aid kit is an important survival gear.
7. Emergency Whistle:If you are lost in the wilderness and a search team is looking for you, an emergency whistle can prove to be your savior. Such whistles create a high-pitched sound without requiring a lot of effort. Most emergency whistles are audible up to a distance of almost half a mile, which makes them quite an essential tool to be added to your wilderness survival kit. If you have handgun you can also fire it in the ground to get the attention of the search party.
8. Emergency GPS Locator Beacon:If you are lost in the forest, a GPS beacon will alert search crews to your location, making it a crucial wilderness survival gadget.
9. Compass:It is important to be aware of where you are moving in the woods and that’s what makes a compass an essential wilderness survival tool. Compasses have been guiding travelers around the globe for many centuries since they are simply amazing at what they can do — so always carry one while in the wilderness.
10. Paracord: This military-grade, heavy-duty rope should be included in your any wilderness camping survival kit. Reason being, it is long-lasting, tough, and multi-functional. It can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from rescuing partners to hanging a shelter.
11. Signal Mirror:If you find yourself in trouble in the woods and choppers are actively looking to trace you, a signal mirror is probably the only tool that can alert authorities to your location. These mirrors are capable of reflecting light in the upward direction, which allows rescue professionals to track your location.
12. Dry Bag: While camping in the wilderness, your gear is more likely to get wet. Whether you are making your way through a creek or experiencing a downpour, you will probably end up having wet gear. For this reason, you must have a dry bag that is specifically designed to keep your camping gear safe and free of moisture. 
13. Saw or Hand Axe: Fire is key to survival in the wilderness. For fire, you would need something to cut a log of wood into smaller pieces. For this reason, a cutting tool, such as a hand axe or saw is a must-have wilderness survival tool. If this is very heavy for you, you can use a knife with sawed teeth’s in it.
14. Predator Understanding and Preparedness: If you are camping in a location where either mountain lion linger or bears roam, you should know how to respond to a predator’s attack. Refer to point number 3.
15. Emergency Blanket or Sub-Zero Sleeping Bag:Even when you’re camping out during summers in the wilderness, you may experience cold weather, particularly in the nighttime. In worst cases, if you become immovable due to an injury, such as a broken kneecap, you might end up being stranded while being exposed to unwanted elements for several days. Hence, you must include an emergency blanket or a sub-zero sleeping bag in your wilderness survival toolkit.

Build Your Wilderness Camping Kit

Having the right survival tools for wilderness camping can be the difference between having a memorable trip and experiencing a disaster. So, before you venture out on wilderness camping, make sure to collect and pack the essential survival gear listed above.