Get everything you need for emergencies in this practical case! When camping or hiking, having essential tools like a utility knife, a flashlight with long battery life, ropes, and hooks can come in handy.
In addition to the equipment, first aid materials and sometimes useful items are included in case you have to report your presence to request help.
Here we had selected some of the best survival kits for you that are listed below.
Buyer Guide to Choose Survival Kits
A critical situation can occur always and everywhere, obviously one always hopes never to find oneself in these situations, but why not think of being ready? You don’t necessarily need to be a soldier or a sniper to take advantage of these tools.
A car accident of little gravity could keep you locked up in the cockpit: here with a tactical pen you can break the window and go out. Are you on a bike ride and do you get lost? Sure you can take your smartphone and start the GPS, but what if it’s empty? If not take? If it breaks?
If you practice activities of a certain type, you will need much more well-equipped and complex sets, but with a small expense, we can all take one and feel safer and ready to face different emergencies.
Areas of Use
Nowadays there are many technologies created to avoid the inconvenience of any kind, for example, think of accessories such as smartphones on which it is possible to install applications of any kind, from the compass to the infrared viewer, or the various satellites tracking methodologies and so on.
However, there are situations in which, due to environmental conditions or reduced functionality due to various factors, the use of these tools is not possible.
At the same time, it is not uncommon for some people, wanting to leave behind, even temporarily, the comforts of the urbanized world, decide to experience holidays or natural excursions, relying only on their strength. In such cases, but not only, but it is also undoubtedly essential to buy a reliable survival kit.
Precisely to allow anyone, even in the most critical situations, to be able to count on a series of objects suitable for maintaining acceptable vital conditions, a complete survival kit is, simply, an assortment of necessities, gathered to face an emergency or extreme situations.
Although on some occasions these needs derive from particular jobs or from the individual will to live unusual adventures, such as mountain excursions or explorations in pristine or difficult to access areas, there are also contexts of use independent of the person’s intentions.
Earthquakes, floods, natural disasters in general, or even prolonged electrical blackouts are occasions that can put everyone’s adaptability to the test.
In light of the above, it is easy to imagine how the best military survival kits can be indispensable on multiple occasions, on many of which can make a difference in terms of saving lives.
It is not so rare that hikers of any kind, who have ventured, out of necessity or passion, on high peaks in the mountains or inside dense forests, get lost or are dispersed during avalanches and similar events.
In such cases, both the individuals concerned and the rescue teams must be able to orient themselves safely, possess the tools to obtain food, and sleep in safe places that are not exposed to bad weather.
When natural disasters occur, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, the earthquake survival kit can allow some people to give immediate relief to others, as well as to set up reception areas or resist in difficult conditions for several hours.
Similarly, in the event of road accidents, it may be essential to have tools available to free drivers from blocked cockpits. An urban survival kit, on the other hand, proves useful in times when blackouts, riots, social unrest, or other problems interrupt communication lines, energy supplies, or supplies.
Dimensions and Portability
Since the military survival kit is, in practice, a container of equipment to be used in an emergency, or any case in a non-ordinary situation, it is certainly essential, during the purchase phase, to evaluate some of its characteristics related to the ease of transport and handling.
These sets of accessories must be able to be easily used at any time and, at the same time, not be in any way an obstacle to the activities carried out, whatever they may be.
It is quite easy to imagine how, during an excursion in the high mountains or during military or rescue operations, it is vital to move with agility, speed, and efficiency.
Such considerations, however, must necessarily go hand in hand with the intended use. This is because the ideal area of specific use determines the content, and the most extreme emergency may require the availability of numerous survival equipment.
- Outdoor
- From general emergency
- From rescue and first aid
Generally, survival kits for climbing, mountain trekking, camping in remote areas or hiking in particular areas, such as forests or deserts, are those that must have better handling characteristics.
It is not difficult to understand how, if you intend to try an adventurous vacation in isolated woods, as well as climbing a mountain peak, special backpacks and similar storage solutions are preferable to more bulky bags.
In this sense, therefore, the outdoor survival kit must have such dimensions that it can be transported in the same way without effort or even be contained in a jacket pocket, thus not exceeding indicative measurements of 20 cm per side and weights between 200 and the 500 g.
There are also even smaller and more compact models, containing only basic tools, such as a multifunction knife, mini-compass, torch, mirror, and flint.
Such survival kits may prove valid, especially in the situation in which the activities described above are limited in time to a few days.
If, on the contrary, we are talking about longer trips, which may even last for weeks, it could undoubtedly be necessary to have a more extensive range of accessories at hand, including equipment designed to deal with various possible emergency contexts.
The same can be said regarding survival kits to be transported on board cars, campers, or boats. In such cases, therefore, more consistent instruments can consequently determine larger dimensions and weights, always bearing in mind that they must be transported with relative ease.
Case studies of extreme use, however, such bailouts maritime or high altitude, first aid following natural disasters and so on, certainly identify the need for supplies, medical and instrumental, the most important.
Although such survival kits are normally dedicated to military personnel, specialized operators, dedicated services, and specific emergency vehicles, it is still good to specify how they take on the shape of larger bags, sometimes up to 40 or 50 cm on each side.
Obviously, in these situations, also the weight will generally be high, being able to exceed even 5 kg. Regardless of this, however, it is appropriate to specify how such volumetric data are entirely indicative, since each military survival kit.
Depending on the structural configuration, the construction materials, the content of accessories, and the internal organization of the same, it can be equipped with extremely variable characteristics in this regard.
Materials and Closures
To influence the specifications regarding the practicality of use and transport of the best survival kit, as well as its general functionality, undoubtedly also contribute to the peculiarities of the material with which it was made.
In this case, we are talking about the characteristics regarding the case in which the instruments making up the survival kit are stored.
This must present some useful requirements to identify the good balance between ease of use, handling, storage capacity, and adequate protection of the content.
In general, any professional survival kit must necessarily be able to guarantee the conservation of each internal element. This indispensable peculiarity is to be assessed based on the construction material and how the container can be closed.
As for the structure, most of the time it is made of metal, although, especially in the field of rescue and emergency services, it is possible to trace models produced in synthetic fabric, thick and resistant.
In the latter case, although this material cannot always ensure the same degree of protection offered by metal specimens, it is useful to reduce the overall weight of, particularly nourished survival kits.
A classic survival kit aimed at the amateur public is usually made of aluminum or rigid plastic. The first solution is extremely comfortable, long-lasting, and light, also considering that this metal does not suffer from water or humidity, adapting well enough to temperature changes.
On the other hand, aluminum, due to its generic ductility, can suffer more from impacts, compared to models made of rigid plastic.
The latter also has the typicality of being particularly compact and equipped with negligible empty weights. However, the most extreme emergency, during which for example rigid or very high temperatures occur, can, in the long run, cause their deformation.
Whatever the production cases, however, it is certainly essential that the case of the military survival kit is waterproof. This peculiarity is basic since the instruments inside must always remain as far as possible from the water, whether it is rain, snow, nighttime humidity, or any infiltrations during the ford of rivers.
In the high mountains, for example, lowering the temperatures would lead to the glaciation of the water which, if penetrated inside the box, once solidified could create damage due to the increase in volume.
Furthermore, the operation of some accessories, such as the flashlight, ropes, lighters, and the like, would risk being seriously compromised by contact with liquids.
Given this, externally the survival kit must be waterproof, or at least insertable in water-repellent sheaths, and it will be preferable to prefer models with gaskets ensuring the insulation of the content.
In this regard, it is also good to evaluate the closures, which can be
- Seals
- Hinges
- Blocking systems
It is easy to assume that hinges are undoubtedly the least effective closure method for the survival kit since they are not able to offer adequate protection against water.
These solutions, therefore, should only be contemplated if you have the security of not risking liquid infiltration of any kind.
On the other hand, however, seals and locking mechanisms of various kinds, which can be metallic or plastic, usually with hooks, snap buckles, or carabiners, usually ensure adequate protective insulation of the survival kit in every situation.
Evaluation of Priorities
If the construction factors, i.e. the size, weight, materials, and closures, are certainly of primary importance when you want to buy the best survival kit that best suits your needs, the latter must be filtered based on the study of a series of elements to give the right priority.
The market offers many sets already prepared to deal with generic emergencies. However, it is good to specify that each user may have different needs in this sense.
In this regard, therefore, there are cases in which, starting from standard equipment, some elements are removed, and others added, to better adapt to particular needs.
Whatever the case studies, to understand how to choose the survival kit it is essential to know your needs, as well as your weaknesses and strengths, considerations based on which you can make a precise inventory of which equipment will be more appropriate.
By carrying out this type of preventive analysis, it will be easier to determine in the survival kit what to put, which tools to prefer over others, and what the specific use of each of them will be.
To do this, it is possible to refer to the so-called rule of 3, which is a sequence of determining priorities well known by those who dedicate themselves with some frequency to extreme activities and preparation that gave possible natural disasters, profound social unrest, conflicts or other emergencies.
As suggested by the name itself, according to the rule of 3 it is possible to survive 3 minutes in the absence of oxygen, 3 hours without safe shelter, three days without drinking water, and three weeks without eating.
This sequence is an exemplary track, which must then be adapted according to criteria of subjectivity, related to the situation, the psychological and physical conditions of the individual, and specific environmental circumstances, different depending on the climatic conditions, the reference season and so on.
Despite this, based on this assumption, it can be inferred that, for example, in the event of loss in the mountains or other hostile environments, it is preferable that in the extreme survival kit there are accessories useful in the immediate search or construction of shelters for the night rather than looking for food.
Ideally, therefore, the priority scale to be followed during the search or purchase of the survival kit is, in order, the following.
- Orientation possibility
- Shelter from atmospheric agents
- We are maintaining the right body temperature.
- Addressing first aid needs and safeguarding health conditions
- Procurement of water and food, together with the sending of reports to rescuers
These suggestions are designed to adequately deal with particular emergencies, which can derive from sudden natural events or more usual situations, such as a mountain camping with unexpected critical implications.
However, although survival kits must be purchased and assembled to predict worsening conditions, similar indications can be useful even in less catastrophic contexts.
One could imagine, for example, going on vacation for a long period in areas of the world where access to drinking water is not always guaranteed. In this case, it is certainly useful to take adequate precautions with purification tools.
With the same perspective, it will be possible to consider the need to equip adequately to the possible lack of food if you intend to spend time very far from inhabited centers, perhaps bivouacking in a wood.
Always thinking about typical situations of this kind, it will be of primary importance to insert in the mountain survival kit tools and equipment, such as torch and knife, which can help to create night shelters, orient yourself with knowledge of the facts and light a fire, essential for warm-up at night, cook food, light the area and keep potentially dangerous animals away.
Content and Quality
After establishing your needs by referring to an accurate scale of priorities and value for money, it is possible to examine in detail the actual equipment, that is to understand the survival kit what it contains, or rather what are the fundamental objects for it to be functional.
However, this choice must be made, taking into account an essential criterion, according to which concreteness, pragmatism, and primary needs must take precedence over comfort.
It is good to make this specification because preparing for trips and excursions in the mountains, and it can be easy to put unnecessary elements in the survival kit, which could however unnecessarily overload the backpack and, in the worst case, occupy space necessary for tools and accessories that are essential.
Therefore, regardless of the possibility of purchasing a professional military survival kit or producing one yourself, it is vital to pay attention to its content and to prefer objects with greater practical value.
This does not mean that useful personal effects, such as toothbrushes and the like, should not be part of the travel luggage, but that they should be excluded from the preparation of the actual emergency set.
In this regard, it is possible to identify macro-categories of necessity and the adequate equipment to be included in the survival kit to face every situation.
