So you want to head out into the wildness, or maybe even just head out for a long trip in your vehicle? There are a lot of different factors to consider such as the expected climate and weather, who your team is, or what you plan on doing.
The reality is situations can deteriorate quite quickly. Bottom line is - the gear you have on you is going to dictate how badly the situation is going to suck. The gear may even save your life. What are some of the essentials you can take with you that can take with you on almost every adventure?
Let's think a bit about the probabilities of different situations and what can kill you. First, exposure, second, injuries or mishaps, and third water. Why is food not on this list? Food is obviously important and the author gets hangry more quickly than most of the readers here but the human body is a remarkable thing and evidence points to being able to survive for one to two months without it. Water on the other hand is only about three days. Exposure, merely hours if you're lucky.
Let's dive into it. It should be noted the author considers money as a consideration when buying equipment. Surly there are higher speed pieces of kit. The problem is if the reader can’t afford any of it, they won't have it when they need it. Check out the next post of recommendations.
The tarp. For around $20, the reader can grab this except tarp. The tarp has almost limitless utility for survival. Its 3m by 3m wide which offers plenty of room for to cover the user from rain, sun, or wind. Grab of few branches or anything else you can be creative with you can build a basic tent. In a pinch, it can be used to build a litter. Also can be used as a way to collect water.
Cheap and highly effective backpacking tarp.
The SOL emergency kit can be had for a round $30. It has all of the basics, curated for the user. Fire starter, compass, and emergency blanket to name a few. It's also packed small into a handy little bag.
SOL emergency kit thats lightweight and packs a ton of equipment.
This one here can be a game changer in one of the worst of situations. The medical kit. It must include a tourniquet, (ideally two) quick clot bandages of some time, a pressure dressing, and chest seals. This is certainly for the worst of days for severe trauma which can occur commonly in vehicle accidents or hunting trips. Having the ability to stop a major bleed quickly and keeping blood in your body where it belongs is critical.
The author highly recommends kits from North American Rescue and Dark Angel Medical. These kits are more expensive but certainly worth it. If you have nothing currently and are looking to save some money the following kit may have a cheaper nylon pouch that might not be combat ready, however its contents are legit.
The Sawyer water filter can be bought for around $30 as well. This thing is dirt cheap for is capability. The filter can be used for remove 99.99% of bacteria making filtering nearly any potentially contaminated water a breeze. It is also rated for up to 100,000 gallons of water. This model is slightly more expensive but in the authors opinion is worth it due to its increased throughput and compatibility to work inline on a camelback style hydration holder.
Sawyer Water Filter - an incredible capability thats inexpensive and a potential life saver.