Desert Survival Kit
This survival kit may seem to have unnecessary items in it. I hope you never need them. But it is a FACT. Go out in the wilderness often enough, and you WILL get lost. Whether for 3 hours or 3 weeks, at that instant you don’t know, and then any of these items might become priceless. With them, and a panic-free brain, you can survive for weeks and get yourself out.
All the items listed here will fit in a mid-sized fanny pack. They must be kept separate from your other gear and be worn attached to you; so even if you lose everything else, you still have everything you’ll need.
A lot of these items won’t do any good if you don’t know how to use them. So practice! Sharpen a knife, hit a spot with your signal mirror in 3 seconds, Scrape some magnesium and strike a spark to it. Find the North Star. Learn your boy or Girl Scout knots. Orient your map, identify the features on it; travel point to point so you reach a specific goal.
Sound like work? Actually, nothing is more satisfying than learning a new skill set, and nothing is more relaxing than total absorption in the wilderness. So think of your survival kit as a toy box and PLAY. Achieving a comfort level with these items will not only be fun, but may save your life.
Contents
Pocket knife with 4” blade, can opener and awl
Small sharpening stone
Mirror
Needle nose pliers with wire cutter (4-5” total length)
Wooden matched in a waterproof film canister
Magnesium fire starter
Compass (practice orienting skills)
Map of your area
50-100’ of 500# climbing rope
Cable saw
Sturdy dropper bottle of bleach (1 drop purifies 1 quart of water)
Salt (sodium and potassium chloride-take one pinch of each per day)
Good leather gloves
5-Quart size sealable freezer bags
Strong thread and needles
Assorted safety pins
10 yd. Spool of wire fishing leader (20# test)
Fishing line and hooks (wrap 8” line and stick #10 hooks in stiff cardboard. Secure with tape)
Gig head
Paper and pencil (plus 2-3 sheets of paper for leaving notes or use as fire starter)
Superglue (for closing cuts. 2-3 tubes. Once opened, they don’t last long)
Neosporin
Gauze pads or roll
Surgical tape
Pain relievers (aspirin)
(((Yes, it all fits!)))
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