The Tools You Need For Outdoor Safety and Survival

If you enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, it’s always important to ensure you are equipped with the right tools that you need. An emergency can happen at any time and being prepared when you go outdoors is the best thing you can do to survive.

With these top tools, you can’t go wrong in the outdoors:

Knife: A knife will have so many uses, not just outdoors or while camping but for life in general. Any survival situation will almost always require the use of a knife. If you are always on the go, it’s recommended to have a pocket knife at all times. If you aren’t sure what kind of knife to buy, go for a fixed-blade knife since these are more resilient and durable compared to folding knives since they don’t require any mechanical movements. Typical outdoor uses of knives include creating weapons, cutting rope, opening packages, boredom relief, cutting bandages as well as cloth for bandages, and many more.

Fire-starter/matches: These are necessary for starting a fire which you will need to cook food and stay warm, especially at night. Without a fire, you will become much colder, prone to hypothermia, and will have limited options for food. Matches are inexpensive and can be stored for years at a time.

Compass and a map: A compass is valuable in helping you find your way to the nearest settlement area for safety. It will be even more effective if you have a map of the area too. These two tools can help you find nearby roads or other signs to find other people or locate civilization.

Paracord: Ropes and cords will come in handy in many ways: building an emergency shelter, tent repair, climbing, attaching miscellaneous gear to your backpack, lashing poles, making a splint, creating a fishing line, making a trap for hunting animals, and more. A 550 parachute cord will work just fine and take up very little space.

Flashlight and extra batteries: During nightfall, you will need a flashlight to help illuminate you as you walk, hike, or trek. A flashlight can also provide added lighting as you cook during the night or do other things that require illumination. It helps to light the way and prevent accidents. Ideally it would be best to pack 2 flashlights if you can, and extra batteries for both since you’ll never know when you’ll run out.

Food: Depending on your trip length, it’s always ideal to have enough food to last you for at least 7 days. The food you take the outdoors should always be calorie-dense, easy to heat and eat, and simple to carry or pack. These could include a combination of the following:

·       Canned food is convenient and easy to cook and eat. Many kinds of canned goods are already cooked so they only require heating. Choose the right kinds of canned food that provide you with a good amount of protein and adequate calories to give you energy.

·       Protein and energy bars are a good source of nutrition when you are outdoors. These are designed to give you protein and energy, but then again not all are created equally so be sure that you choose the most calorie-dense varieties

         MREs or Meal, Ready to Eat is a popular choice for outdoor and survival. These are used by the military to provide them with the necessary nutrients that they need even if they spend weeks in the jungle. MREs are lightweight and thus easy to pack and carry around. If you bring MREs don’t forget to pack MRE heaters as well.

·       Nuts are a good food to pack for the outdoors. Store them in a zip lock or another airtight container. They are a good source of dietary fiber and protein and can give you enough energy.

Extra clothes for warm and cold temperatures: Depending on the planned duration of your trip, you should always bring at least one change of clothes for warm and cold temperatures. If you are in a location that is prone to cold weather and rain, it’s recommended to pack thermal clothes or insulated clothing to protect you from hypothermia which can become fatal.

Extra clothes are also important in case you get wet because moisture on your body will absorb heat, forcing your body to work hard to compensate by creating additional heat. When this happens, you can become fatigued easily and your brain can lose the ability to stay focused. If your socks or shoes get wet, this can cause blisters since your feet could be sliding around the interior of your shoes so it’s also important to pack extra socks.

First aid kit: Being in nature will rarely inflict injuries but sometimes especially if you are in a harsh environment, being outdoors can make you more vulnerable to getting hurt. Having a first aid kit handy will simplify everything when it comes to healing injuries. Before you leave for your trip, inspect your first aid kit to make sure that all the equipment inside is clean and that medications aren’t expired. First aid kids should contain:

·       Variety of bandages

·       Adhesive tape

·       Gauze pads

·       Nitrile exam gloves

·       CPR face shield

·       Alcohol swabs

·       Cotton swabs

·       Antiseptic medicine

·       Dry-wash pads

·       Scissors

·       Tweezers

·       Safety pins

·       Antacids

·       Antibiotics

·       Anti-inflammatory medicine

·       Antihistamine

Water container: Without adequate water, it’s easy to die in the outdoors. A water container is necessary for storing water to ensure your survival. Camelbacks and other similar water storage systems are great.

Water purification tablets: These are useful in cleaning water and making it suitable for consumption. If you are in the wild and run out of a freshwater source, you may need to rely on a stream or river to stay hydrated or else you can die. Water purification tablets purify water that is otherwise polluted and can provide you with a safe alternative to drinking water in emergency situations.

Emergency blanket: Also known as mylar or space blankets, emergency blankets have numerous uses for survival and outdoor safety. Most are designed to be waterproof and can act as a sleeping mat, heat reflector for campfires, a trail marker, makeshift oven, makeshift shelter and so much more.

Glow sticks: These make a great addition to your lighting solutions for the outdoors. They come in different sizes from 6 up to 10 inches, and depending on the variety can sometimes last up to 12 hours. Even if you already packed flashlights and spare batteries, glow sticks are still ideal for many reasons: they are waterproof and can work well in the rain as well as many different environments, they are non-flammable, they are inexpensive and can last a long time, and can be used as a bracelet by children to help light the way in the dark.