Wilderness Survival Kit – Making Your Kit Before a Road Trip or Vacation

Total Wilderness Survival Kit

Wilderness Survival Kit – Making Your Kit Before a Road Trip or Vacation.

I love travel, and in particular I love traveling in the woods. Whether it is a three day mountain bike trip in the desert, or a seven day hike through Alaskan wilderness to a glacier and back, I’m game.

As someone who loves to be in the wilderness, I also know that the smallest of things can put you in trouble. You sprain an ankle and can’t get back to the boat pick up in time, so you’re stuck for the next 36 hours, and are those clouds a storm coming in? You had better have a good wilderness survival kit.

It’s not a bad idea to purchase a well put together wilderness survival kit, but if you’re like me, you tend to make your own. While the survival kit for a desert landscape and an Alaskan landscape should be different, there are general things that are always good for a survival kit, and I like to put together one that fits in a basic knapsack for easy carrying.

This way even if I’m only planning a day hike, if things go wrong I have a much better chance of staying alive until someone finds me.

The following are the necessities for a basic wilderness survival kit that should be helpful.

• Army Survival Guide : Not only is it useful in giving advice for surviving in the wilderness, but whatever section doesn’t apply (like desert survival if you’re stuck in the arctic) the pages make good fire starter



• Strike anywhere matches : I always carry a huge box, because you never know how long you’ll be stuck



• Other fire starters : flint and steel, magnesium strip, the more ways to start a fire, the better



• Extra socks



• Gloves ( not just warmth, but also to protect the hands )



• Survival/Thermal Blanket



• Basic first aid kit



• Knife ( I suggest a pocket knife and a larger knife, like a buck knife )



• Jerky/crackers and peanut butter—basic food that gives energy



• Water purification capsules



• Fishing Line ( a whole spool is good—for fishing and for tying knots to help make a shelter )



• Whistle



• Signal Mirror



• Pack of Tissues ( sanitary, for after you eat )



• Can of pop, or a can, or container that you can use to boil water with



• Flashlight



If you pack well, this can all fit into a good book bag, the kind that kids walk around with in college. This won’t be very heavy, either, making it an excellent kit. If you have room for a little more water or food or a hatchet, add them.

Otherwise use common sense, always tell people where you’re going and when to expect you back, and with this kit stay calm and you’ll do fine.

In fact, after you get picked up, looking calm and in good shape, you’ll have one heck of a story to tell.


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