The 12 Tools You Need For Survival

If there were only 12 things you could take with you in a survival situation what would those be? If you take a close look at you basic needs you will come up with a list of essential things you must have before bugging out or bugging in. But that’s not all!

Check out the infographic bellow to find out the 12 tools you nee and let us know in the comments before if you’d add anything else to the list!

Survival Kit

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This article has been written by Brenda E. Walsh for Survivopedia.

Written by

Brenda E. Walsh loves nature and all its wonders and has took up gardening as well as canning whatever thrives in her urban mini-garden, being especially interested in herbs and spices. She also loves animals, traveling, walking long distances, hikes and reading. You can send Brenda a message at editor [at] survivopedia.com.

Latest comments
  • That 70 gallons average water consumption per day could easily be cut half, and without much more effort, could be cut further than that. Being a man, I could pee outside. I can get far enough away from the house that it’s not a problem. I’ve used one of those camp showers before (the bag type), shutting off water when I’m not rinsing myself, and had water left over in the bag. And a camp shower could be hung from the shower head of an indoor shower. And most of the time, I could shower every other day. As far as the one gallon per day drinking water, that’s a worst case scenario. It really depends on the conditions, area of the country (less or more humid area), and how much physical work the person is doing.

    • My dad takes plastic jugs, like half-gallon orange juice jugs or gallon bleach bottles, and cuts off a portion of them where he has an open container on a handle (if that makes sense). When he needs to pee, he does so into the jug, then he goes outside and pours it on a fire ant bed or on weeds. haha I walked into his shop on him one day eons ago peeing into a bottle…..I closed the door back and hollered “couldn’t make it out back??” because he usually goes behind the shop instead of in the bathroom that is right there inside the shop (you men, I just dunno….). If I hadn’t caught him in the act, I wouldn’t have ever known his trick. Pretty ingenious use of an everyday function in keeping those biting buggers at bay…….we spend a small fortune on ant poison and weed killer around here as it is. 🙂 Guess my dad is doing his part in saving water and using only natural pesticides in the environment. Ha!

      • That’s one reason why I’m glad I moved from Florida to the Four Corners area of New Mexico almost 5 years ago. No fire ants. Plus few mosquitos, no love bugs, a lot fewer spiders, and lower humidity. 😉

  • You left out one of the single most important items, A weapon, an ammunition. No insult intended, but this “list” was apparently written by someone who has read a few books, and NOT by someone who has done any real “surviving”. You have left out so many truly IMPORTANT things, that it is simply SCARY!

    • I agree. I didn’t even notice that when I read it.

      Actually, where possible, a few weapons are best to have.

      A .22 LR for small game, preferably an easily back-packable takedown rifle like my Marlin Papoose or Ruger 10-22. I also have a Ruger Single Six .22LR/.22 Magnum with a 9.5″ barrel. These are good for common small to medium game.

      A good handgun for self defense. One that takes more than one caliber is best when ammo is scarce. Such as my S&W Model 60 .357 Magnum that also shoots .38 Special. And my S&W Governor, that shoots .410 shotgun, .45 Long Colt, and .45 ACP. Then I also have an FN FNX .45 ACP.

      At least one good shotgun, such as my Mossberg Model 500 12 gauge and my Mossberg .410 bolt action.

      A large game rifle in a common and easy to get caliber, including, but not limited to, .308 or 30-30. I have a Winchester 94 30-30. I also have an SKS that could be used to hunt with or for self defense, and ammo is pretty common for it.

      • I guess whether you need a gun or not depends on what type of situation you’re planning to be surviving.

        If it’s more about power grid failure and less about dissolution of the government, you might be fine. Still, I’m inclined to be on your side here. Easy-to-find caliber is the most important thing.

      • My weapons of choice are my Marlin .22lr, and My NAA .22 magnum mini for which I have both the magnum and the .22lr cylinders. Lets remember, I am very….very good with both weapons and am certain that there are few situations in which these 2 weapons would not suffice. Any other weapons, while maybe nice to have, are not what I would consider “necessary” If you are aware and continuously conscious of your surroundings, these 2 weapons can be plenty…without the need to carry large amounts of ammo for heavier calibers. I can carry 200 rounds of each .22 solid points, and .22 hollow-points along with 100 rounds for the magnum…withou breaking my back and leaving room in my pack for the rest of m supplies.

        • Keep in mind that I wouldn’t take all of those guns, although I might take more if I were driving versus hiking.

          If hiking, I’d take my Marlin Papoose for small to medium game. For protection, I’d take my S&W Model 60 with a 2 1/8th barrel, or my newly acquired Ruger GP100 Match Champion with a 4.2″ barrel.

          The Ruger would probably be the better choice for big animals that might attack, having an extra round over the Model 60, and delivering more energy with the longer barrel. And it wouldn’t weigh any more than my Single Six with it’s 9.5″ barrel and extra cylinder, plus it would be shorter.

          Being that I wouldn’t be shooting a .357 Magnum unless absolutely necessary, I’d carry the gun loaded and have two speed loaders loaded. I would have a little extra .357 ammo, but not a huge amount, probably no more than 30 rounds maximum including what’s in the gun and speed loaders.

          I have a fanny pack that straps around the waist and one leg that’ll fit either .357 and the ammo I’d have for it, plus a few extra items. So I wouldn’t need to have any of that in my backpack, and the .357 would be easier and faster to reach for.

          Having the Single Six would be nice, but with the advantage of the longer barrel in the Papoose, the Single Six in .22 Magnum probably wouldn’t have a huge advantage in downrange energy. Plus, the Papoose is definitely quieter than the Single Six while shooting with either cylinder.

          I do wish that Ruger, Marlin, or Savage would make a takedown .22 bolt action, as it would be less likely to have a failure, and wouldn’t be ammo sensitive like a semiauto can be. Although I haven’t yet had any jams, etc., the manual for the Papoose lists what brands and types of ammo works best,and it says what not to use. But a bolt action takedown would be able to shoot any .22 ammo except Magnums.

          • I’ve had my Marlin since the mid 1970’s… Never had a jam unless I was firing shorts LOL…Maybe that is because I take it apart and clean it every time I use it LOL. Love the semi… I can put 3 rounds in game before they even realize the first shot hit em.

          • There’s no doubt that they’re great guns. And I’m not saying that there will definitely be a failure or jam. But although I’m not against having a semiauto, a bolt action has less to go wrong. In a survival situation, less to go wrong is what I’d want.

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