survival tools preparation outside emergency kit first aid
This should cover it. (Jim Golden)

The 35-Piece Ultimate Survival Kit

Prepare yourself for the worst with the smartest survival tools around.

survival tools preparation outside emergency kit first aid

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

What's the price of safety? $9,340! Whether you're bugging out, sheltering in place, or just stocking up your bunker, these tools will help you ride out any emergency in style.

1. Pack the bomb-proof North Face Base Camp XL duffel with food, cash, batteries, and warm clothes, and stash it in your trunk. $170 

2. Duct tape. Seal doors and windows in the event of a chemical spill, or safely remove glass shards from broken windows. $5 

3. Outdoor Products 9.5-by-12-foot tarp. Use it as a shelter, a rain trap, and even a makeshift raft. $60

4. Trash bags. Stuff them with leaves to make a warm blanket. $8 for 25 

5. Strong synthetic rope. $7 for 50 feet of three-millimeter cord 

6. A multitool like the Leatherman Charge TTi is ideal for small repairs. $170

7. Kitty litter. Portable traction anywhere. $12 for 26 pounds

8. Black Diamond’s Evac 7 shovel is light and compact but tough enough for heavy snow. $80 

9. The Sierra Designs Zissou 23 sleeping bag dries quickly and compresses into a 15-inch stuffsack. $230 

10. Stave off rain and cold with the Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Lite bivy sack. $40

11. The supercompact Adventure Medical Kits Tactical Field Trauma pack has all you need to stabilize fractures and dress wounds. $48

12. The Iridium Go gives you Wi-Fi and sat service anywhere on the planet. $875 (plus monthly subscription fee) 

13. For NOAA alerts, use solar energy (or the hand crank) to power the Etón FRX5 Weather Alert radio. A USB port charges your tablet or phone, and an integrated flashlight doubles as an emergency beacon. $130 

14. Keep a pair of lightweight hiking boots, like La Sportiva’s Omega GTX, in your car. $240

15. Probars are among the very few nutrient-dense organic meal-replacement options that don’t taste like rope. $36 for 12 

16. Fiber-optic sights and a 225-yard range make the Trumark FSX-2000 slingshot a handy deterrent and hunting tool. $25 

17. With its steel ax head, hammer, and pry bar, Gerber’s Downrange tomahawk will bust down doors or cut firewood. $285

18. The Delta Stormproof lighter has a flame that can withstand 80-mile-per-hour winds. $60

19. Water. A three-gallon jug is another car essential. $14

20. If you have to evac by bike, Cogburn’s CB4 fat bike has 3.8-inch-wide tires for all types of terrain and a rack-mounted scabbard for stashing a bow, rifle, or fishing rod. $1,899 (bike) and $130 (scabbard)

21. Even if civilization doesn’t crumble, you might run out of food. A rifle like Kimber’s Mountain Ascent .30-06 weighs just five pounds but is powerful enough for big game. $2,040

22. Princeton Tec’s Apex rechargeable headlamp flashes a 275-lumen beam up to 390 feet. $149

23. Navigate your flooded neighborhood with the Alpacka pack raft, which deflates into a five-pound pouch. $783

24. The LifeStraw Family water purifier filters 12 liters an hour through hollow-fiber technology and is good for 18,000 liters. $76

25 and 26. Synced up to the Iridium Go (#12), an iPad Air is your portal to the functioning world. $500. Protect it from zombies and volcanic ash with the Otterbox Defender Series case. $100

27 and 28. Goal Zero’s Yeti 400 solar generator charges your gadgets, and the foldable Nomad panels deliver 20 watts of power. $460 (charger) and $200 (panels)

29. Peanut butter. $12 for two 40-ounce jars

30. The ultralight and compact Jetboil Joule stove boils a quart of water in less than three minutes. $200

31. Load up on Mountain House food pouches. We like the Long Grain and Wild Rice Pilaf. $7 each

32. Sleep soundly above the mud on an über-tough, five-pound Helinox Cot One. $300

33. Sometimes the safest thing to do is stay put. $4

34. The Prepper’s Workbook. The checklists for earthquakes and wildfires are helpful; the sections on defense perimeters and hand-to-hand combat are irresistible. $15

35. Because thinking like Rambo doesn’t have to mean looking like him. $30

From Outside Magazine, Oct 2014
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Lead Photo: Jim Golden
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