Best Survival Kit

by John Wren

Always be prepared.  When you go venturing into the great outdoors, there’s no telling what might happen.  If you’re on a camping trip say, and have gone on a long hike in unfamiliar territory, you could find yourself lost or stranded.   And having the best possible survival kit can make all the difference in how that turns out for you.

We’re going to level with you – choosing a really good survival kit can be tricky and there’s a lot to think about and consider.  But we’re here to make this decision easier for you.  Coming up shortly we’ve got some reviews on our handpicked Top 5 survival kits, and after that there’s a handy buying guide where we’ve tried to include all the most important factors to consider.

Best Survival Kit – Reviews

Bestseller No. 1
Survival Kit, 250Pcs Survival Gear First Aid Kit with Molle System Compatible Bag and Emergency Tent, Emergency Kit for Earthquake, Outdoor Adventure, Hiking, Hunting, Gifts for Men Women
  • [250 in 1 Survival Kit]: Having an emergency kit is an important step to prepare and protect your and household for some unforeseen events. This emergency survival kit is specifically designed and...
  • [Basic First Aid Kit]: Designed to stow conspicuously, the included first aid supplies are packed in a extra bright red bag. It includes essential items such as tweezers, scissors and pins, would pad,...
  • [Portable Molle System Compatible Bag]: The 2022 upgraded emt bag was made of military grade water-resistant 1000D nylon with a size of 8” x 6.5” x 6''. You can attach it to other molle compatible...
  • [2022 Upgraded Version]: Nobody can count on friendly weather during an emergency. This kit can help you to deal with the worst. It is the most multifultional survival kit in the market, contains...
  • [Must Have Survival Gear]: All of the items have been tested to ensure they can withstand even the toughest emergencies and conditions, such as outdoor adventure, hunting, camping, hiking, travel,...
Bestseller No. 2
Survival Kit, Gifts for Men Dad Husband, Emergency Survival Gear and Equipment 19 in 1, Fishing Hunting Birthday for Men, Camping Accessories, Cool Gadget, Camping Essentials
  • Gifts for Men: For those who love the outdoors, this is sure to be a unique gift for fathers, husbands, boyfriends, scouts, cool gadgets, and Christmas stocking stuffers for birthdays, Valentine's...
  • 19-in-1 Survival Kit: This all-in-one survival kit contains everything any survivalist or outdoor enthusiast needs. 19-in-1 includes a 5-in-1 parachute cord bracelet, built-in compass, whistle,...
  • Easy-Carry & Lightweight: The box measures 8.2 x 5.1 x 2.7 inches, weighs only 1.8 pounds, and has a foam interior that is both waterproof and shockproof. Easy to carry and fits in any car, hiking...
  • Safe & Practical: This camping accessory is the perfect companion to be prepared for any emergency. It also helps you stay safe and secure while hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, backpacking, or...
  • Friendly Service: This survival kit will better reflect your love for your father/husband/boyfriend. If it doesn't meet your expectations or you have any questions, please contact us, and we will...
Bestseller No. 3
Survival Kits,222 PCS Emergency Survival Gear First Aid Kits with Molle System Compatible Bag Outdoor Camping Gear Emergency Kits for Hunting,Hiking,Fishing, Gifts for Men Women
  • Comprehensive Survival Gear&First Aid Kit:This kits provides the most popular survival necessities,such as Multifunctional Hatchet, 4 in 1 Folding Shovel,3-Mode Tactical Flashlight, Multifunctional...
  • Multifunctional Tactical Tools&Molle System Compatible: Most of the survival kit has the multiple uses, which can meet your different needs. MOLLE system attachment straps on the back + adjustable...
  • Compact Bag Design&Portable :Easy to carry, small and lightweight, can hold all the essential emergency supplies and survival tools (222pcs can be refilled when needed). The survival kit has just the...
  • High Quality&Wide Uses:Made of durable and premium quality material.This Survival Kit is great for firefighters, first aid personnel, hikers, campers, outdoor sports enthusiasts, etc. It is ideal for...
  • Best Gifts for Men& Women:A must-have survival first aid kit on your way to go any outdoor activity.Practical Survival Kits will be a perfect gift choices for Birthday,Father’s Day,housewarming,etc.
Bestseller No. 4
238Pcs Emergency Survival Kit and First Aid Kit, Professional Survival Gear Tool with Tactical Molle Pouch and Emergency Tent for Earthquake, Outdoor Adventure, Camping, Hiking, Hunting
  • 238 in 1 Survival Kit]: Taimasi emergency survival kit is unique in that it was specifically designed and curated by survival experts. The comprehensive survival system not only includes 22pcs...
  • [Practical Survival Gears For Any Emergency]: Providing many popular survival tools and essentials to survive in the wilderness or disasters. An knife and steel wire saw for cutting wood or bone; 4 in...
  • [Basic First Aid Kit]: Comes with a first aid kit with bright red bag which includes essential items such as tweezers, scissors and pins, bandages, would pad, bandage triangulaire, cotton buds etc....
  • [Lightweight & Convenient]: To keep your kit small and lightweight enough so you can carry it at all times, all the items comes in a camo bag with a size of 8” x 6.5” x 6”. It is made of 600D...
  • [Must Have Survival Gear]: Having an emergency kit can get you well-prepared in advance to emergencies during outdoor adventure, hunting, camping, hiking, travel, natural disasters such as earthquake,...
Bestseller No. 5
Survival Kit and First Aid Kit, 142Pcs Professional Survival Gear and Equipment with Molle Pouch, for Men Dad Husband Who Likes Camping Outdoor Adventure (Black)
  • 【Christmas gift ideas】 High-quality comprehensive emergency survival first aid equipment, best gifts for men, father, family, friends. You can enjoy a more relaxed and safe adventure with our...
  • 【A Must Have Survival First Aid Kit】LUXMOM survival kit is unique in that it was specifically designed by survival experts. The comprehensive survival kit not only includes 21pcs multipurpose...
  • 【Wide application range】This survival kit is great for firefighters, first aid personnel, hikers, campers, outdoor sports enthusiasts, etc. It is idea for car, ship, bicycles, motorcycles,...
  • 【Practical Survival Gears & First Aid Kit】LUXMOM emergency kit contains the most popular survival accessories: Hatchet, 3-mode flashlight, Multifunctional Card, Survival Bracelet, Dual-tube...
  • 【Compact Lightweight & Durable】All items are neatly arranged in a 600D nylon bag measuring 9 inches x 6 inches x 5 inches. Easy to carry, small and lightweight, can hold all the 142pcs emergency...
Bestseller No. 6
Survival Kit, 200 in 1, Gifts for Men Women Teenagers, Upgraded Survival First Aid Kit, Practical Tactical Gear Camping Tool Emergency Medical Supplies for Camping Hiking Fishing Home Office
  • 【Perfect Christmas gifts Idea】The 200 in 1 survival first aid kit can meet your different needs in identifying direction, emergencies and medical care. It’s an essential tool box in daily life,...
  • 【Advanced Comprehensive Survival First Aid Kit】This is a comprehensive survival first aid kit, equipped with professional survival gear, essential emergency medical supplies, popular fishing tool,...
  • 【High-quality Camping Gear & Popular Fishing Tool】Our survival kits equip with 10 practical and high quality camping accessories and 14 popular fishing tools, 15 in 1 hatchet, folding shovel and...
  • 【20 Kinds Essential Emergency Medical Supplies】The first aid kit contains 20 kinds of emergency medical supplies, bandage triangulaire, iodine pads, sting relief prep pad, non-woven medical tape,...
  • 【Portable Compatible Molle Pouch】 All the tactical camping gears and emergency medical supplies are neatly arranged in a 600D nylon molle pouch measuring 8 x 6 x 4.5 inches. Lightweight and...
Bestseller No. 7
ABPIR 170 PCS Survival Kits, Survival First Aid Kit, Trauma Kit with Essential Survival Gear Emergency Medical Supplies for Hiking Camping Backpacking Outdoor Adventure, Gifts for Christmas Him Dad
  • 【A Must-have for Bug Out Bag】ABPIR emergency survival first aid kit contains 170pcs professional practical tactical survival tools and essential first aid supplies, that can meet your different...
  • 【Multiple Survival Gear and Equipment】170pcs survival kits contain: many multi purpose tactical gears, like survival bracelet, folding shovel and pick, 14 in 1 hatchet, wire saw, multifunctional...
  • 【Essential Emergency Medical Supplies】The tactical trauma kit contains 120pcs essential first aid supplies, like bandages, PBT bandage, tourniquet, cotton swabs, safety pins, non-woven medical...
  • 【Compatible and Portable】 The military grade MOLLE medical pouch is made of 1000D nylon, which is lightweight and waterproof. Inside the bag, there are three large compartments and several straps,...
  • 【Thoughtful Gift Ideas】The 170pcs survival first aid kit is suitable for any outdoor activities, and is suitable for men women kids. With its wide range of applications and practicality, the...
Bestseller No. 8
Emergency Radio with NOAA Weather Alert, Portable Solar Hand Crank AM/FM Radio for Survival,Rechargeable Battery Powered Radio,USB Charger,Flashlight,Reading Lamp,for Home Outdoor
  • 【NOAA Weather Alert Radio Keeps You Prepared Ahead】Our NOAA Weather Radio is certified by National Weather Service. Choose WB band and one of the 7 preset weather band to tune into your local...
  • 【AM FM Shortwave Radio with Earphone Jack-Best Listening Experience】Easy to tune into your favorite broadcast, AM Radio(520-1710 Khz); FM Band(88-108MHz); SW Radio(7-19.00 MHZ). The crank radio...
  • 【5 Power Sources-Long Runtime】This 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 is ready and save your life in emergency. Built-in 5000 rechargeable battery, the...
  • 【All-in-One Portable Radio with LED Flashlight/Reading Lamp】Our 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 is also designed for outdoor survival- provides 2 light sources.The side...
  • 【Versatile for Emergency】Built in USB output port, this 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 can charge more than one cellphone for important calls or...
Bestseller No. 9
Weshaso Waterproof Matches Survival Kit, Stormproof Matches with Case, 20pcs Stormproof Fire Starter, Emergencys Fire Starter Matches for Hiking Camping Outdoor Survival (100pcs), 5Pcs
  • 🔥【Windproof Matches】Camping Matches can be easily ignited even in strong winds, which overcomes the electronic and mechanical failures of windproof lighters in the cold environment.
  • 🔥【Waterproof Matches】After burning, Waterproof Matches can be continuously immersed in water for several times and still continue to burn after being taken out of the water.
  • 🔥【Sturdy Protective Box】Windproof Matches are made of strong and durable material, which is resistant to falling and wear, not easy to deform, and plays an effective protective role.
  • 🔥【Extensive Application】Weatherproof Matches are easy to use and are not affected by the weather. It is an essential practical tool for outdoor camping, picnics, excursions.
  • 🔥【High Security】Survival Matches is not easy to ignite spontaneously, and has strong safety performance. Waterproof matches are more useful than ordinary matches and are much larger.

Best Survival Kit – Buyers Guide

Your starting point in deciding what kit to get should be based on what you can anticipate needing.  You will need to determine what sort of uses you might have for it and take your decision from there, as this will inform what items you’ll need in the kit, and ultimately then which kit best suits your needs.

When you’re lost or in danger there are some things that become more important than others.  You need food, water, shelter from the elements, ways of identifying where you are, and ways of alerting people to your whereabouts.  Or if you’re hurt you will be in need of some first aid.  If it’s dark, you’ll need a flashlight.

And on that note, let’s move onto our next section.

Items you may want to see included

One of the more central decisions to make is whether you want food and drink included in your survival kit.

When it comes to water, which is hands down an essential, a bottle of water, or several bottles, can at times be heavy to carry around, especially if you have a lot of other gear to carry.  To that end you may wish your kit to include a water filtration system or purification tablets.

You may want to get a campfire going, whether to cook food or simply keep warm.  Or you could perhaps have an emergency blanket to keep warm.

Or to protect yourself from the weather, you may make good use from an emergency tent, a fold-up emergency blanket, or ponchos.

In terms of first aid items, you might want to consider sterile gauze wound dressings, something to keep the dressings or bandages in place and antiseptic wipes to clean up any wounds.

With regards to alerting others to your presence and whereabouts for a rescue mission, your options include a good old fashioned whistle, or to be more visible, a flashlight would work well, or even a glow stick.

Many outdoor survival kits can also feature a compass, which can be super handy for hiking trips where there’s no GPS gadgets at hand.

Size and Weight

Ultimately the size of your survival depends on what types of emergencies you intend to prepare for.

If your survival kit is intended primarily for outdoor use, then you may also be concerned about the kit’s size and weight.  You might want to fit into a backpack and/or carry it long distances on foot.  Fortunately many survival kits are put together with this in mind, including several in our Top 5 picks.

If your emergency involves waiting out some sort of danger, while you shelter in an enclosed space, then again the size of your kit can also become a factor to consider, say if you were laying low in a camping tent not knowing if there are potentially dangerous animals in the surrounding area.

It goes without saying, the more people you have with you, the more items you may need in terms of food, water and shelter.  But on the other hand, you also have more carrying power for any items you want to take or include.  You could have one person carry the food and water and another carrying a first aid kit and an emergency tent.

Cost

Survival kits can vary quite considerably in their price point, but it’s important to note that cheaper doesn’t always mean better.  Instead what you should focus on is ensuring that you have every item that you may need.  In fact once you’ve found your ideal survival kit, you may also see fit to pay for one or two more things besides.  Which brings us onto our next section.

Additional Items you may need that aren’t typically found in a survival kit

Certain modern items can come in very handy when you find yourself stranded outdoors, and you definitely won’t get them all in a standard survival kit.

To alert others to your emergency, a cell phone with a good signal can be a godsend.  Similarly, to ascertain exactly where you are, a really good item would be one that features GPS tracking.  It doesn’t need to be anything bulky, you can get some great watches that feature GPS tracking, often with other handy features for hikers.  You may also be interested in a water filtration bottle.

When it comes to using modern gadgets outdoors, you may also want to think about whether they need a portable power supply, such as batteries.  Or solar powered gadgets could be another alternative.

For hikers, we would also recommend taking a fold-up map of the area if possible, particularly if there are no GPS gadgets at hand.

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