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Yesterday during an interview with Jim Paris I was asked about survival gear. It’s a massive topic and it can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. It’s safe to recommend stocking up food and at least two weeks worth of bottled water. The same goes for essential emergency supplies, but people want specifics and these lists can be massive, overwhelming.
For those new to modern survival I recommend starting with the core items behind such philosophy: The items you are most likely to use during an emergency, meaning the ones you will have on your person. This is what we call EDC, everyday carry items. Now here too it can get a bit intense but I do have a tip for you.
Just start with your keychain.
Everyone carries one. It’s an item you will have with you no matter what and a few carefully selected items can keep the total volume and weight down while making sure critical tools are always available. I’ve had this setup for years and ended up with it after years of trial and error. I guarantee you will be using all of these more often than you’d think.
These are the items I recommend you have in your keychain.
1)Flashlight.
I currently keep a Thrunite Ti in my keychain, but if you want to spend a bit more and buy premium quality look for the Surefire Titan.
2)Knife/Multitool.
Pretty basic right? You gotta have a knife. Better yet have a knife and a bunch of small tools. After years of use I recommend either a Leatherman Squirt PS4 or a Victorinox Minichamp, the Minichamp being my personal favourite although the PS4 is objectively as good, maybe better for certain applications.
3)USB Flash drive.
SanDisk Cruzer Fit $9.78
Keep
one with your important work files, copies of documents and other
important papers and family photos and videos. The Sandisk is a good way
to go given that their encryption software is pretty good and allows
for the creation of password protected vaults, meaning you can safely
use the Flash drive for everyday use too.4)Lighter
Fire being a quintessential survival tool I believe you should have a lighter or at the very least fire starting tools. A ferrocerium rod is suitable for repeated outdoors use, but a lighter provides a quicker flame when needed. This is the one I have, a titanium peanut lighter. Pretty great and totaly worth it.
5)Mini Prybar
Its small, light and compact. A small prybar can spare the relatively fragile blade in your keychain tool. For years I had the Vox bar from Boker. Currently I’m using a tiny Pico bar. Either one will serve you well.
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.
2 comments:
flashlight, knife, and lighter i agree.
if the EDC number is 5 items, then i would
add a bandana/handkerchief/towel and some
duct tape.
I would also add a whistle. I like the Acme 636 Tornado Slimline in Luminous or Day-Glo. It's SOLAS (lifeboat) rated and small. I once heard a fireman say the best things to carry on you to survive a fire are a strong flash light and a loud whistle.
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