Emergency situations can happen anywhere, at any time. Some parts of the world are afflicted with bad weather and prone to natural disasters. But it doesn’t require a dangerous situation for an emergency to occur. Bad luck, bad timing and bad preparation are all it takes. Having survival gear on hand at all times keeps people safe.
The types of emergencies that people should prepare for can include things like having no electricity for days because of a power outage. It can mean being prepared if there is a flood or a hurricane. Emergencies might also involve tornadoes, forest fires and sudden blizzards on a highway. But the fact remains that emergencies might also involve a house fire, a tire going flat while four-by-four driving in the mountains, or becoming lost on a camping trip. There are fifteen pieces of survival gear that will help a person in almost any emergency situation.
The first thing to keep available in case of an emergency is a map. It should be a topographical map with features. Not only should there be a map but there should also be someone who knows how to read it. Having a compass or GPS receiver would also help if possible. A flashlight is the second piece of emergency equipment. It’s dangerous to wander around in the dark. Along with both of these, an emergency pack should have extra dehydrated food, for energy purposes. It may not seem like survival gear per se but without energy, people often find they have no strength to help themselves.
What about extra clothing? You might think that what you have on is perfectly fine for a day of adventure. However, if there is an emergency, you might need the extra clothing. Even deserts get amazingly cold late at night and wearing layers is a good thing. You can use clothes for other purposes too, if the need arises. You have to stay warm and dry as much as possible. Rain gear can protect you from the wind as well as the rain, and can double as an insulating blanket or a shelter in a pinch. Sunglasses too are part of survival gear. How many times have you tried to see into the distance, in the direction of the sun, and found yourself blinded by the light reflecting off snow, water or fog? You have to be able to see clearly because your rescue could be right over that next hill.
A simple first aid kit is also important to include when packing emergency supplies. It should be able to handle simple cuts and burns and possible snakebite and allergic reactions. Another item to add to the survival gear list is the all important multi-purpose tool. This might have pliers, a knife, tweezers, things that could be invaluable when a person is in dire straits. And the ninth thing to include when packing survival gear is some means to start a fire. Water proof matches or a firesteel rod that will shower sparks onto a pile of dry tinder are ideal.
Normally people aren’t planning on staying lost forever. It’s better to be safe than sorry when packing an emergency kit of survival gear. Be sure to add some way to make water safe to drink. There are disinfection kits available but there are other methods to use too, like solar methods that turn water into condensation that can be collected safely for drinking and cooking. A whistle is another important piece of the kit. Being able to make noise without much effort, and a noise that will be heard for a long distance, could be critical to being rescued.
An emergency shelter doesn’t have to be a big tent that takes up a lot of room. A simple tarp or space blanket can be made into a shelter using branches and logs, rocks to hold the corners down, or even pressed against a snow shelter for extra dryness and insulation. Add to the list of necessary items twenty five feet or more of cording. This can be parachute cord or simple rope but it’s a must-have for survival gear. The fourteenth item to add to an emergency kit is insect repellant of some kind. No one wants to be lost forever and eventually there will be a return to civilization. If its possible, avoid mosquitoes and ticks that might be infected with parasites or other diseases, by packing bug spray.
Your survival gear is meant to help you survive and endure any emergency. Unexpected weather or disasters can take a toll on the strongest person’s sense of morale. The final tool in your survival kit must be your will to live. In the dark, in the night, in the middle of nowhere, it’s easy to want to give up. But with a strong will to survive, and all the right survival gear packed in your kit, it is also easy to choose to live. Never give up five minutes before the miracle.
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