Survival kit – the short answer
A survival kit is a small set of tools that fits in your pocket. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department (lt72.lt) describes it as a kit for when you lose all your other belongings. Its standard contents, according to the department's recommendations: fishing gear, fire-lighting tools, a candle, a small knife and a compass. The kit is put together individually – around what you know how to use.
A survival kit is not the same thing as a go-bag. The go-bag is meant for 72 hours, and the kit is just one part of it.
Survival kit vs go-bag
A go-bag is a backpack or bag with the essentials for the first 72 hours, while help is being organised. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department recommends one for every family member and checking its contents at least twice a year. It holds documents, clothes, medicines, food, water, things for sleeping and electronics.
A survival kit is the smallest and last reserve. It has to stay with you even when the bag is gone: in a pocket, a belt pouch or your vest.
What to put in a survival kit
It's easiest to think not about the items, but about what they have to let you do.
Light a fire
A fire steel (flint) and some tinder. A fire steel works even when wet, but you need to know how to use it – practise at home or in camp, not for the first time in an emergency. The M-Tac Tactical Fire Starter, for example, has a magnesium-alloy body and an 8 mm rod.
Cut and repair
A small knife or scalpel, a wire saw, a needle and thread, a few metres of cord. Paracord works both as cord and as thread – there's more on it in the guide on how to choose paracord.
Find your way and signal
A compass, a whistle and a small mirror. A whistle can be heard further away than your voice, and it takes less effort. You'll find a choice of compasses in the compasses category.
Get food
A fishing kit: line, a few hooks, a weight. It takes up little space, so it's in almost every ready-made kit.
Keep warm
It won't fit in your pocket, but it does belong in your go-bag: a thermal blanket or an emergency sleeping bag. The M-Tac Emergency Rescue Thermal Blanket is 160 × 210 cm; the Fox Outdoor Emergency Sleeping Bag is about 210 × 90 cm and weighs about 160 g. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department's list also includes hand and foot warmers.
Ready-made kits: what each one contains
Mil-Tec Survival Kit Paracord
The smallest – 47 g. Inside: fishing weights, 2 hooks, 2 floats, 2 fishing lines, 2 pieces of tinder, a flint, a scalpel, aluminium foil, a carabiner and 3 m of parachute cord. There's no compass. Mil-Tec Survival Kit Paracord
Mil-Tec Paracord Survival Kit Large
More complete: a carabiner, 2 pieces of tinder, a fire starter, a wire saw, a compass, a whistle, a fishing kit, 2 plasters, a small knife, a card-shaped multi-tool, foil and 12 m of paracord braided into a bracelet. Mil-Tec Paracord Survival Kit Large
Texar Waterproof Survival Tin
In a waterproof 13 × 7.5 × 4 cm tin: a compass, a flint, a wire saw, hooks, fishing line, a needle, thread, a small mirror and a cotton ball for lighting a fire. Texar Waterproof Survival Tin
You'll find all the kits in the survival kits category, and individual items in the survival gear category.
What a ready-made kit doesn't include
- First aid. Plasters won't stop severe bleeding. For that you need a tourniquet and bandages – see the IFAK guide.
- Water. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department counts 6 litres per person for 72 hours. It also recommends keeping water purification tablets or a filter in your go-bag.
- Light. A headlamp leaves both hands free – see our flashlights.
- Rain protection. A poncho or shelter cape – see our ponchos.
Most important: knowing how to use it
The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department advises choosing items you know how to use. Hooks without fishing skills, or a fire steel you've never tried, won't help you in an emergency. Before you put the kit in your pocket, try out every item in it at least once.
Frequently asked questions
Is it enough to buy a ready-made kit?
It's a good start, but it's worth adding to the kit to suit you: a compass if there isn't one, extra tinder, your own medicines. And try out what's inside.
Where should I keep a survival kit?
On you: in a pocket, a belt pouch or your vest. Its job is to stay with you when you no longer have your bag.
How is a survival kit different from an IFAK?
An IFAK is a personal first-aid kit for stopping severe bleeding. A survival kit is for fire, direction, signalling and food. One doesn't replace the other.
How often should I check it?
The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Department recommends checking a go-bag at least twice a year. It's worth doing the same with the kit: tinder gets damp and plasters age.
A quick way to choose
- Want the smallest – the Mil-Tec Survival Kit Paracord plus a separate compass.
- Want everything in one – the Mil-Tec Paracord Survival Kit Large.
- Need the contents to stay dry – the Texar Waterproof Survival Tin.
- Whichever you choose, add: an IFAK, water, a light, a thermal blanket.