Survival Pocket Knives – Our Top 10

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Survival pocket knives can have many uses in a Bug Out Bag, survival kit, or as every day carry items. They are great tools that combine the nearly limitless utility of a knife with compact size and lower weight. Some people may choose to carry a survival pocket knife as a back up to a larger blade while others may choose to keep one as their main knife. Either way, having one can be a great addition to any kit. Here we will look at a few survival pocket knives and explain what makes one great for your survival situation.

We will examine features, utility, and size, as well as take a closer look at a few that we chose as Our Picks for best in class.

Our Top 10 Survival Pocket Knives

We have created this helpful comparison chart of the best survival pocket knives out there. Click on the images below to go to the Amazon page for more information on each of these knives.

Knife	Length	Weight	Seatbelt Cutter	Glass Breaker	Gut Hook
Smith & Wesson Border Guard 2 Rescue Knife	10"	8.8oz	Yes	Yes	No
Gerber E-Z Out Jr Knife	5.5"	1.7oz	No	No	No
SOG Specialty Knives & Tools Escape Knife	8.2"	4.8oz	Yes	Yes	No
Wartech 8" Assisted Open Folding Tactical Survival Pocket Knife	8"	~8oz	Yes	Yes	No
CRKT Graham Folding Razel Knife	~8"	6.1oz	No	No	No
CRKT M-21	6.6"	4.8oz	No	No	No
GERBER Paraframe II Tanto Knife	9.5"	4.3oz	No	No	No
Spyderco Tenacious G	7.76"	4.8oz	No	No	No
Buck Knives Folding Omni Hunter Knife	9"	4.6oz	No	No	Yes
CRKT Kommer Free Range Hunter Folding Lockback	8.9"	4.4oz	No	No	Yes

What Are Qualities of GREAT Survival Pocket Knives?

When I am researching survival pocket knives to add to my kit I search for the following qualities:

Compact and lightweight

I am most likely going to be carrying my survival pocket knife a lot. It will be an alternative to carrying one of my larger knives and I will want to maximize the advantages present in this type of knife. There is no point carrying around a pocket knife that is as heavy and takes up as much space as a fixed blade knife. Because of this I look for folding survival pocket knives that are made of lighter materials such as strong plastics or have a skeleton design to save weight. I also will want a knife that is 5 inches or less when folded so I can fit in in a pocket or on a belt.

One handed opening

This is a big one for me, I do not want a knife that I may need to use in a hurry in a survival situation that has a NASA-level of complexity for opening it up.

I want to be able to open the blade one handed with either hand. The knife making industry has recognized the utility of this type of feature and has attempted to answer it in many ways. There is the large thumb hole present in Spyderco knives that many people like but my favorite is the “Carson Flipper” present on CRKT knives, including my EDC choice of the M-21. This is a nub on the back side of the knife that you press with your index finger that lets the blade pivot around the hinge and snap into place with a satisfying click. It can be done instantly with either hand. It is so fast in fact that I have a friend that insists on calling it an “assisted opening”, although there are no springs involved.

Be sure you can open your survival pocket knife with either hand when making your choice, you never know what you may need to hold (or hold off) with your other hand when accessing your tool.

Good locking mechanism

The downfall of cheap folders is that they can fail and close on their owner’s hand at the worst possible time.

A good locking mechanism is essential when selecting a survival tool that you are planning on relying on. Once again, this need has been addressed in many ways by the knife making industry and there are a lot of options out there. Most of the better survival pocket knives will have multiple, redundant locking mechanisms that will basically turn your folder into a fixed blade knife while engaged.

Save your hands and make sure you have a reliable, fool-proof locking mechanism in your survival pocket knife.

High quality construction

As with any survival tool spending a little more on quality goes a long way on improving your odds. Name brand knives from quality manufacturers such as CRKT, Gerber, Spyderco, Buck, and SOG will hold their edge longer, be less likely to have their hinge bind, and stand up to dropping and banging better than the cheap pieces of garbage you see on eBay. Signs of quality to look for are:

Components are screwed or bolted on, not glued together
Fluid opening and closing motion of the blade
Easy to sharpen, holds an edge well
Reliable locking mechanism
Ergonomic grip that is comfortable and discourages your hand slipping onto the blade
Good quality steel or composite metal, check out a comparison of metal types here.

Other Features to Consider For Survival Pocket Knives

Finding a good knife with a simple straight blade is a great start and will be a good, reliable tool to have. My EDC knife is just this and has served me well for many years. However, if you are interested in tailoring your survival pocket knife to your particular survival situation consider these options that are available from many manufacturers:

Survival Pocket Knife Features for Urban Survival

Seatbelt/line cutter – This will let you get out of a vehicle faster if you enter a survival scenario during your commute. This is frequently incorporated by way of a narrow cutout on the back of the knife that is used when the blade is folded in that lets you slide materials in but is too small to accidentally get your hand or fingers in danger.
Glass breaker – This will assist your evacuation from a vehicle or building in an urban survival situation. Easily shatter the glass and go.
Pry tip – This is usually a flat tip (instead of a pointed one) on thicker type blades that allows you to jimmy open doors and containers. It is a tough trade off to make as you will be sacrificing the survival pocket knife’s ability to stab and poke but may be worth it if this is a secondary knife in your kit.

Survival Pocket Knife Features for Wilderness Survival

Partial serration – This gives the benefits of both straight edge and serrated knives if you go for a combo blade. Serration allows for faster cutting of rope, hide, bone, and wood, all things you may be facing in a wilderness survival scenario.
Gut hook – This will speed up your ability to dress wild game that you catch. Many hunting and fishing knives have this feature but if a survival pocket knife is going to be your go-to blade, including this feature will be useful for wilderness survival.

Photo credit: – scott feldstein Flickr

Our Picks for Best Survival Pocket Knives

Any of the survival pocket knives listed above would make a great addition to any survival kit as either a primary or backup blade. However, Our Pick for best in class goes to the Smith & Wesson Border Guard 2 Rescue Knife for best urban survival knife and the CRKT Kommer Free Range Hunter Folding Lockback for best wilderness survival knife. They both combine the essential features that we discussed for their respective survival scenarios with a great basic blade and very high quality.

Conclusion

Although there are a great many survival pocket knives on the market, you can see here that it is not hard to find the best one for your survival situation. Be sure to consider essential features such as size & weight, ease of opening, quality, reliability, and tailor any special features to your survival scenario. If you want to learn more about basic survival skills check out our post. If you are ready to build your Bug Out Bag list, click here to use our free tool.

Your Thoughts?

Have you used any on the survival pocket knives that we examined here? Are there any features that you look for when researching survival pocket knives? Please let us know using the Comments Section below, thanks!

Guest Post: Top 3 Bug Out Bag Items Most People Forget About

Top 3 Bug Out Bag Items Most People Forget About

When you hear the term, “bug out bag,” most people think of a whole laundry list of items that they believe must be in their bug out bags.

Here are the most common things people add to their bug out bags:

Weapons (guns, ammunition, knives, etc)
Ammunition
Food
Water cleaning equipment
First aid solutions
Shelter equipment
Paracord
Fire starting equipment

These are all very necessary when it comes to a bug out bag, but I think we’re missing a few key ingredients to a well mannered survival kit. I’ve been the owner of www.SurvivalBlog.org for the last 5 years, and I believe that every bug out bag needs to contain these three items in addition to the normal survival gear.

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #1: A Meat Thermometer

I’m an avid hunter and constantly am using my meat thermometer for everything from chicken to wild hog – I never would leave home without one.

In a grid-down, survival situation, you’ll be needing to use this meat thermometer way more often than you would in the comfort of your own home.

Remember: just about all meat can be eaten once it reaches about 165 degrees, but here’s some more information on meat:

Fish – 145 degrees
Poultry – 165 degrees
Ground meat – 165 degrees

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #2: Remington Oil

Remington Oil (Rem Oil) is a huge necessity in the field – and lots of it. Not only can you clean your firearms, but you can also maintain your other survival tools.

Remington Oil protects guns, knives, forks, spoons – or any other metal device.

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #3: Bring Your Papers

During a SHTF situation, you won’t know if there will still be records around.

You might need to prove you own your own property, are married, or anything else.

It’s important to have copies of birth certificates, wedding certificates, tax receipts, land deeds, insurance documents, and other papers during a survival situation. When law and order is re-established, you might need to prove your very existence.

Your Thoughts?

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! Can you think of any survival items that are often overlooked? Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

Author Bio:

Andy Hallinan is an avid survivalist and owner of the second most trafficked survival blog in North America. Check out more of his stuff at www.survivalblog.org

Every Day Carry List – Assessing Threats and Choosing Your EDC Items

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Hopefully, by now, you’ve devised your bug out plan and have packed your bug out bag using our bug out bag list.

Awesome, you are now better prepared than the overwhelming majority of the populace. But what survival tools should you have in your every day carry kit?

Here we will look at what a survival minded person could have on their every day carry list that would help prepare them to deal with dynamic situations that may arise in everyday life.

What is an Every Day Carry List?

An every day carry list is a set of items that you have with you under most scenarios (at all times if possible) that helps you be prepared at a moment’s notice to deal both daily situations as well as be ready to survive in emergency situations. These items may be designed to aid your survival on their own, or they may be there to help you get to a safe location or back home. It can be made up of a wide variety of items and should be tailored to your lifestyle, locality, and probable threats.

Ideally, the items on an every day carry list will be small both in number and size and will be possible to carry on your person without an extra bag or container to lug around. There are some people however that do choose to carry the items on their every day carry list in a specific EDC bag and others who prefer to consolidate this kit into fewer, more flexible items such as those covered in our 10 Best Multi-Purpose Survival Tools post.

What should be on YOUR Every Day Carry List?

1. Things You Carry With You Already

This is important to review for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they probably reveal some of your basic day-to-day needs which give us insight into what your greater every day carry (EDC) needs may be. Secondly, if you are already carrying an item with you, you would not need to replicate its uses or functions elsewhere. Or perhaps you can modify one of these items to make it a better EDC tool without adding another piece into your EDC kit. Keeping an every day carry list simple and light is key.

Wallet – I need my ID and cash daily. I can’t leave home without this.
Keys – Can’t leave home without these unless I want to climb through the window to get back in! I am going to add a “Grenade” Survival Kit Key Fob to my keyring, which comes with more paracord and a fire starting kit.
Phone – I always have my phone on me to contact loved ones or the authorities in the event of an emergency. To improve this, I am going to load PDFs onto it with critical documents and a map of my local area in case I need to access these while the phone network is unavailable. I am also going to slip a razor blade and a laminated hard copy of that same map in the space between the case and the back of the phone as backups. If you do this, don’t forget to remove the blade before going through a security checkpoint at an airport!
Watch – A friend once told me “Never trust someone who doesn’t have a watch.” It is an item that many of us carry every day. Some ways we can supercharge this into an EDC survival tool is to add a compass or use a paracord woven watch band. If you do not want to add a compass, you can learn to use your watch as a navigation tool.

2. Things That Would Help With Frequently Encountered Problems

Do you have problems that you face repeatedly? Is there a potential problem that has a high probability of occurring in your normal day or commute? Is there something that you frequently use that has the potential to break? Having an EDC item that could assist in these situations would make your life easier generally and be of great help when the high potential risks become a reality.

Folding Knife – I have to frequently cut cardboard and plastic at work, but this would also be good if I was in a more office based role where I would be dealing with staples or opening letters. You cannot go wrong with the Kershaw Blur Folding Knife with a Partial Serrated Blade that I have been carrying with me for years and it still is razor sharp and can be easily opened with one hand. A small yet powerful addition to an every day carry list. Check out our in-depth article on How To Pick The Best EDC Knife.
Flashlight – I am in a dark parking lot daily that this will help out with that. It will also be useful in case of a blackout or a fire. A good LED flashlight (check out our article here on picking the best EDC flashlight) is also powerful enough to signal for help and small enough to fit in a pocket and can also double as a self-defense tool. We love the Fenix PD35.
Multitool – A multitool is the jack-of-all-trades of the tools that you can carry with you every day. You can get a full-fledged multitool such as the Leatherman Skeletool or opt for a lower profile tool that has less functionality by carrying a credit card multitool that fits in your wallet.

3. Things That Would Help With Rare and High Consequence Problems

This is a category of items that needs to be risk assessed versus threats in your area. They are meant to cover potential problems that are low probability to occur but if they did, would have a severe consequence. We will go over performing a risk assessment below, but a brief example would be if you ride in a vehicle to work every day. For this activity, there is a very low probability of needing to escape the train, bus, or car but if there was a crash and you needed to exit quickly, there would be severe consequences of not being able to do so. In this case having a glass breaking Tactical Pen or a seatbelt cutter would make a huge difference towards improving your chances of survival. Tools of this nature are what make up this category.

Tactical Pen – A Tactical Pen is a high-grade metal pen that can double as a self-defense tool and glass breaking aid. I constantly need a pen at work so carrying this with me will not be adding an unnecessary item that I will rarely use. This is more of an upgrade to meet a daily need with the capability to address the rare but high consequence situation of defending yourself in the event of a personal attack. The Gerber Impromptu is an excellent choice for this although we cover several great options in our Tactical Pen buying guide.
Pry tool – This will help me open doors and containers in the event of a car accident or a problem in my workplace or home. There are many options out there for this, the best one I found is the Boker Minibar Blade which excels in function, having both a pry tip and lever tool, but is a bit rough on the wallet. A cheaper option would be the Key Chain Pry Tool by Schrade.
Paracord – Paracord is awesome as it is light, strong, and will not rot. It has nearly as many uses as duct tape. I would not be looking to carry around enough to make a rope ladder or anything as complicated as that but having some at my disposal if I need to splint a broken bone or tie an emergency shelter down would be handy. There are a lot of options for paracord bracelets and other wearable items, such as The Friendly Swede Paracord Bracelet as it comes with a metal clasp that doubles as an emergency fire starter.

Our Favorite Every Day Carry Gear

Folding Knife: Kershaw Blur Folding Knife with a Partial Serrated Blade
Flashlight: Fenix PD35 Flashlight
Multitool: Leatherman Skeletool
Tactical Pen: Gerber Impromptu
Pry Tool: Boker Minibar Blade
Paracord Wearable: The Friendly Swede Paracord Bracelet

For some more ideas, be sure to check our 10 Best Multi Purpose Survival Tools post for some other versatile EDC items.

How To Assess Risk

Rating the relative risks of threats in your locality is a good way to judge whether an item is worth including in you every day carry list or even your bug out bag contents.

The basic process for this is to judge each threat on two criteria:

Probability – What are the chances of the threat occurring? Is it something that is highly probable (like slipping and falling on ice), which you see once a week or several times per month? Is it low probability (like an earthquake), which you would expect to see maybe once per year or every several years? Is it somewhere in between such as a car accident? Rate the probability of threats occurring realistically from your own experience and what has occurred historically in your locality.
Potential Impact – What would the impact be if the threat actually happened? Would it be mild and easy to overcome? Would it send people to the hospital? Does it have the potential to be deadly?

We have created this Threat Assessment Matrix to help you visualize this concept:

This chart is a great tool for determining whether or not to add an item to your every day carry list. Keep it in mind and refer to it when building yours.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are some easy steps you can take to assess your every day carry needs and determine what is appropriate to be put on your every day carry list. Stick to the principles of addressing realistic, probable threats and keeping your items multi purpose and small to be most effective.

Remember when planning your every day carry list, chance favors the well prepared.

If you still haven’t packed your bug out bag, make sure to review our Bug Out Bag List to help you get started ASAP. Your EDC kit and your BOB are key to being prepared for anything and everything!

Want Even MORE Info On Building Your EDC Kit?

If you are looking for even more information on how to build your ultimate EDC kit you can check out my book, The Every Day Carry Guide. It is a comprehensive manual that will teach you:

How to be prepared at all times – no matter where you are
How to build your first EDC kit from scratch
How to refine an existing kit to make it more effective
How to pick the best gear to realistically make you more prepared
How to assess threats and risks in your every day life

Your Thoughts

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! Do you have some every day carry items that you would like to share? Do you have any questions about making an every day carry list? Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools for Your Bug Out Bag

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Here at The Bug Out Bag Guide we strive to build the best survival kit using a philosophy of practicality and efficiency. An excellent way of practicing this mindset is to utilize multi purpose survival gear to meet the needs of our Bug Out Plan. Multi purpose survival gear items improve our survival kit in multiple ways:

Save Space – Why bring 3 items when you can use 1 do do the same jobs? Consolidating items to save space will free up room in your Bug Out Bag to carry other useful survival tools or more food and water.
Save Weight – We have covered at length the perils of weighing yourself down with everything plus the kitchen sink, and have even built a tool for you to check your own Bug Out Bag’s weight. Reducing the number of items you carry will pay increasing dividends the longer you have to travel.
Increase Simplicity / Reduce Clutter – The more items you pack the harder it will be to find what you need. Stick to the essentials – Pack less and improvise more for an efficient survival kit.

Our Picks for Multi Purpose Survival Tools

We have researched long and hard and compiled a list of the best multi purpose survival tools below. For most categories, there are a great many options of items to consider while building your best survival kit. We have made a recommendation of the best we could find where applicable for those who do not have the time or inclination to search on their own based on utility, size, and weight. However as always, you need to choose the best items for YOUR survival scenario.

Survival Hatchet

These come in many flavors but most of them will do the jobs of a hatchet (obviously), pry tool, shovel, and wrench. We should look for any opportunity to remove high weight to volume ratio items such as steel tools to build the best survival kit, so being able to leave behind any of these is a good step. For more info check out our in depth reviews of the BEST survival tomahawks here.

Survival Whistle

These are generally quite cheap and are cover a lot of the basics. Most survival whistles combine a compass, dry container with the whistle and some even have a fire starting flint within.

Multitool

Anything with both the words “multi” and “tool” in it is worth having a look at. There are a great many options for multitools – focus on weight and practicality when looking. Are you going to really NEED the one with the allen key and corkscrew? Stick to the basics of a straight blade, saw, and can opener (like this one here) and add what few other options you see fit. Some bonus items that are rarely thought about are a magnifying glass and USB stick. These come on some multitools and can be used to start fires and store important family records, respectively. If you want to learn more about choosing the right multitool for survival, you can check out our article here.

Tarp

There is so much you can do with a tarp, it is a multitool all in itself. Besides the obvious of keeping gear dry and being used as a shelter, they can also be used for signaling and be easily turned into a stretcher to carry injured party members.

Plastic Bags

It is good to have a few of these as they have many, many uses and are very light and small. Plastic bags can be used to carry water, keep clothes and fire starting kits dry, store food, and organize small items.

Survival Knife

We covered Survival Knives generally in our Bug Out Bag Essentials post but they are so useful it is worth re-hashing here. Generally you are better off getting a solid, full tang knife from a trusted knifemaker such as Ontario, Camillus, Becker, or Gerber. Stay away from hollow handled survival knives if at all possible. The small amount of storage space will not make up for the overall inferior build quality. For more information on choosing a good knife for any outdoors situation, check out our comprehensive guide by CLICKING HERE.

Duct Tape

Good old duct tape, where would the world be without it? Duct Tape can be used as an emergency bandage, to secure a splint, to reinforce or repair waterproofing, as a rope replacement for shelter building, and taped over sore spots to prevent blisters.

Bandana

A bandana can be moistened and tied around the neck to help keep you cool, be used to filter water, will protect you from the sun, be used as a bandage, be utilized to tie on a splint, or be a replacement for rope in tasks such as shelter building.

Paracord

This is a small, strong cord that can be used in shelter building, ascending or descending inclines, as a clothes line, to fasten a splint, or to build a snare. Read out article about paracord uses and storage here.

Sanitary Pads/Tampons

These are often overlooked but are highly versatile. In addition to its intended use, a sanitary pad can be used as a bandage, it can be shredded and used as tinder, and it can be used to filter sediment from water.

BONUS: Your Brain

I know this is a list of the Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools but this is really worth mentioning. Your own brain is the most valuable multi purpose survival tool that you have. Your mind contains the willpower to persevere in a dire survival scenario, and as importantly, the ability to improvise and modify your Bug Out Plan to overcome unforeseen problems. Rely on your own thinking before any of these other tools we mentioned, it will get you out of most sticky situation.

Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools

We have build the table below to help you consider multi purpose survival tools when planning your bug out bag list. You will see in there Our Picks for the best items that meet our basic survival needs. If you click on the image for any of these, you will open up a window to Amazon.com where you can conduct further research on this item or others like it to see what best meets your needs.

	Multi Use Item	Our Pick	Items it can replace	Uses
1	Survival Hatchet	Ontario SP16 Spax Tool	Hatchet, Pry bar, Shovel	Cut, Pry, Break glass, Punch holes, Open/close fire hydrants and gas mains, Open manholes, Self defense
2	5 in 1 whistle	SE - Whistle - 5-in-1	Fierstarter, compass, waterproof container, matches, lighter, signal mirror	Signalling, navigation, firestarting, dry container
3	Multitool	Leatherman Sidekick Multi Tool	knife, saw, can opener	Cut Wood, Clean animals, Harvest plants, Slice rope, Shelter building, Self devense
4	Plastic Bags	Whatever is in your kitchen pantry	Dry Bag, Fire starting kit container	Backup water container, Dry bag, Store food, Organize small bits of gear
5	Survival Knife	Gerber LMF II Infantry Knife	Camp saw, hatchet, can be used for nearly any bushcraft task.	Food gathering, First aid, Shelter Building, Navigation, Fire starting, Self defense
6	Duct Tape	3M Utility Duct Tape	Rope, Bandages	Emergency bandage, Repair waterproofing, Shelter building, Prevent blisters
7	Bandana	Head for Survival Triangular Bandana	Triangle Bandage, Hat	Emergency Rope, Wet it and tie around your neck to keep cool, Sun Protection, Arm sling, Compression bandage, Filter sediment from water
8	Paracord	Army Universe Nylon Military Paracord	Rope, some first aid items	Shelter building, Climbing/descending, grapelling hook, Tie on a splint, Build a snare
9	Tarp	Heavy Duty Tarp	Emergency Shelter, Signal Mirror	Keep items dry, Keep you off the ground when sleeping, Made into a stretcher, Used as shelter, Used for signaling
10	Sanitary Pads/Tampons	Whatever is already in your hygiene kit	Bandages, Tinder	First Aid for bleeding, Start fires, Emergency water filter, Femenine hygiene

Conclusion

There are many multi purpose survival tools that can be utilized to save space and weight in your Bug Out Bag. Carefully consider the pluses and minuses of each when building your Bug Out Plan and Bug Out Bag Contents List in order to build the best survival kit for YOUR survival scenario.

Your Thoughts

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! What do you think of these multi purpose survival tools? Is there an additional use for any of them that you know of? Is there any other survival gear that you would recommend? Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

5 Basic Survival Skills You Need When Bugging Out

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As we mentioned in our How to Make a Bug Out Plan post, the more skills you have, the more self reliant you are and the higher your chances for survival become. Here we are going to discuss some basic survival skills and teach you how to best utilize them to protect yourself and your loved ones when disaster strikes.

Basic Survival Skills

When you are out on your own without the support net of a healthy society, these are the traits and basic survival skills you need to master in order to succeed.

1. Positive Mental Attitude

This is actually more important than any of the other basic survival skills because when you are relying on your ability to wring survival from your surroundings, once you give up hope you are done. There are many amazing stories of people who have survived avalanches, fires, floods, and being isolated for extended periods and making it through thanks to an undying will to survive. They are ordinary people who would simply not quit. Keeping a positive mental attitude will give you the strength to never give up on yourself no matter the circumstances.

Some ways to instill this mentality are:

Set goals for yourself – These may be daily or even hourly goals such as making it to the next hilltop or obtaining a meal from your surroundings. Make sure they are achievable and objective based. Every goal you accomplish will be a psychological boost for you and will build confidence in your basic survival skills.
Focus on what you can change – If a major disaster has struck, focusing on the unfairness of the resulting situation or the loss that has occurred will not help you. However, focusing on building a shelter or staying dry will help immensely. Concentrating your efforts to make your situation better will help you both in the long and short term. Ignore the big picture and focus on improving your immediate situation.
Keep hydrated and nourished – This will give you the energy to persevere in the face of adversity. A steady water and food supply are extremely important. You will not be looking to feast daily but meeting your basic calorie and hydration needs will be enough to keep you going. 2400-3600 Calories per day is a good amount to aim for. Additionally, if this requirement is squared away it will allow you to focus more on recovery efforts or finding help.
Be outwardly positive – Positivity creates more positivity. Showing fellow survivors that you are with that you have a positive mental attitude will prevent the group being dragged down under the weight of the disaster. Be the seed that grows into higher morale for your team.

2. Water

Beyond your own internal fortitude, water is the most important resource you require. Finding it and knowing how to make it fit for consumption are two of of the most important basic survival skills you can learn.

Know how to look for signs of water. This may be looking where plants are growing, where terrain slopes or contours into a natural water trap, or observing animal movements to see where they are finding their water supply.
If you are able to map a route as a part of your Bug Out Plan, identifying likely sources for water along the way will be a massive boon.
Understand how to treat water to make it fit for consumption. Drinking contaminated water can be deadly.
Filtration – this consists of passing water through very fine membranes to remove particles and some pathogens. Some viruses may still make it through even the finest filters available.
Purification – treating water with either chemicals such as iodine or UV light sources. This neutralizes all pathogens but does not eliminate particles.
Boiling – This is a type of purification as it kills all pathogens but does not remove particles. Water should be kept at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute to sterilize it.
Because of the separate benefits of both filtration and purification it is recommended that you use both methods to be 100% sure of water safety. The most basic way to do this is to pour water through a cloth and then boil it. However a more effective approach is to pass it through a filter device such as the MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter and then purify it using tablets or a SteriPen. These items should be considered mandatory requirements for any list of Bug Out Bag Essentials.
Be able to exploit rainfall if possible. This may include catching it in a poncho or container if available.
Utilize a Solar Still – This can be purchased here or fashioned out of your survival gear. A Solar Still uses the sun’s heat to evaporate liquid and then recapture it as clean water.
Understand how much water you need – A person can survive 72 hours without water. It is however recommended that someone who is active consumes 75% of their weight in ounces daily. So if you weigh 150 lbs then you should be drinking about 113 ounces (3.31 liters) of water per day.

3. Food

Hiking with your Bug Out Bag loaded with essential survival gear will cause you to burn 400-500 calories in an hour. To keep your body working as an efficient machine it is important to keep it fueled up.
First off, ration what food you have with you. You are concentrating on survival, not feasting. Eat small portions when you are hungry but do not over do it.
Supplement your rations with foraged sustenance from your surroundings. This means you will need to learn what edible plants are around and how to harvest them. Also learn where these plants grow. Does a particular berry grow around water holes? Does a high calorie plant prefer the shade? Learn these aspects to understand where to look for sustenance. Some plants are only edible after cooking or boiling, learn what you need to do with your local flora to make it palatable. Additionally, learn what is hazardous or poisonous to eat to avoid making yourself sick!
Understand what types of animals inhabit your area. This includes possible predators to avoid and prey to seek out. Learn what environments these animals inhabit. Is there a particular fish that likes eddies and whirlpools? Target these spots to find them. Does an animal in your area like to eat a particular plant? Placing snares in the vicinity of these plants would be ideal. If you do not know how to operate a firearm, a slingshot may be a good option for you. There are many options for slingshots, such as The Scout Hunting Slingshot or learn how to make one here. Also learn how to prepare these animals for cooking. This includes skinning and butchering animals and filleting fish. We have embedded the below videos as a tutorial in these basic survival skills.

Basic Survival Skills: How to Fillet a Fish

Basic Survival Skills: How to skin a squirrel

Basic Survival Skills: How to Butcher a Deer

4. Shelter

A well prepared person will have a means of sheltering themselves from the elements as a part of their Bug Out Contents List. However, a TOTALLY prepared person will also have learned survival shelter building as one of their basic survival skills. A survival shelter does not need to be complicated or fancy but it should keep rain/snow out, keep heat inside, and be easily cobbled together from local materials.

A survival shelter can be built from most anything – debris from collapsed buildings, trees and leaves, animal hides, or a tarp or poncho
Consider bringing paracord and a saw or hatchet when building your Bug Out Bag Contents List as these can be your best friends when building a shelter. With these items you can make a survival shelter out of just about anything in very little time.
If you do not have paracord, zip ties, duct tape, or another binding material, primitive rope can be improvised from strips of tree bark, small green saplings or branches, and vines.
A basic survival shelter could consist of building a frame from long rigid materials such as tree branches or 2×4’s and laying a poncho or tarp over it.
If you cannot use your poncho or tarp for this, layer brush on to the frame sloping away towards the ground to insulate for warmth and keep moisture out. See the picture below for a general idea of this.

Store Bought Survival Shelters	A Shelter Made On the Trail
	Image Credit: simonov on Flickr

5. Fire

Fire can provide many things when in a survival situation and both building and maintaining one are essential basic survival skills. A fire will give a morale boost, provide heat and light, and enable you to purify water and cook food.

The basic requirements to build any fire are to give it air, fuel, and an ignition source.
Air – A fire consumes air hungrily and it is important to build it in a way that allows air to flow into the combustion. Do not smother a fire by putting too much fuel onto it.
Fuel – This is what actually burns in a fire and can be sourced from many places. If a branch or stick snaps cleanly it is dry and will burn well. If it bends and splinters it is still green and will smoke and smother a fire.
Ignition Source – this can be a lighter, matches, or a fire starter that you bring with you. You should however learn more primitive means of fire starting as one of your basic survival skills in the event that these items cannot be sourced. See the video below for one simple method.
A fire is build in successive layers of increasingly larger wood. You start with tinder, which is very small, dry, and catches easily. Examples of tinder are tree bark, dryer lint, coconut husk, and pine needles. From tinder you go up to kindling which is generally twigs up to the diameter of your little finger. Next is fuel wood which is in sizes up to your thumb. Continue to add more wood gradually until you have a fire large enough to ignite logs. These logs are what will produce the majority of your coals in a fire pit.
The opposite technique is to build what is known as an “Upside Down Fire” This has large logs at the bottom and tapers to fuel wood, kindling, and then tinder at the top. An upside down fire allows you to build your cooking fire and then let it burn down without having to babysit it and can be great in makky outdoors situation. Check out my in-depth instructional guide to learn how to build an Upside Down Fire here.
Learn how to use a fire to cook food. Coals are a far better method of cooking food than a naked flame. Coals will produce a more even heat and allow you to control the rate at which your food cooks, rather than having some parts seared with the inside raw. A naked flame is however better at boiling water.
The most commonly used types of fires are called a Teepee and a Log Cabin, which are pictured below.
A Dakota Fire Pit is another type that is less widely used than these but more efficient. See the image below for how a Dakota Fire Pit works.

Teepee Fire	Log Cabin Fire
Image Credit: mikemol on flickr	Image Credit: geraldford on flickr

Basic Survival Skills: Dakota Fire Pit

Basic Survival Skills: Making a fire without matches

Conclusion

There is no doubt that learning basic survival skills will significantly increase your chances of success. Putting in some time now to teach yourself these basic survival skills will make you better prepared and help you provide for yourself and your family when disaster strikes. As with your bug out bag contents or bug out plan, you should tailor your survival skill set to match your environment. To learn what you need to master in order to survive in a cold weather setting have a look at our article on cold weather survival tips. We mentioned several survival tools in this article that partnered with your skills will make your struggle far less daunting including paracord, a hatchet, saw, and fire starter. To see how these items will affect your overall survival kit and see what other items you can add to your Bug Out Bag list, check out our Free Bug Out Bag Planning Tool. Remember, chance favors the well prepared.

Your Thoughts

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