Whistle

Being able to contact for help is paramount in a survival situation, a whistle could save you faster than an extra knife- of course planning with the frame of mind that you are alone and you will need to get out of this situation by yourself is good simply because you will not be reliant on anyone/anything else.

However; put the odds on your side and pack a whistle in your Bug out Bag, it doesn’t weigh much and it very well could save your life.

To get attention blow loudly ( ) and once you have their attention send a distress signal (Three blasts).

The general rule of thumb for survival whistles is simply how sturdy and loud it is, I have the basic NATO one which works great however choice is not lacking, some whistles come with other features such as built in compass or light. Go with your budget and what suits your needs.

Lifesystems mountain survival and jetscream whistles are pretty popular and can be found on amazon & ebay-look around.

Snare wire

Hunting is not something which you can do just because you have a bow, fashioning a bow is one thing-being proficient with it is another thing all together.

In a survival situation you will get most sustenance from scavenging and traps. The easiest of all traps are ones constructed using snare wire, I will eventually write a post on snares and traps however this is about what to include in your BoB and why you should.

24 gauge snare wire will fit most of your needs and can be easily bought in most outdoor stores and the internet, 50 feet of snare wire is recommended as a minimum and 100 feet is ideal. In a survival situation you will want to set as many snares as possible to maximize your chances of catching something.

Fishing kit

Fishing kits are amazingly enough used to fish, fish and marine wildlife can be found in most parts of the world and fishing requires less training than hunting to sufficiently rely on for sustenance.

Fishing kits can be bought pre-prepackaged or assembled yourself, regardless of the direction you take it should contain the following items;

• Fishing line; between 3-10lb of breaking strain.
• Hooks between size 12 and 18.
• Small and medium float.
• Mixture of split shot

Dont bother with bait, just use what is around the lake/river/pond. Insects are never hard to find if you know where to look for them.

Look around on the internet for those items and/or your local fishing store.