Compass

Very few tools in the history of man have been depended upon as much as the compass, the compass does one function and does it extremely well- it points north through aligning its pointer (a needle of sorts) with the earth magnetic fields.

While other methods and tools do exist to help you navigate none have endured the test of time quite like the compass.

In a survival situation you will want to be able to quickly and reliably find your position and the direction you decide to head towards and a compass will help you achieve that.

Modern compasses come in all shapes and sizes with different methods of finding north, while an electric compass or a gyrocompass may seems easier to use the problem lies with what those tools depend on- Electricity.

In a survival situation you should expect your equipment to have problems or break and as such depending on tools that have a simple base design and very few needs/moving parts can only insure that your tools will work when you most need them to.

You should pick a magnetized needle/dial compass which is suspended inside a liquid, most of the time the liquid in question is kerosene, alcohol or some sort of oil. The compass you choose should be set in a sturdy case and you should know its reliability prior to putting it in your bug out bag.

They come in all price ranges and specifications, pick one according to your budget- I have had nothing but good experiences with the silva line of compasses.

Water purification tablets

I stated before that water was one of the most important resources in a survival situation however the quality of the water you will find is often questionable at best. While the general rule of thumb is “if the water source is running then its safe” you can never be too sure. Having a way to quickly make water safe and potable cannot be emphasized enough.

If you have time then you can simply boil water to kill any harmful bacteria, however if you are in a situation were it is not wise or impossible to boil water then water purification tablets are the best alternative.

To purify water you can use bleach with the following guidelines; 14 drops per gallon, the health aspects of using chlorine bleach to purify water have been debated many times and the general consensus is that its safe as long as you take proper precautions (right amount).

Commercial survival kits often come with soluble water purification tablets that you just drop in your water bottle and wait for it to dissolve. I find the tablets extremely useful for short term survival or to put in a bug out bag simply because they do not require a fragile container to be stored.

Again with water purification tablets choice is not lacking just make sure that the ones you pick are iodine based due to its effectiveness against water based pathogens and Giardia.

Thick garbage bags

Thick garbage bags are incredibly useful in a survival situation, they can shield you from the elements, keep you warm by filling them with leaves and using it as a make shift insulation blanket/mattress but more importantly they are cheap, available and extremely versatile.

Much like para cord the use you will get out of garbage bags will much depend on your imagination, break down the core functions and materials of a garbage bag and think about how you can use it. You can use one as a bivvy, to carry water, as a blanket, as tarp/waterproof material for a roof when you build a shelter by splitting the bag accross the seam and turning it into a large water tight sheet. Hamocks and emergency stretchers are easily created with them too.

The fact that they are lightweight, easily modified and expendable means you really shouldn’t neglect to pack one in your bug out bag, try to pick one that is designed for heavy duty use like gardening.

[I am having some problems with some of the functions of wordpress due to me meddling with widgets and code, the site works fine however some of the features including comments are temperamental, will try and get it sorted out soon.]

Paracord

Possibly the most useful stuff you can come across, amazingly strong nylon based material that will support roughly 550lb (250kg) of strain, hence the term 550 paracord.

The beauty of paracord besides its strength is how versatile it truly is- Paracord is threaded cord (generally 32 strands) which means that if you need some thinner cord to say…sew up your leg after being bitten by a zombie or make a fishing line then you can just split some thinner strands of cord with relative ease.

Para cord is used to build shelters (A frame for example- look at the downloads section for a manual), quick fix equipment by tying it up before it falls apart (think ruck sack) and thousands of other uses. Its used commonly as a handle wrap for edged instruments but that is only one example of the many tasks it can accomplish if you use your grey matter and some creativity.

The fact of the matter is; Paracord is strong, light, cheap(’ish) and will last forever so you have no reason to not have it in your BoB, one day you will be thankful to have remembered to pack it in.

You can buy it over eBay (look for 550 cord) and most army surplus/ tool stores.

Also Check out these examples for inspiration:

http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/cordwrap.htm

http://www.slatts.fsworld.co.uk/slatts-knot.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/nrgmechanics/550paracordsling.htm

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/771863/post/974596/hl/tutorial/#974596

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=6

http://stormdraneslanyard.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkRlGEaTjAk

http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/food-procurement_s2.htm

http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/food-procurement_s4.htm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bjMmla9DSzo&feature=related

Lighting

Being able to see in dodgy lighting conditions could be the difference between life and death (ForcedeFrappe.com- selling fear to the masses since 2002 ), having a torch with you is important.

So lets talk options; high end torch manufactures use 123A lithium batteries, they are small, powerfull and have a long shelf life.

All this sounds awesome however they are expensive and in a prolonged crisis will be hard to find so I suggest having 1 top end torch for tactical reasons (emergency/ first 3 days of crisis where compromise is not an option) and another torch using a more common power source (AA cell batteries). A wind up torch could be useful for a seriously longterm crisis, something to think about.

The strength of the beam (how bright it is) is calculated in lumens and the higher you go the brighter it will be-however the quicker the battery will run out too so as with everything you need to pick the right balance. I would suggest a torch with variable levels of light output like the Fenix T1 or TK10 . Fenix lights are reliable, sturdy and powerful and you really can’t go wrong with them.

Other brands include Surefire , NiteCore Tactical, ZebraLight, Olights and Muyshondt Flashlights.

Prices vary and so do the features so look around at what is available to you and decide what you are prepared to spend relative to the features offered. In my experience Fenix offer great torches at a reasonable price but what you go with is up to you.

Communication devices

In a crisis you will want to be updated on the situation as it happens so bringing a portable radio is a great idea- Cell phones will be unlikely to work based on passed events (Katrina for example) so having alternate modes of keeping in touch with the rest of the world is a great idea. Local and national radio stations will broadcast all relevant information from the most affected areas (don’t go there!) to current safe zones which can make such a tool indispensable in your survival arsenal.

Knowledge truly is power.

I have a cell phone with 5 spare batteries + a car charger and a wind up radio. I really can’t advise you on what to get since my knowledge of comms is negligible at best. I know enough to survive but beyond that I wont be holding communication classes anytime soon!

Look for power source, how rugged it is (waterproof radio could be a good idea- look at the ones designed for use in showers) and the general cost.

http://www.buyasurvivalkit.com/category/8502366041/1/Radios-Weather-Alerts.htm

Looks like an interesting website- specially the Black & Decker “Storm station” Flashlight, radio and power inverter! Looks ideal however I do not own one but if I get it I will write up a review.