A homemade survival kit for camping is simple to make and useful in a variety of ways.
Why Build a Homemade Survival Kit for Camping
Why should you put together a homemade survival kit for camping when there are plenty of kits on the market already put together and ready for you to purchase? Building your own survival kit will usually save you money, which is great, but that's not the only reason. You take ownership of your survival kit when you build it yourself, and you make it a much more personalized kit as well.
Your survival kit should include not only the common essentials that any kit might contain but also items that are designed with specific family members in mind. If any member of your family has specific health needs, you'll want to consider those needs as you fill your kit with all its necessary items. For example, include candy bars and a few peanut butter and crackers for those diagnosed with diabetes or those who suffer from low blood sugar. In addition, if a family member is allergic to bee stings, an epinephrine pen may need to be included. Even if nobody has a severe allergy, including an antihistamine in the kit is still important.
Building a Survival Kit
The size of your kit depends upon how many items you include. In some cases, you may want to create two different kits. One that includes food and drinks and the other that includes items to treat injuries, illnesses, and common survival needs. If you are planning on carrying your survival kit for camping in a backpack, you'll need to bring only the essentials since room will be scarce. Still, it is important that you add your kit to your backpack in case of emergencies.The following is a list of items that should find their way into your homemade survival kit for camping.
- Knife - This is probably the most essential item in your survival kit. In fact, if you include a Swiss army knife, you'll have several items in one, including a file, scissors, pick, can opener, bottle opener, and maybe even a fork and spoon. Be sure the knife you include is sharp enough to cut and whittle branches. Some people prefer small machetes in the place of knives, but be sure you can handle one easily.
- Survival tips manual - Do you really need directions on how to survive? In some cases, you may need to refer to what to do in emergency situations such as cuts, snake bites, etc. Be sure you laminate your tip sheet to keep it dry during wet conditions.
- Waterproof paper - Hopefully, you will never need this item, but waterproof paper is a great way to leave notes for others who may be looking for you.
- Rope or cording - Many survivalists prefer Para cording because of its sturdy construction and strength. You'll want to include at least 25 feet of rope or cording, and you may want to wrap some of it around your backpack or the shaft of your larger knife for storage (if you keep the knife on an outside pocket of the kit or your backpack.)
- Whistle - This is an essential item for your survival kit. A whistle can be used to aid those who are searching for you, signal those who have wandered away from camp, and even scare away unwanted critters!
- Matches and lighter - That's right; you should include both in your survival kit. Matches are convenient to store, but they are also easy to get wet. A lighter equals many matches and is easy to pack.
- Magnesium and flint bar - Use the flint bar to start a fire fairly easily by doing the following: shave some of the magnesium, creating a small pile of shavings. Place the end of the flint bar into the shavings, and run the dull-side of the knife down the bar several times until the magnesium bar ignites. Once lit, you'll need to gradually add small twigs to the fire, so have those on hand as well.
- Fishing line-Fishing line has a multitude of uses. For example, the line can be used to actually catch a fish, but you can also create a snare for catching small animals or build a shelter using line to tie branches and tarps together.
- First aid kit - This should include bandages, antibiotic salve, suture kit, alcohol swabs, aspirins, anti-diarrhea medicine
More Survival Kit Items
In addition to the above items, the following should be added to your survival kit.
- LED flashlight
- Magnifying glass
- Mirror
- Fishing hooks
- Compass
- Sewing kit
- Blanket
- Water purification tablets and straw
- Duct tape
- Zip-lock bags
- Small cooking tin
- Multi-tool
After you build your own survival kit, think about where you are planning on camping and envision any circumstances in which you might need other items. We'd love to hear what you include in your own survival camping kit, so please let us know in the comments section of this article.
