We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more
The world we live in is full of surprises, some of them not so pleasant. Whether it's a natural disaster, getting lost on a deer hunt, or unexpected breakdowns in everyday systems, having the right survival gear could make the difference between thriving or just getting by. These days, being prepared isn’t about paranoia; it’s about practical foresight. A solid collection of survival gear—beyond just a trusty backpack—should include tools, shelter, fire starters, and medical supplies to help you stay safe when things go south.
Not all survival gear is created equal, though. The last thing you want in an emergency is for your equipment to fail when you need it most. Whether it's a multi-tool that won't rust, a fire starter that works even in the rain, or a med pouch that holds all you need, we’ve sifted through the countless options on the market to narrow down the essential items that can genuinely save your life in a pinch.
Best Pack: Hill People Gear Umlindi
Best Radio: Baofeng UV-5R Pro 8W
Best Food: 4Patriots 2-Week Emergency Survival Food Kit
Best Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System
Best Medical Pouch: Tuff Possum Gear Med Pouch
Best Knife: LT Wright Genesis Fixed Blade Knife
Best Hatchet: Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Ax
Best Fire Starter: Solkoa Fastfire Tinders
Best Lighter: Bic Classic Lighter
Best Pack: Hill People Gear Umlindi
Specs
Size: 1358 cubic inches
Materials: 500D Cordura
Weight: 4 pounds
Highlights
Designed and manufactured in the USA
Unique carrying chassis
Most modular pack system available on the market
The Hill People Gear Umlindi stands out as a top-tier survival pack for those who value functionality, durability, and versatility. Built with rugged materials, this pack is designed to withstand the harshest conditions, whether navigating dense forests, scaling mountains, or trekking through unpredictable weather. Its 500D Cordura construction ensures it can take a beating without compromising performance, while the thoughtful design minimizes points of failure, such as weak zippers or seams. This level of durability makes it a reliable choice when you're far from civilization and need a bug out bag you can count on.
Its innovative layout and modularity set the Umlindi apart from other packs. At 30 liters, it's the perfect size for a range of survival situations—small enough to be portable and easy to carry yet large enough to store essential gear like shelter, water, food, and medical supplies. It integrates very well with other Hill People Gear pockets and add-ons, as well as third-party makers (see Tuff Possum Gear Med Pouch below).
One standout feature of the Hill People Gear Umlindi is its exceptionally stable carrying chassis. Combining the Umlindi's delta straps and the optional belted system integrates the pack seamlessly with the wearer, making it feel like an extension of the body rather than just something you're hauling. This design connects the pack to the wearer's core and lower back, maximizing strength and stability and allowing for better control and comfort during long treks or challenging terrain.
Best Radio: Baofeng UV-5R Pro 8W
Specs
Size: 10” x 5” x 2”
Materials: Plastic water-resistant housing
Weight: 4.5 ounces
Highlights
128 channels
7.4 volts
Durable housing
The radio purists will not like this choice, but it still stands out as the best choice as a starter radio. With that said, I have used these walkie talkies for years without issue. The Baofeng UV-5R Pro 8W is a versatile and powerful handheld radio designed to meet various communication needs, whether outdoors, at home, or in the workplace. With its tri-power settings (8W/4W/1W), you can easily switch between high, medium, or low power depending on your situation, ensuring you can conserve battery life when necessary or extend your range when conditions demand it. The radio has a rechargeable 3800 mAh Li-ion battery with power-saving features to maximize usage time. A low-battery alarm conveniently reminds you when to recharge, ensuring you’re never caught without power. Additionally, this model supports keyboard and PC programming, allowing for complete customization and ease of use with CHIRP software, making it an ideal choice for beginners and experienced radio enthusiasts.
This upgraded version also includes an AT-771 High Gain Long Antenna and the standard antenna, allowing you to boost your range when needed, especially in remote or challenging environments. It also has valuable features, including VOX (voice-operated exchange), a built-in LED flashlight, scanning, monitoring, and an emergency alarm. With all of these functionalities, this handheld radio is reliable and adaptable, making it perfect for ham radio enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers, or anyone needing dependable communication equipment.
Best Food: 4Patriots 2-Week Emergency Survival Food Kit
Specs
Size: 84 total servings/about 6 per day
Materials: Durable tote with food stored in disaster-resistant packaging
Weight: 10 pounds
Highlights
25-year shelf life
Delicious flavors and wide variety of options
Super durable packaging
Packed in the USA
4Patriots emergency survival food in a mini tote is a top-tier option for ensuring you're prepared when disaster strikes. In an emergency, your priority is food, and both FEMA and the Red Cross recommend having a supply of non-perishable food on hand. This compact kit makes it easy to build your survival stockpile, with 84 servings of delicious, easy-to-prepare meals providing around 1,320 calories per day—more than enough to sustain you through a crisis. Plus, it’s conveniently packaged in a mini tote, making it easy to store and discreet, a perfect addition to any preparedness plan or a thoughtful gift for loved ones. Our experts even dubbed it some of the best survival food of all the options we've tested.
This emergency food kit stands out because of its durability and long shelf life. Designed to last up to 25 years, the meals are packaged in "disaster-resistant" packaging that protects them from damage and spoilage, ensuring they’re ready whenever needed. Hand-packed in the USA, each kit comes with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee, giving you peace of mind with your purchase. And with free shipping and handling within the USA’s lower 48 states, it’s a hassle-free way to ensure you’re equipped with one of the most critical survival elements—food.
Best Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System
Specs
Size: 5.5 x 1.9 inches
Materials: Hollow fiber filter
Weight: 3 ounces
Highlights
Highly effective at cleaning water
Portable and compact
Easy to use and clean
The Sawyer Squeeze System is an outstanding choice for anyone needing reliable access to clean water in the backcountry or while traveling. Whether hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, preparing for emergencies, or traveling abroad, this water filter covers you. Its 0.1-micron absolute filtration effectively removes 99.9% of harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli and 99.9% of protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium. Independent testing supports its effectiveness, making it a top choice for those who prioritize safety and health while adventuring.
What sets the Sawyer Squeeze apart is its ease of use. The system comes with a reusable pouch that you can fill up at any water source, screw the filter directly onto the pouch, and either drink straight from it or squeeze the water into another container. This versatility makes it ideal for different scenarios, whether on a day hike or setting up a multi-day camp. The compact design makes it easy to carry and lightweight enough not to weigh you down on the trail. Plus, the filter comes with a great warranty and is rigorously tested by Sawyer to ensure optimal performance, giving you peace of mind that it will work when needed.
Overall, the Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter is a top-tier solution for ensuring access to clean water in any situation. Its thorough filtration, ease of use, portability, and great warranty make it an excellent investment for anyone who spends time outdoors or wants to be prepared for emergencies.
Best Medical Pouch: Tuff Possum Gear Med Pouch
Specs
Size: 5” x 5” x 2.5”
Materials: 1000d/500d Cordura nylon
Weight: 4.2 ounces
Highlights
Contains all the essentials for first aid, including trauma gear
Durable construction
Small enough to toss in a pack
The Tuff Possum Gear Med Pouch is essential to any survival kit, offering quick access and modular versatility. Designed with a velcro hook backing, this first aid kit easily integrates into any pack or bag with a loop Velcro panel. The pouch is designed to carry essentials for massive hemorrhage control, including gloves, a tourniquet, a HALO chest seal, and wound packing materials, making it critical gear for handling severe medical emergencies. Yet, it’s versatile enough to hold smaller items like band-aids and pain relievers for everyday first-aid needs.
Constructed with durability in mind, the Med Pouch itself is made from 1000d/500d Cordura nylon and features a rugged YKK zipper, ensuring it can withstand harsh conditions. Thoughtful design details—like parachute cord zipper pulls with red poly beads—make it easy to open in difficult or stressful situations. Inside, two full-width slot pockets help organize your medical supplies for efficient access when seconds count. The pouch also includes a reflective and glow-in-the-dark universal First Aid sign (+) on the front, ensuring it can be quickly identified in low-light or night situations.
Whether using it in an urban environment or the backcountry, the Tuff Possum Gear Med Pouch ensures that your first aid essentials are always within reach. Its modular design, compact size, and durable construction make it an indispensable tool for severe survivalists and those who want to be prepared for everyday mishaps.
Best Knife: LT Wright Genesis Fixed Blade Knife
Specs
Size: Overall length 9”, sharpened edge 4.25”
Materials: A2 Carbon Steel blade and Micarta handle
Weight: 8.9 ounces
Highlights
Designed and handcrafted in USA
Has won numerous awards in the “Best Knife” categories
The LT Wright Handcrafted Knives Genesis is a meticulously designed survival and bushcraft tool that excels in craftsmanship and functionality. With an overall length of 9 inches and a sharpened edge of 4.25 inches, this knife is the perfect size for a wide range of outdoor tasks, from feathering wood for a fire to more intricate carving work. Made from 1/8" A2 steel, the Genesis boasts a high-polished Scandi grind and complex micro-buffed for a razor-sharp edge that ensures smooth, precise cuts with minimal drag. This knife is built to work and last, with every detail carefully crafted to meet the demands of bushcraft enthusiasts and survivalists alike.
One of the standout features of the Genesis is its durable Micarta handle, designed for comfort and long-term use even in harsh conditions. LT Wright goes the extra mile by ensuring that the epoxy adheres to the scales and completely seals the brass pins and lanyard holes, providing superior water resistance and longevity. Thumb scallops and a sharpened spine add to the knife's versatility, allowing for comfortable grips and easy fire-starting with a ferro rod. With its matte finish and ergonomic design, the Genesis tool looks great and performs exceptionally well in the field.
Whether you're an experienced outdoorsman or just starting to build your bushcraft kit, the Genesis is a reliable, high-quality survival knife that stands out in any collection. Its balance of size, strength, and detailed craftsmanship ensures it can handle whatever your next adventure throws.
Best Hatchet: Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe
Specs
Size: 20 inches overall length,
Materials: Hickory handle, high carbon steel axe head
Weight: 2 lbs
Highlights
Large enough to cut small trees
Fits in a rucksack
Versatile tool on an ATV, in the truck toolbox, or on your back.
The Gränsfors Bruk Small Forest Axe strikes the perfect balance between portability and power, making it a versatile tool for backcountry adventurers and survivalists. With a larger head and more extended handle than the Wildlife Hatchet, this axe delivers significantly more chopping power while still being compact enough to fit into a rucksack. This makes it an ideal choice for those looking for a tool that can handle severe tasks like felling small trees and limbing but without the bulk of a full-sized axe. Its carefully designed weight distribution and sharp edge provide efficient cuts, reducing the effort required for chopping, even on hard wood like we have here in Kentucky.
Crafted by Gränsfors Bruk, known for their high-quality, hand-forged tools, the Small Forest axe is built to last. The head is meticulously shaped to balance strength and precision, and the handle is designed for comfort during prolonged use. Whether building a shelter, prepping firewood, or clearing a trail, this axe provides the control and durability needed for various wilderness tasks. It has a protective sheath to keep the blade safe when not in use, ensuring that it remains sharp and ready for action when needed.
This bushcraft axe offers unmatched versatility for those needing a compact yet powerful tool. It’s small enough to be carried easily in your gear but powerful enough to handle demanding chopping tasks, making it an essential part of any kit. Whether deep in the woods or just preparing for a weekend camping trip, this axe delivers performance and reliability you can count on.
Best Fire Starter: Solkoa Fastfire Tinders
Specs
Size: 1” x 1”
Materials: Low Flashpoint Accelerant
Weight: 0.2 ounces
Highlights
Wind- and water-resistant—still burns when wet
Up to 1,300-degree flame
Single cube lasts for more than 10 minutes
The Solkoa Fastfire cubes are some of today's most reliable fire-starting tinders and kindling accelerants. Engineered to ignite quickly and burn fiercely, these cubes are ideal for anyone who spends time outdoors, whether you're camping, hunting, or preparing for survival situations. Designed to perform in adverse conditions, the Fastfire tinders are hydrophobic, meaning they resist water and can produce a wind-resistant flame that burns even when wet. With a low flash point and the ability to sustain a 1,300-degree flame, these cubes provide peace of mind, knowing you'll be able to get a fire started no matter how bad the conditions.
Each cube burns vigorously for 10-12 minutes, enough time to ignite more significant pieces of wood or other kindling. If you want to extend the burn time, you can divide the cube into eight smaller pieces, each capable of burning for 2-3 minutes, offering up to 16-24 minutes of flame in total. The compact size at just over an inch and light weight (0.2 ounces per cube) make them easy to carry in any survival kit or emergency pack, while the heavy-duty foil laminate wrap ensures long-term storage for at least 10 years.
Best Lighter: Bic Classic Lighter
Specs
Size: 3” x 1”
Materials: Butane fuel in plastic housing
Weight: 0.8 ounces
Highlights
Dependable
Easy to use
Can light in windy conditions
The Bic Classic lighter will not have any awards for being the coolest or most alluring. One of our experts' favorite camping lighters, it is a nostalgic and reliable tool for fire-starting that has been trusted by outdoor enthusiasts, survivalists, and everyday users for decades. It's compact, lightweight, and easy to use, making it perfect for hiking, camping, or emergency preparedness. Its durable design allows it to withstand various conditions, and its consistent flame makes lighting a fire or starting a stove quick and straightforward. With a long lifespan, a single Bic lighter can provide hundreds of ignitions, ensuring you have access to fire whenever you need it most.
What sets the Bic lighter apart is its simplicity and dependability. The lightweight plastic body makes it easy to carry in a pocket, pack, or survival kit, while its child-resistant safety features ensure it's safe to keep on hand. With no moving parts or complex mechanisms, the lighter provides a wind-resistant flame and performs reliably in most conditions. Whether you're lighting a campfire or preparing for an emergency, the Bic lighter remains a convenient and efficient tool for fire-starting, earning its place as a staple in any gear collection.
How We Tested Survival Gear
We don’t just review gear—we put it to the test in the most challenging conditions. At my school, companies seek professional consultation on a wide range of survival gear because they know we put it all to a lot of use. In addition, over the years, thousands of students have brought every type of gear imaginable to our classes. From budget-friendly to high-end, we’ve seen it all in action. Through real-world use and, in many cases, their outright abuse, we’ve learned firsthand which gear holds up under pressure and which falls short. This hands-on experience allows us to confidently recommend the tools and equipment that can truly stand up to survival challenges.
Final Thoughts
When selecting survival gear, several key factors can make all the difference. Durability is crucial—your equipment must withstand harsh environments and repeated use without failing when you need it most. At the same time, staying within your budget is essential; high-quality gear doesn’t always have to break the bank, and there are reliable options for every price range. Portability is another vital consideration—your gear should be lightweight and compact enough to carry easily without sacrificing functionality. Finally, integration matters—each item in your kit should work seamlessly with the rest, ensuring that your tools, shelter, and medical supplies complement one another for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in any emergency.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
