Top 5 Survival Items You Need If Sh*t Hits The Fan

When I was a teen I came across a strange website by the name “Exit Mundi”, it was a collection of well written articles that spoke about different end of the world scenarios.

This ranged from nuclear war, zombie apocalypse to rips in time and space. In other words what if Sh*t hit the fan big time or as the internet puts it S.H.F.T.

I loved the website but couldn’t help wondering what would I do should something like this happen. Now that I’m older with four kids I have many reasons to be prepared for all sorts of disasters.

So whether you have a family like me or an individual, I want to help you choose 5 essential items that should be in a bug out bag.

Disclaimer — this article will contain one or two affiliate links which helps support the blog at no extra cost to you.

1) A Water Purification Item

There are three big survival requirements you need to worry about, food, water and shelter. So with this first item I wanted to dive in and solve one of these problems. (Dive…get it?)

Precious water, what if your access is cut off or the only water available is contaminated. Seeing as humans can survive up to four days without water (less for children or the elderly) this would be a serious problem.

You will need a method to purify water to make it safe for use.

Luckily there are no end to different contraptions that do this for you such as the Moko Lifestraw (love that name) who have created portable pumps that can remove harmful bacteria.

There are other solutions such as purification tablets if you don’t have enough room in your bag for that bulky pump which will clean the water as they dissolve.

It would be best to avoid any devices that are battery powered and instead rely on your own intervention instead as you could be caught in a situation where batteries are hard to come by.

2) First Aid Kit

This list would be a lot longer if I spoke about each individual item that goes into a first aid kit however there will be a detailed article on the blog at some point.

You will need to be prepared if you or someone you care about gets hurt. This means a solution for any cuts, bruises or sickness that might arise.

The kit will need to contain the following:

• Plasters
• Bandages
• Hydrogel (heals burns)
• Safety Pins
• Tweezers
• Sterile Gloves
• Alcohol Cleanse Wipes
• Cough Flu Medicines
• Aspirin
• Eye Wash
• Sticky Tape

Sounds like a lot but most kits are small enough to fit amongst your emergency bag items.

You will want the kit to be waterproof if possible and double zipped so that none of these items get lost.

Remember that these kits may only be a temporary fix or useless for bigger fatal wounds. However you will have peace of mind that you are more than prepared for any minor injuries.

3) Rain Ponchos

Another possible short-term solution for shelter if you are caught in heavy rain or a flooded area is a rain poncho.

This is basically like a cape / raincoat that can keep you mostly dry if its raining. You simply pull it over your head and it flows down to your knees so you don’t have to worry about zips.

They sometimes come in a small carry bag which means they can be folded away and won’t get other items wet, so be sure to carry a few for the family.

You’re probably saying a tent or cabin would be better at keeping you dry and I agree but this is a great item to have when you have no other options.

I would say that I have seen a few of these that are see-through. You may want to consider the dark coloured ones instead as you might not want others seeing what items you have.

Just saying that this could leave you open to theft.

4) Cutting Tools

There are entire six figure businesses built solely on just selling survival knives so it is easy to see just how popular this item is with the prepper community.

You may be in a situation where you need to build a fire, create your own shelter or even unscrew a vending machine.

Survival knives have so many purposes that even their creators have noticed this and some knives now have additional features like a compass built into the handle for example.

Be sure to use a carry case to avoid potential rust on the blade or anything else in the bag getting an unwanted hole poked through it.

5) Fire Starting Tool

Your probably thinking matches right? Well you’d be kinda right.

Matches can break, sticks can get lost, and if the box gets wet you’ve pretty much lost all of the contents.

So in my research I wanted to recommend something that didn’t require fuel, could be reused and can fit in a SHFT bag.

I then came across the magnesium rod or in other words a permanent match!

Simply scrape it across your survival knife or a rock and it will create sparks which on dry grass, wood or cotton will provide you with a heat source in no time.

It also comes in a metal case which will keep it protected from harsh environments that a matchbox would struggle with.

As you can see this item is great and is definitely a no brainer for your survival bag.

Conclusion

These are only five essential recommendations so of course I don’t expect you to have a large bag with just these five things in it, but whatever you do carry in a crisis make sure these items listed are included.

Also be sure to get familiar with them rather than just a panic buy and then end up trying to purify water with your magnesium rod (face palm)

I hope you found this list helpful whether you are experienced or new to the survival game and please subscribe for more from the Survival Family.

Till next time survivors!