How to Make Your Outdoor Survival Kit

Make an outdoor survival kit.

Outdoor survival kits are a good item to keep in your home in case of emergencies. You never know when a tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster will occur that will force you to leave your home without time to prepare. You can purchase an outdoor survival kit, or make your own. If you make your own, it should have all of the necessities for food, clothing and shelter for at least three days. You should keep a small emergency kit in your home for disasters at all times, and restock it regularly.

Things You'll Need

• Back pack
• 2 10- by 12-foot lightweight plastic tarps
• Strong rope
• 4 tent pegs
• Foil blankets
• Fishing wire
• Fishing hooks
• Knife
• Compass
• Wind-up flashlight
• Wind-up radio
• Matches in waterproof container
• Small cooking pot
• Several forks and spoons
• Collapsible bowls
• Plates
• Lightweight food
• Water
• Toilet tissue
• Fold-up shovel
• Hand sanitizer
• Soap
• Several trash bags
• Plastic bags--quart and gallon
• Medical kit
• Small hammer
• Duct tape
• Change of clothes

Instructions

1. Buy a back pack. Make sure the one you choose has a lot of outside pockets.

2. Place a compass in the back pack, in case you have to travel without a car.

3. Place duct tape in the backpack. It can be used to repair almost anything.

4. Purchase a wind-up flashlight and radio, and place them in the backpack. This way you won’t need to worry about batteries.

5. Add two lightweight 10-foot by 12-foot tarps, strong rope, and four tent pegs to make an emergency shelter. If you need to make an emergency shelter, tie one end of the rope to a tree about 3 feet above the ground. Fold the tarp in half, so you have a 5- by 12-foot rectangle. There should be a rivet with a hole at the fold on both of the 5-foot sides. Slide the rope through the hole from the top, and pull the rope through the folded tarp. Pull the rope out through the rivet on the other side to maintain the fold. Tie it to another tree at least 15 feet from the first tree. Tie it 3 feet above the ground. The tarp should still be holding the rectangular shape, with the bottom edges touching the ground. Pull the sides out to make a triangle, and hammer into the ground. Place the second tarp on the ground inside the tent to sleep on. Use the foil blankets for warmth or to cover the open sides of the tent.

6. Pack cooking and eating utensils. These include a small pot, spoons, forks, plates, collapsible bowls and a sharp knife of a quality sufficient for use in killing and preparing fish and small game for cooking.

7. Pack water and lightweight, nonperishable foods. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema.gov) recommends packing food and water to last at least three days. At least one gallon of water is required per person per day, and FEMA says very hot weather can double the requirement.

8. Pack essential personal care items. Toilet tissue, soap, hand sanitizer and a fold-up shovel are necessities. The shovel is to dig a hole for a toilet. If you don’t have access to water, you will need to use hand sanitizer to clean your hands.

9. Pack trash bags and zip-lock bags for uses such as storing food and getting water. You can get water by placing a bag around a tree limb with leaves, and tying a small piece of fishing wire around it. Leave it there overnight, and in the morning a small amount of water that is safe to drink will have collected in the bag. Make sure you do not place the bag around a poisonous plant.

10. Place fishing hooks and fishing wire in the backpack.

11. Pack sewing needles and thread. Clothes can get torn, and need repair.

12. Pack a fully stocked medical kit. Place bandages, antibiotic salve, burn ointment, gauze, antihistamines, cold medication, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, needle, thread and a week's worth of any other medications you need. Always pack extra medication. It's better to have more than you need, rather than not enough. Check the FEMA website to keep up with their recommendations for your medical kit.

13. Place one change of clothes in the backpack. You need to have a change of clothes to wear while the other set is being washed.

References

• Survival Topics, How to Make a Survival Kit to Save Your Life
• FEMA, Are You Ready?
• Wilderness Survival Skills, Distilling Water in the Wilderness
• FEMA, First Aid Kit
• NatureSkills.com, Wilderness Survival Kit