Survival Tools

This list could easily run into the thousands of items, but here are a few you should think about having around the house and/or the retreat. These are for the survival situation when TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) occurs rapidly, leaving you without the modern conveniences, little or no resources outside of what you have at hand, and a government that cares more about taking care of itself than caring for you and the thousands of other refugees.

As a general rule, avoid products that require batteries, or use consumables such as gasoline and propane, unless you have large storage tanks for fuel. If you can, look for radios and flashlights that can be powered by hand or contain rechargeable batteries and a self-contained solar panel.

Spend your money wisely, as the hundreds or thousands you spend on a night vision devices could buy you months worth of food.

Note, this is not intended as your bugout bag, automotive survival stash or 72 hour kit. But these are tools you may not have on hand that could be very useful in a survival situation.

• Chain saw (with spare gas and oil)
  Great for clearing storm damage, rescuing others or cutting down a tree to block easy access to your house, neighborhood or retreat.

• Axe and/or Hatchet
  If you need to chop some fire wood, split some small logs or clear away some brush, an axe is a good second to the chain saw. Hatchets are great for making kindling and kids can use them, too.

  

• A Hand Saw
  If you don't have a chain saw, you can still cut through a pretty good sized log with a large hand saw. Get one with large teeth made for cutting logs, not mitering corners. This will be much more efficient for cutting logs than an axe.

• Shovel
  You never know when you might need to dig a hole, and it's tough without tools. If you need to build a latrine, it will be a lot easier with a shovel than the survival knife on your belt. Same for a improvised nuclear shelter. Captain Dave keeps a folding shovel in his car, just in case. If you live where the soil is especially rocky, a pick and/or pry bar would be good additions to the list.

  

• Rope
  Thick, thin or in between, there are 101 uses for rope and twine. From an improvised line for drying flooded or rain-drenched items to lashing items to the roof of your bug-out vehicle, you should keep a few different kinds on hand.

• Knife
  Captain Dave recommends carrying a knife at all times. But a larger knife is useful for dozens of possible tasks, from whittling a tent stake to cutting a fishing spear. Once you have a general-purpose knife or two, you can add skinning knives, folding knives, etc.

• Sharpening Stone
  This will help keep you knife, axe, and other bladed implements sharp and ready for use. Add a file for the axe and hatchet.

• Big Wrench
  It's possible you will need to turn off your gas or water main if your domicile receives serious damage. While special non-sparking wrenches are made specifically for turning off the gas, any wrench will do in a pinch.

• Cast Iron Frying Pan and Dutch Oven
  A properly treated cast iron frying pan is great for cooking eggs or rodents on a gas stove or over a camp fire. And a Dutch oven will cook everything from stew to bread.

• Tin Cups, and Plates
  Glass and china products will break, especially in a rough survival environment. Metal products are lighter to carry and can be tossed off the shelf in a quake with no side effects. Plastic is a good alternative, but you cannot heat a plastic cup over an open fire. The enamel products, built for camping, are the nicest available.

• Hand Powered Grinder/Mill
  If you store buckets of grain, Captain Dave assumes you have thought of this necessity.

• Bucket
  Whether you need to haul water, or carry vegetables from the garden to the house, a bucket is an item you will be hard pressed to make.

• Plastic Jugs or other Water Containers
  You may need to carry water from a nearby source, and gallon jugs are easy enough for everyone in the family to carry.

  

• Fire Starter
  Once the power goes out, you'll be depending on a fire to cook, boil water, keep warm, etc. You need to make sure you have plenty of different fire starting materials. Lighters and matches are good, but alternatives such as a flint and steel are even better in the long run.

• Sleeping Bag and/or Blankets
  The value these will provide in keeping warm at night should be self evident.

• Multiple light sources A hurricane lantern that burns kerosene is very convenient, more so than a Coleman lantern. Keep flashlights on hand for short term use but stock up on candles. It gets pretty dark when the electricity is out for days or weeks, and they are warm and comforting.

• Tarp/plastic sheets
  Ideal when you need to keep something dry, create a temporary shelter or rig a catch system to trap rain water.

• Gun
  Captain Dave has addressed this elsewhere, but you should give serious consideration to owning a gun for self protection. If you take personal survival seriously, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to explore the benefits of gun ownership.

• Bicycle
  After the immediate emergency dies down, you may need to get around your local area, and a bike is an excellent alternative when cars are not practical. Maybe there's a lack of gasoline or downed bridges and overpasses, as we saw after the big California quake. You can carry a bike over broken cement and can cover much more ground than walking. If society breaks down to the extent that you need to use a bike, they will be very expensive. So get one now and use it recreationally.

• Shortwave Radio
  If the situation is so bad the local radio and TV stations are off the air, you will need a shortwave radio set to hear news from other countries around the world. For local communications, a CB radio and a scanner are nice additions.