Minimal Survival Kit

After the Vehicle Based Survival course I instructed last week, I thought it would be a good idea to briefly discuss the absolute essentials any adventurer should travel with, in terms of short term survival.
As you may know, surviving for the short term (usually less than 5 days), only really requires two things: hydroregulation (keeping your core temperature at or around 98.6F), and hydration. To this end, I recommend the following for a MINIMAL survival kit:

• Water purification: this can come in the form of a backpacker-style pump that you already have, UV purifier, or survival-straw, but most likely you’ll want to carry water purification tablets.
• Emergency shelter: can either be a generic Mylar blanket, or a more advanced emergency bivy or heavy-duty space blanket.
• Fire starter: while fire is not always absolutely necessary during a short term survival ordeal, it enhances every other aspect of your situation. It provides warmth & drying abilities, cooks food, purifies water, and often helps keep critters away. I carry a Blast-Match and petroleum jelly-cotton ball tinder.
• Communication: The most basic survival communication method is a Personal Locator Beacon, but they can be pricey. Many adventurers choose to use a SPOT Messenger for emergency comm. In addition to the SPOT, I usually carry 1-2 ham radios as well as various short distance devices such as a whistle, flare, and signal mirror.

Choose one item from each category and you’ll be well on your way to building a decent basic survival kit.