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How to Pack a Survival Bag
It fits in a one-gallon Ziploc. It weighs just a couple of pounds. It costs a fraction of what one of those GPS-equipped cell phones costs. But this survival kit could save your life. While more complete kits could include everything from fishing gear to first-aid supplies, the 12 items of this one can be used to address all your basic nonmedical needs.
Shelter: Large plastic garbage bags make excellent ponchos. (The bright orange ones used by the Department of Transportation are even better, if you can find them.) With an 8-by-12-foot [2.4-by-3.7-meter] plastic drop sheet and 25 feet [7.6 meters] of parachute chord, you'll be able to build an emergency shelter. (Hardware stores stock all three items.) A pocketknife can be used to cut the cord—and for myriad other chores.
Fire: Double wrap waterproof matches in Ziploc bags, and carry a lighter or flint-and-steel set as well. Cotton balls dipped in Vaseline (store them in a film container) are handy fire-starting aids.
Signaling: The reflection of a signal mirror can be seen up to a hundred miles [160 kilometers] away on clear days. You can purchase one at any decent outdoors store, as well as a whistle (something every child in your party should carry).
Water: One bottle of iodine-based purification tablets can treat up to 25 quarts [23.7 liters] of water.
Navigation: Carry a compass. Enough said. A mini-flashlight is useful in many ways—and having light also boosts morale.
Whatever is in your survival kit, says expert Byron Kerns, the fundamental rule is: "You've got to keep it with you." Put it in the bottom of your daypack; put it in the detachable fanny pack from your frame pack. Just put it somewhere.
Learn More:
Courses with Byron Kerns's Mountain Shephard Wilderness Survival School (+1 804 841 0508; www.mountainshepherd.com) range from U.S. $95 to $275 per person.
—Laurence Gonzales
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