6 Essential Things For Your Survival Backpack

Education Articles | March 28, 2012

Premium Author Justin Mountford

It sounds a bit dramatic but a survival backpack could mean the difference between life and death. In this article I share my 6 essential survival backpack ideas covering everything from food and shelter right through to essential first aid things.

Life and death-It sounds a bit dramatic, but a survival backpack could mean the difference between life and death. In a critical situation where you have to flee your house, workplace or local area, a backpack filled with survival gear transforms from being a "nice to have" and becomes your life in a bag. Imagine running for your life with your family only to discover you have no food, no water and no shelter. Not a good situation. Now imagine you have some basics, it could just be enough to get you through until help arrives.

Forget Armageddon-Armageddon is not really the reason I prepare. I like to be prepared for things like massive bush fires (really common where I live), floods, and man made disasters. I live in a quiet part of the world and it's easy to think "It won't                                                      happen to me"…..

6 Essential Ideas-I'm a survival enthusiast and love researching survival related ideas, theories tips and tricks. After extensive research, my own experimentation and years of camping I've created my own "essential survival backpack" checklist.

Checkout my 6 essential survival backpack ideas:

Water-To put it bluntly we need water to survive even for 1 day. For this reason, water is top priority. If you don't want to carry water you need ways to purify it, or boil it.Ideas:-Way to boil water e.g. portable stove -Purification System-Mechanical Filtration System like a Pocket Water Microfilter

Clothing-While you can certainly live with the clothes on your back, it's morale boosting to put on a fresh pair of socks while you clean the others. Pack a spare set of everything, you'll really appreciate this when the time comes. Ideas:-Waterproof coat with hood-Spare socks-Long sleeve shirt with quick dry- Quick dry pants

Shelter-Shelter is part of our basic human needs. Shelter can often be made from rubble, forest or natural features however, you can make things easier on yourself if you have a basic tent at the ready.Ideas:-Basic lightweight tent-Sleeping System-Mummy sleeping bag-Sleeping pad

Food-Not as important as water, however the morale effects of a little snack cannot be underestimated. It's easy to throw in a few MREs and some energy bars. Go for food that doesn't require much water to prepare.Ideas:-Energy bars- MRE- Freeze dried foods

Essentials-Many experts agree that the ability to make fire is extremely important. With fire you can cook, boil water and signal help. For this reason I suggest you pack a sparking device in your survival backpack. While multi tools (the plier type) a pocket chain saw and a flashlight (the wind up type) may not be considered critically essential, it will definitely help you in your survival attempts.

First Aid-Kit Nothing can assist a genuine survival situation more than a fully trained medicComputer Technology Articles, however since most of us don't get around with one of these we have to make do with a first aid kit. Ideas:- Bandaids- Insect repellent- Cloth Tape- Bandage- Large Safety Pins- Large Gauze Pads A survival backpack could make the difference between life and death. Keep one in your car and at home and be ready no matter what life throws at you.