Have the necessary survival gear when camping is essential in case of getting lost or injured, which is why travelers should pack a survival kit to help ensure they remain alive until they can reach civilization or seek rescue.

Your survival bag should include tools to cook food, purify water, signal for rescue and keep warm – here are 14 must-have wilderness survival tools!

Fire Starter

Fire starters are essential tools for outdoor adventures. As quick and simple ways of starting fires quickly and reliably, they come in particularly handy when matches or lighters fail to do the trick.

Include dry cotton and petroleum jelly in your survival bag as a means of creating your own fire starter. Also keep paper egg cartons and sawdust handy.

Headlamp

Headlamps are essential tools for camping as they allow you to see where you’re going after dark and allow both hands-free activities such as climbing rocks and dog walking.

Find a model with an IPX7 rating (protects against submersion and dust), which provides adequate protection in rainy or other harsh conditions. This makes for the ideal device.

Tarp

Tarps are essential pieces of survival gear, no matter the environment in which you camp. Choose one with durable fabric yet lightweight design to help protect you against unpredictable conditions.

Use your shelter to build a lean-to shelter or cover your campsite from rain and wind, capture water for reuse later, or simply carry it in your backpack without impacting speed of hiking. A lean-to shelter or canopy are lightweight yet highly versatile tools to add to any camping adventure – use one to build one today!

Space Blanket

Survival blankets are essential camping gear. By reflecting radiant heat back onto its user, a survival blanket can help avoid hypothermia.

Space blankets are made up of Mylar sheets metallized with aluminum, making them durable and fold-up small for storage. Some manufacturers add bright orange accents on one side to increase visibility, helping prevent heat loss through thermal radiation while also wicking away sweat – an indispensable accessory in any hiking kit.

All-Season Sleeping Bag

If you plan to camp during unpredictable spring conditions, an all-season sleeping bag may be your best bet to keep warm if sudden snowfall strikes your campsite. It will protect from getting cold when unexpected storms bring unexpectedly heavy snowfalls – another benefit being reduced condensation when camping!

Find a sleeping bag with waterproof shell and lining to repel moisture, with mummy-shaped or semirectangular options that maximize heat retention, such as those available from Mummy Sleeping Bag. Furthermore, look for something breathable so as to avoid overheating during your night’s rest.

Hammock

Hammocks provide campers with a lightweight alternative to tents that allows for more comfortable off-ground sleeping arrangements. Easy to hang up, all it requires are two sturdy trees to support it!

Purchase a hammock equipped with a suspension system featuring wide straps to protect tree bark and a ridgeline for hanging accessories, such as Hennessy or Kammok models that include one. Many systems include tarps with these systems.

Survival Knife

Survival knives can come in handy for numerous camping tasks. For instance, they can help chop wood or create lean-to shelters out of branches.

Consider investing in a blade thick enough for more strenuous tasks, like batoning (hold it vertically and strike against something to split wood). Also look for one with full-tang construction so the metal runs all the way through to strengthen it further.

Compass

Compasses can be invaluable tools when camping. Reliant solely on its internal magnetism for navigation purposes, it allows for effortless backcountry exploration when GPS signals are unavailable.

Suunto A-10 Compass offers reliable, simple navigation in areas with significant magnetic variation, complete with clinometer and adjustable declination scale for ease of use.

Paracord

Paracord is the Swiss Army Knife of survivalists: lightweight yet extremely strong; economical and expendable. Every prepper should keep at least some length of quality milspec type III or 550 cord in their arsenal.

These cords are not only resistant to rot and mildew, but their kernmantle construction also makes them very strong – ideal for creating guy lines or attaching equipment securely to backpacks.

Duct Tape

Duct tape is an essential survival tool that every backpacker should keep handy. Tough, waterproof and cost-effective – duct tape has endless uses in the wild!

Repair broken tent poles, frayed guylines and torn tarps using duct tape to keep insects and rain at bay from your shelter. Plus, this tape acts as a seal against insects entering.

Use duct tape to quickly dry wet clothing! Create an improvised clothesline using just long strips. This method also speeds up drying times significantly.