The types of emergencies that people should prepare for can include things like having no electricity for days because of a power outage. It can mean being prepared if there is a flood or a hurricane. Emergencies might also involve tornadoes, forest fires and sudden blizzards on a highway. But the fact remains that emergencies might also involve a house fire, a tire going flat while four-by-four driving in the mountains, or becoming lost on a camping trip. There are fifteen pieces of survival gear that will help a person in almost any emergency situation.

You never planned to get lost, the first time it happened. But that should have taught you to always have a map on hand of where you’re going, and make sure people know where you intend to be, at what time. If you don’t check in, they’ll know when to start to worry and where to look. A GPS receiver would help to have on hand, but you should also have a compass in your survival gear with your map. Keep a flashlight on hand. If you end up staying out after the sun sets, you’ll need light to keep from falling and hurting yourself. Emergency food rations will become important too, as time passes between your emergency and the last time you had a full meal.

What about extra clothing? You might think that what you have on is perfectly fine for a day of adventure. However, if there is an emergency, you might need the extra clothing. Even deserts get amazingly cold late at night and wearing layers is a good thing. You can use clothes for other purposes too, if the need arises. You have to stay warm and dry as much as possible. Rain gear can protect you from the wind as well as the rain, and can double as an insulating blanket or a shelter in a pinch. Sunglasses too are part of survival gear. How many times have you tried to see into the distance, in the direction of the sun, and found yourself blinded by the light reflecting off snow, water or fog? You have to be able to see clearly because your rescue could be right over that next hill.

First aid kits are important to include, especially ones that are compact but serve many purposes. Bandages, antiseptic salves and creams, and ways of treating burns, cuts and allergic reactions could be crucial at certain moments. A multi purpose tool is a good thing to have in our survival gear, as it might help us pry open food containers, build a shelter or an all important fire. The material to start a fire is also essential in survival gear. This could include waterproof matches, a lighter or a rod that one can purchase cheaply that can be scraped to shoot sparks onto a pile of dry grass or bark.

Surprisingly, it is easy to find ways to disinfect water so that it’s safe for drinking. If we can start a fire, we can boil the water underneath a piece of plastic or other solid container, and drink the condensation. There are also disinfection chemicals we can pack in our survival gear in case we haven’t been able to start a fire yet. Having a whistle is also important in case of an emergency. We might not be able to move but rescuers are looking for us and can’t hear us shouting. A shrill whistle sound would be sure to get their attention.

Packing a tarp or space blanket that can double as a survival shelter is important when we’re packing our survival gear. Parachute cord is also helpful but so would twenty five feet of rope. And the fourteenth item to add when we are packing our survival gear should be insect repellant. Bug spray can be used as fuel for fire if necessary, but being able to fend off infected ticks and biting insects is a plus all of its own.

The fifteenth and most important thing to pack into a kit full of survival gear is something a person can’t pack at all. That’s their will to survive. All of the above fourteen items are worthless if a person doesn’t have that will to live. Sometimes emergencies happen out of the blue. Having survival gear packed and ready for any situation that might arise will save a person’s life. But having the will to think smart, think ahead and be prepared is the most important survival tool of all.