Did you know that there are certain conditions which we must meet in order to survive? These conditions may be environmental conditions and some other conditions as well. 

For example, a human being, on average, can survive for only three weeks without food, only three days without any water intake and when it comes to staying out of normal body temperature, the time span is much shorter and that is approximately three hours only. 

Now that’s interesting. Isn’t it? Staying at home and under normal circumstances, we usually fulfill all the requirements of our body and this is what we live and work hard for. 

But how do you plan to satisfy your body’s needs when you are out in the wild, away from home, in a highly unpredictable situation?

After all, you may end up losing your campus and thus losing your way, you may run out of food or water early or things didn’t go according to your plan. It can be anything, and we can end up in a highly unfortunate situation. 

Therefore, we must always have a plan B and plan B in such a case should be to carry survival gear with you consisting of the best and mandatory items needed for survival. 

What you carry and what you do not carry in your survival gear can prove to be crucial for you out there. Therefore, you must give this a proper thought and make your decision with good reasoning. 

In this article, I will help you make the right decision about your survival gear and we will look at some items which are necessary to be carried to an outdoor trip. Let us have a look at what items are they and why should we carry them.

The first and most important thing to carry is a survival knife. A survival knife is designed specifically to cater the needs of the user in a survival situation. This is also the reason that this knife is one of the most durable ones among all knives. 

There is a good amount of chance that in a survival situation you may find the need to cut things, which is why it is almost crucial to have a reliable and sturdy knife with you to help you in performing such chores. 

After all, you may need to perform hunting chores, build a shelter for yourself or prepare your food, all of which require a reliable knife.

The blade of the knife should be sharp enough to cut ropes, weeds, and strings, it should be able to sharpen wooden sticks, all of which are some basic tasks which you may need to perform out there. 

Also, try carrying at least two knives in your survival gear as having a backup is always a good choice. You may carry a good pocket knife and a survival knife or you may carry two survival knives. 

The choice is completely yours but remember to choose a survival knife which features a full tang and ergonomic handles as these ones are more efficient and sturdy. Also, the ergonomic handles facilitate in comfortable grips.

The chances are that you get a fire starter with your survival knife as these knives often come with additional items that prove to be useful in a survival situation. But if it does not come with your knife, then do carry one. 

A fire is something which you will need for must in the woods. Whether you want to keep yourself warm in a chilly environment, cook food or fight off wild predators, a fire is something which you will need for sure. 

So, if you do not know of some good fire starting methods, then it is better to carry a firestarter as a part of your survival gear. Apart from this, you can also watch tutorials and learn how to start a fire.

There are many effective methods, so if you do not have a lighter with you, you can start a fire from materials around you. Ever heard of tinder or flint and steel? You can carry these items with you in your survival kit and start a fire with them. 

Fire can even be started with the help of a glass lens or a polished mirror. Did you know that? So, all you have to do is be just a little bit creative. To start a fire, you must carry a match or a lighter and if possible then tinder as well so you can have various backpacks if something goes awry with the primary option. 

Also, do not forget to carry these fire-starting items in materials or containers which are waterproof.

The third thing to carry is a compass and I don’t need to stress to on the importance of a compass and a map as you yourself know how important they are. 

Whether you are on a hiking trip, a hunting trip or are just wandering around in the woods, a map and a compass are mandatory to carry as they will keep you on the right track. 

Surely, GPS is one of the best ways to navigate keep track of directions. But again, as a backup, you must carry a map and a compass as we are not sure when the battery of our phone may go down and we have to go back to old ways of navigating ourselves. 

Carrying a road map and a compass is not such a hassle as both are light in weight and take very little space as well. Just carrying these two items in your survival gear is not enough, you must know how to use them, otherwise, they will not be of any use to you. 

There are tutorials and a huge amount of instruction material available on the internet about this, you can take help from there or learn it from your elder siblings or family members.

A first aid kit is something which we must have at all times. We should have one at home, in our car and definitely one in our survival gear. 

We are not sure when can we find the need for some medical equipment, therefore, we must keep a first aid kit with us, especially when we are out on an outdoor trip where the chances of finding medical help are close to none. 

First aid kits consist of some basic yet important medical items that can take care of minor injuries i.e. cuts, and splinters. Or they can at least control major injuries up to some extent until some medical help arrives and that can prove to be very beneficial for the injured person. 

So, always carry a first aid kit with you and stay prepared for the worst. Again, just carrying a first aid kit will not help, get yourself training on how to give first aid to someone so you can properly use the equipment.

Carrying a saw or an axe will provide you numerous benefits. These items are specifically made for the woods which is why one of them must be carried. 

Your ax or saw does not need to be a heavy one, you can choose a light one but it surely has to be a durable and strong one so that it does not split into half as soon as you put it to hard use. 

A saw having a metal frame is a very good option as it is sturdy and can help you cut wooden logs and prepare firewood so you can start a fire. A saw, unlike a knife, will help you take down big pieces of wood so you can build a shelter for yourself. 

This is something which a knife cannot do alone, so you will find the need for a saw or a throwing axe.

We all know that the weather in our home town may vary from the weather of the place we are going to on our outdoor trip. In fact, in most cases it does. 

It is also possible that the weather of the urban area and that of a nearby open area full of trees may differ from each other especially during the night. 

Therefore, always remember to take with you proper clothes by keeping in mind the weather of the place you are going to. Even if the weather is hot and sunny, you must think about the worst-case scenario, because we may not know if suddenly the winds start to blow and the storm wants to pay us a visit. 

According to a study, people die more in the wild because of hypothermia than any other reason.

Hence, we should take actions to minimize the chances of it taking its toll on us. Only fire cannot help us stay warm on a chilly night, we will need warm clothes as well. 

It is considered as a good practice to stay away from clothes made up of cotton material as such clothes absorb and keep moisture and are bad insulating materials. 

They dry out very slowly and take lots of time for that which can make you sick and you may suffer from pneumonia etc. Which is why it is better to wear clothes made up of synthetic fabric whenever you go out on an outdoor trip.

Are you wondering why is it necessary to carry a whistle as a part of your survival outdoor gear? It is because it will help someone find you in case you lose your way and are unable to find your way back. 

We know that it is almost impossible for our voice to reach over a few miles, no matter how loud we shout and call for help. A whistle can be very helpful in such a situation and can help us find help. 

It can alert people who might be near you to know that you are somewhere around. Whistles which are made up of plastic are a reliable option to be carried on trips. 

They are light in weight and they do not rust as well due to which they last longer than the ones made up of plastic which are heavy and rust easily as well.

There are appalling stories which state that search helicopters have ignored lost individuals who were too feeble to even think about signaling. You wouldn’t want to be one of those people. 

Would you? A sign mirror or heliograph is a good option to avoid such a scenario. Carrying it with you in your survival gear wrapped up in a safe box is a decent method to shield it from harm and find it easily when needed. 

These mirrors are light in weight, are quite small but are able to reflect light at people who are at a distance from you or most appropriately flying above you, far away from you and the trouble you are in.

Anything from a nylon string to a metal ones falls under the name of cordage. It is a significant survival thing and help you when you have to climb places which are soaked from water and are wet. 

It can be wet due to many reasons i.e. from blood because of hunting, or from water, etc. Cordage features lots of things and it can be anything from a food line to a fish or anything else. 

It is a lightweight however a very useful piece of rope and prove to be very significant as a part of survival gear. There are many types of paracords utilized by Special Forces which can be used by hunters and outdoor enthusiasts when they are out on their trips and excursions.

This one is also a very essential item to be carried with you in your survival gear. All of us are familiar with the importance of a torch. 

No electricity is available out in the woods, therefore, we must have a torch to have some light during the night, otherwise, we will just be stumbling around in the woods. 

Therefore, on the off chance that you intend to wander out into a new area or wind up outside after dull, a good and reliable torch or a stun gun flashlight is an absolute necessity to have in your survival gear. 

The extraordinary news is electric lamps have kept on getting smaller and light in weight, and increasingly proficient and compelling as of late.

As I told you before, that a normal individual can't endure over seventy-two hours without water. Normally, an average man drinks at any rate one gallon of water for each day. 

Indeed, even a couple of tastes of clean and pure water can be very soothing, but that much water is too substantial to even consider carrying for a person. You can most likely discover some water pond in the woods, however it will be too dirty to even consider drinking it or using for any other purpose. 

Of course, it will not be coming straight from somewhere which has a legitimate filtration. Which is why a water filtration is suggested here so you can have access to clean water whenever you want to on your outdoor trip. 

Water is something that we need to stay alive and we must take proper measures to ensure that we have the facility of pure drinking water with us.

Self-defense weapons are also very important items which you must carry in your survival gear. Why? Because you may not know when will you face a dangerous assailant or a wild animal out in the woods. 

Choosing the right self-defense weapon and carrying it with you is crucial for you in such situation. Therefore, choose wisely as there is a huge variety of these items available in stores all over the world. 

There is a big chance that you will get confused when choosing your self-defense weapon. So, let me help you a little bit here. Pepper spray is a good option to carry with you in your survival gear as it is a very effective self-defense weapon and can work on both humans, and wild animals that you may face in the wild. 

A pepper spray has a high level of OC (oleoresin) component in it due to which it causes redness, swelling, and breathing issues and temporary blindness to the target. It is enough to stop your assailant right in his tracks, giving you enough time to run off.

The above-mentioned survival gear is must carry if you plan to spend more than one day out in the woods. So, what do you think about my list?