Whether you’re preparing for a weekend in the woods or the ever impending apocalypse, having survival gear you can depend on is critical. Should the time come when you need to use it — whether that’s due to a wilderness excursion gone wrong or an unexpected natural disaster — you’ll be glad you have it. Time is of the essence in a grid-down scenario and having things like fresh water, medical supplies, and basic survival tools readily accessible can be a matter of life or death.

Unfortunately, most people have no idea what those basic survival tools are or how to use them. Furthermore, many folks find the process of learning daunting. Yet it’s not as complicated as you might think. Instinctively, you probably already know what you need to survive — basic things like water, food, fire, shelter, and medical aid. To help you out, we’ve created a checkoff list of items typically included in a survival kit, along with recommendations for the best survival gear currently on the market.

Whether you’re putting together a lightweight emergency kit to take backpacking or planning for an all-out zombie apocalypse, the first thing you need is a container to hold everything in. In survivalist communities, this is often referred to as a bug out bag (BOB) or a quick run bag. Other acronyms you might hear include a GOOD bag (Get Out Of Dodge), an INCH bag (I’m Never Coming Home), or a PERK (Personal Emergency Relocation Kit).

The first thing you need is a container to hold everything in. In survivalist communities, this is referred to as a bug out bag or a quick run bag.

In wilderness survival scenarios, you’ll keep these emergency bags in lightweight, ultra-compact pouches with only the essentials. For urban evacuations, however, you’ll typically want a larger backpack. The idea is that if you have to evacuate quickly due to a wildfire, earthquake, mudslide, or any other natural disaster, you can grab a 72-hour supply of essentials since that’s typically how long it takes emergency crews to respond to major catastrophes.

When selecting a backpack, it’s important to find something that’s lightweight and comfortable to carry. During disaster situations, roads typically clog up immediately and become inoperable. The safest way to evacuate is often on foot, so you should be able to walk for a mile or more with your pack without wearing out. Be sure to test the weight once it’s full to be sure you can carry it. You also want to consider regional weather patterns. If you live in a wet climate prone to flooding, you may want something waterproof whereas, in dry climates, durability may be your biggest factor.

In any survival scenario, water is, without a doubt, the most important thing to have or find immediately — the average person can’t survive more than three to four days without it. Factors such as intense heat or long stretches of walking make that timeframe even shorter. Most emergency experts recommend the keeping of one gallon of water per person per day, for a minimum of 72 hours, stored at your house. However, if you’re deep in the wilderness on a backpacking trip or you’ve been forced to flee your home as a wildfire quickly spreads, you’ll need to be able to make potable water from natural resources.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of being able to start a fire in a survival situation. It plays endless roles in keeping you alive — cooking your food, boiling your water, keeping you warm, providing light, and even signaling rescue workers in a search. That said, if you’re dealing with wind, rain, snow, or other weather elements, starting a fire with regular tools is challenging, sometimes even prohibitively so. That’s why your survival kit should always include weatherproof fire starters.

It goes without saying that in emergency scenarios, people get hurt. Whether there’s a crisis in the backcountry or an unforeseen urban disaster, you’ll likely have folks who need immediate medical attention — possibly even yourself. It’s paramount to be sure your bug out bag contains a comprehensive first aid kit that’s fully stocked with bandages, gauze, sanitary gloves, alcohol wipes, medicine, and other essential supplies.

The earthquake kits you keep in your house are likely stocked with tons of canned foods. This is great if you’re able to get to your house and it’s inhabitable. However, a backcountry kit or quick-grab bag needs to be light and compact which means canned food is essentially off the table. Since you don’t know exactly what resources you’ll have on hand for preparation, it’s a good idea to keep your bag stocked with a combination of ready-to-eat items like jerky or protein bars, along with freeze-dried or dehydrated food, or if you have a dog freeze-dried food that can be mixed with boiling water for a full meal.

When you’re sleeping outside, it’s essential that you’re able to create a shelter to protect yourself from the elements. Having a barrier — whether that’s a separate apparatus or something to wrap yourself in — protects you from wind, rain, snow, sleet, sun, and other environmental factors. On top of that, it keeps insects from biting you and excess dirt and bacteria from making you sick. Shelters also create a sense of security that may boost your will to live in desperate scenarios and keep you going longer.

Whether you’re making meals, chopping wood, or simply protecting yourself, your survival bag should include a variety of cutting implements. You’ll use them to cut branches, trim bandages, chop firewood, slice rope, prepare meat, harvest edibles, create hunting weapons, and defend yourself from wildlife.

There are plenty of reasons to opt for a headlamp over a handheld flashlight, the main one being that it allows your hands to be free while preparing food or doing other essential tasks. Petzl’s e+LITE Headlamp is specifically designed for emergency kits with an ultra-compact carry case that can be stored with its batteries. It features a red strobe to help guide rescuers to you, as well as a safety whistle integrated into the headband. The featherweight 50-lumen device only weighs 26 grams and, unlike a regular flashlight, can be used to navigate out of wilderness areas even if you’re injured.

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On top of having the basics like food and shelter, you need specific tools in the wild to help you navigate, be heard, and improvise, including a compass, whistle, and rope. The first two assist you in getting around while rope acts as the ultimate all-purpose support tool. You can use it to make a clothing line, build a ladder, bundle sticks, move heavy objects, hang food, repair clothes, create animal traps, wire a trip cord, and many other improvisational tasks. If an emergency strikes, you definitely won’t regret having these useful items on hand.

Stealth Angel’s 9-in-1 Survival Kit includes everything mentioned above and more. The pack features a lightweight emergency compass and strong aluminum alloy whistle, along with a mega-convenient paracord bracelet. The 7- to 8-inch rope bracelet features 10 feet of high-strength 550 parachute cord and a built-in fire starter. The kit also comes with a heavy-duty steel pen, a tactical 350-lumen flashlight, a large ferrocerium rod flint, and a multi-tool that has a can opener, ruler, butterfly wrench, screwdriver tip, lanyard hole, and jagged wrench.

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Whether you’re stuck in the woods trying to communicate your location to a rescue team or you’re in the middle of an earthquake and need to tell your family you’re safe, being able to communicate when the grid is down is a game changer. Having the ability to tune into emergency radio alerts and generate power will further your ability to stay connected, extend the life of your batteries, and allow you to use helpful electrical devices.

If the thought of putting together a bag of everything you need to survive a disaster seems too daunting, there are plenty of pre-packaged disaster kits on the market, too. This one from Sustain Supply Co is one of the better, all-inclusive survival kits, containing virtually everything two people might need to survive off the grid for 72 hours.

This includes food and water (12 Mountain House food servings, portable stove, 24 packets of Datrex water, collapsible bowls and utensils), light and communication (LED lantern, flashlight,  Cyalume SnapLights, two whistles, hand crank radio), fire and warmth (emergency blankets, ferrocerium rod) and a fully stocked first aid kit with bath wipes.

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Sustain Supply Co