Having the emergency gear you want will be the distinction between a near-miss and a scary consequence. Pack it with out weighing your self down with these two DIY emergency kits, one for dayhikers and one for backpackers.
Having the proper gear could make the distinction in a survival state of affairs. (Picture: Zoe Gates)
Printed March 9, 2026 02:33PM
While you begin the transition from conventional to ultralight backpacking, survival gear is often the very first thing to go. Signaling mirror? Extraneous. Additional paracord? Too heavy. Fireplace starters? Pshh. Earlier than you already know it, your security equipment consists of nothing greater than 4 ibuprofen and half a roll of medical tape.
Survivalists get a foul rap for weighing themselves down with pointless equipment. For years, I, too, scoffed on the prepper mindset. I’d heard the adage “Don’t pack your fears” sufficient occasions that I anxious throwing in a SAM Break up or an emergency blanket would belie some underlying anxiousness. So, I stuffed these fears down, ditched the protection gear, and went again to bragging about my 10-pound base weight.
Then, just a few years in the past, an in depth good friend suffered a severe accident within the Canadian Rockies and needed to be airlifted out for emergency surgical procedure. If he hadn’t been carrying a primary assist equipment and a satellite tv for pc communication gadget, he probably would have misplaced his leg.
The gadget solely weighed 3.5 ounces, the primary assist equipment solely a bit of extra. That’s not nothing, but it surely bought me pondering: How a lot further weight would I carry in alternate for my leg? For my life? Actually greater than that. The extra I regarded into light-weight survival gear, the extra I noticed that it was attainable to broaden my margin of error with out weighing myself down. Sound interesting? Listed here are two pattern kits to think about: one for dayhikes, and one for overnights.
Dayhiking
For this listing, we’ll assume you’re not already carrying shelter, a lightweight, or fire-starting provides and that you simply’re in or close to cell service. In case you’re going off-grid, packing a PLB or satellite tv for pc communicator isn’t a foul thought.
SOL Warmth Reflective Emergency Rain Poncho (2.7 oz)
This high-vis poncho does double-duty as full-body rain gear and an emergency blanket—each of which might aid you survive an surprising flip within the climate. The poncho is sized to suit over a pack, and the entire thing packs right down to concerning the dimension of a pockets.
RovVon Aurora A5 Hat Clip Flashlight (0.6 oz)
Discover your method again to the trailhead after darkish with a bit of increase from this hands-free flashlight. Due to the clip-on design, it’s a couple of fifth the load of a conventional headlamp and nonetheless places out as much as 650 lumens. Not a hat individual? The included clip is trekking pole-compatible.
Litesmith Spark-Lite Firestarter Package (0.3 oz)
Fireplace is each a warmth supply and a signaling mechanism. In case you’re not already carrying a ton of layers and one thing to make use of for signaling (like, say, a vivid orange poncho), there’s no hurt in including this bundle to your equipment. Repackage the sparker and firestarter tabs right into a zip-top bag to whittle the whole weight right down to 0.3 ounces.
Offline Mapping App (0 oz)
One of many best issues you are able to do to maintain your self secure within the backcountry is obtain a map in your cellphone. Trendy mapping apps like Outdoors’s personal Gaia GPS allow you to save a number of map layers—like satellite tv for pc imagery, USGS maps, and Nationwide Geographic trails—to provide you a full image of the terrain. They’ll additionally present you your real-time location and mountain climbing route even whenever you’re off-trail and out of service. Caveat: Telephones do die, particularly in chilly climate, so it’s nonetheless sensible to carry a backup paper map when you’ve bought an unreliable battery.
Brunton Tag-Alongside Glow Compass (0.5 oz)
A small compass generally is a godsend when you hit a complicated intersection or get rotated throughout an off-trail toilet foray. Sure, smartphones may let you know your cardinal instructions, however the good thing about a compass is that it gained’t run out of battery. At simply half an oz., this one’s a worthy backup.
Complete = 4.1 oz.
Backpacking
This listing assumes you’re already carrying some sort of shelter, primary navigation tools, and a lightweight supply.
UCO stormproof matches (0.1 oz)
Whereas they might take up a bit of further area in comparison with a paper matchbook, stormproof matches can gentle beneath almost any circumstances. Whereas they often are available cumbersome containers, ultralighters are champion repackers. Shave just a few ounces off this bundle by packing a strike pad and a few matches in a zip-top bag for assured firestarting even within the occasion of lighter failure.
SOL Fireplace Lite Gas Cubes (0.1 oz)
You’ve matches, however the one factor you may’t at all times depend on in a survival state of affairs is dry tinder. Throwing one or two of those cubes into your bag is a straightforward insurance coverage coverage in chilly, moist climate.
Potable Aqua Iodine Tablets (0.1 oz)
Water therapy isn’t an enormous deal for the common dayhiker as a result of, even when you do get misplaced, the native rescue staff will probably catch as much as you properly earlier than the giardia does. But when there’s an opportunity you could possibly get caught out for days or perhaps weeks, it pays to have a bit of backup water purification. Iodine tablets are among the many lightest; maintain just a few tablets in your med equipment simply in case.
Tiny First Assist Package (0.5 oz)
You’ve bought two choices right here: purchase a purpose-made equipment just like the Journey Medical Kits Ultralight 0.3 ($14) and take out the survival nonessentials (just like the chunk cream, blister pads, and all these further bandages), or make your individual equipment from scratch. I often do the latter, which lets me customise my equipment to my sensitivities and allergy symptoms. Mine consists of the next, on prime of the hand sanitizer and UL pocket knife I already carry (helpful for wiping off wounds and slicing medical tape, respectively).
Garmin InReach Mini (3.5 oz)
That is the heaviest factor on this complete listing—but it surely’s additionally the one most certainly to save lots of your life. The Mini does away with the big display and hulking housing widespread to so many satellite tv for pc messengers. As an alternative, it gives solely what you want in a survival state of affairs: two-way messaging, an SOS button, and as much as 30 days of battery life.
Complete = 4.3 oz
