Winter Survival Kit Tips

A survival kit is important any time you are out in winter weather. Especially in the outdoors, you need to be self-reliant no matter what the circumstances are. Although winter poses some major challenges, you can still design a survival kit that will allow you to survive in the cold winter weather. Here are a few things that you need to have in your survival kit.

FERRO ROD

When you are in a survival situation, you need to have a reliable way to start a fire. A ferro rod is one of the best ways to do this. While there are many different types of fire starters out there, a ferrocerium rod tends to work well in the winter. The hot sparks from a ferro rod will help to give you a flame right away and that flame will make it easier to get a good heat source started.

BLANKET

One of the biggest concerns in the winter is staying warm. One of the best ways to do this is to wrap yourself in a 100% wool blanket to trap in your body heat. There are many kinds of blankets that are designed specifically for a survival kit. Whatever kind of blanket you choose to use, make sure that it will still keep you warm even if you are wet. 

FLASHLIGHT

Winter means short days with more darkness. When in a survival situation, you will most likely need to see in the dark at some point. To do this you will need to put some type of flashlight in your survival kit. The Pathfinder School recommends a headlamp for hands free operation. There are also several kinds of flashlights that are powered by a crank and do not require batteries.

SURVIVAL KIT BAGS

When putting together a winter survival kit, you need to think about the bag or container that can hold all of your supplies. You need to find something that is large enough to fit everything but small enough that it is not going to be bulky. Also, you should think about finding something waterproof. If it is snowing or if there is snow on the ground, there is the possibility that the items in your survival kit could get wet. Choose a quality survival kit bag that is either water-resistant or waterproof.

If you are really worried about your things getting wet, you can buy a dry bag. These bags are guaranteed to keep your things nice and dry. These bags come in a number of different sizes and you should have no trouble finding a dry bag that is big enough.

Winter is a great time to explore the outdoors. With a little adjustment your survival kit can be tailored to keep you warm and dry should an emergency arise.