Post Apocalyptic Survival Gear: Would you survive the apocalypse?

Dork 21 months ago

I'd add a crowbar and some bolt cutters to the list.

J. McCoy 21 months ago

I love post apoc movies and enjoyed the hub. It's funny how we both like some of the exact same gear right down to the brands. I think the best investment for this type of scenario is going through plenty of primitive skills classes. I love the concept of not being dependent on tools whatsoever... not just to survive, but to enjoy living. It just takes a lot of time in practice.

Korum 20 months ago

The Ka-Bar Fighting Knife as carried by the Marines amongst other branches of the military, is just that..A combat knife by design and not a great "Survival Knife" KaBar, amongst others, ColdSteel, ESEE, FallKniven, etc, makes other knives that are far more useful in such a setting..If interested in Kabar, purchase the becker line-Best product they ever invested in!!!

Sullivan 20 months ago

I like the list. I would add a crossbow though.

Jack Jobe 19 months ago

I like your list and suggestions. I will have some posts on this topic. I hope you'll provide me feed back so I can grow better prepared every day.

Ranger6409 18 months ago

Rope-Min of 1000 ft paracord in 10-100'coils; Boots-Bates, Danner, Matterhorn, Magnum-Buy boots made to hike and walk til you Die!!!; Packs-Alice Pack-Med/Lg, Kelty, High Sierra, Arc'teryx, Gregory-Buy a pack that will last you til you Die!!!, Aqua Mira-Frontier Water-Purifying Straws, Dozens of Bottles Of Potable Aqua, Katydin Hiker Filter with 12 filter repl; Solar L.E.D.flashlights-crank to work or headlights; Tent or basha tarp; BBgun is good, but get a .22-Better chance of kill/Can be used against peeps more eff.; Shotgun 12 ga.-sound of chambering a round alone can cause a person to S*** themselves. MRE's and Mountain House for Chow.

AlBrowning 17 months ago

Thats a good list you explained it so it was easy to understand why all the different pieces are needed. I'd carry a crossbow as a primary weapon in place of a rifle/bbgun for the possibility of taking down bigger lunch! could recover my arrows like with the BB. tinfoil would be a good addition too for warmth.

Bob 17 months ago

Nice list! In my opinion the Medical Supplies could use some expanding. Essentials like a Pin, Sterilon, compact bandages, a mirror, thos little white straps that you can close gasping wounds with...

ophir madar 17 months ago

Brilliant List & well enjoyed the read.

I think an air Rifle Instead of a BB gun would be much more usefull. You can craft ammo out of everything. blu-tac being my personal favourite. I have an SMK-19 and it shoots with anything.

A Stand-alone tin opener. You want to be able to open tins with ease. A good solid reliable one.

A well made Billabong backpack. Theyre Strong as SH*T and Will list you years.

Oh, I would Say go for the Gerber instead of the leatherman. Theyre Rediculously well made. My Friend carpeted the back of my van, Using his gerber alone!

*wish list*

A Well Made rechargeable Mp3 Player. Hey, Your gonna need your music! Fact! I dont know of any yet. But would like to know if any exist.

nic-mntwincities 17 months ago

Very interesting list of materials needed. Thanks for the idea. I may not use all your listed materials but most. thanks...

alex 16 months ago

Hmmmm. I would still take a real gun above a bb gun. I would choose a pump action shotgun. It is way more very versatile than a bb gun, because it can be used against birds, small game, big game(slugs) and people. Also the ammo is easy to make. The hardest parts for making ammunition are the powder and primers. I would just buy a large sack of smokeless gunpowder and lots of primers. The casings can be easily reused and the shot can be made out of virtually anything including bbs. I rifle or pistol could also work, but you would need a way to mould the bullets and possibly metal jacket them if they're for a rifle.

Twisted 15 months ago

My suggestion to everyone that is putting enphasis on weapons is to learn to trap and get a pocket manual of plants and the like, Im not apposed to using my firearm for hunting but only as a last resort, setting traps expends very little calories and waiting on a meal usi=es barely any at all....Energy that can be used for other things, As far as other tools and things I would recomend keeping in your B.O.B (Bug Out Bag) would be germinated seeds of simple to grow veggies....Everyone puts so much emphasis on staying on the move due to watching movies and its not nessicarily the way to go. and it would also be more effective to fashion your tools to multipurpose, Instead of carrying a collapsable shover, Axe, Machete, Saw, Bolt cutters and all these heavy tools that would be bulky and heavy, I sayHead down to a surplus store and pick up a rugged trench shovel and sharpen it on one side by taking a simple grinder, Pick up a whip saw and keep in your pack, as well as replace the water filter with a metal canteen and iodine, Iodine serves many purposes but most importantly it kills bacteria in your water supply,.....Above all else remember, the more crap you carry means the more calories you burn with every step as well as more likely you are to be spotted and attacked....Pack light, Move quietly ,and good luck

Phillip 14 months ago

I've got everyting on the list already and would also add fishing line, hooks, and luers. Also trapping wire, sling shot, and work gloves. It wouldn't hurt to bring something you would be able to boil water in, unless you want to try using a turtle shell. That just sounds nasty!

Smitty 14 months ago

How many REAL survival experts talk about stocking up on ANYTHING(gold, food, etc.)? Having an excess of anything, in a real economic collapse, makes you a bigger target for those around you. All of these so-called “experts” that are peddling gold, silver, seeds, food are making tons of money based on your fear. In a situation where there is no electricity, no law, no accountability, there is only ONE thing of value…YOUR own survival skills. Think you can stay where you are and defend your stuff? You can’t stay awake 24 hours a day; and you won’t have enough ammo. In survival, it’s not how much “stuff” you have…it’s about what you can defend. And it’s about how much you can carry. All of this crap about stocking up on supplies and gold is giving you a false sense of security. How long do you think you can last before terrified and hungry people start coming to take your stuff? A week? A month? Even if you live out in the country. How long will it be before thousands of hungry people start leaving the city and roaming the country side looking for shelter and food?

If you think that “survival” means that you’re to have a house in the country with plenty of food, gold, and a solar generator…ask Randy Weaver or David Koresh how well it worked out for them. All they dealt with was a few hundred coordinated people with rifles. Change those situations to hundreds (then thousands) of hungry people and then think if you have the man-power to guard a perimeter 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here’s some REAL survival advice. And it’s completely free. Learn the survival techniques taught to the military (ie Army Infantry, Rangers, SF, Marine Corps, Navy SEALs, etc.). Watch shows by Les Stroud and Bear Grylls. Read books or websites that teach personal survival. Learn the principals of the Light Infantry (ie staying off roads, avoiding populated areas, getting to and staying in the wood line). Understand that survival is NOT about how much stuff you have to defend, but about how much stuff you can carry. Understand that survival from thousands (or millions) of hungry people will require you to be nomadic.

Change your thinking about survival. Instead of thinking “how much food do I have?” Think “what can I carry in a ruck sack that will aid me in getting food in the woods”? Instead of thinking “how much water do I have?” Think “what can I carry in a ruck sack that will aid me in drinking clean water that I find?” Instead of thinking “I need to maintain shelter from the elements.” Think “what can I carry in a ruck sack that will keep me dry and give me shelter?” Instead of thinking “how many boxes of ammo can I stock?” Think “how much ammo can I carry”?

What about medical supplies? A standard “first aid” kit has a bunch of stuff that you won’t need in it. Plus, which first aid kit should you get? The big one? The really big one? Which one is best? Do a little research to find out the absolute essentials needed in a survival first aid kit. Taking a Red Cross standard first aid class is worth a lot more than gold.

In reality, prepare to go mobile. Prepare as if you will need to go on foot. Plan the quickest (and safest) routes from your front door to the woods. Plan at least three routes that lead OUT of town. This means you AND your family. Everyone on foot, quietly, expediently, and smartly. Avoiding any authorities (if any still exist at that point) and contact with other people. Survive on your own or with your immediate family.

Now if, at some time in the future, you stumble across a well organized community of people (provided their perimeter security personnel don’t shoot you out of fear)…then maybe they’ll take you in. But if you don’t have any relevant skills to add to their community then they most likely won’t let you in. So you’ll have to be self sustaining until you come across a large enough community that can afford to be more accepting. But don’t count finding such a community.

People say “prepare for the worst but hope for the best”. Well I just told you how to truly prepare for the worst. And it didn’t cost you a dime.

Understand this…even if you’re a super, uber, combat ready, “Rambo” type…the challenge of safely navigating the “Escape from New York” scenario of making it from the city to the woods will require huge amounts of dumb luck. It may take several hours to several days just to get out of the city. Staying off the radar of hungry and desperate people will be very difficult. Then IF you do make it to the woods, the day to day challenges of executing your independent survival skills will set in. So if you’re going to “prepare for the worst” then PREPARE FOR THE WORST. Decide, right now, if you want to live; if you want to survive. Decide if you are willing to prepare your family for “the worst”.

Do I think it’s worth it? Yes, I do. It may take months or years of living in the woods as a nomadic survivor. But there is always the hope that things will get better.

Who am I? I was a Light Infantry Soldier that had the opportunity to get some of the best survival training that is available; also served in Iraq for a year. I was also an EMT/Paramedic for 8 years.

If you have any doubt as to whether or not the survival information that I have provided for you is correct or not…don’t ask the peddlers of gold, seeds, or solar generators. Ask an Army or Marine Corps Infantry Soldier, an Army Ranger, Army SF Soldier, Marine Corps Force Recon, Navy SEAL, Air Force Combat Controller, or Air Force Para-rescue. They’ll all tell you the same thing.

Never, in any of my survival training, did words like “portfolio”, “currency”, “gardening”, or “solar generators” ever come up. At best, all of those things MIGHT buy you a little time; that’s all. My experiences in three third-world countries (two in the Middle East, one in Central America) clearly showed me how people with unchecked lawlessness will behave. It also showed me some of the things that I will do in order to survive. NOBODY can maintain their code of ethics when they are hungry, their children are hungry, and there’s no one around to help. You think rioting and looting, here in the states, is bad when the lights go out for a few hours? Try a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months.

The ONLY reason the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina went so well (by comparison) is because New Orleans was surrounded by the rest of Louisiana and the United States which had not lost its economy/electricity. 99% of America was still intact and able to bring in aid (late as it may have been). Same goes for New York City on September 11th, 2001. But what if all of North America is without an economy and/or electricity? Who would rescue you then?

There is one exception to what I am saying about survival. There is ONE way that a person (and family) can “hunker down”. But you’d have to be invisible to everyone else. People that have those pre-built survival bunkers installed (out in the country) underground stand a good chance of staying in place (for a much longer time) because those bunkers are well hidden. When marauders come (and they WILL COME!), if they don’t know you’re there then they will pass you by. But, eventually, you’d have to come out. If you carefully/methodically/consistently recon your immediate area then you could probably stay there for a while. But if people see you opening that hatch and coming out of your bunker…it’s over. The whole reason for having such a bunker is its invisibility.

The fear of not knowing how to prepare for the worst is what keeps you up at night. But after you learn how to condense everything you need into a ruck sack, and then learn what to do…you won’t worry about it anymore. And it’s so much easier than trying to anticipate the actions of others (ie government, law enforcement, economy). By focusing solely on what YOU plan to do, and eliminating what others MIGHT do, you can empower yourself and go on with life as usual. And should the worst happen? You’ll truly be prepared.

nailinthehead 14 months ago

Ones ability to survive depends mainly on two things: your skills and your health. I love how some people try to compensate the lack of skills with tons of gear. They tend to keep large backpacks stuffed with everything they could think of but somehow they can't realize that they are too fat or too weak to carry that around. No gear will save your life if you get a heart attack after running few meters.

Twisted 14 months ago

I dnt think that anyone would argue the fact that training and basic survival skills could be replced with equipment, But I am sick and tired of all of the minimalists out there saying "I can go into the woods with nothing but a knife and survive indeffinatly" Well good for you, So can I....Do I want to? NO!, Thats why I have a B.O.B. stocked with several conveniences, Whats the point of living if your constantly hating life.......But I do completly agree with having or gaining basic survival skills, Its mazing how mny people out there dont even have the basic first aid knowledge vital to survival, Use your brain and you will have a much better chance at survival

nailinthehead 14 months ago

It's not about minimalism but about rationalism. I saw 75l big BOBs. I saw First Aid kits looking like drug stores. I follow the rule "it's better to have something and not need it than need it but not have it" but I also follow the rule "don't take more than you realy need". One will feel each single redundant pound after 20 kms of marching.

Chandler 14 months ago

Damn Smitty...chill out

Tim Ralston 13 months ago

When making plans for emergency or potential survival situations, it is important to pack tools in your bug out kits that could save your bacon. The problem is, many of us plan for a multitude of emergencies that may occur. We end up stuffing our packs to the breaking point with a payload that would buckle the knees of even the best pack mule. Lessons learned. The key to preparedness or even survival is to be armed with the right tools and the right knowledge.

To accomplish a lighter pack load, most experts recommend packing multi-task tools so you can hump it to your destination with less weight. The new Crovel, a core mix between a shovel and crowbar, is the ultimate multi task tool. At first glance it looks familiar; like an e-tool, but the Crovel boasts the function of 13 additional tools. It also differentiates itself by its sheer strength. Made of 10-gauge hard steel, the Crovel crushes its fellow competitors who offer flimsy stamped steel shovel heads with wooden handles. When put through a rigid test, these competing shovels always bend and break.

The heavy duty structure of the Crovel includes a shovel head that flaunts a razor edge connected to a solid crowbar. Not only does it hold an edge, it can take the place of an ax. The handle is a harden 18inch gooseneck crow bar with a 1 inch hammer head. This makes for a formidable entry, prying or fastening tool, not to mention a fear-inducing weapon against a determined foe.

This tool will not fail, even if you do.

To check out the Crovel shovel, :

Bojangles 13 months ago

Right after duct tape on the list of stuff that works; Ziplock baggies. They gan hold food, water, your stuff, and they can help you collect water; if you happen to find a tree with healthy leaves, tie the baggie around an especially healthy-looking tuft and wait overnight. The leaves' condensation will have collected, and voila! You might have to boil the water though, just to be safe, but it works.

Plus, if you're gonna be working with mechanical stuff, i.e building an awesome bunker or escape truck or whatever, use WD-40 and duct tape. A good motto- if it sticks and it's not supposed to, use WD-40. If it doesn't stick and it's supposed to, use duct tape. :D

Oh, plus a first Aid kit + booklet doesn't hurt either.

crack baby 13 months ago

Hello to all!

I am a retired 22year Army guy that spent all but 5 years of his service in the special ops world. Veteren of the first gulf war and three tours in each of OIF and OEF and alot of time South of the boarder. I think your list is first rate. Each person should remember the golden rule of living. That you have to start somewhere. your list of equipment gives that base line starting point. Add to it as you wish or need based on your world as you know it and use it to build your own to go bag. As far as what would I add to the list well I am a simple kind of guy so here is my added list of stuff.

1)half a dozen lighters

2)a large jar of vaseline

3)3 bars of a good non scented anti-bac soap

4)1 towel and wash cloth

5)1 army mess kit with fork knife and spoon

6)1 file to sharpen your other tools that are listed.

7)1 sewing kit and a very small curved needle and a spool of 4 pound spider wire fishing line (for closing up cuts)

8)1 dozen tubes of gel super glue it will close up cuts to fix about any thing else that tape does not.

9)1 army canteen and cup and cover

10) 12 oz bottle of Iodine it works on about every thing when it comes to killing germs.

11) at least one complete change of clothing from head to toe.

12)a notebook size road atlas that shows as much stuff as possible (state parks, wildlife areas, railroads, military bases)

13)22 cal rifle and 250 rounds of subsonic 60 grain ammo. from deer and human size and down put one of these bullets in it's ear and it will go down and at 75 yards away you can not tell it was a gun that fired.

14)a simple deck of playing cards.

Well there you have my added list and I say this to one and all practice, practice. I have two teen age daughters and wonderful wife that I value above all. We like to camp and hike and fish so twice a year(spring and fall)I come home from work on a Friday afternoon and we will drive out to the Smokey Mountain National Park and armed only with our go bags we will stay the week-end. I have learned alot over the past 3 years of doing this with my family and it has made us into a great team and better family. You can have all the training in the world but if you do not use it and gain faith in your skill you will never make it.

Elindri 11 months ago

I totally agree with Smitty. Survival is all about your basic skills in first aid, how to make fire and build shelter and making fishing equipment only with things you find in the forest. The only thing you need is a knife. I am norwegian, and we are outdoorpeople, and learn theese things at school. If you get lost in the mountains those skills would be a matter of life and death, so we learn how to survive at an early age. Quite useful in an apocalytic scenario to.

Elindri 11 months ago

All I wonder is for how long....I know I would get by on my skills for a couple of weeks, but in the long run.....that would be quite difficult

What are you all thinking 9 months ago

You can not carry aisle 7 from Walmart on your person. Get baptised, confess your sins, receive Holy Communion and prepare your soul because what is coming in the form of Comet Elenin and the Photon Belt we are entering will not provide any wiggle room for the days, weeks and months after September 23rd, 2011

Ramon 9 months ago

I have to take issue with that machete, the one you selected is good looking for movies etc but for a real fight, you need a well balance machete, take a look at this youtube video, this is how we handle machetes in the Dominican republic. Balance of weight is very important!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw7s8C-F7wY

Kris 7 months ago

Great list but I agree I'd def bring a double barrel pump action shot gun and a hand gun, to much at risk not to

John G. 7 months ago

Despite the popular belief, Machetes are not meant for combat. most are stainless steel, perfect for vines and small branches, NOT for cutting through protective gear, and DEFINITELY not for combating other blades. Even proper parrying techniques, with the flat of the blade, will demolish it, and impacts with hard equipment and modern defensive gear can tear the edge to pieces. Get an affordable, tempered, carbon steel sword, with a full tang and good balance. It'll run you $250-450 for a basic battle ready blade. and DO NOT get two of them. Two weapon fighting styles look and sound cool, but REQUIRE formal training, if you don't want it to hinder, rather than help. to use a blade for fighting in general, I at least recommend training, or at least a lot of structured practice with friends. as a last note, Kukri have strange balance traits, and are difficult to maintain an on-edge path when using offensive techniques, and, being point-heavy, can bend or snap if they receive impact too far down the blade, especially when parrying flat-on

Mike D 4 months ago

"What are you all thinking" - hahahaha, I laughed hard at your idiotic post.

The Religious Moron's Survival Guide: Chapter 1 - Get baptised, receive holy communion etc etc. Chapter 2 - Get robbed and killed by your neighbour before realising you were lied to by the church of stupid.

At least religion will be the first thing to die in the new world.

Skilly Jr. 4 months ago

ok, this is an AMAZING list, my zombie survival supply list includes all these things. Anyone who wants additional ideas try rain gear, a crossbow, fishing and hunting gear, an industrial trailer if you plan on traveling, a hose, water purifiers, non-perishable food, tarp, camping gear, and tools like axes and sledge hammers. My list is designed for an escape to the outdoors to live off the land away from the apocolyptic scenario.

Rock star 4 months ago

dont go out in the wild ever

arnold 3 months ago

There's no such thing as a double barrel pump shotgun

Mindy 3 months ago

Those who survive a post-apocalyptic situation will die within a week or two. For example, this article addresses the individual; but what about families with children? Nuclear devices will be detonated. Who's prepared for that? The horrors will be unimaginable. Pray that you die quickly. Those who survive will be the uber rich and the well-connected, the political elite and their soulless minions. The unclean masses will perish.

For survival gear, however, stock only what can be naturally replenished. Medicinal herbs and vegetable seeds are good and a slingshot is adequate. Forget the machine guns and hand-to-hand. That kind of romance only sells theatre tickets.

Zach 3 months ago

To Mindy, Nuclear devices have a finite range, though depending on how large they are in terms of explosion, let's for the sake of argument say its a fusion type hydrogen bomb. These are only severely deadly withing the first 10 miles of detonation. If your, say 7-9 miles out and survive the intense heat wave and shock wave, you can still survive within 10-20 minutes if you can reach the outer 10 radius. Outside of that zone, all you must do when the blast is seen is hide in a well secured building in the basement to avoid the shock wave and heat wave. Its only a couple minutes, maybe seconds but you could still live through it. Nuclear devices are usually trained on high population targets for mass effect, meaning that yes a lot may die but families and children can still survive.

As for the survival gear I think this article is spot on for essentials. Not all may be available if your unprepared but grabbing any of those is a great start. Some of you underestimate how stubborn we humans are when pushed to the edge. If we cant survive after an apocalypse then I guess we haven't truly evolved enough.

Keith 3 months ago

Think a pair of dpm combats are essential too. Make yourself look like a soldier, obviously a rifle whether a realistic bb gun or real gun will add to the illusion that your part of the military. People will be less likely to fuck with a soldier than normal civvies. Bonus points if there is more than one of you then you look even more intimidating as a patrol of squaddies. Aswell if you do run into some real soldiers they'll think your one of them rather than a threat.

Jamie 2 months ago

I was talking hypothetically about this with my family, it's fun. They think I have terrible survival skills. Things I'd add/change here include:

1) Multi-vitamins

2) Solar stills - great way to get clean water.

3) No tents. They take time to put up, are be hard to defend, rip, & add weight.

4) For those who go up north, a PARKA + GOOD boots

5) Map/compass if you're travelling

I really think vitamins are a good idea. When you're low on food they allow your body to continue metabolic functions. Taking them can prevent maladies that can kill you or make you weaker. Calcium deficiencies make bones softer over time, and seeing as dairy, veggies, and nuts aren't available, most people who survive a year or so are going to be vulnerable, among things like curvy, anemia, etc… They won't last forever, but they provide nutrition that can last literally a year and keep people healthy... Plus, they're compact & light! You can catch as much food as you want, but you're not going to have a balanced diet.

DK 2 months ago

A copy of the U.S. Constitution.

justin 3 weeks ago

just buy a nuclear silo and stuff full of supplies for the next 30 years. Close the multiple blast doors no one can cut through them. And if there is an all out nuclear war between countries and you dont have a bunker you screwed no matter what