The last thing you’d want is being in places where you don’t have the tools to start a fire or get safe water to drink. Survival tools let you survive in any life-threatening situations such
-
You’re lost in the forest wilderness such as the
Aokigahara forest near Mt. Fuji because of hiking/camping misadventure. -
You’re stuck in an inhabited island.
-
You’re trapped inside a building after an earthquake.
-
You’re trapped in a forest during a heavy winter.
-
You encountered a bear, a big cat, a bogeyman or a creepy person.
-
You’re alone walking in a dim-lit street.
-
You got pricked, bruised and cut.
-
You’re in a place where you’ll likely get stung by hornets, bees or bitten by mosquitoes.
-
First Aid Kit
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The first aid kit is the first line medical response to anything that concerns cuts, allergies, seizures, diabetes, bruises, pricks from wild plants and animal bites. You’ll never know what you may encounter or what is lurking behind the woods.
Note: Before heading to Japan make sure to check the restricted items (medicines). Here is the reference.
| Medicine, tools | Purpose | |
| Antacid | Relieve stomach ache due to hyperacidity | |
| Asthma inhaler | Reduce asthma triggers | |
| Antifungal and antibacterial cream | Protect against infections | |
| Birth control pills | Prevent unwanted pregnancy | |
| Eye drops | Prevent eye irritation | |
| Malaria prevention tablets | Protect against possible malaria carrier mosquitoes | |
|
Relieve headaches, rheumatism, painful menstruation | |
| Isopropyl Alcohol 70% | Preventing infection due to unclean hands | |
| Sunscreen SPF15 or above | Protect against extreme sunlight | |
| Bandages | Protect lacerations, bruises and skin wounds against infection and contamination | |
|
Reduce symptoms of colds and increase the viscosity of mucus for easy removal | |
| Disposable rubber gloves | Cleaning wounds, bruises and prevent cross-contamination | |
| Gauze | Dress wounds | |
| Glasses | Protect eyes and magnify small objects | |
| Health insurance card | Documentation | |
| Insect repellent (lotions that repel mosquitoes) | Prevent mosquito bites | |
| Latex condoms | Protect against sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy | |
| Scissors, tweezers | Cut gauze and bandages | |
| Thermometer | Take temperatures | |
| Throat lozenges | Purify water against microbes | |
| Water purification tablets | Destroy microbes in water | |
-
Fire striker or Ferro rod
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Photo by Xofc and Licensed under Creative Commons
Fire striker or Ferro rod is a pyrophoric alloy that can start hot sparks up to 3,000°C. It’s made up of Cerium (the main sparking metal), cerium, magnesium, lanthanum and praseodymium. In case you can’t find any means of starting a fire, Ferro rods comes handy. Why not just bring a lighter? Lighters are handy too but they are only useful if they still have butane. Among the best Ferro rods cited on the internet are:
-
Fire-Fast Trekker
-
Fire Starter
-
Arcadia Ferro rod
-
Überleben Zünden Ferro Rod Fire Starter
-
Flare gun/Flare Stick
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Flare guns are akin to real firearms except they fire flares or pyrotechnics that make light enough to catch attention. The flare constitutes chemicals such as potassium perchlorate, strontium nitrate and potassium nitrate. You can use whenever you are in distress, lost in a forest or sea. Although the flares that it fires do not explode, they can cause a fire or life-threatening injury. Use with caution. Another similar device is the flare stick that contains powder fuel and a wick. Flare sticks produce a bright light upon ignition.
-
Mini water filter
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mini water filter refers to a portable or tube-like handy filter that can turn unclean water into safe and drinkable water. Although you can get water from a river or stream, you’ll never know if that is clean or devoid of harmful microbes.
|
Commercial water filter |
DIY water filter |
|
If you don’t know how to make a homemade water filter or don’t have time, you can go for a commercial water filter that is made up of protective cover, a filter that contains a BPA free and food-grade silica gel and granular activated carbon (GAC). |
|
-
Multitool / Swiss knife
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A multitool pocket tool or knife consists of 17 or more tools depending on the type, model and brand. They can be folded and revealed when you’re in need. A quality multitool constitutes a titanium frame or surgical steel metal. One of the known makers of a multitool is Victorinox. A good multitool may or might constitute the following:
-
Bottle opener
-
Can opener
-
Corkscrew
-
Ferrocerium fire starter
-
Flashlight
-
Glass breaker
-
Large bit driver
-
Metal file
-
Regular pliers
-
Serrated driver
-
Small bit driver
-
Wirecutter
-
Pepper spray/gun
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pepper spray is a non-lethal weapon used to stun or temporarily incapacitate an attacker - an offending human or wild animal. Pepper spray contains capsaicin - a chemical that makes chillies and pepper hot. The extracted oleoresin capsicum combines with an ultraviolet pepper dye to make an ultraviolet pepper spray chemical. Capsicum makes the offender’s eye unable to see in an hour while giving the soon-to-be victim time to escape. Depending on the model and brand, pepper sprays can shoot from 8 to 10 feet while pepper spray guns can shoot up to 25 feet and from 25 to 35 shots.
The ultraviolet dye acts as a marker and tracer in case you call the cops to track the suspect. You can also use pepper sprays against dangerous animals such as bears, wild big cats and potential criminals lurking nearby.
Pros of pepper sprays:
-
Easy to use
-
Non-lethal means no liability
Some of the pepper sprays available in the market:
-
Mace pepper spray gun
-
Police magnum spray
-
Sabre red pepper spray
Safety notes:
Nobody wants to try what it’s like to be pepper-sprayed since it can cause excruciating and burning sensations that can leave you temporarily blind from 30 mins to 1 hour. However, if you accidentally sprayed yourself:
-
Don’t rub your eyes, skin and face
-
Use whole milk to reduce the sting
-
Use dishwashing soap to remove the oil.
-
Wash hands thoroughly
-
Safety whistle
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Safety whistle lets you catch the attention of a nearby person and a group. A good safety whistle should be loud enough to be heard in a forested area or public place and features a lanyard for easy carrying. Other whistles have a built-in compass, thermometer, signalling mirror, magnifying glass and a mini-storage for paper money. Whistles can be made of metal, wood or plastic.
-
Solar battery bank and Portable Solar Panel
When you go hiking in a dense forest such as the Aokigahara, and decide to camp, having a smartphone with GPS can be useful for knowing your exact location or sending messages to relatives, friends or calling rescue centres and search parties. However, they are limited because you are far away from civilization. A solar battery bank can provide you with a portable and continuous power supply.
Portable solar panels could be foldable or ultra-thin that can be rolled like a paper. A good portable solar panel should be sturdy and able to produce current, even in low-light or sunlight conditions.
-
Tasers and stun gun
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Photo by Campco Photos and Licensed by Creative Commons
Tasers release a non-lethal but incapacitating (non-lethal) voltage of million volts depending on the model and maker of the device. Tasers can emit 75 or 95 million volts of electricity in the form of a plasma spark. Stun baton can differ in size, shape and features. Some stun baton has a built-in LED while others have compass and lanyard.
Stun guns are more expensive as they offer the advantage of tasing a faraway target. Such a gun can fire an electrified projectile for up to 15 feet. They are commonly used by police and any person who aren’t minor and have no felony record. The legality of owning a taser depends on your local laws.
-
Survival kit in a can
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Photo by Pilgrim70 and Licensed under Creative Commons
Survival kit in a tin can is all-in-one storage that contains all the essential small tools to start survival activities such as starting a fire, store water, catch a fish or send signals. Such minimalist survival tin can let you bring all the tools in your pocket. You can either make your own homemade survival kit or buy online. You can also use a cylindrical can or a larger rectangular can include more kits. What goes into a tin can? Here are some of the items:
Login with Google