Pocket Kits

Pocket Survival Kits — The Kit You'll Actually Have With You

The smallest survival kit you carry is infinitely more useful than the perfect kit you left in the truck. Pocket kits — Altoids-tin style and slightly larger — cover the fundamentals (fire, water, signaling, basic medical) in a footprint small enough that you'll actually pocket it every day.

What goes in a pocket kit

• Ferro rod or weatherproof matches for fire
• Water purification tabs and a compact filter straw
• Signal mirror and whistle for emergency signaling
• Compact bandages, gauze, and trauma essentials
• Cordage, fishing line, and small fishhooks
• Razor blade and a few feet of duct tape

Customize for your environment

A pocket kit for the Pacific Northwest looks different than one for the Mojave. Build around your actual environment — supplement with category gear from Fire Starting Kits, Water Filtration, and Signal Tools.

Test it before you trust it

Build the kit. Go to the backyard. Start a fire with only the ferro rod inside. Sip from the water-treatment pouch. If any component fails when you're calm and dry, it'll fail twice as hard when you're cold and stressed. Replace it before that day comes.

Small enough to carry. Big enough to matter.