Fire, Navigation and Security: When All Hell Breaks Loose Here are the Tools You Need

Would you be ready if we were to have a natural disaster, nuclear attack, or a national collapse? You probably know what you’d need on hand for water, food, and shelter. But do you know what you need for fire, navigation, and security?

SIDEBAR: Before I hand over my hard-earned dollars I take the time to research products, prices and brands. I thought I would share some of my research with you today on the products I thought were useful and had good reviews. None of the links below are affiliate links — the only benefit I get is helping you to be prepared!

We live in a world of cell phones, laptops, iPads, DVDs, MP3 players, smartphones, and all the other gadgets we’ve all become so used to. Most of us wouldn’t be able to survive if we were abruptly thrown from a technological world into a world of nature, and if you’re not prepared or don’t know what to do, it could kill you.

Buying survival gear doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. After all, ancient cultures managed to survive without all our gadgets and stores.

These items are for the worst-case scenario because that’s exactly when an item will be needed, and your life could be jeopardized. So, as the saying goes, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Fire

You’ll need a fire when you’ve just had to walk through flood waters or across a river, or it’s raining and cold — you’re drenched and in jeopardy of developing hypothermia. You’ll need to get a fire going, and with these items and hardly any work, you’ll have a roaring fire in no time.

If you need to start a fire in an emergency, maybe you should get something like a Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch. This micro-torch is a small, handheld, self-igniting torch that creates a 2,500°F flame in a jiffy.

A hot flame will start a fire in no time — even if your kindling is damp or it’s raining — and will have you warming up very soon. You can also use it for cooking, but you’ll need to ensure the flame is blue and not yellow!

A yellow flame indicates you must replace the torch, and a blue flame means it’s completely burning on butane. Buying a lot of fuel refill canisters is a good idea, since the torch depends on fuel. One canister can last quite a while, but you never know when you’ll need more or how long your emergency circumstances will last.

Security

We all know that the wilderness is precarious, but a major city after an extensive disaster can be very hazardous as well. You may need to be found during a disaster if you get separated from your family or a group. Whether you’re in trouble and surrounded by criminals or scouting, hunting, or scavenging, you should consider carrying signal flares.

Signal flares like the Orion 617 Emergency Accessory Signaling Kit will work well if someone is trying to locate you. Remember to buy extra flares!

You must also consider purchasing handheld, flame-producing roadside flares to keep in your vehicle. Any roadside flare, such as the Orion 9340 30-Minute Red Flares, isn’t fired from a gun and is excellent for starting a fire if needed—even if your tinder is damp!

If you’re trying to survive in the woods during a disaster and are confronted by a grizzly, there’s one thing that will scare him off — an air horn such as the Unified Marine 5007 4005 Air Horn. An air horn can additionally be utilized as a signal. You could alert people fishing or hunting to return to the shelter. Don’t forget to buy several refill cans to have them on hand if needed for long-term use.

Night Vision

Wouldn’t it be great to see sharp images in complete darkness?

Well, you can with night vision! An item like the one-handed, easily operated infrared buttons on the Night Owl Optics 5-Power NOXM50 Night Vision Monocular is excellent for determining whether that noise outside your shelter is a bear, opossum, or human.

Sometimes you might want to observe other people or animals before they know you’re nearby. Alternatively, you might not want to be discovered. Perhaps a product such as the Alpen Apex XP 8×42 Binoculars will do the trick.

They’re fog-proof, waterproof binoculars, and just what you’ll need for hunting, but they’re perfect for identifying far-off features in the terrain, which could save you needless miles of walking. If you don’t have binoculars, you might misread the landscape and end up at the edge of a canyon or cliff or the bank of a river that’s too treacherous to cross.

Reading the ground from afar helps you identify which trails to take that have fewer obstacles and locate good water sources. If you’re in unfriendly territory, these binoculars will help you spot armed criminals, ambushes, threatening dogs, or other dangers before you run into them or they locate you.

You’re running through the woods in an emergency and come to a cliff with a sixty-foot drop. Now what?

It’s too steep for you to climb down. Do you backtrack and hope that you can find a way to detour around the cliff? Not if you have a belay device, you don’t! Yeah, I know — what is a belay device? Belay devices are mechanical climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying.

Climbing and descending a cliff is very useful when you’re fighting to stay alive, and with a device like the Petzel GriGri 2 Belay Climbing Device, you’d be much safer, and it can get you out of harm’s way faster and easier, too. (Some climbing lessons aren’t a bad idea either!)

Navigation

A compass is a great tool even if you’re just out for a walk and get lost — yet, during a disaster, it’s critical. In times of crisis, you need a compass that won’t have polarity problems, but rather one you can rely on.

I like the Cammenga Compass. Navigation is an essential survival skill taught in survival school and is something you need to learn, in addition to polarity protection and proper care for your compass.

A good, long-lasting stainless steel multi-tool is vital in any disaster. The multi-tool should have special fittings that can remove hardware around locking mechanisms, disassemble vehicle parts, and remove ventilation covers.

Tools Matter

The Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit Plus with Pouch is an excellent example of such a multi-tool, with thirty-eight functions and even a bit wrench with six bits. This is important if you come across screw heads that a standard screwdriver can’t fit.

I would also consider a Leatherman Multi-Tool, which will be handy for your firearms — just be sure to purchase the 40-bit add-on set so you can open pretty much anything you discover. Having a multi-tool can be very helpful, and it can even get you out of danger or into an empty building when you need emergency shelter.

Get Your Gear in Gear

Obviously, you don’t need to buy all these items. However, the more equipment you can purchase, the better off you and your family will be during a catastrophe. Selecting the appropriate gear will get you through any disaster without too much difficulty or stress.

Maybe add these items to your wishlist and post a copy on the fridge? You can also drop a hint or two before your birthday to let folks know any of these items would be a welcome addition to your preparedness efforts. Now, that’s thinking!