What Is The Most Important Survival Tool?

While the term “survival tool” evokes life-or-death situations, it can be a useful tool in numerous situations. Indeed, every survival tool is designed for use in everyday situations, including camping, hiking, and survival conditions. Keep in mind that the functionality of a survival tool largely depends on its user –you, of course! 

What is the most important survival tool? With all the survival tools available, which one is the most important tool of them all? We have to say that it’s a survival knife because of its multiple uses, from starting fires to hunting fish!

A Must-Read: What Are The Best Survival Tools?

But it’s also important to note that it’s also a great idea to have other essential survival tools! Read on to see our recommended tools for survival below.

Knowledge Is Power

Let’s start with the most important tool in any situation, more so in a survival situation. We’re not talking about tools that can be bought in physical and virtual stores but a tool that’s already in yourself. We’re talking about your knowledge and, with it, your presence of mind and determination to survive the odds.

As cliché as it sounds, most people believe that knowledge is power. When you have the knowledge and skills related to survival in the wild and extreme situations, your chance of survival increases. You can acquire these things through a combination of reading of books, learning from survivalists, and practice, perhaps personal experience.

(We suggest books like Wilderness Survival and Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival for educational reading. These contain plenty of useful information about survival in the wild including the proper use of tools)

What Are The Vital Skills That You Should Know?

• Gathering food and purifying water are must-learn skills for obvious reasons. 
• Starting a fire shows the difference between being warm or freezing to death, between drinking potable water and dehydration.
• Navigating the terrain with a map and compass is a must, too, since it can mean getting assistance. While GPS devices are available, these can fail. Your knowledge of these old-fashioned devices will come in handy.
• Tying knots is a useful skill because nearly every situation requires cordage. These include making a trap for animals, tying down the shelter, and climbing up and down trees, even making a hammock. Also, when you have the rope and carabiner, these will be of little use if you don’t know the proper knots to use. 
• Building shelters is a given regardless of the climate. These can include A-frames, debris huts and lean-tos as well as sleeping platforms.
• Administering first aid for cuts, wounds, and sprains, among others. You may want to learn about herbal remedies, too, just in case the medicines run out.

But aside from these skills, you should also be in good physical shape. So make sure to opt for a healthy lifestyle before you find yourself in survival situations. Your physical fitness will mean your ability to maintain a good attitude and to deal with the challenges of nature. 

Kits Are Important, Too

Instead of just a single tool, you should have a few survival tools in your kit! This way, you can be prepared for as many survival situations as possible since you have the right tools.

Firestarter

While you can start a fire using Stone Age methods, you can do so with a handy fire starter. But you may want to carry a lighter, a box or two of matches and a striker, just in case. 

Gerber Bear Grylls Fire Starter

With its metal striker and ferrocerium rod, it can start a fire in just a few seconds. It also has a waterproof compartment to keep tinder dry, as well as an emergency whistle and SOS instructions. 

Phone Skope PYRO Putty Emergency Survival Fire Starter

It’s a putty that can be placed on tinder, logs, or other flammable material, which will then generate fire that can last for up to 15 minutes. It can also burn in wet and snowy conditions. 

Swiss Safe 5-in-1 Fire Starter

Every pack contains two fire starters that can be used to create fire in almost every weather condition. It’s long-lasting, too, with more than 16,000 strikes possible on its magnesium rod.  Plus, it also has a whistle, a paracord, a rod, a steel scraper, and a compass. 

Survival Knife

There are a lot of situations where a knife will come in handy, from cutting down saplings to cutting an animal for food. Look for a razor-sharp knife with a strong blade that can cut through numerous materials with ease. Better yet, get two survival knives, so you always have a spare.

Gerber Bear Grylls Folding Sheath Knife

With its serrated stainless steel blade, textured rubber grip and nylon sheath, it’s an all-around survival knife. Plus, the Near Grylls seal of approval doesn’t hurt. 

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife

Every survivalist worth his salt should have a Swiss Army knife! The Victorinox knife has seven functions, such as blade, scissors, tweezers, and screwdriver, which are valuable in everyday and survival situations.

Map And Compass

Bring a GPS device, but don’t rely on it too much. An old-fashioned compass and map are still the best tools.

Swiss Safe Multifunction Military Survival Compass

If it satisfies the military, then it will likely satisfy your needs, too.

A2S Protection Paracord Bracelet K2-Peak

It is a 5-in-1tool in an easy-to-wear bracelet. It has a compass, a fire scrapper, a flint fire starter, a whistle, and an emergency knife.

Cordage

Always have a considerable length of rope in your survival kit! You will have plenty of uses for it, such as dragging game, tying bundles of wood and making a food line. 

Gear AID 550 Paracord and Carabiner

Made of 100% nylon, it’s a heavy-duty rope that can be used as floss, thread, and fishing line. Just unravel and braid back as needed.

Water filtration

Water is life, and even a healthy person can die of dehydration in 72 hours or less. A water filtration system means getting potable water from nearly every water source, such as falls and rivers.

Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System

It is a portable filtration system that can fit in the palm of your hand. It’s effective in eliminating 99.99% of protozoa, bacteria, and microplastics. 

Don’t forget to wear proper clothing whenever you’re going into the wilderness. You should also have spare clothes in your survival pack, preferably ones that are suited for the weather conditions.

Conclusion

To conclude, survival in extreme situations demands a combination of knowledge and skills, physical fitness and mental willpower, and the right tools. Start with gaining more knowledge and skills followed by gathering the basic survival tools, and you’re likely to survive and thrive in life.