One of the hardest obstacles standing in the way of many people looking to design their own personal wilderness survival kit is not knowing how to put together a good all around kit based on common household items.  While many different types of kits are out there for a wide range of different environments, what many people don’t realize is that with a little bit of knowledge many common household items can be improvised into a high quality improvised survival kit which will work in a pinch.  One of the most important  aspects of putting together an ideal personal survival kit is knowledge, skills to use the materials, and looking for common materials at home which can be used in multiple ways.

The first step is to cover many of the basics that should be included in any survival kit:

• Blank waterproof paper with pencil
• Lighter or waterproof matches
• Mini waterproof flashlight w/ extra batteries
• 50 feet fishing line and treble hooks
• 50 feet stronger fishing line for snares or knot tying for shelter
• Fire starter
• Tin cup
• Water purification tablets
• Knife
• Compass

These are basics that make sense for any improvised survival kit, and even with the fishing line you can begin to see the importance of items which can be used for a wide variety of situations or needs.  Space in any survival pack is critical, and so having items which can be used to help in a wide array of situations.  Another item that surprises many people is the unlubricated condom.  Aside from the obvious use, these can be blown up and used to carry fresh water in the wild. Or they can be tied off and used to carry matches or other items which need to be protected from water.

Duct tape can be used for setting up shelter, putting together tools, or even stopping bleeding from a wound.  Ziploc bags are also exceptional for carrying survival gear or a survival pamphlet, storing drinking water for drinking, or keeping materials dry when surrounded by water.  Doing even just a little bit of research and looking around can make it easy to put together a good improvised survival kit from your normal household items.