Are you looking for the best prepper gear for an emergency or survival situation?

I like to think of prepping with the 80/20 rule in mind, which is especially critical because our budgets are limited. At the core, what are essential items that may be the difference between life and death, and what are nice little “gadgets” to have, but not necessarily fundamental to survival?

This is exactly what we are going to cover in this comprehensive article. So here we go.

#1 Water: Water filtration system + Water buckets

Before you do anything else, you must get your water situation settled. We have already seen panic buying at supermarkets due to the pandemic. It is too hard to imagine the grid going down as well?

Our first recommendation is for an at home filtration system. My choice is the Berkey water filter. Although a bit pricey upfront, each filter lasts for over 3000 gallons, which when you do the math, means you save money over time vs cheaper filtration systems.

Some of the benefits include: stainless steel construction and the ability to filter out more than 99.99% of viruses. In addition to meeting everyday needs for filtration at home, the Berkley filter is also portable.

But in order to truly be bullet-proof to any crisis, you need to remove your reliance on municipal water systems. This is especially critical if you are forced to flee from city centers, as many people are doing now, and need access to clean, drinkable water along the way.

When power goes out, water purification systems will not work properly according to the CDC. As water should be your number #1 concern in a crisis situation, storing your own water becomes absolutely critical.

In that vein, you should do a couple of things. I’ll assume you don’t have access to a well. In that case, you’ll need a way to capture any rainfall in your area.

You’ll need a sturdy water barrel, whether 5 gallons, 7 gallons, or 55 gallons. I like the 55 gallon options- for a family of 4, this is 2 weeks worth of water.

Once you have water storage and at a solid water filtration system handled, you’ll want to focus on portable options for your EDC or bug out bag. For portable options, you can’t go wrong with the LifeStraw water bottle or the LifeStraw.

#2 Portable Food Supply

I will assume that you have steadily filled your pantry with tasty, nutritious and long-lasting survival food. If not, you should start there.

Once you have this critical step finished, you need to think a little more about nutrition as a function of weight- in other words, relatively light food that can fit in any bug out bag. After all, you never know when you have to make a quick escape from social unrest in your community.

For this purpose I highly recommend light-weight and long-lasting freeze dried foods. Although the nutritional content is less than that of normal food, it requires minimum preparation, is light-weight, and lasts pretty much forever.

#3 Wood burning stove

If the grid were to go out, would you be able to cook? Would you be able to survive in the outdoors?

In a true emergency situation where materials are scarce, having the ability to cook food and boil water is a true unfair advantage. Don’t leave this important aspect of survival to chance.

When talking about a cooking apparatus, we are looking for something that is portable, reliable, and does not require fuel (is possible). The best option that meets these criteria is a wood burning stove.

For reliability and portability, there are few better options than the Solo Stove Lite. Here is a great video of the stove in action with pros and cons.

If you are looking for an upgraded option, the Biolite 2 is a solid choice.

The main benefit is that the Biolite 2 uses heat from the fire to create energy, which you can use to charge your devices. It comes with a stainless steel pot and portable grill as well.

Pretty cool.

#4 Tent

The basic human needs are food, water, and shelter. We covered water and food (with the ability to cook that food), in the beginning of the list. Now it’s time to focus on the shelter part of the equation.

There are several options to choose from when it comes to shelter. You can go with a bivy, for a true minimalist option, or a tent, for a more traditional option.

For those of you who have no idea what a bivy is, you can watch this video below.

Our philosophy is that for such a critical aspect of prepping, you should go for higher quality. Although heavier than a tarp or bivy, a tent will give you the peace of mind of having the best shelter for you and your family in an emergency.

For most people, a 2 or 3 person option is the best. For a tent that is portable and sturdy, we recommend the Marmot Crane Creek Backpacking and Camping Tent.

#5 First Aid Kit

In today’s environment with rising civil unrest and overwhelmed hospitals, having a first aid kit becomes even more critical. It goes without saying you will want the ability to take care of wounds and injuries yourself, without relying on anyone else.

#6 Solar Generator Kit

Electricity is one of those things whose importance is undervalued, until of course the grid goes out. Intelligent preppers should look into creating a backup power system as soon as their primary needs of food and water are met.

Gas power generators are the traditional option of backup power, but they tend to have a host of disadvantages, including needing to store and have access to gas.

I prefer an energy source that does not require storing anything, is environmentally friendly, and is portable. In other words, solar power.

Solar power generators come in all different sizes and energy output levels, so what exactly is the optimal choice? Things to keep in mind are that not only will you need to power smaller devices like phones and laptops, but also larger appliances like refrigerators.

I like solar generators that are strong enough to power your bigger appliances, but also portable in case of an emergency.

#7 Survival Knife

In a true emergency situation you will need a reliable survival knife. If this is your first knife, I’d recommend focusing on one that is easy to carry (under 7 inches long) and versatile.

With a survival knife there are many things to consider, like if you want a fixed blade or a folder. But those are beyond the scope of this article.

For a good starter knife that won’t break the bank, we recommend the Gerber Strongarm. The Gerber Strongarm features a full tang design, which gives you assurance that it will stand up to the test when cutting harder objects.

For a higher end option, made of extremely strong VG10 steel, is the Fallkniven A1.

#8 Bug out bag

Bug out bags are absolutely essential if and when you need to make a quick escape from a disaster situation.

We won’t go into detail about what you should put into your bug out bag. But if you don’t have a bug out bag ready to go, what are you waiting for?

There are a lot of different variables with bug out bags that makes it a little difficult to recommend a one size fits all bag. You of course want something light weight, but you don’t want to compromise durability. And you probably don’t want a bag that stand out too much in the crowd.

For a good starter bag we recommend the Blackhawk 3. At 37L it is small enough to be easy to carry but big enough to carry essential items.

#9 Firesteel or Ferro Rod

A lighter and matches, especially waterproof matches, are a solid choice for starting fires. But we recommend you have at least one backup option in your bug out bag. And we believe the best option are firesteels.

A firesteel is a piece of carbon steel that can be used to start a fire. You strike the firesteel with an object to create a spark, which create a fire when you have tinder. Not only are they sturdy and reliable, but firesteels are also very easy to use, even for children.

We believe the best combination of portability and reliability is the Swedish FireSteel 2.0.

#10 Multitool

Multitools are a must-have option in your EDC or bug out bag for obvious reasons (who wants to carry around a tool box?).

While there are several options on the market, Leatherman is the trusted brand when it comes to multi-tools. You can’t really go wrong with this 14 in 1 tool that includes a knife, screwdriver, scissors, and bottle opener.

#11 Plug in Flashlight

Blackouts happen all the time, even in normal situations. Keeping that in mind, I like having plug in flashlights around the house for convenience.

The type of plugins you want have motion detectors so you can easily navigate moving around the house. And you can pull from the power outlets and they become flashlights in a pinch.

Plug in flashlights are inexpensive, but highly useful for when the power goes out. This flashlight should last 6 hours on a single charge.

#12 Crossbow

Now admittedly I wouldn’t put this in the essential survival gear bucket. But crossbows do have a couple of pros.

Depending on where you live, you might not be able to carry a gun. So besides a good survival knife, a crossbow is a great option for self defense.

Not only that, but it is a great tool to hunt for game. And as an added bonus, crossbows are easy to learn and beginner friendly. .

Of course the cons are that crossbows are a bit pricy and not the easiest to carry. So in a true bug out situation where weight is a factor, there are other items that take priority.

Conclusion

When it comes to getting the best prepper gear, there are a ton of options. If your goal is to build a quality collection that withstands the test of time, however, you need to purchase wisely.

With the recommendations I provided, I tried to focus on essential items of high quality. Although not an exhaustive list by any means, this will get you started on your way to being fully prepared for any disaster.

Anyway, is there anything you think we should add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.