Quality of Gear
Remember that you're betting your life on the quality of the survival gear you buy.

Shelter
The primary purpose of a shelter is to slow down your body’s loss of heat and water. A shelter does this by trapping your heat inside the shelter as well as protecting you from outside elements such as rain and cold. Constructing a shelter will also help maintain your will to live and give you confidence. It is always a good idea to carry some 550 cord and material to construct a shelter.

Fire
Building a fire does many things. It can provide warmth, keep you dry, provide light, cook food, purify water, keep dangerous animals away and it can be used as a signal. Another advantage to successfully building a fire is the confidence it can bring. We recommend bringing at least two ways to start a fire along with tinder. For information on fire starters and tinder, read the Virtue of Fire.

Water
You can’t live more than 3-5 days without drinking an adequate amount of water.  This is especially true in hot climates where you sweat a lot, however even in cold climates you will need to drink at least 4 quarts of water a day to stay healthy.  Almost every environment has some water present, gathering it and making it drinkable are the two challenges you will face. A comprehensive survival kit will have some way to store and treat water.

Signaling
If you want to be rescued you have to signal potential rescuers so they know where you are.  Of course, if someone knows you haven’t reached your destination when you were supposed to and has sent rescuers out looking for you, it is much more likely your signal will be seen.  By leaving a detailed itinerary of your trip with a trusted friend or family member you can be certain that someone will look for you. Everyone should, at a minimum, have a whistle, especially children.