If you are new to the survivalist life and looking at all the gear that is available wondering where to start I have a few suggestions for you. Your first forward looking purchases do not need to be huge dollar items, start simple and work into it. Long time prepper's will talk about their survival triangle. This is the combination of food/water, shelter/tools and security. For me one of the most important things for survival is fire. If at all possible your home should at least have a fire place in it but if not a outdoor wood grill or oven will work. These can easily be constructed out of cinder blocks or bricks. Next you will need a good quality axe and at least a small supply of wood. You will need multiple ways to make fire at your disposal. Lighters are good in the short term and a fire steel is a good purchase for the real long haul but the strike anywhere match is a must in my opinion. Believe it or not matches have a shelf life and are deteriorated by oxygen. To combat this I will melt paraffin wax in a old pot and dip the match head and half the length of the wooden shaft into the wax and a then laid on a baking sheet or a sheet of tinfoil to cool. When I do this I will do 4 large boxes of the wooden matches, not only does it triple or better the life of the matches but it also water proofs the matches. This is very cheap and does not take much time once you start.
The next item's that I would purchase are a good quality fixed blade knife and a sharpening system for it. When it comes to knives every person you talk to will give you different advice as to what you should buy. All I will say is if you are only going to have one hunting/survival knife it should be a minimum 5 inch blade and very sturdy. Personally I like the offerings from Buck, Kershaw and Cold Steel but each to their own. No one way of sharpening a blade is best but you need to have more than the sharpening steel you use on your kitchen knives. To start I would get a dual grit wet stone and learn how to use it. There are many good instructional video's on the net to help you get the basics. I would include a ceramic rod or leather strop to finish the edge.
Quality camping gear is a must for any prepper, not only buy it but use it. Camping is a low cost vacation allowing you to invest more into your preps but also allows you to test your woodcraft skills. A good 3 season tent with a rain fly along with rope and a large tarp provides good shelter when needed. Sleeping bags and ground pads should be the best that you can afford and have the fill rating for the climate that you are in. I only buy bags that are rated for -10C or colder but if you are in a warmer climate that may not be needed. Sleeping pads will make the experience more comfortable and really helps to insulate you from the ground robbing your body heat. Cookware that can be used over a open fire is a must. Often these items can be bought at garage sales or good will stores. I look for plain stainless steel pots with steel or wood handles and I avoid aluminium or copper bottom pots many places that sell camping gear have low cost enamel cookware that works great as well. The only battery operated item I take with me is a flashlight. You may want your BBQ or a camp stove but they are not vital items just nice to have. If you are totally new to this form of camping you may want to have a backyard camp out to test yourself before you head out.
A complete first-aid kit can be purchased at most sporting goods stores or even big box stores for a reasonable price. What I would look for is a kit that includes trauma bandages, tourniquet, antiseptic, tensor bandage, gauze pads, fabric tape, burn dressing, topical skin cream for insects and a first-aid guide as a starting place. It is your life so you decide how far you want to go with your first-aid supplies. Having items like crutches, canes, splints, suture kits, snake anti-venom and a medicine stockpile and a good home medical guide are all very good ideas as well.
Manual hand tools are good items to pick up as you see them on sale or at garage sales, every home should have at minimum basic carpentry tools like hammer, hand saw, rasp, plane, tape measure, rafter square and chisel. A full set of wrenches, socket set, screwdriver set, pipe wrench and multiple pairs of pliers. I live by the motto that I can never have enough tools.
These are the very basic first items to purchase if you do not have them already. Next time I will get into the larger ticket purchases and the order of importance as I see it. Till then keep on prepping.
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