Survival Kit Checklist for Camping (What Earns Its Weight)

A kit list is only useful if you can say what each item prevents. Here is the list organised that way.

Being cold

• Foil blanket or bivvy bag. Weighs almost nothing. Turns a bad night into an uncomfortable one.
• Spare warm layer, kept dry in a bag.
• Hat and gloves, even in summer at elevation.
• Dry socks, sealed.

Being wet

• Waterproof shell you can reach without unpacking.
• Dry bags or bin liners for the layers you are keeping dry.
• Pack cover, or a liner inside the pack.

Being lost

• Offline map downloaded and route screenshotted.
• Compass, and enough practice to use it.
• Power bank, charged.
• Head torch with spare batteries — not your phone light.

Being found

• Whistle on your pack strap.
• Small mirror or foil panel.
• Bright item that can be spread out.

Injury

• First aid kit with plenty of dressings, tape, blister care and gloves.
• Any personal medication the group needs.
• Trekking pole — doubles as a crutch or shelter pole.

Water and food

• More water than you think, plus a way to treat more.
• A day’s spare food that needs no cooking.

Fire

• Ferro rod and a lighter. Two methods, both light.
• Prepared tinder in a waterproof bag.

Repairs

• Duct tape wrapped round a pole rather than a full roll.
• Cord — a few metres.
• Safety pins, a needle and thread.
• Knife or multi-tool.

An honest note

Some popular kit is mostly reassurance. Survival playing cards with instructions printed too small to read, novelty wire saws, and fishing kits in a tin will not change the outcome of a bad day. The things that will: telling someone your route, a charged phone, a dry layer, and a whistle.

Weight matters. A pack so heavy it ends the trip early has its own risk.