What to Put in Your Survival Kit, According to Bear Grylls
Adventurer and broadcaster Bear Grylls has made a career of traveling the world, getting into dangerous situations in the wilderness with limited supplies and not dying. So what exactly does he take with him on trips?
An article on Outdoors.com — a site that Grylls helped relaunch in 2022 — takes a peek inside his survival kit. Here’s what you need to know.
What to put in your survival kit, according to Bear Grylls
Unlike a surprise evacuation “travel bag” or home emergency kits , Grylls’ survival kit is stripped down to the essentials. Here’s what it contains and why it chose each item:
- Tin : More specifically, a tiny tin similar in size to those used to hold mints or tobacco, serving as a container for set and, in a pinch, for heating a small amount of water over a fire.
- Waterproof matches : because lighters may not work in extreme conditions.
- Water Purification Tablets : Containing iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide, they rid the water of pathogens that can make you sick.
- Tea Candle : In addition to being a source of light, if the flame flickers inside your shelter, it indicates that you are running out of oxygen.
- Push button compass : about the size and weight of a button, costs about $1, and does not need to be recharged.
- 9-volt battery and steel wool : The steel wool will catch fire when it touches both battery terminals.
- Swab : Can be used as a tinder or on a bleeding wound.
- Lubricated condom : Can hold up to two liters of water when fully stretched and used to keep tinder dry or as a rubber glove to treat a wound.
That’s all. It’s not much, but it’s meant to be.
“Prioritize mobility,” Grylls wrote in his book How to Stay Alive . “There is no room for luxury.”