Fishing trips, backpacking excursions, berry picking forays, scouting for fall hunts and many other delights await us in the fields and forests, woods and water. But what happens when things take a not-so-delightful turn? You’d better have a fully-stocked survival kit with you, rather than a handful of excuses for not bringing it. Here’s why.

• The survival kit gives you the ability to accomplish tasks quickly. It may take hours to rub two sticks together for fire (and it may not even work), but in one second flat – you can flick a lighter to produce fire.
• The survival kit gives you the tools to do jobs easily. How are you going to build a warm shelter with a broken leg or arm? But even if you can’t hardly move, you can still wrap up in a space blanket for warmth.
• The survival kit gives you options. We’ve all probably tried to use the wrong tool for the job at some point (cell phone as a hammer, etc.). Wouldn’t it be nice to have the right tools for the job when things get tough?

Your survival kit is not a paranoia pack. You really can get into trouble out there. It only takes a second to drop a small survival kit into your pocket, and this little bit of gear could save your life! And don’t you owe it to your loved ones to take this simple step that can return you to them in one piece?

For more survival tips and skills, check out MacWelch’s New York Times Bestselling survival books:
Prepare For Anything
Hunting and Gathering Survival Manual
How To Survive Anything

And if that’s not enough, you can:
Follow Tim on Twitter @timmacwelch
Take one of his survival classes at www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com and check out more of MacWelch’s outdoor skills and survival articles at Outdoor Life Magazine’s survival site, The Survivalist.