What’s the best EDC gear for survival? That’s a complicated question, largely because “survival” can be used to mean a lot of different things.
So for the purpose of this article, let’s define survival as “the act of not dying.” Specifically, let’s define it as not dying in a situation where emergency services, etc. might not be available.
These four items aren’t designed to help you “survive” the stress of urban living. They’re designed to help keep you alive when the shit hits the fan.
In part, Wazoo bracelets are fashion pieces. They convey that the wearer is an “outdoor adventure” type—the kind of person who might actually need a length of paracord to get out of a difficult situation.
But their appeal isn’t entirely superficial. These wearable survival kits are stocked with exactly the sort of gear most people forget to pack. Break one open, and you’ll find a small ceramic knife, a firestarter, fish hooks, and more.
We sell Wazoo’s Adventure Survival Bracelet in our shop for $89. We also sell the pared-down Base Adventure Bracelet for $20, and the horror-themed Zombie Survival Bracelet for $75.
In contrast to the flash of Wazoo’s bracelets, Slidebelt’s Survival Belt offers a wearable survival kit that looks… well… like a belt.
The unassuming canvas belt is equipped with a whole bunch of tools. Its buckle contains an LED flashlight, a bottle opener, a firestarter, and a locking stainless steel knife.
It’s a pretty nice belt, too.
We sell the Survival Belt in our shop for $150. It’s available in black, brown, desert tan, or olive.
If you read our little blog often (and we’re grateful if you do), then you’ve probably noticed us pushing the goTenna pretty hard lately. That’s not because goTenna told us to—it’s because we really love their product.
The goTenna device pairs with your smartphone to enable text messaging, GPS navigation, and location-sharing in areas without cell service. It’s basically a guarantee that your phone will work even if you wind up out of range or the network goes down. And it’s about the size of a cigarette lighter.
We sell the goTenna in packs of two for $149.
Most survivalists will tell you that the single most essential tool you can carry is a knife (I personally think the smartphone deserves that spot, but knives are important). But not everyone feels comfortable carrying a utility knife or multitool with them every day.
So for EDC, I recommend Bastion’s Partizan folding knife. It’s sleek and compact—about the size of a letter opener—but has a carbon fiber blade that’s sharp and sturdy enough to handle most tasks. It weighs just two ounces, which is about one third the weight of most smartphones.
We sell the Partizan for $155.
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What do you think is the best EDC gear for survival? Email [email protected] to let us know what we missed.
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