A big part of being prepared is having the right gear on hand. Being equipped for trouble will go a long way toward keeping you alive.
But survival gear can be expensive, and, if I’m being honest, it’s a mental crutch for most people. Having the gear doesn’t mean you’ve got the skills, and running to Amazon or your local outdoor store to shore up your capability leads to laziness.
A better solution, I say, is to start making your own survival gear and supplies. Not only does this improve your self-sufficiency and sustainability, but it will also save you money. Below are 40 items that you should stop buying and start making yourself.
Tents
It’s hard to imagine roughing it in the wild without a good tent, but it turns out you can make one yourself using natural and scavenged materials.
A good tarp, some sturdy branches, cordage, and a little bit of know-how will let you set one up in no time. And you won’t worry about losing frame pieces for a change!
Hammock
Hammocks always come in handy when sleeping outdoors in mild weather. They keep you up off the ground, and that means warmer, drier, and out of reach of insects and other critters.
Lightweight camping hammocks can cost a small fortune, but you can make a serviceable one with strong cordage and a sturdy tarp, sheet or section of parachute fabric.
Trail Markers
Finding your way is one thing, but finding your way back is another. Whether you are scouting bug-out routes or taking a detour, marking your trail is important.
There are all sorts of things sold for the purpose, but I prefer to use strips of foil/duct tape, Mylar, or reflective ribbon to do the same thing. You can tie them, tape them up, or even tack them, and save yourself a bundle of money.
Camp Alarm
If you’re worried about the predations of other people during a bug-out situation, it can be hard to get meaningful rest due to fear. You can sleep a little easier with a DIY early warning device.
One classic design is made using fishing line or wire and small bells or tin cans. No batteries, no blank shells, and it packs down really small.
Water Filters
One of the most indispensable survival items can still be fashioned yourself if you prefer.
A shockingly effective water filter is easy to make from gravel, clay, charcoal, sand, and a cloth along with a suitable container like a bucket or a 2L bottle. This is an indispensable survival skill, too, when you are out of other options.
UV Purifier
You can never have too many methods for purifying water. UV purification is a high-tech method that relies on batteries, but you can rely on the sun for the same thing.
All you need are clean, clear glass or plastic bottles and reasonably clear water. Leave them out in the sun on a clear day, and all the germs will be dead.
Solar Still
Distillation is one of the most effective methods of purification, and ideal for highly suspect water. Solar still kits are severely overpriced and complicated.
Learn to make your own with a small container and a sheet of plastic along with a little digging. The process will take a while, but you need only be patient as long as the sun is shining. That’s all it takes!
MREs
MREs are convenient and highly portable but very pricey for what you get.
Learn to pack your own by assembling shelf-stable and ready-to-eat foods in the right ratios to cover your nutritional bases, and store them all in a durable, waterproof container. You can cut the per-calorie cost by as much as 75% with this trick!
Ranger Bands
Ranger bands, or rigging bands, are those heavy-duty black rubber bands you sometimes see on packs, pouches, web gear and similar equipment. Used to secure straps, flaps and excess cordage, they work wonderfully for lashing all kinds of things securely in place.
Easily make your own by harvesting a bicycle tire inner tube and then cutting it into 1-inch to 3-inch sections, depending on the application.
First-Aid Kits
You’ve got to have medical supplies for the inevitable injuries that will occur, great or small. But it’s good to get into the practice of assembling your own first-aid kit based on your skills and anticipated needs.
Aside from customizing it accordingly, putting it together “a la carte” in this manner will save you a bundle.
Hand Sanitizer
Even without easy access to soap and limitless running water, keeping your hands clean and germ-free is still a high priority to prevent illness in a survival situation.
Hand sanitizer is shockingly easy to make from rubbing alcohol, aromatic herbs, and a few other choice ingredients. You can keep it in any common flip-top or squeeze bottle, too!
Mini Survival Kits
Real preppers are always prepared, just in case! Having the essentials close at hand no matter what you are doing might save your life or someone else’s.
A mini survival kit such as one assembled in an Altoids tin is just the ticket, but most store-bought varieties are terrible. Stick with assembling your own using compact components and an Altoids tin or similar container. It’s lots of fun, too!
Beef Jerky
Tried and true, beef jerky is an outstanding survival ration. But have you seen the prices in grocery stores these days?
There’s no excuse for paying it either when you learn how easy it is to make yourself at home. Stick it in a vacuum-packed Mylar bag, and it will last for months on end.
Glue
The sticky stuff can always come in handy in a survival situation, whether repairing footwear, patching a leaky tent, or countless other uses. But it’s one of the first things that will dry up or get lost on you.
You can make ancient and effective glue from pine pitch with just a little bit of practice that will work just as well or even better. You’ll need to heat it up prior to use, but that’s easy enough to do.
Pace Counter
Tracking your progress on foot can be tough without a GPS, but it can be done. Make yourself a pace counter using a strip of paracord and a few beads.
By counting the steps you take and moving the beads, you can keep track of how far you’ve gone and how fast, roughly speaking. Members of the military use these for a good reason, and you should too!
Walking Stick
Even if you are as fit as a fiddle, a walking stick belongs in your survival kit. Having a third point of contact can prevent disastrous falls and slips, and a stout hardwood walking stick can be repurposed as a weapon, tool, tent pole, and a whole lot more.
Forget about using those flimsy, modern ultralight versions that cost a small fortune; harvest and season your own to make one that your kids will fight over once you’re gone.
Camping Stove
Long before we had access to ultra-efficient collapsible camping stoves, pioneers and hobos were using basically the same technology.
With nothing more than a tin can and a little bit of fuel, you can easily boil water, prepare coffee, heat up food, and make the inside of a tent just a little bit warmer. You can make a great one to keep or fashion this from scavenged material when you need it.
Rocket Stove
Rocket stoves are all the rage with preppers these days because they are ultra-efficient, ultra-hot, and just plain cool.
But you don’t need an off-the-shelf model to take advantage of them: a rocket stove works on a set of principles, and you can easily whip your own together from cinder blocks or even build one in the ground. These are perfect for creating tons of heat quickly and maximizing what fuel you have.
Solar Oven
Solar ovens, also known as sun ovens, are more than just a neat science fair trick. A good one can cook a whole roast bird, bake bread, boil water, and much more.
It’s pretty easy to fashion one of these yourself using scavenged mirrors or polished metal panels and combining that with a clear lid. A few hours in the sun and your dinner will be ready! This is a great thing to have on hand for bug-in situations when your kitchen is out of action.
Emergency Toilet
Having to do your business in a latrine or a cat hole during a crisis is stressful. Camp toilets and composting toilets are just too expensive. The solution?
Easily make your own sanitary, comfortable emergency toilet with a 5-gallon hardware store bucket, snap-on toilet seat, kitty litter, and some contractor bags. Trust me, just knowing how to set this up properly will be a huge comfort if you ever need it.
Candles
Survival candles can come in really handy in a host of situations… but this is yet another common item that companies can charge a steep premium for.
Making your own candles is surprisingly easy, and you’ll have the advantage of making them in whatever shape is most advantageous for you. You can also make quick improvised candles from various oils with a bit of fabric as a wick.
Lanterns
For easy, soft area lighting, nothing beats a good lantern. But whether it’s battery-powered or liquid-fueled, these things have limitations and can get expensive. You can DIY your own version using a large mason jar, candle, and some baling wire for a handle.
Tinder
You’ve got to have tinder if you want to get a fire going quickly, and it makes an especially big difference in suboptimal conditions. Commercial fire starters are great, but frankly, you don’t need these things at all….
Lots of common, cheap, or free items make great tinder: wood shavings, dryer lint, rubber strips, even corn chips! And there’s a lot more than just those.
Char Cloth
Char cloth is among the best fire starters and hot-burning fuels you can have. It’s been a mainstay in the Western world for centuries, and you can make this stuff yourself. All you need is a little patience, a closing metal container, and gauze or similar cloth.
Stash it in a sturdy, waterproof container until you need it, and you’ll always be able to get a big fire going quickly.
Storm Matches
You can easily make your own weatherproof storm matches by taking large strike-anywhere matches and coating the heads in a little bit of melted wax. Stash them in a plastic tube or other case, and you are good to go!
Ferro Rod
This quintessential fire-starting tool comes in many forms these days, all promising to be the best that’s ever been.
But in my experience, nothing beats a classic piece of flint or chert and the back of a stout bushcrafting knife. A little bit of practice spent picking the right material will serve you well for life and save you money!
Signal Mirror
These are underrated survival tools, but there’s nothing particularly special about them. Any high-quality, durable mirror will work.
I’ve repurposed old mirrors out of makeup compacts and even used an old CD to pretty good effect. The trick is that you want something sturdy enough to withstand rough handling and getting jostled in your pack.
Cordage
Good cordage is indeed quite cheap. With the proliferation of paracord and quality accessory cord, there’s no reason to go without the good stuff.
Nonetheless, you are smart to learn how to make this yourself. Thin strips of plastic bottles, naturally harvested fibers, sinew, and other materials can all be turned into or repurposed as cordage.
Rope
Similar to cordage above, good rope is prolific and cheap, and so you should definitely have some. But I think you should also know how to make it yourself.
Braiding primitive but strong and effective rope from various kinds of cloth and raw fibers might come in really handy one day.
Survival Bracelets
There’s no reason whatsoever to pay for an overpriced survival bracelet. A little bit of paracord, a button compass, whistle-buckle, and other survival accoutrements will make one that’s just as good as any you’ll find in stores.
Fish Hooks
Don’t have your fishing kit? Tired of paying for overpriced hooks? Learn to bend and whittle your own from soda can tabs, sheet metal, bone, and a lot more. This is a priceless skill that can keep dinner on the table without much effort.
Snares
You can make a good snare from any flexible material that’s lightweight and very strong. Thin wire works wonderfully once you know how to tie it, lash it together, and set up your trap.
Net
Netting has many uses for a clever survivor. You can use it to help camouflage a camp or hide site, secure cargo, hoist gear, lift food out of reach of hungry animals, and a whole lot more.
Good nets are quite pricey, but with a working knowledge of knots and a little bit of time, it’s easy to make your own.
Slingshot
A good slingshot is no mere toy. With some skill, you can easily bring down small game, and it can also give someone some incentive to leave you alone in a self-defense situation.
A stout branch and elastic material, along with suitable ammunition in the form of pebbles or ball bearings, are all you’ll need to craft one.
Spear
Arguably mankind’s oldest and best impaling weapon, a spear is just as useful for hunting big game as it is for self-defense. At its most primitive, a sturdy branch sharpened to a point can do the job, or you can set and lash a knife to the end of your walking stick.
Small Game Gig
A gig is basically a tiny trident, used to catch fish, amphibians, and other small game with good chances of success. All you need to make one is a branch and some straightened fishing hooks or sharpened wire prongs, and a way to secure the latter to the former.
Arrowheads
Rudimentary but shockingly effective arrowheads can be crafted from glass, stone, bone, circuit boards, scrap metal, and other materials.
Camo Tape
You can fashion your own surprisingly effective camo tape by dyeing gauze or other thin, flexible cloth strips and then wrapping them around whatever you need to camouflage.
Lockpicks
If you need surreptitious, quiet entry tools, they can easily be made from paper clips, spring wire, aluminum cans, and lots of other stiff but flexible materials. A little bending, filing, and grinding is all it takes.
Knives
It’s quite possible to make a perfectly serviceable and sturdy knife or machete yourself in a pinch or as an exercise in ingenuity.
Just like with arrowheads, you can knap glass, stone, obsidian, or bone for the purpose, or bend and sharpen metal, fiberglass, or plastic into a sharp point and cutting edge.
Tom Marlowe practically grew up with a gun in his hand, and has held all kinds of jobs in the gun industry: range safety, sales, instruction and consulting, Tom has the experience to help civilian shooters figure out what will work best for them.
I understand some of the things this guy listed, but most of the things he listed are things people do need to have with them, such as a reliable knife, cordage, a fire starter and food just to start off with. The author clearly doesn’t understand that every person isn’t Cody Lundin who can survive through almost anything and can create everything he needs. Take his advice with a grain of salt until you can be like Cody Lundin.