12 Survival Items Every Prepper Needs To Carry 

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Container: put the whole tin in a freezer Ziplock bag. You can drink out of it in a pinch, or use it for gathering small items (berries, trash, pretty rocks, parade candy)

The strength of dental floss will surprise you. Years ago my scout master was a dentist. On a hike in Philmont one of my backpack shoulder straps broke. He used dental floss to sew it up. Not only did it make the rest of the week, but for several years longer until I bought a new pack.

Great kit... As a father, one of the most handy and often used hacks is simply storing 2-3 Bandaids between my phone and phone case. I cant tell you how many times this has saved the day.

Turn batteries around in flashlight to prevent accidental use and longer endurance.

That is a great kit. I would definitely add a couple of Benadryl for allergic reactions and a couple aspirin in case you encounter someone having a cardiac event. Take care

The ¨trick" birthday candles can work well for fire starting as they will trend to reignite when blown out. Good for transferring the flame from a match or lighter to a more robust flame holder.

I have a suggestion. I would use an index card for my contact info with one side showing names, addresses, numbers of whoever I wished to contact but the other side would have a small neatly printed chart of the Morse code alphabet for signaling with the flashlight, or whistle etc.

It's small and simple enough to make several identical sets so that every jacket/rucksack/car door could have one!

One thing I stash everywhere are those little small tubes of super glue. A little goes a long ways and they're really useful to have around. Great for small cuts, repairing things, all manner of different fixes.

Congratulations on hitting 1 million subscribers as always thank you Kris for your hard work with these updates and videos you bring us they have helped me with my own preps tremendously

As far as comms go not only is the whistle useful for auditory reasons, but the Altoids can itself can be used as a signaling mirror!!!

Congrats on reaching the 1 million club, I knew you were going to do it and you did it with integrity.

I used a soap dish

Encouraging people to adjust and tweak is one of the many reasons I love your channel. I feel encouraged and supported, rather than belittled and lectured to. Thanks Kris!!!

My contribution would be a credit card size punch out that contains a saw blade, some fish hooks, etc. Very cheap on Amazon. Congrats Kris on 1M!

Nice EDC tin, change the canvas needle to a pre-threaded needle sealed in a straw, the ones I make include a mini paperclip and 2 mini safety pins. My EDC survival kit is called the ‘OLOK psk’ (One Litre One Kilo), large enough to be a true ‘stuck outside overnight in bad weather in Montréal’ but small enough to fit in the front compartment of my backpack (5.11 rush 24). My ‘most bang for the buck’ survival item is a stick of good lip balm, has many survival uses other than the obvious, the one I use has SPF15 so can even be used as sunscreen.

Very well thought out. I would safety pins. #8 circle hooks and ~20 feet of 5lb fishing line. And last, but not least, a Fresnel lens (courtesy of Survival Lilly). But that's me, especially the fishing stuff. Thank you for your sober intellect and outlook on this crazy world.

Thanks as always Kris! Congrats on finally hitting 1 Million subscribers!

My BOB has the same kinds of items, just more and larger. For anyone who can't carry much weight, this gives great ideas for cutting back without cutting out. As a mom, I carry a large purse everywhere, so I have a lot more emergency items than an Altoids can would fit! 😊 As a prepper, I have items both in my BOB and my purse and my BOB is in my truck. So, if someone were to steal my purse, I'd still have what I need in my BOB.

Canvas needle. Not for sewing. Improvised compass. Magnetise it and place it on a cork or leaf floating on water and it will swing to point north-south....

Nice, I love these small survival kits.

A gallon size zipper plastic bag and a large pull tie garbage bag. Gallon bag could collect water and garbage bag could be stuffed with leaves and slept on like a bean bag. Or used as shelter or slept in. The gallon bag would fit in the tin but the trash bag might not.

I carry mine with me at all time. Togheter with a small pocket knife in the same pocket. Just as John Wiseman say you should. Fire steel Waterproof matches Water purification tablets Non lubricaded condoms Fishing line Fishing hooks Lead sinkers Brass wire Wistle Signal mirror Band-aids Alchol wipes Button compass I live in sweden and we are close to war against russia. So I study and practise survival and combat skills everyday from Wisemans books and videos.

I would recommend adding a whirl pack bag sold by wazoo. Holds one liter and you could boil water in it if needed. Blessings.

Great video! As a survival instructor (urban and suburban) here's my additions. Benedryl and Imodium tablets, butterfly wound closures, 1 quart freezer bag for water, bus tokens, safety pins, lock picks, lock shims, single use tube of super glue

I'd add Benadryl and Zofran to the first aid kit, might tuck a piece of something wrapped in foil for a signal mirror, would include a meds list and my health registration intake info, and I'd probably tuck the kit into a pair of decent gloves.

Use a rubber band to add the thin emergency "blanket/tarp" on the outside.

Could probably fit a rain poncho and/or an emergency blanket in there too!

Congratulations on hitting 1 million, Kris! Really good ideas in this video. Thanks

Planted my medicinal herb garden at my bug-out location 2 years ago - plantain, yarrow, mullein, stinging nettle, chamomile, wild Lettuce, plus others. And a perennial edible garden ( protected from creatures). That makes 2 less things to have to worry about!

Great Kit. I got to do this. I'd try to add a small piece of gauze and a small razor blade. Or start building a second one with a fish hook. Line. Those compressed toilet paper rolls. Etc. Even mini eye drops...

We literally got lost walking our dogs in a small woodland area, not life threatening but it makes me realise how important knowing we're you are is, if ky phone wasn't working we would still be lost.

Thanks Kris- this little tin is a literal life saver! Though you’ve covered this before; I think you just can’t pound this kit into people’s heads enough! If everyone that leaves the house daily carried this, think how less panic there would be in a disaster small or large. Blessings & good work as always! ☮️& 🌱

I have a small Swiss Army knife multi-tool, a lifetime match that also acts as flint, high beam compact flashlight and a few other small items that I take with me everywhere. I’m in the process of creating a bug home bag for my car. Thx Kris for the wonderful content as usual!🙏🖖

Very nice! I will be adding this to my purse. Thanks for the tips.

Gave your ideas some thought. First put all the things you need together and then find a container. Tiny hand made sewing kit safety pins, regular and heavy coat thread and needles.Nail clippers. Put small things that can be easily lost on hook or around neck. Some carrying ideas. Wear a pouch on a zippered travel travel belt. Carry a water bottle in a strapped carrier that has a pocket. Can tie a hanky on. Wear cargo pants, lots of pockets. Carry in a purse/man bag or backpack. Use small zippered bags. Update and refill regularly. BTW I usually have had this kind of stuff in my purse for the last 40 years. Also good when traveling.

Did you know you can get an emergency phone charger that's about the size of a credit card? I got one for Christmas.... also congrats on 1 million! You deserve it.

I made one years ago one in car one in picnic or hiking bag. It's great doesn't take any space. Thanks I have been telling people and gave me kids one.

Don’t keep loose pills in a bag. Make sure they’re the foil sealed with the name of it on there. A bobbing of thicker sewing thread or fishing line and an embroidery needle.

maybe you can stick a light reflective material on the outside surface of the box. can be also handy and takes almost zero space.

Can opener, salt tablets, safety pin, Bobby pin, rubber band, tweezers, nail clipper, allergy pill, aspirin, soap paper

I am amazed at how much you got into that. I'm going to have fun recreating this.

you could put the kit in a iplock bag that is double the size of the tin then just fold it over and secure that with a ranger band, then you got a practical water container you can drop one of the tablets in

Im glad you did this video so thanks. Due to the fact I ride a motorbike pretty much everyday and carry a backpack most days outside of that. I often have somekind of carrying capacity with me. So im thinking of building a similiar kit but using a single wall stainless steel water bottle. So bit more space and obviously a good sized container for water too. Thanks for giving me food for thought.

We also added a tiny salt, lemon powder, and sugar packet for a homemade electrolytes mix.

I like you videos. To carry water, just fold a small sandwich size zip lock bag. That way you can put your water tablets in with the water. I like your little swiss army knife. For cordage you can purchase the 550 cord wrist bracelet with a compass on it so you can take the compass out of the can to make room for something else. I use velcro help keep my little can closed.

Hey Kris, production quality, attitude, presentation, confidence all on point! Congrats on hitting 1m subs. Nice little kit, I liked it. I would add a good quality ziplock or oven bag, inside or out, as a container. You can use it to carry water, disinfect water in sunlight, focus sunlight, carry foraged items and so on. Maybe add a couple of sheets of waxed paper as flame extenders and some aluminum foil if it'll fit. Loved the tiny flashlight!

I think having a bugout bag would be more useful. I don’t understand why anyone would want something so tiny in an emergency. I keep a 35L backpack ready to go. Freeze dried foods, sawyer water filter, hot hand, fire striker, down blanket, wool socks, few pair of undies, hat, down jacket, cordage, small homemade first aid kit, sunglasses, small signally mirror, handgun, knife, teabags, quick energy tablets, MSR pocket rocket stove, small can isopro fuel canister, bandana, emergency blanket, and small folding shovel. In my closet ready to go. I still need to get potassium iodine tablets and water purifing drops. I do have an alcohol stove also.

Personally I think pain relief is more important than its often given credit for, if you have a significant headache its the difference between operating at normal or low capacity. Between enjoying a day and having a miserable day.

I like the idea of using an EDC pocket organizer. You can slip you tin in it and add more items like something for cover, a flash light, a knife, etc.

Best tip on this video was the loop around using cash to stop the soliciting tips people.👍👍

Have you been looking in my kit? My tins look almost exactly like yours, down to the Katadyne tablets. I had some little "finger lights" that were kind of more like toys and I used to keep one in my tin. It was a great addition when the electric went off at work, we had to use the stairs, and the safety lights were out, too. As an aside, your voice and looks remind me of my history professor at Univ of Indianapolis who could tell a great story! I enjoyed watching and listening. Thank you

Don't make my mistake,don't get duct tape from the dollar store get the known quality tape

Great video, Kris. I have yet to assemble a tin. I'd have to add caffeine or something to give me a boost. See ya in the members room!

Add a plastic bag or condom for carrying water. Another item is a applicator free all cotton tampon which can be used for its intended purpose or first aid plus they can be used to start a fire. I also recommend some MeFix tape, which works great for fabric and first aid. Micro paracord is also a great option. I’ve chosen to carry a few small pouches to meet my needs.

Stick the whole thing in a wide mouth water bottle or omit the altoids tin all together and now you have room for a handkerchief and space blanket.

Might I suggest a couple thin strips of gorilla tape used to tape your needle to the inside of the lid of the tin so it doesn't get lost if you're moving stuff around to access bits and the thin strips of tape are also a crude ready-made butterfly stitch should you get a gash of sorts

Add a small steel mirror. Signaling, being able to see you face and eyes, look around corners, among other things.

I have one of these! Plus a "camping" bin with everyting I could possibly need, small enough to grab and go with no worries that I would have what I might need.

I would add a space blanket [one side army green] in its little bag outside the box, with a couple of rubber bands to keep everything together... (think ''outside the box''...)

Years ago, when I was a Girl Scout leader, my troop members each made a similar edc. We used a garbage bag to wrap around the tin with an emergency blanket enclosed. We used rubber bands to hold it all into place. Each tin had basically the same things you had but we also included a ziplock snack bag with a matchbook inside. They were practicing fire making with the ferro rods but ...

Half of these can fit on a keychain, the other half in a wallet or even better in a smartphone case (the kind that can hold a few cards as well beside your phone).

Congratulations on 1 million subscribers, Kris! Thank you for all of your content and teachings. May we all have heard to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to embrace. Wishing you, your family and your team many blessings in the coming year.

Considerations... A small drawstring bag/pouch is better for a couple reasons, it's not hard sided, so it's more comfortable in a pocket. Offers more flexibility in size & shape of items. Can also be used as a prefilter for water collection. I know it means sacrificing the char tin, but a .5 oz beeswax tea light/cosmetics screw top tin would easily fit. I'd have sime type of wood saw blade. AAA flashlight offers more output and more availability on batteries for not much bigger. could even use a rechargeable AAA if desired. One with a clip can attach to a hatbrim as a headlamp. Kevlar or dynema cord depending on application is better for size to weigh ratio. And I'd trade whistle for a thin candybar or protein bar mylar wrapper, reflective side is signalling and can still be used as a whistle. I'd lose zipties in favor of a 2nd fire tab, or even better is an actual small lighter or quality matches. All that being said though, I'd rather spreadload my needed items on my person in ways incorporated as EDC I don't need to remember to pack. Example would be to put the duct tape flat and under a shoe insole, or additional cordage on shoe laces. Creatively carrying necessities is the idea on that. Good base level kit and good job noting the oversights in the 10 Cs and willingness to adapt and make it your own.

Good thought-provoking video. In addition to the already suggested fishing line & putting the tin in a zip top bag, you might consider using a few more mini zip top bags for the other items in the tin in the event the larger one is in use, particularly for the light & water purifying tablets. Also suggesting 4 rubber bands or 4 hair scrungis around the tin since those can be used for a variety of applications. As you noted, it's all based on individual need, so the contents of mine differ from yours. For the haters, that just means our individual sitiational needs differ, not that either is "better" or "worse".

Nice, some other items...pair of foam earplugs...medium size fish hook. Fun one.

I always carry cash pepper spray, a small multi tool knife, ink pen, paper, eyeglasses, and phone. Inside my phone case is a tiny Ziploc bag with a folded up paper towel my phone turns on by using my finger but if I am in a rainstorm and my hands are wet and I can't dry them I can't turn on my phone my finger is dry so the phone can identify me as a user

Yay 🎉 congrats on the 1million mark ! I’m so glad I love your channel. I believe you keep a level headed attitude which calms my worries about what happening. I like other channels but that’s what sets you apart other channels just freak me out too much. I love your attitude but seriousness behind your tone which sends urgency without the panic so I appreciate and def happy for your channel. And thankful for it 🎉❤

That canvas needle is great for urban smartphone resetting!

What about a balloon for water container?

Nice little kit. I would consider adding to comms a mirror, and possibly a magnifying sheet for fire. The cordage zip tie is good. Floss is interesting. Maybe fishing line and thread

I made one of these awhile back! I need to unseal it and check on the items. It's been taped at the seams and stored in my emergency backpack kit for years! Congratulations on 1 Million!

I would add a wide large rubber band or short section of latex tubing...either would help make a decent slingshot. You could still fit in a paper thin mirror. I have one credit card sized that's half mirror and half magnifying glass (can start a fire with it on a sunny day) plus the edge can be used to shave kindling off of small sticks for fire starting needs.

Fishing line is always a good idea and can double as thread and condoms can be used to carry water in an emergency

Chris, you always do an amazing job. I too am a "Sub-urban Prepper" like yourself and I'm certain we have very similar backgrounds. The only difference is that I'm in NorCal while you're in SoCal. You follow Dave Canterbury's advice (military) while I tend to follow Cody Lundin's (earthy/indigenous) approach a little bit more but I also have some military training I took from a retired green beret that's been very practical. It's best to learn from as many different perspectivs as you can, we always need a Plan B, C, & D up our sleeves.

May need to add an anti nausia and anti diarrheal tabs as well

Alto is tins are great for this. I like a child’s backpack best you can carry a mess kit, folding stove plus homemade fire starter plus expand on medical supplies, water straw, extra flashlight, small solar charger for your phone and don’t forget a packet of dried veggies and meat you can eat. Fruit and nuts a a good trail mix. You can drag the necessities plus a few extras

A good addition to the "Care" packet might be a few Imodium AD caplets. They're tiny and might save you from making a mess in your pants, besides becoming dehydrated. Toilet paper probably may not be plentiful in your emergency situation either.

The needle is useful for splinter removal, if nothing else. A breast milk storage bag is a strong container that would fit. I threw a full one against a wall one time to test it and it didn’t break open.

I’d like to including Card gun or my belt buckle 22 pistol. Very well hidden always with a belt that looks like a simple buckle and belt can be used to tie , twist things open , Or defense itself .

I remember Nate from Canadian Prepper talking about buying, Gold backs as another form of money. It might be something worth looking into.

Cordage I would use fishing line. It's strong and thin.

The more you know, the less you carry. Great updates mate. Have a great & safe New Year. Cheers from Australia.

Nice post, CP. My own urban pocket EDC has the following: - OLight mini bolt-action pen - OLight mini rechargable LED flashlight - P51 can opener (for those emergency canned-peaches attacks) - USB thumb drive I was looking around for a mini-Altoids tin for some matches but I really like your compact ferro-rod firestarter. I'm considering a Naloxone nasal injector; that may be compact enough to save a life. Otherwise, no amount of substantial medical supplies to be of life-saving value would fit in a pocket-size EDC pouch. I'm still shopping for a rechargeable micro-USB battery. Phones, flashlight, etc. Any & all suggestions welcome!

I would add a pair of medical gloves. U squish them down. Gloves will protect your hands in soo many situations. Whether fixing something or basically getting hands dirty

Very good video. This is your urban kit. Sadly, in urban areas finding a discarded water bottle or other container shouldn't be that hard. So, IMO, you're good to go on that omission. A stick of chewing gum is a must have! Think of where MacGyver would be without a gum wrapper! 😂 I think a regular needle and a little thread wouldn't take up any noticeable space. With it, you can sew on a button or mend a small tear. In all odds, a popped button may be the most severe urban emergency many of us face on a daily basis. A small needle would work better than the canvas needle for digging out splinters. That canvas needle could almost be made into an improvised weapon in an emergency. Also, maybe wrap it with a few feet of Kevlar fishing line. I'd add at least 2 Exedrian tablets as they are pain killers plus caffeine. If you are a caffeine junkie forced to suddenly go cold turkey the headache can be debilitating. Maybe a tiny pencil, what we used to call a golf pencil, and a few loose sheets of paper to take/leave notes. If you have a Write in the Rain tablet you can pull from that's even better. Pencil is water proof. The watch band style of compass would only take up a tad more room than your button compass, but they could easily be worn around your neck on a piece of string. A safety pin. They have a lot of uses and don't take up any room. Felix Imler is an advocate of a small magnet stuck in a nook of his Swiss Army Knife. I've tried to find places to stash small round magnets that have a hole in the middle. Using a piece of thread they could be useful for retrieving items from hard to reach places. I usually carry a fairly strong magnet that's a tad larger than a U. S Quarter in my fishing tackle box because stuff just seems to end up in the water at times. I'm not sure what long term effect a magnet stored near you compass would have though. I'm on the fence on whether I'd pack a single use triple antibiotic instead of the alcohol wipe if I had to pick just one of the two. You didn't really touch on your reasoning for that item. Perhaps I'm not fully considering all the reasons you made that choice. I like your light! I stash the squeeze type lights that run on a 2032 coin battery. They come in red and green as well. You might be able to bluff someone that you are holding them at gun point if you have a small red light. But I like red or green to preserve my night vision. You may also be able to scavenge extra coin batteries from car keys and other devices. Many devices will actually work with more than one size of coin battery. So if you don't have the exact size that's called for, try it anyway. A bandana could easily be carried in your pocket on a daily basis. Even a handkerchief could be used to pre-filter water or as a wound compress. If I was going to grab one more thing to stuff in a pocket, it might be a large trash bag to use as a rain poncho in a pinch. They fold up super flat when new. But then so do cheap ponchos! Lol. Especially for ladies, be aware of having decent footwear if there's ever a chance you may have to walk any distance at all. But shoes aren't going to fit into an altoid can!

Some form of antibiotic that you could apply to a wound is handy. If you find yourself in a situation where you had to run away from someone and hurt yourself being able to put something on it to prevent it from getting infected would be helpful.

I just saw a 'hiking' and overnight video and the guy had, among other things, an axe... I'm not going to be carrying that for a day hike. Your kit is much more of a single day or afternoon hiking kit. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

I don't have any item to add, but I appreciate this video for motivating me to update as needed and organize the items I keep in my car.

I keep a SAK, whistle and tiny flash light like yours with my keys.

Great idea but I would suggest more smaller denominations namely more 5's and 1's maybe some change not too many because it'll become too heavy but just in case the cashier can't change a ten or twenty. Just a thought. 😁

Good old fashioned waxed dental floss is always in my bags. That stuff is so multi-purpose its nuts! Lol. I keep one in my glovebox too. :) I've gotten some pretty strange looks for packing that stuff so I'm glad I'm not the only one. lol.

Since you asked, we always included a non lubricated condom to be used as a container that we kept on our person. They work great for collecting and storage of large quantities of water.

MY TSA COPLIENT FIRE KIT consists of a couple of pads of charcloth, a pair of reading glasses, 5' of Juke Twine, a tube of Lip Balm, a couple of individual packets of instant coffee which can be used to make a Juke Twine fire roll, and a Fire Piston which is optional...... I carry this fire kit with me on international flights and no one even looks at me twice....

I taped a mirror to the inside of the lid as well as needles and fishhooks.a small glue stick comes in handy with many uses.

Hi Chris, congratulations on your 1 million subs!! I like your take on the altoids tin kit! Your combo of items for everyday and suburban survival makes lot of sense! Now I am inspired to create a kit similar to this! Thank you for emphasizing on tweaking it to make it one’s own! Have a great day!

I throw watercolor in mine and use it for painting out and about. 🎨🖌️ Happy trans day! 🌼

For cash put a few coins in, some vending machines do not take bills, so to get a drink or a snack with coins would be handy.

You could use the canvas needle for splinter removal 😊