100+ Survival Gear Essentials in 2021

Hi I’m James Emry, founder of the Fox Survival Gear website. I’ve always enjoyed camping and spending time outdoors. I’m a hands-on, practical man who enjoys learning new things and developing new skills.

It became clear to me in the recent years (as it has to many of us) that life as we know it could easily change beyond our control, and quite possibly without warning. Natural disaster, nuclear war, solar flares, unexpected pandemics and so on, are all possible occurrences, yet in our modern fast paced life we don’t really believe they will happen.

Many of us are not even prepared for a car break down on a cold winter’s day. Most of us certainly don’t plan for survival scenarios. However, just because emergencies are unlikely to occur doesn’t mean they can’t occur. Because of that realization I decided that while I live my comfortable and secure life as it is now, I also have a responsibility to develop my skills and acquire the means to continue my life should things take a turn for the worse.

As a family man, it’s important to me to be able to take care of my family whatever happens, and to me that logically translates into a level of preparedness for the ‘worst’. I began to read about other people preparing in this way and benefited from their insights. Just considering the ‘what if’ scenarios was a significant eye opener. I’m not interested in pessimism, paranoia or scare mongering. Just being intelligently well-informed and practically prepared (like a grown up boy scout).

I started collecting gear that was not only practical in my present life but that would also sustain my family and I in more challenging times. With like-minded friends we slowly began to develop a list of well researched and tried-and-tested items that would be essential in an emergency situation.

I have always appreciated well-made, high quality gear but I can’t afford to spend top dollar. So for me it’s crucial to spend my money on gear that works really well and stands the test of time. 

Survival gear, like all gear is of varying quality intended for different scenarios. Without thorough testing and comparing, it’s hard to know what your best options are. It takes time to assess each item’s best qualities, and then decide what is most beneficial for a long term survival scenario. We believe that each piece of gear could help save a life in the right the circumstance, so we take our research very seriously.

Over the years, what initially started as a small list of “essentials” grew immensely, and we decided to share that list publicly with the hopes that other people could benefit from our research. 

Our list was influenced and inspired by great minds like Mors Kochanski—wilderness survival instructor—who teaches that gear should always be well thought out, multi-functional as possible and well-suited to a life in the outdoors. 

If you’re relatively new to emergency and survival preparedness, a good place to begin is your government’s emergency preparedness guidelines. We’ve posted information and links below to get you started: