Affordable Survival Gear for Beginners
We have a terrible habit, as humans, of looking at people who are older, more experienced and comparing ourselves to them. This happens in all aspects of life. You see a guy with all the survival gear and you cannot help but think, “I am way behind.” All that’s missing is some training and some affordable survival gear but even that can seem like an insurmountable force.
This problem is exacerbated by things like social media and the fact that we are all showing only the best sides of ourselves and hiding the worst.
I used to think that the great hindrances in prepping were unique: Time and Money. It turns out those things slow people down in almost every endeavor. While I am not a huge fan of “hacks” because I think true fulfillment comes from grinding for and earning the things you have, there are some ways to get ahead in the affordable survival gear game.
Finding good deals is less of a hack and more of a research game.
From knives to rescue we are going to explore affordable solutions for your survival gear problems. Just remember, the gear doesn’t make the survivor. While a few extra dollars might make you look the part, you better put in the time and learn how to use that gear.
The Top Affordable Survival Knife
There are so many options when it comes to choosing a survival knife.
However, when it comes to overall quality and affordability there is only one that matters.
You will not find a better survival knife on the market for this price with this level of quality. It’s just not going to happen. The Mora Companion is designed like all of their top performing knives, it comes with a sheath and most importantly is prepared to take a beating.
Dave Canterbury has numerous videos on this knife and his extensive field testing alone is enough to put you at ease in terms of choosing the right knife.
Build an Effective Shelter from Affordable Survival Gear
WEHE Hammock Rainfly
With an effective tarp, you have the ability to shelter yourself from the elements and maybe even other people. While sleeping on the ground under a tarp isn’t the best solution, you can add a hammock to that loadout and you will be feeling good.
Add to that a mosquito net and you will be able to deal with most things and most environments, outside of bitter cold.
Affordable Fire
Fire is the king of survival. It’s that simple. It’s also a lot easier than many survivalists make it out to be. You just have to know what to pack. When it comes to packing for a fire you need three things above all.
- Bic Lighters (Dirt Cheap)
- Thick Ferro Rod (
- Large Ziploc Back of Dryer Lint (Free)
I used to store a small Ziploc of dryer lint in a small pouch in my bag. Now, that has turned into a large Ziploc of dryer lint. Don’t run out of free, trash, that starts a fire in a hurry. You can take care of fire starting in almost any environment for just over $10.
You are still going to need to find kindling and fuel but you aren’t going to pack kindling and fuel anyway. Take this cheap and easy method of fire starting and make it work for you.
The Most Affordable Piece of Survival Gear
Shemagh
The shemagh is a tremendous piece of survival gear. Most people look at a shemagh and see a scarf. That is just a matter of sheer ignorance to what can be done with a shemagh.
If you aren’t familiar with the shemagh its a large square piece of cloth that often has tied off ends. Think of an oversized handkerchief. They are often patterned in design and, as I mentioned, do damn near everything!
Jordan AKA JFurgie, host of A Family Affair on Saturday nights at 9pm, also makes her own shemaghs and would love to outfit you with one of her creations.
Some of my favorite uses for a shemagh are:
- Traditional Face Mask
- Small Backpack
- Bandage
- Cooling While Wet
- Dust Mask
- Bug Protection
- Sun Protection
Here are 37 more uses for the shemagh if you still need convincing.
Get Rescued on the Cheap
Of all the survival gear you carry shouldn’t that which could get your rescued be a priority? A simple reflective lens could be the difference between signaling from a distance or missing out on an opportunity to be saved.
Another simple piece of affordable survival gear is the survival whistle. These are almost always under 10 bucks and can generate sound at such a great distance.
If you are preparing for urban survival you might not find these as useful but if you have the need for survival gear in the wilderness this is a no brainer. You should be thinking about a rescue.
Conclusion
You can build a small arsenal of affordable survival gear that can become the base through which you develop a core of survival skills.
Let’s get away from the excuse that we don’t have the money for gear or to practice our skills. In American, in 2019 nearly everyone has the ability to cut something and put $15 towards an effective Mora Knife. It’s just about prioritization.
I can tell you this much. That $15 survival knife will do more for your family than that $15 trip to McDonald’s.
affordable survival gear prepper Prepping survival survival gear
