Survival gear & clothing
Everything that isn't food, water, power, CBRN or comms: what you wear, what you sleep in, what keeps you dry outdoors and safe indoors — with targets that scale to your group and a buy link on every line.
Gear readiness
0%
Must-have gear for 2 members.
Items still missing
45
Personal kit (boots, layers, sleeping bags, packs) re-targets automatically when the group grows.
By category
Clothing & layers0%
Footwear0%
Sleep & warmth0%
Shelter & outdoor0%
Fire, cooking & light0%
Navigation & carry0%
Indoor comfort & safety0%
Gear checklist
Every line has what to look for and where to buy it. Add anything missing to your inventory in one click.
| Item | Target | In stock | Why it matters & what to look for | Where to buy | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merino base layer set (top + bottom)Clothing & layersMust-have | 2 setsone per member | 0 of 2 | Wool keeps insulating when damp and resists odour for weeks without washing — the single biggest cold-weather upgrade.Look for: 180–260 g/m² merino, full length, one size loose | Amazon | |
| Mid-layer fleece or synthetic jacketClothing & layersMust-have | 2 unitsone per member | 0 of 2 | Traps warm air between base and shell; dries far faster than cotton hoodies.Look for: 200–300 weight fleece or synthetic puffy, full zip | AmazonLocal store | |
| Waterproof breathable shell jacketClothing & layersMust-have | 2 unitsone per member | 0 of 2 | Wet is the fastest route to hypothermia. A taped-seam shell is non-negotiable outdoors.Look for: 10,000 mm+ waterproof, taped seams, hood | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Waterproof over-trousersClothing & layersNice-to-have | 2 unitsone per member | 0 of 2 | Keeps legs dry on long moves and doubles as a wind break when sitting out weather.Look for: Side zips so they go on over boots | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Insulated hat, neck gaiter & glovesClothing & layersMust-have | 2 setsone per member | 0 of 2 | Most heat is lost from head, neck and hands, and cold hands make every other task fail.Look for: Wool beanie, fleece gaiter, waterproof glove + liner glove | Amazon | |
| Wool socks (thick + liner pairs)Clothing & layersMust-have | 6 pairs | 0 of 6 | Three pairs per member minimum: one worn, one drying, one dry. Wet feet end a march.Look for: Merino hiking weight, plus thin liners to stop blisters | Amazon | |
| Work gloves (cut resistant)Clothing & layersMust-have | 2 pairs | 0 of 2 | Debris clearing, firewood and broken glass — a hand injury in a crisis is a lasting one.Look for: Level 5 cut resistance, leather palm | AmazonLocal store | |
| High-visibility vest / reflective bandsClothing & layersNice-to-have | 2 unitsone per member | 0 of 2 | Being seen on unlit roads and at rally points during evacuations.Look for: EN ISO 20471 class 2 or reflective slap bands | AmazonLocal store | |
| Sun hat & UV sunglassesClothing & layersNice-to-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Heat and glare degrade judgement fast; sunburn and snow blindness are avoidable injuries.Look for: Wide brim, UV400 lenses | Amazon | |
| Waterproof hiking boots (broken in)FootwearMust-have | 2 pairsone per member | 0 of 2 | Your feet are the vehicle of last resort. Buy them now and wear them in before you need them.Look for: Ankle support, Vibram-type sole, membrane lining, half size up for thick socks | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Spare insoles & bootlacesFootwearMust-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Laces snap and insoles pack out. A 5 EUR spare keeps a 150 EUR boot in service.Look for: Cushioned insole plus 2 m laces per pair | Amazon | |
| Rubber wellington bootsFootwearNice-to-have | 1 pairs | 0 of 1 | Flooding, contaminated ground and cleanup work where leather boots would be destroyed.Look for: Steel toe if used for debris work | AmazonLocal store | |
| Indoor slip-on shoes / camp shoesFootwearNice-to-have | 2 pairs | 0 of 2 | Lets boots dry out fully overnight and stops trench foot in a long shelter stay.Look for: Closed toe, thin sole, packable | Amazon | |
| Blister & foot care kitFootwearMust-have | 1 kits | 0 of 1 | Blisters are the most common injury that stops a group moving. Treat them before they open.Look for: Hydrocolloid plasters, zinc tape, antifungal powder, nail clippers | AmazonLocal store | |
| 3-season sleeping bagSleep & warmthMust-have | 2 bagsone per member | 0 of 2 | Heating may be the first utility to fail. Rated bags let you drop the house to 5 °C and still sleep.Look for: Comfort rating -5 °C, synthetic fill (keeps loft when damp) | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Insulated sleeping matSleep & warmthMust-have | 2 matsone per member | 0 of 2 | The ground steals more heat than the air. A mat matters more than a warmer bag.Look for: R-value 3+, self-inflating or closed-cell foam | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Wool blanketsSleep & warmthMust-have | 3 blankets | 0 of 3 | Layer over bags, hang as a room divider to shrink the heated space, or use as a casualty wrap.Look for: 80%+ wool, 2 kg+, 200 x 150 cm | AmazonLocal store | |
| Emergency foil bivvy bagsSleep & warmthMust-have | 4 units | 0 of 4 | One in every bag, pocket and vehicle. Reflects body heat and weighs nothing.Look for: Heavy-duty bivvy (orange) rather than thin space blankets | Amazon | |
| Hot water bottlesSleep & warmthNice-to-have | 2 units | 0 of 2 | The cheapest personal heating there is — boil once on the stove and stay warm all night.Look for: Rubber with a fleece cover | AmazonLocal store | |
| Reusable hand & body warmersSleep & warmthNice-to-have | 2 packs | 0 of 2 | Keeps hands working for fine tasks and warms a cold casualty's core.Look for: Click-activate reusable, plus a box of air-activated disposables | Amazon | |
| Thermal window film / draught excludersSleep & warmthMust-have | 1 kits | 0 of 1 | Sealing one warm room cuts heating demand dramatically when fuel is rationed.Look for: Shrink film kit, door brushes, foam tape | AmazonLocal store | |
| Heavy-duty tarpaulinShelter & outdoorMust-have | 2 units | 0 of 2 | Roof repair, rain shelter, ground sheet, casualty carry, water catchment. Never enough of them.Look for: 3 x 4 m, 200 g/m²+, reinforced eyelets | AmazonLocal store | |
| Paracord 550 (30 m)Shelter & outdoorMust-have | 2 reels | 0 of 2 | Shelter rigging, washing lines, repairs, and the inner strands make fishing line and stitching thread.Look for: Genuine 7-strand 550 lb | Amazon | |
| 4-season tent or bushcraft shelterShelter & outdoorNice-to-have | 1 units | 0 of 1 | If the building becomes unsafe you need somewhere dry that isn't a shelter queue.Look for: Sized for group +1, sewn-in groundsheet, storm guys | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Folding saw & hand axeShelter & outdoorMust-have | 1 sets | 0 of 1 | Firewood, clearing fallen branches and shelter frames without fuel or power.Look for: Full-tang hatchet plus a folding pruning saw | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Fixed-blade utility knife & sharpenerShelter & outdoorMust-have | 1 units | 0 of 1 | The one tool that touches every other task. A blunt knife is the dangerous one.Look for: Full tang, 10 cm blade, plus a diamond or ceramic sharpener | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Insect repellent & mosquito netsShelter & outdoorNice-to-have | 1 sets | 0 of 1 | Disease vectors rise fast with standing water and broken sanitation.Look for: DEET 50% or picaridin, plus a treated net per sleeping area | Amazon | |
| Trekking polesShelter & outdoorNice-to-have | 1 pairs | 0 of 1 | Halves knee load on a loaded march and doubles as tarp poles and a probe for flood water.Look for: Aluminium, lever lock | Amazon | |
| Ferro rod & stormproof matchesFire, cooking & lightMust-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Three ways to make fire, because lighters fail wet and cold. One set per grab bag.Look for: Large ferro rod, windproof matches in a waterproof case | Amazon | |
| Tinder & fire-starter blocksFire, cooking & lightMust-have | 2 packs | 0 of 2 | Wet-weather fire starting is a skill; tinder blocks make it a two-minute job instead of an hour.Look for: Waxed wood wool or hexamine blocks | Amazon | |
| Portable multi-fuel / gas stoveFire, cooking & lightMust-have | 1 units | 0 of 1 | Cooking and boiling water with no mains gas or electricity. Multi-fuel keeps working when one fuel is gone.Look for: Multi-fuel or dual gas/liquid, plus a windshield | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Stainless cook pot, kettle & mess kitFire, cooking & lightMust-have | 1 sets | 0 of 1 | Metal you can put directly in a fire; plastic camping sets melt when the stove is gone.Look for: Stainless or titanium, no non-stick coating | Amazon | |
| Insulated flask & metal water bottlesFire, cooking & lightMust-have | 2 unitsone per member | 0 of 2 | Boil once, stay hydrated and warm for hours; a metal bottle can also be boiled to purify.Look for: 1 L single-wall steel bottle plus a 1 L vacuum flask | AmazonLocal store | |
| Lanterns & candles (long burn)Fire, cooking & lightMust-have | 2 units | 0 of 2 | Area light for a shared room saves head-torch batteries for tasks and movement.Look for: Rechargeable LED lantern plus 100-hour paraffin candles | Amazon | |
| Backpack 45–65 L (per member)Navigation & carryMust-have | 2 packsone per member | 0 of 2 | Anything you cannot carry, you do not own once the car stops being an option.Look for: Hip belt that carries the load, rain cover, sized to the person | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| Dry bags & compression sacksNavigation & carryMust-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Keeps sleeping bags, spare clothes and documents dry — a soaked bag is a cold night.Look for: Assorted 5–20 L roll-tops | Amazon | |
| Baseplate compass & local paper mapsNavigation & carryMust-have | 1 sets | 0 of 1 | GPS is the first thing to be jammed or drained. Paper and a compass never need a signal.Look for: Mirror sighting compass, 1:25,000 maps of your region plus routes out | AmazonOutdoor specialist | |
| BinocularsNavigation & carryNice-to-have | 1 units | 0 of 1 | Assess a road, a queue or a crowd from a safe distance before you commit to it.Look for: 8x42, waterproof | Amazon | |
| Notebook (waterproof) & pencilsNavigation & carryNice-to-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Logs, routes, radio traffic and messages left at rally points. Ink and screens both fail.Look for: All-weather notebook, wooden pencils | Amazon | |
| Fire extinguisher & fire blanketIndoor comfort & safetyMust-have | 1 sets | 0 of 1 | Indoor stoves, candles and generators multiply fire risk exactly when no brigade is coming.Look for: 2 kg ABC powder plus a 1 x 1 m kitchen fire blanket | AmazonLocal store | |
| Smoke & carbon monoxide alarmsIndoor comfort & safetyMust-have | 2 units | 0 of 2 | CO from indoor cooking and heating kills people in their sleep every winter. Non-negotiable.Look for: Sealed 10-year battery, one per sleeping area and one by any stove | AmazonLocal store | |
| Chemical / composting emergency toiletIndoor comfort & safetyMust-have | 1 units | 0 of 1 | Mains sewage can back up or stop. Sanitation failure causes illness faster than hunger.Look for: Bucket toilet with sealing lid, gel sachets, heavy liners | Amazon | |
| Ear defenders & safety gogglesIndoor comfort & safetyNice-to-have | 2 sets | 0 of 2 | Generator noise, cutting and debris clearance. Cheap now, irreplaceable later.Look for: SNR 30 dB defenders, sealed goggles | AmazonLocal store | |
| Heavy-duty duct tape & repair patchesIndoor comfort & safetyMust-have | 2 rolls | 0 of 2 | Broken windows, torn tarps, split boots and splints all start with tape.Look for: Cloth gaffer tape plus self-adhesive fabric patches | AmazonLocal store | |
| Indoor drying rack & washing kitIndoor comfort & safetyNice-to-have | 1 kits | 0 of 1 | Clean, dry clothing prevents skin infections and keeps insulation working.Look for: Folding rack, wash tub, plunger agitator, bar soap | AmazonLocal store |
Where to buy
Same item, very different prices depending on which counter you walk up to.
Army surplus & military stores
Best value for wool blankets, tarps, canteens, boots and load carriage. Search your city for 'army surplus' — stock is second-hand but built for abuse.
Outdoor & mountaineering specialists
Decathlon, Cotswold, REI, Bergzeit and local climbing shops. Go here for shells, boots, sleeping bags and mats where fit and rating actually matter — try them on.
Amazon & online marketplaces
Fastest for consumables and commodity items: socks, paracord, dry bags, tape, bivvy bags, batteries. Read reviews for the specific size you need.
Hardware & DIY stores
Tarps, work gloves, axes, duct tape, fire extinguishers, CO alarms and insulation film — cheaper than any 'prepper' branded equivalent.
Workwear suppliers
Screwfix, Engelbert Strauss, Dickies and similar. Durable trousers, boots and gloves at a fraction of outdoor-brand prices.
Second-hand: eBay, Vinted, car boots
Wool blankets, fleeces, boots and packs are frequently as-new for a quarter of the price. Never buy second-hand: helmets, harnesses or anything life-supporting.
Buying rules
- Buy fit-critical items (boots, packs, shells) in person; buy commodity items online.
- Two is one, one is none — for anything that ends the day if it fails.
- Test everything within a week of buying it, then again every season.
- Prefer wool and synthetics over cotton for every layer touching skin.
- Spend on the three things between you and the ground: boots, mat, sleeping bag.
Seasonal check
Twice a year: try every layer and boot on each member (children outgrow kit fastest), air the sleeping bags, re-proof shells, and re-tape any torn tarp before you store it.