Dirt-Cheap Survival Tools

People need to know that survival tools do not need to be expensive. The idea that it takes hundreds of dollars to be prepared in the wild is laughable, and many cheap survival tools exist and can go a long way toward an excellent survival kit. Many of the right tools cost very little, and there's no reason a person can't put together a good survival kit on a very limited budget.

  1. First Aid Supplies

    • Some of the most important cheap survival tools are first-aid based. Aspirin is cheap and tablets can be a huge plus in a survival situation. A single bar of antibacterial soap will also be very useful for keeping away infections around cuts or rashes, and no group of supplies would be complete without bandages. This includes both normal Band-Aids for cuts and tiny lacerations, as well as long gauze bandages to wrap up more serious injuries. These are all inexpensive and should easily be added to any supply of survival tools.

    Essentials

    • Any survival pack isn't complete without a knife. Experts consider a good knife to be the most important tool for any survival situation, and it's not hard to find excellent used knives for dirt cheap. Add in matches or other fire starters to deal with keeping warm, and fishing line is cheap and very functional in a wilderness situation. Along with a knife, having iodine tablets or water purification tablets is also important and won't break the bank.

    Important Tools

    • A knife isn't going to do much good long term without a knife sharpener. These tools vary in price, but good ones can still be found for under $10. A compass should be on the top of the list of important cheap survival tools. Many companies have developed all-in-one tools like a Swiss Army Knife or the credit card survival tool, which looks like a metal cut out of a credit card but designed to be a small knife, saw and screwdriver in one.

    Finding Great Deals

    • Many different places offer deals on survival gear. While retail outdoor sporting stores might be expensive since they're offering new gear, there are other options. Garage sales, clearance sales and flea markets are a good start. Military surplus stores provide a good retail front for many excellent used survival tools.