The Essential List Of Wilderness Survival Tools You Need In The Backcountry

Last Updated on April 3, 2024 by ETC Team

Whether you’re planning your first backcountry trip, want to test your survival skills in the wilderness of Montana, or you’re preparing for a backpacking tour, it’s important to have packed the necessary wilderness survival tools you need in the backcountry.

We’ve rounded up fourteen of the best wilderness survival tools you can easily stash in your day pack or include in your camping kit. Whether your adventure outdoors goes unexpected or not, all of these items will either come in handy for setting up camp or building confidence.

Survival Tools You Need In The Backcountry

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1. Firestarter

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there’s nothing more important than food, water, warmth, and rest. A fire starter is perhaps the single most important survival tool you can have in your kit. This is because it will help you cook food, boil water, stay warm, and sleep safely without worrying about predators.

There are many different types of fire starters you can choose from. One of our favorites for sheer utility is the Firebiner. This combo tool is a carabiner equipped with a small blade and a farro sparking fire starter.

2. Survival Knife / Multi-tool

Choosing the right multi-tool, survival knife, or a combination of the two is a pretty personal decision. Find a tool that has features well-aligned with your skills. Consider the type of tasks you anticipate performing, and confirm it’s the right size and weight for your kit.

Some people feel safer knowing they have a knife in tow. Others prefer to stick to just a multi-tool that won’t attract attention. There’s compact, machete-like blades that will help you chop firewood, like the Cold Steel Survival Rescue Knife.

For multitools checkout the Leatherman Skeletool. It’s a keychain style multi-tool with essentials like cutters, a file, knife, tweezers, bottle opener and mini-screwdriver. You can even get tactical pens for those situations when note taking is part of your emergency plan. Whatever you choose, always keep it in your pack.

3. Topographic Map

Even if your venture is a flat, short day hike in a familiar area, you should always have a topographic map on hand. You can easily get turned around and lost if you step off trail, even in your most frequented stomping grounds.

While it’s still very unlikely you’ll get lost on a hike or backpacking trip, the unexpected can happen. It’s smart to learn how to read a topographic map. Think of it as a fun way to learn more about the area. This just could be one of the survival tools you need that helps save your life.

4. Compass

Much like your topographic map, a compass is an absolute necessity. It’s lightweight, analog, and easy to use alone or with other tools— if you know how to read one correctly. Take an orienteering class with your local outfitter or hiking/mountaineering organization so that you will know precisely how to use this classic survival tool in a pinch.

5. First Aid Kit

A medical kit can be invaluable in the backcountry, especially if you’ve found yourself in a survival scenario because of an accident or illness. The basics like Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment for cuts and scrapes are great but you need to include other items that can double as survival tools you need. ACE bandages serve a variety of purposes, gauze pads for larger wounds, splints for supporting fractures, steri-strips to help close wounds with uneven edges, and alcohol prep pads are used for a variety of purposes.

You can save a lot of the guesswork by purchasing a first aid kit designed specifically for outdoor survival. Keep one in your pack at all times (the last thing you want is for it to be in your car at the trailhead or your campsite a few miles away when disaster strikes). It can also be a good idea to purchase a separate first aid kit and keep it in your vehicle, especially if you’re frequently car camping or enjoying the vanlife.

6. Paracord

Everyone from serious hikers to the Boy Scouts of America will proclaim the importance of traveling with rope.

Because it’s made of lightweight, sturdy nylon and multiple strands of fiber, paracord is incredibly useful as one of the survival tools you need in the backcountry. It can be used to rig tarps and repair gear. When taken apart, use for sewing thread or fishing line, or braided together to create a broader, stronger rope. A wearable survival rope bracelet that uses high-strength Paracord, gives you access to rope on your person at all times.

7. Emergency Whistle

A good, loud whistle comes in handy for all sorts of wilderness applications. It’s one of the most essential survival tools you need in the backcountry. This is essential in areas where people are few and far between and wildlife is abundant.

A whistle of at least 100 decibels will cut through ambient noise and travel great distances, plus alert animals like bears to your presence. Keep it attached not just to your pack, if possible, but to your person, in case you get separated from your gear.

8. Water Filtration

The average human can only survive about three days without water. Not only should you always carry more than you think you’ll need for your hike in case of delays, but it’s also smart to have some type of water filter on hand, too.

In a survival scenario, you may need to collect and treat water to stay hydrated while you wait for help or hike out. You might also need to treat water so you’ll have it on hand for cleaning wounds, repairing gear, or cooking food.

9. Flashlight

If you think being lost or stuck in a backcountry emergency is difficult, trying to survive this unexpected situation in the dark can feel impossible. Even if you’re only planning a day hike, it’s always wise to have your headlamp on hand, or at least a small pocket-size flashlight.

10. Space Blanket

Staying warm can be a tall task in survival situations, even in conditions you might not expect. Temperatures can drop quickly after the sun goes down, especially in alpine or desert environments.

Moisture or humidity can have a big impact on the body’s ability to retain heat, too, even if the daytime temperature was warm. If your clothes or body are wet, you’re going to have to work that much harder to stay at a safe temperature. These lightweight blankets aren’t an alternative to a sleeping bag but are perfect in a bind. They reflect your body heat back at you very effectively, making it easier to stay warm and dry.

That’s not the only way you can use a space blanket as a survival tool, however. Harness the power of the sun or a candle to cook food using the space blanket as a reflector. You can use it to signal for help or show which way you went. A space blanket is also helpful to supplement a tarp or ground pad as part of your shelter construction.

11. Tarp

You may encounter a scenario where you need an impromptu shelter and you’ll want to save your space blanket for wrapping around your body, not hanging over your head. That’s why a tarp is such a key survival tool.

You can use the tarp as a ground pad for your tent, as a cover for your campsite, to protect gear from the elements, as a prep surface for food, or even to collect drinking water. There are few items in any survival kit as versatile as a good, sturdy tarp.

12. Rescue Mirror

Also know as a signal mirror, these unbreakable reflectors are designed specifically for outdoor applications and as survival tools you need in the backcountry. On any regular day, you can use the mirror to help you apply sunscreen without missing a spot. If your trek goes sideways, however, you can use the mirror to signal for help. The reflected glimmer can reach up to seven miles depending on weather conditions, alerting pilots to your location and distress.

13. Dry Bag

Whether you’re fishing, hunting, camping, or kayaking, keeping some of your gear in a dry bag is a necessity…and a challenge. This is especially important when keeping your survival tools like matches, fire-starter, phone, map, etc. safe and dry. Ideally, the best dry bag not only keeps out rain, spray, dew and mist, but should float, close securely, stand up to the conditions, and be the right size for whatever valuables you want to keep dry, from clothes to electronics.

14. GPS Locator / Communicator

While a topo map and compass are important, it’s even better to have modern technology.  Instantly summon emergency responders to your exact location with a GPS locator. This can quickly become one of the most important survival tools you need in the backcountry.

A personal locator beacon doesn’t need a cell phone signal to send up your SOS signal, and will transmit your GPS coordinates no matter how far-flung. Some are also capable of messaging beyond a generic SOS so you can let friends or family know more details, like if you’re running late, but aren’t in immediate peril. The most recent iPhones have also added a similar SOS feature. So if you are an iOS user, you may already have a capable device.