Most important survival tool under $50

Wondering about recommendations for the best survival tool under $50. I'm new to this and don't have a ton of money to devote but I'd like to start getting myself better prepared in case of an emergency.

 

Well, you have to begin somewhere. So depending on where your interests lie, I would just get started. Think about the most likely kinds of crises. Would you probably be staying put or would you be on the move. And then start preparing according to that. In my case, we have land out in the country, so we would likely be staying put. So I might want to focus on what I need at home in the case of going a long time without electricity. We really need a couple more warm blankets, maybe down filled. We are in pretty good shape for cast iron cookware. But we need lanterns, candles, lighters, matches. I have a lot of foot problems, so it would be a good idea for me to get a spare pair of good shoes. Those might come in handy. It really depends on your needs, according to your situation.

 

It's cutting it a bit fine at $50 but you can't go wrong with a Leatherman hand tool. They're handy in a variety of situations and built to last for a very long time.

 

The most important survival tool is a fire starter. Even if you have matches for emergencies or lighters all these things will eventually be used up. Having A way to start a fire consistently is important to stay alive. If you want stay warm or cook food this will give you some since of security. Another thing you should look into is the life straw, with this you can drink pond water or from a stream safely.

 

Pretty sure 50 bucks is pretty large enough to get a first aid kit, as well as a knife, and even some matches to create fire. I think it's even enough to buy yourself a flare gun and some ammo, so you would definitely be able to prepare yourself in the event of calamity. You can treat your wounds, create a fire for warmth, and even have something to notify people nearby of your location, should you see the opportunity to do so. 50 bucks is plenty useful, especially if you are just going for the essentials.

 

I would use that money to get a couple of things. Look around for deals so your money will last longer. I suggest getting some kind of water filter, or water tablets that purify water. Also, invest in a good knife. If you have any extra, get some matches and some fire starters. That should take you a long ways.

 

Knife is a must have, so i'll buy a knife and a really good pair of boots. If i have money left to spare, i'll get those tablets that purifies water.

 

So many things you can get for $50, why limit yourself to just one? You can buy a quality knife that can cut through branches, fire resources, a blanket just in case of emergency, a decent backpack that you can store some of your stuff or a first aid kit that is useful when you're out in the wild. Depending on where you buy them you should be able to buy all of these for $50

 

Just start with a first aid kit. It'll be less than $50 so you can buy other items too at the same time. I always recommend people to get a first aid kit because it'll be useful one day. It doesn't have to be a big survival situation, you might cut yourself while making dinner, you might fall down because the floor was wet after the shower, you might accidentally touch a hot stove, if you have one in your car then there could be a million situations where you just kinda end up being there and a kit would be really handy. A first aid kit is preparing for life, because accidents do happen.

 

You cannot get much for that money but as I always state knives are always my first pick. For me that is the obvious choice. Knives are multi purpose tools and if you buy good ones you are going to be thanking yourself forever. I would either pick a solid, sharp, strong knife with a bit longer blade so you can use it for a lot of things including defending yourself or I would buy a Swiss knife, a good one or something like that where you have several things including can opener, file, spoon, fork, knives, pins. You know, a multi-purpose heavy duty stuff.

 

A good, practical, manual!

 

The more you can make with what you find like shelter, water containers, cordage, tools, or start a fire, $50 will go a long way.

 

Go online on Amazon you can get a light my fire knife that has a small fire starter for 22.50. It's a good basic starter knife with an attached rod for fire starting. Then I would suggest a small edc kit. Odds are if you are an outdoorsy individual you may have a lot on hand. My son and I built a small kit in an altoids can. I put 50 yards of 10lb test fishing line rapped around a piece of corrugated cardboard that we also pushed several sizes of hooks, a couple jig heads with a few tubes, a couple different flies, and a couple basic spinners. A few pinch weights, swivels, and tiny bobbers. We also put in 12 18" sections of wire for snares (good for small mammals). A small box knife that fit in the tin. A small little section of char cloth and lint from the dryer in a tiny ziploc. A small fire striker and a section of hack saw blade cut 3" long. It takes some finagling to fit it all in but it can be done. Then we got a sheet of the flexible sticky backed mirror and covered the bottom with it for a signal mirror. To keep it all closed we cut ranger bands. Some thinner ones and then a wider on to keep it more water resistant. You can use the tin for various tasks like making char cloth by placing cotton material in it and poking a hole in the center of the lid and place it in the fire. Ranger bands catch fire easily as well. In the kit you will have the tools necessary to catch, clean, and cook for survival. Then most importantly comes the skills to utilize everything in your kit.

 

With 50$ to spend, you really want to have enough water, flashlights are lighters, enough can foods for at least 3 days.

 

It's cutting it quite close to the $50 mark, but I stand by my opinion that a Leatherman multi-tool is one of the most useful things that both a survivalist and a non-survivalist can own. I use my multi-tool on an almost daily basis around the house, and I always carry it with me given that whenever I or someone else needs something fixed, the multi-tool is almost guaranteed to have what you need. It's also obviously important to get a good quality one and Leatherman has a good reputation for making durable, long lasting tools albeit at a steeper price.

 

In my drawer I have pretty much the entire history of leatherman products. What I actually use as my every day carry is a Swiss Army knife. It lacks the pliers and wire stripper but will do everything else a leatherman will do and is legal to carry in the UK.
The blades are also made from better steel and keep a better edge plus it will open a wine bottle, a necessity which leatherman seem to have forgotten.

 

Watch YouTube... There are lots of videos that can give you ideas about cheap survival kit. Actually some of the ideas are so clever, you wont have to spend a dime for that tool. I think your $50 will be spent on a good knife or machete alone.