10 Items to Help You Survive in an Apocalypse

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone at this point. It’s pretty much the top news item on every news station all the time.

Rightfully so. It’s a global event that people should be taking seriously.

Some people have taken to hoarding toilet paper and other items, so it got me to thinking about potential apocalyptic scenarios.

I don’t think it will come to this. But it has still been a fun thing to do. I mean last week I wrote about some books to read, and another of our writers talked about things to do during the quarantine.

To be honest, I love doing these thought experiments in general. Sometimes it leads to deep philosophical discussions, but other times it leads to just some great goofy debates with friends.

With the current quarantine at hand, you could do a Skype/Facetime/Zoom chat to do it in a group to maintain social distancing.

Guess what? I did the hard work of justifying all your choices for you. I did research and some Google work to come up with the ultimate list here.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the top 10 items to help anyone survive the apocalypse of the world!

1. Fixed Blade Knife

When it comes to survival, humans require three things above all else: Food, water, and shelter. Nothing will be more beneficial with getting all of these things than a fixed blade knife. It needs to be a bit larger, maybe even a full 12” bowie knife. That way, you can use the knife to help create things to get you food, water, and shelter. It can be used as an ax, but also will be good for self-defense if it comes down to it. Basically, a knife is one of the most versatile tools you can have because it can also be used for medical procedures.

2. Bow and Arrows

I almost threw a Ruger 10/22 in this slot, but I decided that having to deal with ammo, and that ammo not being reusable, made it lesser than the bow. Because I added arrows to the list, I’ll only say that you have 3 arrows. The bow can then be the ultimate tool for getting food, and, if worst-case scenarios play out, it would be midrange self-defense. On top of that, you can use the knife to make new arrows and, after gaining serious skill, even a new bow.

3. Tarp

I covered the food pretty well with the first two items, now a tarp can be used for water and shelter. Hang up the tarp and it becomes a shelter from rain or anything else. It can also be used as a backpack and even a collection device to get water. It can be used to catch rainwater, then use it to carry that water around.

4. Elijah Craig 130 Proof Bourbon

I specified the brand here because I just like Elijah Craig bourbon, but I specified the proof because anything over 60% alcohol, or 120 proof, can be used to help clean wounds. It has practical purposes for sure, but if it really comes down to it, it can also be a celebratory drink. Lastly, the bottle is really thick glass and, after finishing the liquid inside, can be used to carry other water, or even broken and made into an impromptu knife.

5. Aspirin

If the apocalypse comes, you will probably get a headache or two. Of course, I’m joking about using Aspirin so liberally in an apocalypse situation. In all reality, Aspirin is one of the basic medicines that is an absolute must to keep everyone in the part healthy. I don’t have any really strong medical training either, so I need all the help I can get.

6. Cough Medicine

When it comes to apocalyptic scenarios, even a cold can end up being dangerous. That’s why you need some cough medicine. Not only will it help cure the illness, but it also will be a helpful way to keep from spreading the illness to others.

7. Bandages

Anytime you are going to be stuck in the wilderness, you want some first aid materials. I decided that a first aid kit counts as multiple items. I know it’s kind of cheating since earlier I bundled bow and arrows, but I limited it to three arrows. Nonetheless, it’s important to be prepared for a serious physical injury. A roll of bandage is invaluable in this scenario. It has a ton of uses besides just binding wounds, but that is the main purpose. Use the bourbon to keep the wound as clean as possible and take a swig to ease the pain.

8. Fishing Line

The fishing line is a cool idea I came up with because I initially wanted rope. I then thought about how rope wouldn’t be useful if there was a wound that required sutures. Then I was like, maybe floss. At the time I came up with this list, I was watching Wicked Tuna on Disney+ (side note; that show is amazing, and everyone should watch it). Coming to a fishing line from there seemed so natural to me because it can be used for all the same stuff as a rope, but also it can be used to create a fishing pole with a stick. Or it can be tied to an arrow to keep it close to the bow and used for bow fishing. A very versatile and important piece of equipment.

9. Firestarter Magnesium Tool

I know what you’re thinking. You’re like, “wait, Josh, you have a bunch of ways to get food, but you got to cook that crap!” Don’t worry, I thought about that too. I included a firestarter magnesium tool here. You can use the knife to help spark the firestarter and use to it cook food and keep warm in the cold, or dry in the wet, and sustain your life.

10. Bible

There are a lot of people in the world that may disagree with this choice. I get that and I don’t fault you for it. From the study that I have done though, all true ethics and basis for living come from Christianity. It has multiple genres in the book and is a book that can be used for just about all aspects of life. Even if you don’t believe the Bible to be the written word of God, you can’t deny its historical importance. At the lease, it gives a good basis for life in general. Plus, if we’re going to try and repopulate the world, I think it’s a great idea to have a document that gives some solid instructions for life.

That’s it for my top 10 most necessary items to help survive an apocalypse! Some of these can be interchangeable, but this is my personal list.

Let me know what you do and don’t agree with in the comments section below. Tell me I’m wrong, but make sure you tell me why. I won’t accept anything that is like “the Bible is just a dumb idea.” Instead, give me some substance. Tell me you don’t like the Bible because “x” would serve you better.