My 11-year-old daughter asked me this today: If you had to choose just one item to carry on you for a real-world lost or stranded-type situation, what would it be? How about two, or three? The question made me re-think some of my previous ideas. I've been looking at the things I carry from the perspective that I have a backup for this or that, so it need not be bulletproof.

Here's my partial list, ordered by priority:

1 - Knife
2 - Lighter
3 - Paracord
4 - Flashlight
5 - Compass

This opened up a whole new can of worms for me, since my EDC knife is a cheapo "Smith & Wesson Homeland Security" model, my EDC lighter is a Bic (not too bad as far as quality goes), and I don't regularly EDC a flashlight, compass, or paracord.

I'm looking online right now for a bombproof folding knife, good flashlight (Photon maybe), and a beefy but small compass.

#3, Billy can.
Oop's I re-read the question.
For one item only then a blade wins.
If I was adding something to your list it would be a Billy can.
If you are looking for a decent small compass check out
a Silva watchband compass. They are sold with a velcro watch strap and have a ratchet bezel. I have never had any issues with them, they are dependable.

What I found out about bic lighters is the button can get compressed and empty them. I try to get the ones that lock the fuel off when I can. I couldn't find any friday so I bought a package of bics again.

I have several good compasses but I always have one of the little button compasses like Doug sells, and I have one of the Brunton compasses (with a thermometer) as a zipper pull on my jacket.
They are not good enough for survey work, but they are small enough for EDC and do give me magnetic north within a few degrees.

A bomb proof folder?
I have an auminum SAK Soldier that manages to be EDC.
It is not too big or scary. I wish it was an easy open lock blade.
I often have the Spyderco Endura in another pocket though.
It is a bit large and a bit scary for people, but it has lasted a very long time with no problems.
Doug has a pretty good folding knife for sale too.

I almost always have some string around. It is not quite EDC with me though, unless you count shoelaces and so on.

If I had to chose one and only one item it would likely be a lighter.
(Errr, no, a knife, a lighter, a compass, a knife, a lighter, some line,....)

This is the classic problem with trying to figure out the minimum kit. It is real easy to find yourself hauling all of your camping gear everywhere with you, and even if every piece of gear is super small you can still load up tons of trinkets.

If I had to choose only one item, it would be a knife. After that, I would want a lighter and something for water containment/purification.

A knife. Worst came to worst, you could use it to obtain the rest. Um, if it was a big knife. Which presents its own problems.

1. PLB - that was an easy choice

2. This is actually a tough choice for me.

If I have the PLB, my primary objective is to be as "findable" as possible, so by day I would want a signal mirror, and by night I would want a bright light or a fire. I think I have a better chance of being seen by day without a signal mirror, but by night ... I'd say #2 Bright Flashlight. Under this scenario I'd say #3 is a bright (orange?) shelter material, as this would help me get found by day AND be a shelter against the wet & cold of night.

If I did not have the PLB, I feel like I should say the next item would be a knife, but the truth is that fire is so important for warmth, mental health, and signal that I think I'd have to say #1 Good Lighter or sparker & tinder, and then #2 Knife. #3 would be that bright shelter material I mentioned above.

I wish I could find a high quality bright orange poncho.

The rest of my necessity list would include a whistle, signal mirror, cordage

What I was thinking was maybe a Photon and a zipper-pull compass on my keyring. I'd like both to be tough as nails. If no-one makes a really good zipper-pull compass, I'll epoxy a really good button compass onto a piece of Lexan myself.

My thinking on the knife versus lighter issue was that I can start a fire with a knife (bow method or fire plow) but I'd have a hard time cutting something with a lighter.

1. edc gerber folder.
2. lighter
3. Poncho
4. whistle

i do not leave my bedroom w/o my pocketknife. i have learned that where i live if i don't have it i will need it. poncho was almost a tie with a firestarter poncho= shelter, dry, signal, groundcover, water gatherer/carryer, it is basically a must have. and i can yell loudly, but for how long? whistles can be heard for a couple miles, and don't go hoarse.

Poncho or similar - in a real wilderness situation getting shelter is issue one, and you'd be best to assume it's wet, dark and you are injured. Getting out of wind/rain until dawn or rescue is priority one in a lot of cases, so something I can wrap myself in or crawl into would be best (even the hated space blanket would be better than nothing)

That said I consider a small knife, lighter and torch to be the edc trinity. And frediver has the correct on a cook pot - valuable and hard to improvise

i have a stearns poncho from wal mart that has lasted for 5 years of abuse. they came in blue and camo when i bought it, i think that they come in yellow now. but you mean like the old school ones, that really did last a lifetime? i haven't seen those for sale anywhere

In any situation, including a "wildernes situation", there are probably several immediate concerns you may want to be ready for. The shelter can be taken care of, to a large part, by the clothing you choose to wear in the conditions you are exposing yourself to. It would also be good to be aware of other natural hazards in the area (terrain and animal) and be able to handle certain life-threatening medical or human-confrontational situations. You could die quicker by an animal or human attack, a poor choice regarding terrain navigation or a heart attack than you usually can by not having shelter.

Water and fire, along with references, tools, navigation, communications and food usually are of lower importance than the things that address the areas of personal security, medical and shelter, imho. The situation will dictate which of those is the priority, but a lack in security and medical can usually end your life quicker than a lack of shelter.

A pocket size flashlight. Most of the true emergency situations I might face in my life involve escape from a building or tunnel.

A knife. Any size, fixed or folder. With a knife I can make or rig virtually everything else. Without a knife, I would have to try and find a rock to make sharp.

Compass, eh. I can figure directions close enuf for traveling. Lighter, probably, but there are alternate methods. Flashlight - unless it was that tunnel or building - something I can live without.

And my wife wonder why we have so many knives in so many places.

What kind or real world lost or stranded situation?

If I found myself on an inflatable raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I would like to have a desalinator, a shade cloth, some fish hooks and line, and a signal mirror.

If I were a survivor of a plane crash in the boreal forest, I would like to have an axe, a lighter, a .22 rifle with ammo, and a warm waterproof jacket.

If I were in the deep hot jungle, I would want a billy can, a lighter, a knife, a hammock with mosquito net, plenty of insect repellent, and a compass.

In any case, a good attitude!

"Stranded
Stranded
Stranded on a toilet bowl
Stranded
Stranded
Stranded on a toilet bowl
What do you do when you're stranded
And there ain't nothing on the roll?
To prove you're a man
You must wipe it with your hand
Stranded
Stranded on a toilet bowl !" -- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Rule of threes again: you can die in three minutes without air, you can die in three hours without warmth, you can die in three days without water, you can die in three weeks without food. So, what tools can you use to survive?

Conventional wisdom is a substantial knife is the best survival tool, but you can learn skills to make up for almost any tool.

My vote is an easy way to make fire.

Only one item? What about SSS knife (http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?products_id=207)? Knife plus ferrocerium rod, signal mirror and sharpener integrated into the sheath. Not bad starting point for survival I guess.

But I think I like the idea of carrying a PLB (already mentioned by KenK) a bit more (of course the rule of the game is still "one item only"). Nothing beats good communication device when you are stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But the SSS knife is the runner-up in this game.

Let us hope we will never end up being stranded with only one item though .

for a everyday item--no big bucks PLB kind of stuff but just pick it up off the desk on the way out for a hike that go's bad it would be a lighter.i can always kick down enough brush to make a shelter and bust sticks for a fire that would keep me warm and dry and make smoke for a signal.

If given a selection of simple survival gear and an opportunity to take only three items in anticipation of being dropped naked into a temperate forest with water easily available, perhaps near a river or lake, I think it would be: lighter, knife, rain poncho with a liner.

Preferably simple, robust and reliable models of each item.

Thin strips can be ripped from the liner or poncho to get basic footwear and braided into light lines to tie things up with but I would search pretty hard for suitable alternatives (grasses, vines, bark, etcetera) to avoid having to sacrifice my equipment.

Footwear and a means of containing water so it can be boiled would be my next concern. Shelter, followed closely by exploitation of any potential food supplies I may have observed, would be the next concern.

If I got really lucky and there was plentiful, and naive, game I might trap, tip up and dead fall traps are pretty easy to rig but bait is often the biggest impediment, skins might help more permanently solve the water and footwear issues.

A lot depends on the specifics of the area and season. Knife, lighter and poncho with liner would tend to be near the top of most lists and it would, IMHO, be a fair to good choice for a wide variety of locations.

Actually, a "gear" item is 5th on my list. In any and every situation I hope and plan to have the following things:
1) A working brain (can't do anything if you are not clear headed)
2) The will to live and not quit.
3) The skills, knowledge, experience, and attitude to deal with most anything.
4) A fit body able to do what I ask of it.

Now the gear:
5) A knife

It depends on where I am or what I'm doing.

For example:

In the winter around here, something that can start a fire would be my #1 priority. I could freeze to death by the time I got a fire started with just a knife.

But, in the desert, on the other hand, probably water would be #1. I wouldn't make it too far without that.


With that in mind, picking just one for every situation would be tough.

You may want to try putting a small ziptie under the button. At least it works on the mini-bic. Not sure if it would work on the full size though.

If I could only choose 1 item, it would be a truck full of food.

Knife, for sure.

A Striker with a Carbon Steel Mora Knife as its Steel

multy tool knife..

Lessee... Assuming you don't have a "get out of jail free" card like a PLB or working cellphone. In order of priority, each subsequent item assumes you have all the previous ones:

1. Knife
2. Firestarter (Bic or ferro rod)
3. Metal cooking container (purify water and cook)
4. Poncho/liner (mobile shelter)
5. Stainless steel wire (lashing, sewing, snares, fishhooks)
6. Canteen/water bottle (water storage & transport)
7. Paracord (infinite uses)
8. ...

If only one item, I would have to think hard about knife vs. firestarter. In winter I would lean heavily towards the firestarter, in summer I'd almost certainly want the knife.

I've been debating this since the original post, and this is where I ended up, too.

Currently, my ability to cope without a knife is greater than my ability to cope without some kind of fire-starter. And a lighter gives me the best chance of actually starting that fire.

I think we need to look back at the OP.
If you were limited to one EDC item.
I am not likely to carry a locator beacon with me to the store, even GPS would be an unlikely pocket item.

Lighters and small pocket knives are in the pocket trash class.
So is a bit of string or wire, a few bandaids, a button compass, and a host of similar items.
From there it moves up to a personal FAK and the BOB levels.

The point that at least one person made about when and where you are makes some difference, but as EDC I think in general terms, and then modify what I do actually have to the situation I am expecting.
If I am boating on a lake I want a life jacket, if I am driving in the desert I want full water jugs, but neither of those make it as EDC

Let see, I have two sets of keys on a small D-ring.

On #1: my car key with a photon light, that I used on a mine tour this weekend.

On #2: my office key ring, I have a LM micra that I used the scissors this morning.

So I suppose, I go betw. a light & a knife as the most likely item I would have on me in an emergency, (excluding the the EDC that is within 3' of me 95% of the day)

But I think back to the book that have given more than any other (for a variety of reasons) to friends. A book I quoted to a group of employees doing a Grand Canyon hike next month, Cody Lundins, 98.6 degrees: the art of keeping your ass alive. I said, "Regulate your body heat. Layer for the rim, be able to strip down in the inner gorge."

Keeping with: your stranded or stuck with one item only, it doesn't preclude you being able to move around to find water or shelter or a sharp object for cutting. Keeping your body temperature in the right area is what is going to keep you alive.

So in the end I suppose I need to put my Light My Fire Firesteel on my key chain.

You know Comms, you made me stop and think a bit.
Yes, a jacket would be top on the list.
Especially because it is something I don't really think about but always make sure I have when I go for a walk.
The weather can change awfully fast and it is always colder at night.

For urban:

1) Cash (Wallet)
2) Cellphone
3) Knife
4) Lighter

For outdoors:

1) Knife
2) Lighter
3) Compass
4) Whistle

I think you've hit the nail on the head. A warm, water proof/resistant jacket would be top of the list. Followed by a tea kit. Then probably the knife.

The lists are mostly about doing something. Cutting, burning, navigating, signalling. The first thing you want to be able to do though is stop and S.T.O.P. Don't start building shelters or burning down forests, or heading where you think things should be. Stop and evaluate your situation.

Outdoors:
1. Lighter
2. Knife
3. Whistle

Urban:
1. Cash
2. Cell
3. Firearm


Although, I did start thinking more about a small compass. This one looked particularly interesting: http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=308

I'm learning a lot from reading the replies. When she asked me that question, I hadn't really thought of it all in those kinds of terms up until that point.

Now I'm about to pull the trigger on buying a really good knife (possibly an RSK MK1), and some other items that I have researched to be of MUCH better quality than some of the things I've been carrying on my person.

I'm now thinking in terms not of how much an item costs, but of how much it would be worth to me to have it and it perform under any conditions, no matter how bad it gets.

My knife is decent, but my life is worth more than the $21.97 price tag it carries. Same for a compass, a flashlight (also looking at Doug's improved Photon), and other items.

I've become of the thinking that for your BOB stuff where you have spares, it's okay to have GOOD quality stuff. But for your EDC, only the BEST of each item (and I'm not talking best name brand, I don't buy into fashion, only function).

The OP never said it had to be "EDC" carry. They said " If you had to choose just one item to carry on you for a real-world lost or stranded-type situation, what would it be?" and then later mentioned their "EDC knife" and "EDC lighter", and an "EDC ... flashlight, compass, or paracord."

When I hike/camp - I bring my PLB. When I drive outside my local suburban area - I bring my PLB. My PLB is my #1 survival tool - no doubt. It can turn a real bad lost/stranded life-threatening situation into just a bad night waiting for help.

You can't call PLBs high priced. Heck, excellent PLBs are now actually cheaper than most mid-to-higher-end GPSes ... and look how many people have GPSes. PLB prices have hit the main-stream.

Regarding a knife being item #1. Like I said earlier, that is what we're supposed to say, but in reality, if I'm lost or stranded, what are my priorities if I find myself lost or stranded? As someone already asked, it depends on where I'm lost or stranded AND it depends on the weather. So, at least for me, the most likely is to be in a remote heavily or moderately forested area in midwestern U.S. spring/summer/fall (that's when I'm out camping/hiking).

So, what are the priorities? ...
0. Prevention ... oops, I'm lost or stranded, so its too late.
1. Health - mitigation of traumatic physical, environmental, or mental damage or risk.
2. Personal Protection - from temperature, wetness (rain, dew,...), insects or other wildlife, sun, fire, ...
3. Signaling - fire, light, mirror, whistle, smoke,...
4. Sustenance - water in the short term, food in the longer term, nutrients in the even longer term
5. Location & Travel - compass, map, GPS

So how does a knife help #1? If doing surgery maybe. Maybe for scraping off bee stings. I can tear clothing for bandages.

What about #2? Building shelter? ... there's usually lots of dry wood I can snap off. Cutting firewood? ... there's usually lots of dry wood I can snap off. The reality is that in heavy or moderate wooded remote areas there will be plenty of dead wood that can be broken by hand (or leg). Even in the moderately used Boundary Waters - lots of dead wood breakable by hand.

What about #3? Cutting firewood? Did that. Creating sparks with a fericonium rod? Though I haven't tried it, I'm under the impression that even a rock should do that. A mirror? A really really shiny knife might work - but its not likely. A whistle? OK, you might be able to carve a whistle with a knife - but I wouldn't know how to do that.

What about #4? Will a knife help me gather or sanitize water? Not likely. Will it help me gather food? Maybe.

OK ... this post is getting too long. You get my thinking.

Yeah, I carry a knife (mini Mk1) almost everywhere (excluding the shower, swimming pool, some schools, county court house, airport, airplanes, ... ), but still there are other items I'd select to carry first (PLB, GPS w/ electronic compass, fire, shelter, whistle, light, whistle, ...).

Just my opinion.

Knife - Fallkniven PXL Folder. Gorgeous knife but probably to nice to actually EDC.

Flashlight - Lots of high quality flashlights out there but I EDC a Fenix P1D CE Premium Cree Q5. For AA cell use I also like the TANK007 TK-506 Stainless Steel Flashlight from Dealextreme. The Fenix LOD-CE is very good as well if you can live with the inherent weakness of AAA cells.

Compass - Francis Barker Model 1605 NATO Survival Compass or Silva SERE 40 Luminous or if a full size compass is required the British Army M73 Prismatic compass NSN: 6605-99-960-0789

Lighter - I'm still on the hunt for the ultimate reliable windproof lighter. Best so far I've found is the Oubo Lighter from Dealextreme,

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16699

but it is not waterproof so something like the Brunton Firestorm will just have to do.

Watch - Luminox 3604

Pen - Timberline Tactical LCP

KenK and scafool, sorry for the confusion. I was thinking in terms of EDC but didn't actually say that in my post. It does open up two different categories though, as you both wisely pointed out.

Yes, KenK and I were coming at it from slightly different perspectives.
I think a lot of us were.
I think that is a good thing too. There have been quite a few good points mentioned by everybody. It is a good thread

Your comments about quality and price when gear shopping hit a chord here. They are not always related, are they.

KenK's mention about PLBs becoming more reasonably priced is something I had not really considered.
I will have to think about having one with me a bit more for those times when I go past where the sidewalk ends.

With the McMurdo Fast Fix at ~$300, its almost cheaper than a brand name rain jacket.

After being gone for a while and coming back, I saw this thread I had posted and was surprised by the differences in my attitude then and now.

Currently I EDC the same Smith & Wesson "Homeland Security" folder as before, but I EDC the following also:

Rescue Howler whistle (on keychain)
MagLite 1xAAA Solitaire flashlight (on keychain)
Silva 609 compass (on keychain)
Bic lighter (I know, not as dependable as Firesteel etc...)
.45acp handgun with 21 rounds of ammo
Gerber Suspension multitool

Reading through this thread just now, i am struck by the complete absence of the item I have used more often than anything mentioned in this thread - a good topographic map. Many carry a compass, but a compass without a map is fairly useless (although the mirrored ones make decent emergency signal mirrors). I can readily determine directions without a compass, and the information present on a topo map is often unique.

Lat night I watched (utterly bored, I guess) some hokey survival show on the Discovery Channel and I thought how easily many of their problems could have been solved with a good map, but then the show would have lacked spice and viewer appeal.

Just for the record, my top three would be map, lighter, and some sort of shelter/ clothing (hooded windproof shell or poncho) for many situations. Like many have stated, the top three vary depending upon your situation. In the Sonoran Desert in the summer, for instance, my top three items would be a canteen, another canteen, and yet another canteen - all filled with water,thank you.

Actually, I think the problem can be stated more realistically as, "What survival gear would you carry if you were limited to one pound total weight (perhaps excluding water and its container)?

Overwhelmingly, everyone lists a knife in their top three. Don't get me wrong,I usually carry some sort of knife, typically two. But I have spent some fairly tough nights out, including the one I consider the most demanding, the one where I came closest to getting into deep doo doo, and never used, or needed a knife.

I can see where the topo map would be very useful in the outdoors. I hadn't really thought about that aspect as I spend most of my time in semi-urban areas. What woods we do have around my location are extremely well-known to me and a map wouldn't really be that useful in those areas (to me).

We also don't really have the kinds of remote areas here that other places do. If you drop me smack into the middle of the woods anywhere around here, walking for an hour or two tops in any direction would put me back on pavement.

The "one pound" limit brings a whole new aspect to the idea, I like that kind of thinking. I'm going to play around with that idea a little and weigh some stuff. Some of the gear I already have is of the ultralight variety, so 1 pound might allow a good bit of stuff along those lines.

LOST OR STRANDED - that was the only given.

If I list 100 places or situations to get lost or stranded, my only goal would be to get found or rescued.

PLB - period.

The question was asked by an 11 year old. What one thing would you want her to have?

Her daddy.