The very nature of survival situations dictates that the chances are not good that you will get any more than a few hours notice.

That means you have to have what you need at your fingerprints or on your person in the form of an EDC; here is a basic list.

A good knife

One of the most useful items you can carry is a good knife. You may not ever find yourself in an actual survival situation but if you had a knife with you that could work for that in a pinch, that’s one less worry you’ll carry around in your pretty little head.

A lighter

My go-to way to start a campfire is just a cheap-ass Bic lighter. It works in most situations and will fit in your pocket quite easily. The mini version is my favorite. I don’t smoke or date girls who smoke so I don’t need a big lighter and because the fuel stays in these things for a LONG time. You may be tempted to get a Zippo because they’re cooler, but they won’t hold fuel as long (although smoking-type chicks dig them on dudes better). In any case, just make sure you have some kind of lighter.

A flashlight

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know I’m big on AA flashlights because those batteries are everywhere and having all my stuff with the same type of battery cuts down on how many spares I have to carry in my bug out bag. It also allows you to carry something like this in your pack to make sure you never run out of power. What you carry in your EDC kit should blend in with your emergency and camping gear as much as possible.

A pen

In everyday situations, a pen comes in handy for updating a to-do list, making notes of things to remember, or getting the phone number of girls in coffee shops. In a survival situation, they can be used to leave notes for rescuers or to write notes to yourself about the locations of water sources or other things you may want to come back to later while you’re stuck out either waiting for rescue or trying to get out.

A cell phone

I personally carry an iPhone 6 plus because I work online and it really comes in handy to have that much real estate in my hands and tech capability. A smart phone is REALLY handy to have everyday because you can get all sorts of useful apps to keep your life in order, or in a camping/survival situation, to do things like tell you your grid coordinates, show you where you are on a map, or be used as a compass. They can even store survival books on it for medical or plant references, etc. If you can afford one, I suggest going that route.

Cell phones won’t always work, especially in a disaster scenario, but they’re the best option when they do, so you should carry one.

Oh, and for those of you who’re whining “What if an EMP hits?” or “I don’t want the government tracking me!” Go pound sand.

If an EMP does actually hit and your cell phone stops working, just pull it out of your pocket and drop it on the ground. Although, if it has a lithium battery like most do, you might be able to use it to start a fire.

As far as the government tracking you – please; you’re not that important. If you were, you’d already know how to circumvent this kind of thing.

List of important information

You can’t always rely on getting into your cell phone to get phone numbers or addresses. Your phone may be dead when you really need it or get stolen.

What I’d suggest is that you make a list of the phone numbers of anyone you might have to contact in an emergency if you had to use someone else’s phone, along with any other information you think you might need that you’d usually have to get off your phone or the internet.

A real weapon

You may not have realized it but there are actually bad people in the world. Also, you may not know it but many of those people don’t follow the law and will carry a gun even when they’re not allowed to do so. Seriously.

I know, I know. I can hear you saying, “I can take care of myself.” No. No you can’t. Nothing can help in all situations but having at least the opportunity to defend yourself against an armed person or someone much bigger than you could extend your life. Just make sure you’re trained in how to properly handle the weapon of your choice AND how to handle yourself in a situation where you might have to use it. Go get professional training.

A multitool

A knife is definitely the primary tool you should carry but knives have limitations. If you have the room, get a good multitool what will give you a second blade, pliers, and several other useful items.

Ideally, if a survival situation hits, you have all you need at your fingertips and can make it through comfortably and safely.

Also, also, ideally, your unicorn has led you to a new money tree and while we are at it, let's banish arguments with significant others and all those annoying people in Hollywood who are only famous and rich for being famous and rich.

In the real world, however, survival incidents rarely are predictable and you must be prepared for that reality and an EDC list does just that.

To get other ideas for an EDC list, check out Greywolf Survival.