Survival essentials: 8 Useful items to keep in your wallet

For your everyday carry kit, you should be carrying around items that are very valuable to you, in case of an emergency. While you might not be able to carry around a full backpack’s worth of survival tools wherever you go, you can choose to bring some items that can fit in your pocket or your wallet. Here are eight such useful items. (h/t to TheSurvivalistBlog.net)

Multi-tool

A multi-tool is perhaps one of the most important items that you can have in your pocket. Its popularity stems from the wide range of tools that it offers. The most basic multi-tool has a folding blade, a bottle opener, a can opener, scissors, a screwdriver and tweezers.

If you can invest in a better multi-tool, get the ones that have specialty tools like fish hooks, whistles, rulers and toothpicks. Whatever combination you go for, all of these tools will definitely be able to make your life a little bit easier when SHTF.

Lock pick set

Some specialty stores will be able to sell you a wallet-sized lock picking set known as a “credit card” lock pick set, named so because it can fit in your wallet as easily as a credit card. When disaster strikes, one locked door might be your only obstacle towards freedom or towards a stash of supplies. Consider learning how to pick a lock, and when you’re satisfied with your abilities, get a credit card lock pick set.

Signal mirror

Most military-style signal mirrors have been specifically designed to be small, and they have a small hole at the center to help you aim at the target that you want to signal. These are so effective that the light that they shine can be seen as far as 19 miles away. Keep one in your wallet – you’ll never know when you need to use it; otherwise, you’ll be left to frantically waving your arms. (Related: Survival kit must-have: The signaling mirror.)

Folding knife

A “wallet knife” is a folding knife that has been specifically designed to fit perfectly in your wallet, much like a credit card would. It’s shaped like a credit card, but it has two joints – the handle and the blade – that can unfold to become your last line of defense in case of an unexpected emergency, such as if a mugger demands to have your wallet.

Bandages

Adhesive bandages are very thin and light, and you should not have a problem with fitting several of them into your wallet. While these will not be able to help you out with major injuries, these will be very useful if you or a friend have a small cut or bruise that you need to patch up quickly.

Plastic fire lens

A plastic fire lens is basically a tiny firestarter. These act like small magnifying glasses that will be able to focus the power of the sun on a single focal point, such as a pile of tinder, that can help set them on fire. While this is a very useful tool to have, know that it will only be useful to you on very sunny days.

Water purification tablets

Keeping just two tiny water purification tablets in your wallet can be enough to help you purify at least one liter of water. It will take a while – around 35 minutes – for the tablets to fully purify your water, but if you’re very thirsty and this is your only way to get a clean drink of water, it should be worth the wait.

RFID blocking card

A lot of places today use radio frequency identification (RFID) in order to get your personal information quickly and from a distance. If you have an RFID blocking card in your wallet, you can protect them from taking the information you have in your credit cards. You might even prefer swapping out your regular wallet for a new RFID blocking wallet instead to ensure that you’re very well protected.

Part of being a prepper involves maximizing the amount of space you have in order to fit as much gear as you might need during emergency situations. These eight items can fit in your wallet and in your pocket, making it easier for you to carry around larger items in your bag.

Sources include:

TheSurvivalistBlog.net

ArtOfManliness.com 1

UKPreppersGuide.co.uk

ArtOfManliness.com 2

OutdoorRevival.com