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UPDATE: We’ve brushed up this list of the best survival gadgets and added this year’s Christmas haul. It was written in 2018, but with the updates, it’s now highly relevant for 2020 as well.

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I’m generally a bit wary of survival gadgets.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very pro basic survival gear, but so many hacks and snake-oil salesmen try to make money with poor-quality, useless tech toys that I can’t imagine will actually help you in a real-life survival situation. But it’s nearly Christmas, I’ve got a huge collection of survival gadgets myself, and as they make such great gifts, I’m going to rank them here.

What’s a survival gadget? I’m defining it as something that is more than just a basic tool. There has to be some trick about it – something extra – that turns it into a survival gadget rather than a tool. So, for example, a survival pocket knife is a tool. A knife which also turns into a spear is a gadget.

Survival gadgets can be great. A good one makes me feel like James Bond (if a bit of a low-budget version of him). But the question is, are they actually of any use in a real survival situation?

Here’s the thing: my wife and I get each other survival gadgets every Christmas. We either get genuinely useful gadgets – which are allowed to be more expensive because the family will actually use them – or we get gag-gift super gadgety things, which have to be cheaper.

This year, I’ve got out our mutual gifts to each other from the last five years and taken another look at them. I’m ranking them according to the following: practicality (how likely am I to use it?), use (how easy is it to use?), and, because it’s Christmas and some people like presents to feel fun, the admittedly highly subjective score of coolness. The better they score, the most I consider them actually worth having. Normally, coolness is not a consideration for me at all – obviously – but gadgets are, well, gadgety, and we might as well milk that.

So here are the ten survival gadgets, in order of actual, practical worth plus how good they are to give as gifts.

Full disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, so this site may get a small referral at no extra cost to you if you buy items after following the link.

Also, I’m actually running low on future survival gadget gift ideas, so feel free to drop me a message if you have any suggestions.

10. Knife to Spear



I keep seeing this pop up in the survival blogosphere. In theory, this hollow knife can be attached to the end of a stick, immediately becoming a spear. The idea is that you can use it for defence, and will have an edge in a knife fight by increasing your range of attack. You could also use it for hunting. However, I’m not convinced.

Here’s my rating.

Practicality: 2/5. If SHTF, most people in the US who are a direct threat to you will probably have guns. Guns, in general, will beat both knife and spear. When it comes to hunting, a spear isn’t what springs to my mind.

Use: 1/5. Firstly, nobody actually knows how to use spears these days, and it is surprisingly difficult. Secondly, this is neither a good knife, nor a good spear. If you really want a spear, you’ll be better of lashing an high-quality survival knife to a stick.

Coolness: 1/5. Unless the Flintstones become suddenly popular among the prepper community, I’m not going to be getting that James Bond feel from a spear.

9. Pocket Shower



This pocket shower allows you to have a shower wherever you want. Simply fill with warm water, and enjoy being clean. With hygiene often a problem after disasters, that’s a luxury well worth having.

Practicality: 3/5. Being clean is good, and it gets particularly difficult when you’re on the move or only have access to an intermittent water supply. The pocket shower has a genuine use in that sense.

Use: 1/5. This thing is actually pretty bulky – certainly too bulky to be worth the space in a bug out bag. It also requires a large amount of warm water to function. In my view, you’re better off packing disinfectant wipes and saving the space for something else.

Coolness: 1/5. This doesn’t give me any kind of survival guru/secret agent vibe.

8. Titanium Escape Ring



This escape ring looks pretty much like a normal ring. Inside it, you’ll find a hidden saw blade, which is also a very basic lockpick. The idea is that you can use it to escape if you find yourself captured. The mini saw should be able to cut through zip-ties and rope, whilst you may be able to use the lockpick to open handcuffs.

Practicality: 2/5. I really don’t think the potential of being kidnapped is your highest worry after SHTF. It’s not impossible, but I’d say you’re more likely to just get shot outright. Even if you do get kidnapped, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use this ring to escape. However, having a tiny saw is handy, especially if your other tools get stolen.

Use: 1/5. The saw is handy, but too small for cutting anything thicker than cord. The lockpick is a nice idea, but even if you know how to use a lockpick, you can get far better quality ones small enough to fit on a keyring.

Coolness: 3/5. This feels pretty cool, if low-tech.



Lighting is vital in a survival situation. Relying on batteries is problematic. Not only is your supply of batteries limited, but non-rechargeable batteries of the kind found in nearly all lamps and torches tend to leak over time and aren’t good for storing long-term. This solar lantern solves that problem. It also solves another problem common to strong lanterns: the bulk issue. This lantern is inflatable, making it easier to store.

Practicality: 3/5. A good light can literally mean the difference between life or death, especially if you are trying to treat a wound or read a map.

Use: 2.5/5. This lantern is relatively easy to use, but I am not convinced by the durability of it. The inflatable elements tend to wear, and the light is quite strong but not especially long-lasting.

Coolness: 2/5. Solar survival gadgets are incredible, but this one looks a little clunky.

I feel a little bad for putting this pen so high up the ranking, because it’s really not the sort of basic-but-sensible item I normally espouse, but man does it feel awesome to use. It’s got screwdrivers, glass-breakers, lockpicks and all sorts inside of it, and it looks like James Bond meets the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who. It may not be the most practical item out there, but I’d be excited to find it under the tree.

Practicality: 2/5, possibly higher if SHTF whilst you’re in an urban business meeting.

Use: 2/5. Whilst it’s pretty sturdy for the size, it’s tiny, and I for one found my eyes straining to see whilst using it.

Coolness: 4.5/5. Honestly, using this thing feels so good.

I’m a bit wary of knives with all sorts of extras attached to them. You so rarely get a good knife, and adding more stuff just feels like a bad move. However, this one is the best survival gear knives I’ve seen. It contains a sewing kit and fishing gear, but rather than the flimsy, low-quality kit you normally find in these knives, this is actually pretty decent stuff.

Practicality: 3/5 if you have any intention of fishing when SHTF.

Use: 3/5 if you know how to sew and fish, plus the knife is actually relatively decent and seems hard wearing from my ‘stabbing blocks of wood’ tests.

Coolness: 3/5.



Pocket tool kits are very useful, especially for urban preppers. There has been a huge craze recently for credit card shaped pocket tools. Not only do they look and feel relatively unobtrusive, they are seriously tiny. You could slip one in a suit pocket and barely know it’s there. However, IMO even the best ones – and this Victorinox is one of the best I’ve seen – are pretty flimsy.

Practicality: 3/5. A miniature tool kit is a gadget you are actually likely to need to use, particularly when it provides you with a range of built-in survival tools.

Use: 2/5. Even if you have practiced using the tools, they are often pretty flimsy, and difficult to use.

Coolness: 4/5. This feels almost as Secret Agent as the pen did.

Communication is key to survival, as I demonstrated in my post on the basics of prepping. This device is simpler to use than a conventional radio. If your family/survival group are equipped with one, then it is a very useful survival gadget to have at your disposal. It’s also fairly lightweight and extremely sturdy.

Practicality: 4/5. Communication is key, especially when SHTF, and this is one of the better means of off-grid communication.

Usefulness: 3.5/5 as it depends on your team also having one.

Coolness: 4/5. This feels gratifyingly gadgety – a real James Bonder among the survival gadgets.

Fires are one of the easiest ways to make food, but they aren’t always practical. Fuel is expensive or difficult to come by and fires make your position immediately clear to anyone around you by the light and smoke they produce. This solar cooker is a decent alternative to a fire or a gas stove, and eliminates the need for fuel. It’s the best solar cooker I’ve personally used, and I keep it in my vehicle as part of my bugout kit.

Practicality: 5/5. We all need food, and conventional gas stoves are fuel-hungry.

Use: 4/5. It’s a little big, but not much more so than a normal stove.

Coolness: 4/5. This has that Christmas gift survival gadget feel to it.

1. LifeStraw



LifeStraw isn’t the only portable water filter around, but it is one of the less expensive and easier to use options. Of all the survival gadgets on this list, this is the one I really think everyone should have. The kids got them last Christmas and love them. I’d encourage that you get younger kids in particular to get used to using them sooner rather than later, because it will make it easier in an actual survival situation.

Practicality: 5/5. We all need water.

Use: 4.5/5. Whilst you would ideally also boil or chemically treat water, because this LifeStraw doesn’t eliminate tinier microbes, it is still an excellent filter and very easy to use.

Coolness: 5/5, especially for kids. One of the best survival gadgets.

Update: I’ve since heard that the mini Sawyer is a better filter – I have ordered it and will keep you updated.

Whilst this post was a little tongue-in-cheek and a bit of a departure from my usual content, I hope you find it helpful. Please let me know what your own preferred survival gadgets are in the comments – do you agree with this list?

Again, if you have any suggestions, my wife tends to best me in this survival gadgets gift-giving ‘contest’ so I’d be very grateful!

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