Homesteading tools and supplies

In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?


Flatware for sure. Pots & pans. Cups and plates.

Axe and saw.
File to sharpen metal?

Shovel? Hoe?

Way to make fire without butane and etc.

Oil lamp?

What about a loom and spinning wheel?

Chamber pots?

Needles and threads?

Weapons (and which kinds)?

Clothing suitable for homestead living (example high heels do not qualify lol).

Blankets?

Informational books on plants and such?
'How to' books (farming and such as well as medical in the field).

Heirloom seeds to get you started (and which ones)?

What about one very very valuable item - NAILS?

Manual drill and bits?

And what would the ladies need? Female only items won't be available so what would you do about that issue?
Can't build a warehouse and stock it full of those items.

Any kind of medications (things you would initially need until you can grow or make your own supplies)?

Fish hooks? Fishing line?

In a way, think Gilligan's Island for inspiration.

And what would the ladies need? Female only items won't be available so what would you do about that issue?

https://permies.com/t/37417/personal-care/purity/shark-week-pads-tampons-cups

 In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?

There have been several threads on this topic that I feel you will enjoy.  

This one especially:  https://permies.com/t/70553/Holy-Shit-Bag-Hos-bag

These are some of my favorite one:

https://permies.com/t/70703/National-Preparedness-Month-prepare


https://permies.com/t/79281/Stranded-deserted-island-toolshttps://permies.com/t/79281/Stranded-deserted-island-tools

https://permies.com/t/77659/reality-homesteading-dissolved-prepper-homesteading

https://permies.com/t/51780/Medieval-Survival-Experiment-SCA-Prepping

This one is for the kids:

https://permies.com/t/109803/Kid-emergency-bag-Kid-everyday

In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?  

For me, cooking food and sterilizing water would be important. Here are some solar oven threads complete with reviews that could do just that:

Solavore Sport solar oven

Sun Oven solar oven

GoSun Grill solar oven

r ranson wrote:

And what would the ladies need? Female only items won't be available so what would you do about that issue?

https://permies.com/t/37417/personal-care/purity/shark-week-pads-tampons-cups

Here's a post I did on natural menstual products: https://permies.com/t/51024/personal-care/purity/putting-monsanto-vagina#411225

Basically, I'd either bring a bunch of those menstrual cups, as they're probably the easiest to clean.

But, another option is to make cloth pads. One suggestion I'd make for cloth pads would be to have a waterproof back (PUL fabric) and a way to insert FOLDED thin, absorbent fabric (think the "flat" cloth diapers or dishcloths). It's really hard to get thick pads clean, and I can only imagine that it would be even harder in a bucket. When I cloth diapered, I found out that the thick diaper inserts were really hard to clean and got gunked up fast, The thin diaper cloth was a lot easier to clean AND faster to dry.

This is a good brand of durable, organic flat diapers. They last at least two or three years of daily washing, and so even longer for washing once a month. I'd have at least 5 flats that would be cut in half or maybe even 4ths. That way you only have to do laundry once during the menstral cycle. Hem the cut edges NOW, before embarking on survival journey.

Clothing suitable for homestead living (example high heels do not qualify lol).

Get clothing as durable and sturdy as possible. Making clothes from scratch takes a freaky long time. There's a reason medieval people only had 2, maybe 3 gowns. Use aprons. Definetly bring sturdy thread and needles to keep mending the clothes.

What about a loom and spinning wheel?

I'd go for a drop spindle instead. You're probably going to be making a lot of twine. The spindle makes that a lot faster. It also doesn't take up nearly as much room as a  spinning wheel. See Raven's Learning to spin yarn on a drop spindle. A loom would also be pretty handy. But, cloth making takes a lot of time. Time will be a premium. If you have a limited budget or space to carry survival items, I'd forgo the loom for a book and focus on bringing and mending quality clothes.

Anne mentioned a really good thread with Holy Shit Bag (Hos bag). The original poster asked a very similar question to yours.

Read up on the Russian Family who Fled to the Taiga. See what they carried and what skills they had. Most skills have big learning curves. Learn the things now and bring refrence material to remind yourself. But, when your starving and cold is not the time to try to learn to spin yarn and make cloth from blackberry vines....

All we really need to make clothing is some fluffy stuff and a few sticks.  Here's how to make your own loom https://permies.com/t/50910/permaculture-fiber-arts-tools/fiber-arts/loom

Just about everything mentioned above is covered in the PEP badges.  There are lots of tutorials on how to do these things and make the tools.  

Kai Walker wrote:
Oil lamp?

I'd go for a tallow lamp with wicks. You're not probably going to have access to the oils that could burn in a traditional oil lamp. You want a shallow lamp and lots of wicks.



Learning how to make rush lights is another option.



But, fat can be eaten. It's valuable as a source of calories, so you're probably going to want to use as little light as possible, and get as much done during daylight hours as possible.

Aren't we surviving now? What tools does one really need?

Might be good to know how to grow survival food.

Or thrive in the wilderness like Dick Proenneke.

Or breed plants like Joseph Lofthouse.

Or build soil like Dr. Redhawk.

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Kai Walker wrote:
Oil lamp?

I'd go for a tallow lamp with wicks. You're not probably going to have access to the oils that could burn in a traditional oil lamp. You want a shallow lamp and lots of wicks.

I used to clean my oil from frying.  You put it in cold water, bring it to a boil, most of the solids fall to the bottom.  Scoop off most of the oil.  repeat a few times.  The used oil is now ready for lamps and soap making.  

r ranson wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Kai Walker wrote:
Oil lamp?

I'd go for a tallow lamp with wicks. You're not probably going to have access to the oils that could burn in a traditional oil lamp. You want a shallow lamp and lots of wicks.

I used to clean my oil from frying.  You put it in cold water, bring it to a boil, most of the solids fall to the bottom.  Scoop off most of the oil.  repeat a few times.  The used oil is now ready for lamps and soap making.  

Lard burns. Shy not use that? It solidifies when cool so no spillage. Liquefies when hot (aka burning wick),
Did you know that sugar is flammable? Take a lit match and tap it onto some sugar. Sugar burns.

Oils can be extracted from seeds too.

I think you can heat pine tree sap and make something flammable too.

Kai Walker wrote:
Lard burns. Shy not use that? It solidifies when cool so no spillage. Liquefies when hot (aka burning wick),
Did you know that sugar is flammable? Take a lit match and tap it onto some sugar. Sugar burns.

Oils can be extracted from seeds too.

I think you can heat pine tree sap and make something flammable too.

Yes, lard is pretty good, but smoky which means you have to clean the soot off the walls and ceilings more often.  Lard is also an awesome source of nutrition and is historically too valuable to use for something like lighting.  Tallow (the fat from the centre of the animal) is solid at room temperature, whereas lard is mushy at room temperature.  Tallow does not make good eating because it is so hard, often has a strong flavour, contains more toxins in older animals, and doesn't smoke as much (but still quite a lot compared to linseed oil or beeswax) so it is more traditionally used as lighting.  See the bit about rushlights above.

Some threads about extracting oil from seeds
https://permies.com/t/82590/kitchen/oil-seeds-Seeds-press
https://permies.com/t/20237/Piteba-oil-press
https://permies.com/t/28103/kitchen/Build-oil-press-yields-oil

I would not burn sugar because it doesn't give a good flame to work by, the smoke from sugar can damage breathing and processing sugar at home is not an easy task. In an emergency situation, sugar would be a finite resource.  

Alcohol makes a better emergancy light.  Something like vodka that is 40% or higher works well in the same method Nicole posted about above.  But the flame does not last as long as with oil or tallow and there's a lot more investment to make alcohol 40%.  We either need to freeze away the water like in applejack, or use a still.  

Kai Walker wrote:
And what would the ladies need? Female only items won't be available so what would you do about that issue?
Can't build a warehouse and stock it full of those items.

I lack personal experience of this myself, but from what I have heard Diva Cups are a good reuseable alternative to stuff like tampons. Cloth pads and menstrual sponges may also be reasonable reuseable feminine hygiene products. We have additional discussion on shark week, too.

In addition to all the great information others have offered I feel it is important to know how to take care of yourself and your home without having to rely on products that you buy.  Here are some helpful threads:

https://permies.com/t/111479/personal-care/purity/homemade-toothpaste-recipe

https://permies.com/t/30758/personal-care/purity/Deodorant-alternatives-deodorant-option


For the home:

https://permies.com/t/18221/wash-dishes-soap

https://permies.com/t/98779/permaculture-home-care-cleaning/purity/Hydrogen-peroxide-disinfect-clean-replace

https://permies.com/t/112608/Growing-ingredients-home-cleaning-products


Unless I missed it, I have not seen a lot about food, so here is one about food:

https://permies.com/t/93304/kitchen/Stocked-Food-Storage-Pantry

Kai Walker wrote:In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?

Survival can mean a lot of things. Most survival handbooks note the basics revolve around water, shelter and food, though, I reckon it depends on ones mindset, for example:

1. If people are a typical 'survivalist', all one seems to need is a remote 'hole' and several projectile/bladed weapons, army surplus whatever, etc.
2. Perceived 'bad guys' who attack unsuspecting 'survivalists': lots of big, brawny and nasty people and weapons to steal stuff = the horde of unprepared apocalyptic ‘zombies’.
3. Permaculturalists: they live in their community with likeminded, caring and sharing people who can withstand all manner of shit - within and without. Plus, they already have home ground advantage and the tools to do everything. They don't need to relocate and isolate - safety in (trusted) numbers.

As for Permies, stockpiling necessary provisions is always good practice e.g. Medication, first aid, preserved food, a seed bank, replacement parts, back-ups, etc, and the rotation principles to keep things fresh or in good repair.


In regards to 'womens hygiene' alternatives, in a perfect world we'd all be wearing fig leaves like Adam & Eve (I guess the biblical scholars didn't realise fig sap burns!). So, in that regard, I'll will leave (pun intended) that up to more learned people.

F Agricola wrote:Permaculturalists: they live in their community with likeminded, caring and sharing people who can withstand all manner of shit - within and without. Plus, they already have home ground advantage and the tools to do everything. They don't need to relocate and isolate - safety in (trusted) numbers.

As for Permies, stockpiling necessary provisions is always good practice e.g. Medication, first aid, preserved food, a seed bank, replacement parts, back-ups, etc, and the rotation principles to keep things fresh or in good repair.

Unless you live near a good salt source, I'd add salt to any list of things to keep a good supply of.  It's handy stuff and if you eat a diet that is plant heavy salt is often a good compliment.

I also think that folks who don't live off the land before a bad event will struggle to learn it all during a crisis.  Best time to learn from your mistakes is when it's not a crisis.  Ultimately you really only learn by doing.  Why not live like that now?  You'll eat much better, be healthier and not be wrecking the world.

I will chime in, but I am going to limit my response to tools.

I used to work in apartment management, and I never knew what I would see when I entered a unit.  The most important tool at my disposal, the one I was never without was a long, flat bladed screwdriver from a reputable manufacturer.

That tool was my all purpose go-to tool and I used it pretty much every day.  It was a screwdriver, prybar, center punch (removed a bunch of door hinges that way), wedge, lever, and occasionally a digging tool.  It was lightweight and simple to carry,  I was never without it.

To that, I would add a couple of other tools.  The first would be a hammer, especially a good heavy (28-32 oz or so) with a straight-back nail claw and not a rounded one.  Additionally, the hammer needs to be a single, one piece forged steel hammer.  While in demolition mode, I have broken wooden handled hammers before and few things annoy me quite like a broken tool.

I would throw in a good quality hand axe, again, preferably made out of a single piece of forged steel, a good hand-sized forged head hoe-type digging tool (could be a hoe, mattock, rake, pick or any combination thereof).  A really good full sized round point shovel.

If I were to round out the mix I would want a couple of wedges (a really simply, versatile machine with numerous uses), a good fixed blade, full tang knife, a good, sharp saw, to wrap it all up some type of storage to keep everything organized.

This is all just a start and obviously I would want more, but this would cover the basics.  Basically I would want a range of basic, sturdy, virtually unbreakable tools.  As I said before, few things are as frustrating to me as trying to fix something when the tool itself needs fixing.

Interesting thread and I am happy I found it.

Eric

Kai Walker wrote:In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?


Flatware for sure. Pots & pans. Cups and plates.

Axe and saw.
File to sharpen metal?

Shovel? Hoe?

Way to make fire without butane and etc.

Oil lamp?

What about a loom and spinning wheel?

Chamber pots?

Needles and threads?

Weapons (and which kinds)?

Clothing suitable for homestead living (example high heels do not qualify lol).

Blankets?

Informational books on plants and such?
'How to' books (farming and such as well as medical in the field).

Heirloom seeds to get you started (and which ones)?

What about one very very valuable item - NAILS?

Manual drill and bits?

And what would the ladies need? Female only items won't be available so what would you do about that issue?
Can't build a warehouse and stock it full of those items.

Any kind of medications (things you would initially need until you can grow or make your own supplies)?

Fish hooks? Fishing line?

In a way, think Gilligan's Island for inspiration.

Here is a nice list but not all inclusive:

https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/wp-content/uploads/50-Must-Have-Items-for-Your-Urban-Homestead.pdf

There's a lot of things on that list that don't seem to be "must-haves" for me.

Bread machine--I've never used one, and make quick, no-kneed peasent bread when I want bread. Most of the time, we don't have bread because of my husband's Crohn's. A big ol' mixing bowl works nicely.

Meat Slicer--we actually have one, and have had it for 10 years, and used it once to slice sweet potatoes for fries. A knife works pretty well for most things. I think a meat slicer is probably pretty handy for people who get big chunks of meat, but not a necessity. I'd go for a big-ol' quality butcher knife and a cutting board. They take up less space and are more versatile.

Soaker hoses--nice, but I've never had one. I just use watering cans. I'd consider a nice watering can a necessity. Soaker hoses are luxury.

Tomato cages--nice, but I've never had one. Sticks and string work pretty well, too. I've also made cages out of bamboo.

Hoe--depending on how one gardens, this isn't a necessity. I have one, and have never used it. Shovels, though, I find much more useful

Juice press--I've never used one, but we do use our blender a lot to make smoothies. You get more nutrients that way, too.

Paracord Shoe Lace Fire Starters--These look nifty, but I think there's other ways to carry a fire starter that are more handy. Who wants to untie and unstring their shoelaces to start a fire? I keep a fire starter in my purse, where it's a lot more accessible. A wallet is also another place to put it. There's no reason not to have fire starter shoelaces, but I don't think they're a necessity. Some sort of firestarter--or five different fire starters--does seem like a necessity. I've found that when I make a survival thing really unaccessible--like buried at the bottom of a pocket inside my purse--I never use them because they're so hard to get to. I never once used the fancy paracord bracelets that I made, because they took too long to take apart!

Pasturizers?--I use a big pot to pasteurize my milk....

I think a lot of the time these sorts of lists are written by people who maybe haven't done all these things or homesteaded that long...because the longer I homestead, the more I realize how little of these things I really NEED.


Gardening tools that are necessary for me:

Shovel

Wheelbarrow

Pruning Shears

Rake

Bucket

Watering can

Hand trowel or Hori Hori knife

A scythe, machete and pruning loppers are really handy for land clearing.

Cooking tools that are a necessity for me:

Butcher knife

steak knives

mixing bowls

measuring bowls/cups (not necessary but sure are handy for following recipes. )

measuring spoons (not necessary but sure are handy. )

Cutting board

Large pot--cooking, pasteurizing, candle making, washing clothes, soap making, etc

smaller pot

small pan

larger pan (nice to have multiple pans and pots to cook various things on the same fire/stove)

Cooking stove of some sort or firepit grill

Frying spatula

Stirring spatula/big spoon

Ladle (not necessary but sure are handy. )

Big insulated box (cooler, haybox, etc) for keeping yogurt at temperature.

Jars--for canning, yogurt making, dry food storage, fermenting.

cheese grater

I see the list has a bunch of thinks like "candle making kit" and "soap making kit" and "fermenting kit." I've not made soap, but for candles you really just need cotton string and a big pot to melt the wax in. Then you dip the string in. Repeat until the string has enough wax on it to be a candle. And, fermenting, you need jars and something like cloth to cover the top and a weight (the little sealing valve things are nice, but not necessary). A lot of stuff we make by hand just needs the same simple equipment as can be used for other tasks.

Sewing tools that are necessary for me:

Good, brand new scissors that are ONLY used for cloth, so they stay sharp

Sewing needles--especially the long "darner" type needle

Sewing Pins, preferably on a strong magnet "cushion" so you can easily find them if they fall on the carpet/dirt/cloth/grass/whatever

Thread. White, black, and brown and grey are my most used colors.

Some extra buttons

Old pair of sturdy jeans or carharts to make patches out of

Drop spindle for making twine

Tapestry needle for darning socks

Wool yarn for darning socks.

size 7 double-pointed knitting needles if you knit. I can double up thin yarn to use them, and even manage to knit thicker yarn with them. I also use them as hair sticks...

Kai Walker wrote:In the event you have to 'survive', what tools and supplies (for indefinite survival) would you bring with you?

Well as a bushcrafter and prepper as well as permaculturist and homesteader I can't resist chiming in here.

I would like to start with a little talk about the rule of 3's.

3 minutes without air
3 hrs without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.

This gets tossed around a lot, mostly to show how people need think about shelter and water over food. Which is true. However the 3 weeks without food is a bit of a misleading thing. You see while true that one can last 3 and even 4-6 weeks without food (depending on your fat reserves). The truth is that the functional time you can survive without food is closer to 3-5 days. What I mean is yes you can be alive for weeks without food, but your ability to function and even think well is limited to just a handful of days. By 3-5 days most people without food have started to loose mental abilities as well as physical abilities. So while still alive, you are unlikely to be able to care for yourself or others and effect much in the way of continued survival. You pretty much at that point will be dead eventually in a slow painful process of starvation unless some outside force comes along to nurse you back to health. It is amazing how incapacitated you can get without food. Your mental process is seriously impaired, you could know where food is yet end up going the wrong way thinking you are going toward it. Physical issues are also a huge issue. Just standing is a problem, coordination is difficult, and falling is highly likely. Fine motor skills are minimal.

So if someone tells you you have 3 weeks to find food, don't listen. Find the food faster than that. Since while yes you can survive without for 3 weeks, your ability to productively survive is limited to much smaller food window.


A lot would depend on if your surviving in place of mobile. Since if you are mobile you are very limited to what you can bring with you.

You brought up weapons. So I will chime in here.

Shotguns are over hyped in prepper circles. They are great home defense, but they don't travel well. They are large heavy and so is the ammo. You would do better with a 22 rifle than a shotgun if you are mobile.

Something to think about with firearms is how long/sustainable are they? You could opt for blackpowder and actually make your own ammo and powder. Sure your not going to be fighting off zombie hordes with blackpowder weapons. But for hunting they would last a lot longer with less worry about running out of ammo.

Something else to consider, bow and arrows are a lot quieter. If your talking about a collapse situation where stealth and staying hidden from others is needed, a good bow and arrow for hunting is a great option for staying under the radar of roving bands of raiders and those who might take what you have. A gun shot sound travels very far, but a bow is fairly quiet. Plus if you go traditional, you can craft wood arrows. As well as arrows aren't single use usually. They can be recovered and used several times.

If your staying in place well that is a huge list.

Really you would want anything and everything to equip a fully functional off grid homestead.

Lots of books on how to do things
Off grid power
hand farm tools
complete workshop with plenty of hand tools
off grid laundry stuff
A stocked kitchen and pantry
lots of seed
livestock
etc.....

Mobile

I would say you would want to look toward tools that can build you other tools.

Also worth mentioning is Dave Caturburies 5 C's of survivability as well as the expanded 10 C's.

The 1st 5 are great general categories that help figure out the necessities without being overly specific. Most of these you can revisit over and over as you are kitting out. For example, cutting tool can be a primary knife 1st round, but then become and axe then a saw, etc... Combustion can be a ferro rod, then lighter, matches, bow drill kit, etc... The concept of the 5 C's is these are tools that are hard/time consuming to replicate in the bush. While possible, having them at hand will save a lot of effort and time to build other things theat are needed.

Here are the 5 C’s of Survivability.
(more info about this can be found here https://www.selfrelianceoutfitters.com/blogs/survival-blog/the-five-c-s-of-survivability)

1. Cutting Tool
2. Combustion Device
3.  Cover
4.  Container
5. Cordage

The 5 C's are something I constantly use when packing for a camping trip, or working my INCH (I am Never Coming Home) bag. I stopped doing bug out bags, as they are short term (72hr) bags meant to get you to a bug out location. Not for long term survival.

The next 5 C's to make the 10 C's, these are more specific and less of a list of things you can revisit over and over. I do not really bother with the 2nd 5 myself as a much but do agree with them in general but they are worth noting for those who haven't' thought about this stuff much.
(more info about the 10 C's can be found here https://blog.ucogear.com/the-10-cs-with-dave-canterbury/)

6. Cotton Bandannas
7. Cargo Tape
8. Compass
9. Cloth Sail Needle
10. Candling Device


Now that said, some of the things I have in my INCH pack. (and yes it is heavy)

3 Water filters (all Katadyn ceramic filters: the Mini, the Pocket [over 60 yrs or reliable use], Base Camp with ceramic filter [no longer offered but you can get the siphon filter to replace the filter in base camp])
40 and 64 oz Kleen Kanteen
Folding frying pan
Mors Pot
wire Snares
take down bow and quiver with 24 arrows with various points
tool kit (wrench, screwdriver, multi tool, duct tape, cordage, glue0
sewing kit
fire kit (ferro rods, lighters, matches, cotton balls, petroleum jelly, blow tube, jute twine)
Fishing kit (hand fishing, pen fishing pole/reel, auto fishing sets)
large 1st aid kit with sutures, antibiotics, various over the counter meds, and a lot of bandages.
collapsible buck saw, folding saw
Wetterlings Fine Foresters Axe, double bit antique axe
2 large tarps
Alps Mountaineering Mystique 2 person tent
MSS sleeping bag, This is suplus bag with 2 bags and a bivy cover. Very good value for the money. BTW down is great short term in dry cold, but is terrible if it gets wet, Long term sleeping not a good choice.
thermarest sleep pad
Alpaca wool blanket
spare clothes, with lots of extra socks
rain gear
work gloves
sharpening stones
several knives (a good fixed blade and several folders)
food rations

There is likely a lot I forgot to mention, but this is a good start.

Oh something I forgot to mention, antibiotics.

1st off, the disclaimer. Do not use antibiotics if you don't know what you are doing. The wrong antibiotic can cause serious issues. This info is being provided for extreme emergencies not casual use.

There is a way to stock up on antibiotics for emergencies. It is pet antibiotics. Mostly fish and bird antibiotics. These are made in the same amounts as human doses, as well as made in the same factories in the same way with the same quality. the only difference is the packaging and the lack of needing a prescription.

A good info source about this is https://www.doomandbloom.net/survival-antibiotics/ This site also have many videos discussing the topic and books for further information.

Devin Lavign wrote:Oh something I forgot to mention, antibiotics.

1st off, the disclaimer. Do not use antibiotics if you don't know what you are doing. The wrong antibiotic can cause serious issues. This info is being provided for extreme emergencies not casual use.

There is a way to stock up on antibiotics for emergencies. It is pet antibiotics. Mostly fish and bird antibiotics. These are made in the same amounts as human doses, as well as made in the same factories in the same way with the same quality. the only difference is the packaging and the lack of needing a prescription.

A good info source about this is https://www.doomandbloom.net/survival-antibiotics/ This site also have many videos discussing the topic and books for further information.

Something else to consider, bow and arrows are a lot quieter - Ahh Rambo 3 then? LOL

Gun need only be available in case of hogzillas or bear attacks.
A .22 won't do the job nor will a bow and arrow.

Shotgun is there to defend against the hoards of city dwellers starving to death and invading your homestead. Deer slugs are awesome!  DOn't shoot until you know they are going to try and take something. Some may just be looking for water or directions.

https://www.superfoodly.com/strongest-natural-antibiotics/
But they forgot comfrey which can help depending on how you use it. It can make things worse too.

Oh and no one mentioned dental tools.

Extraction pliers and an elevator is a must!

Clove oil can fight infection too (dental anyway).

OK adding up the lists, tallies just under the price of a cheap HOUSE! lol

Nicole Alderman wrote:Sewing tools that are necessary for me:

Good, brand new scissors that are ONLY used for cloth, so they stay sharp

Sewing needles--especially the long "darner" type needle

Sewing Pins, preferably on a strong magnet "cushion" so you can easily find them if they fall on the carpet/dirt/cloth/grass/whatever

Thread. White, black, and brown and grey are my most used colors.

Some extra buttons

Old pair of sturdy jeans or carharts to make patches out of

Drop spindle for making twine

Tapestry needle for darning socks

Wool yarn for darning socks.

size 7 double-pointed knitting needles if you knit. I can double up thin yarn to use them, and even manage to knit thicker yarn with them. I also use them as hair sticks...

Your hair sticks can also be used as weapons!

That totally depends on where you are surviving. And why. For me, in a situation, I would be on foot or in a canoe. In really rough terrain. Packing light would be the ultimate need. For tools, my Gransfors Bruks axe, three auger bits, pocket knife, hand saw, couple of chisels, fishing hooks, line and a few lures. A firearm and ammo. Plenty of rope. AProper clothing. More clothing can be scrounged about anywhere in the country. A pot with a lid and a pan. Several methods of firestarting. Binoculars, which could totally change the hunting or scouting situation.
But I live in the Alaska bush so it would be different for most of you.