Best Survival Kit for 2022
First, Some Backstory
During the holidays a few years back, a close friend of ours wanted to put together the perfect gift for a bunch of extended friends and family. The easy part is that she didn’t have to Google things like “best holiday gift”, “best outdoors gift”, or “best gifts for men/women” because her extended circle all shared an indescribable passion for one thing: sailing.
So this immediately allowed her to fast-forward to a great idea: a waterproof emergency first aid kit for boating, sailing, and kayaking. Without the wherewithal to create an entirely customized product from scratch, she visited Amazon, purchased 30 red dry bags, and also purchased the necessary medical supplies herself to put into the bags. She packaged them all up and gave them away. What a true gifting pro.
This immediately led us on our own search: why isn’t there something out there like this? Well, there’s a few similar products. But the quality of what’s out there is…suspect. So we did what the others didn’t, and expanded on Mary’s idea to create the Best First Aid Survival Kit of 2022.
Why the Breakwater Supply Survival First Aid Kit is the Best Waterproof First Aid Kit
For starters, we designed our Survival First Aid Kit to be a combo kit, including both First Aid and Survival supplies. Why choose between injury treatment and survival gear, especially when you’re out there in the middle of wherever?
Take this example: portaging your kayak leaves you with a nasty sprain or even a fracture, so you need to splint yourself up, while the daylight creeps away and rain sets in.
The first thought: ok, we’re kayaking, and also, rain’s coming, so right away, this is why having a waterproof kit is important.
Then you figure you may as well open the emergency blanket, tie or tape up the poncho to keep the rain out, and hunker down until other kayakers hit the river again in the morning, and that way maybe someone can retrieve your car and you can get home without risking further injury. There are a million scenarios that are offshoots of this one. And this is why our kit is an adventure must-have.
Another reason we make the best waterproof survival kit for the outdoors is we’ve eliminated repetitive supplies. We know how important it is to save space and pack light. Other kits out there will try to convince you that you need multiple survival gadgets and gizmos that all do the same thing.
We’ve equipped you with emergency essentials should you need to spend 24-48+ hours off-grid, like the example above. A multitool with an LED light, wire saw, emergency blanket, poncho, duct tape, and paracord bracelet with fire starter is enough to erect emergency shelter, gather firewood, stay dry in the rain, and preserve body heat.
And those are just the survival essentials. For the first aid supplies, you’re supplied with 30 adhesive bandages, compressive and absorbent gauze, first aid tape, and a large triangular bandage for serious wounds (such as headwounds or for a sling). There’s also an elastic tourniquet, ointments, and an 18″ foam/aluminum survival splint, which really is the difference between other dry bag first aid kits and ours.
These are true trauma supplies that would come with a military-issued IFAK (individual first aid kit). Sure, you’ll find these supplies in a comprehensive outdoor first aid kit, but will you find one in a smaller waterproof first aid kit that also includes survival gear?
The combination of high-quality survival and first aid supplies are what makes this kit military-grade and tactical as well. As one of our recent reviews said, “After years in the military, the content reminds me of the things we had in our ‘combat life saver’ bags.”
The Waterproof Dry Bag
We put a lot of thought into the waterproof dry bag that the Survival First Aid Kit comes in. This 2 liter dry bag is made of welded PVC tarpaulin for true waterproof protection. The first aid symbol on the front is 3M reflective for extra visibility, which is especially critical on the water in low light, or hiking. And we didn’t just equip it with any carabiner – we used a heavy-duty locking carabiner made of zinc alloy for corrosion resistance.
It’s very important to be able to keep your survival kit close without having to tuck it into your backpack, where it may take up valuable space. Not only will this bag keep everything dry and protected, but it’s lightweight and flexible, so this kit can fit places that hard plastic or heavy zippered kits can’t.
Other Options
We’re not going to claim we’re the best without recognizing the other options out there. But we’ll also go point-by-point and break down how we’re better. All of the kits below are outdoor survival kits at similar price points.
| Breakwater Supply First Aid Survival Kit | Surviveware Waterproof Small First Aid Kit | Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight Watertight Medical Kit | Well-Strong Survival First Aid Kit | HomestockPlus Survival First Aid Kit | HomestockPlus Trauma First Aid Kit | |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Survival Gear | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Trauma Kit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Reflective | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Carabiner or Buckle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Survival Splint | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Ice Pack | Yes | |||||
| Weight | 1.5 lbs | 1.25 lbs | .37 lbs | 1.2 lbs | 2.9 lbs | 2.2 lbs |
The Verdict?
You can see the prices in the small Amazon tiles, and as mentioned above we’ve compared kits that are in the same price range. The weights really do span from ultralight (.37 lbs) to fairly heavy (2.9 lbs). When it comes to contents themselves, the bag with the most similar capabilities to the Breakwater Supply Survival First Aid Kit is the HomestockPlus Survival First Aid Kit, however it’s not waterproof, weighs twice as much, and costs 15% more.
We’ve put a lot of thought and development into making our Survival First Aid Kit the most cost-effective, trail-ready, and space-saving kit you can buy. No other kit features the combination of survival and trauma supplies, with a locking carabiner, survival splint, and completely waterproof, reflective bag.
We actually oversupply you with equipment in this kit, and specifically include in the hang-tag that you should customize the kit to your specifications.
We put together this article as a comparison of why we make a special product. We know what it takes to make a versatile emergency survival kit so we’re qualified to evaluate different options. Other survival kits from MyMedic and Uncharted Supply Co aren’t on this list because they cost several hundred dollars. We’re about doing things in a more streamlined way, which allows us to make high-quality, yet affordable products.
The winner? It’s you, because at the price of our kit, you get to save space, weight, money, and potentially yourself. Of course, be prepared anytime you venture off the beaten path, and everyone’s situation is different, so if there’s something we left out or there’s something in a different kit that’s necessary for you, we get it – though you can always customize our kit on your own. We’re not offering medical advice, but we are encouraging you to get out there and explore safely.
You can buy our Survival First Aid Kit on our website or buy the Breakwater Supply Survival First Aid Kit from Amazon here.