INCHshelter
inchshotgun
ifak
water
food
cooking
radio
Since you won’t have many (or any) options for resupply, food will eventually need to be procured. Pre-assembled snare traps are strong, dependable, and lightweight. They do the work of hunting for you, while you’re off doing chores or getting much needed rest. Two dozen should be your minimum, since these traps are often chewed and kinked by the animals that aren’t killed by the snare. To see how to build 15 different survival trips, click here. Tim MacWelch
fishing
It’s hard to build a new civilization without tools. A few well-chosen hand tools can make a mighty difference in the work you can accomplish while you’re living off the land. A multi-tool, hatchet, machete, and hand saw will allow you to perform a lot of work around camp. Select tools that are the best you can afford, and designed for professional work. Don’t settle for light-weight little backpacking tools. You need equipment that will last for years. Oh, and rope—lots of rope. Tim MacWelch
clothing
While your handgun and home defense shotgun are potential hunting tools, they’re not exactly designed for the purpose. A takedown recurve or a collapsible .22 survival rifle could give you a lot of game meat for your campfire. This weaponry is more than capable of taking common small-game animals, especially once you have some practice under your belt. If these are out of your budget or you just can’t carry another ounce, learn to make bows and arrows. Bring Dacron string for building bow strings (it can also be used for fletching) and some glue-on broadheads. The rest can be found out there. Tim MacWelch
Even if you made it this far, at this point you might be saying, “Are you kidding?” But before you bash me in the comments, listen to this amazing testament of the ability to survive the wild: In 1936, the Lykov family fled into the Siberian wilderness to escape religious persecution. Taking a few homesteading possessions and some seeds, Karp Lykovs, his wife, son, and 2-year-old daughter retreated into the forest. They built a succession of primitive huts as they traveled, until reaching a habitable spot near the Mongolian border. The couple had no contact with the outside world and became completely self-sufficient. They had two more children, born in the wilderness, who had never seen a person outside their family until a geology team found their home in 1978. For sustenance, the family of six spent their days hunting, trapping, and farming by saving seeds each year to replant the next season. The Lykovs had brought a crude spinning wheel and they grew hemp to produce the fiber for their clothing. Their staple food item was potato patties mixed with hemp seeds and ground rye. They lived this way, deep in the forests, for more than 40 years. The moral of this tale: Seeds are important. Tim MacWelch