With the Mayan apocalypse rapidly approaching, a lot of people are finding themselves woefully under-prepared. For those of you that still have a little shoring up to do for your emergency kit, bug-out-bag, or whatever you happen to call it, I have gone through the trouble of identifying a few tools that can help you keep on keeping on after the end of days.
The first tool I would want in an apocalypse situation is a Stanley Fatmax Fubar Forcible Entry Tool ($90, Amazon). Let’s just say if there is a locked door between me and the second tool that I think I need, the Fubar will help take care of the locked door problem. What Stanley calls “the evil son of the hammer” is actually 8 tools-in-one designed for use by firemen and the like. It has the ability to turn gas lines and fire hydrants on and off, has a striking head for use as a hammer, a prying edge for use as a nail remover/pry bar, and a jaw that hold conventionally sized lumber. It is made of one piece of solid forged steel, and has flame resistant grips as well as an integrated carabiner hole so it is more easily packed and transported. Coming from someone who would have a lot of suburb to get through before a real wilderness survival situation presents itself, a big sturdy tool that combines a spanner wrench with a variety of forced entry applications is not something I would want to leave at home. While people are locking their doors to secure their valuables from looters and fleeing, the Fubar would be a skeleton key of sorts, giving me an edge. Its weight and durability would also make it a decent weapon if push came to shove.
One of the most important things to have would definitely be a first aid kit of sorts, luckily those are carried and sold by Ohio Power Tool, and typically come in a box that can be easily transported. Even though they are supposed to be for 10-100 people, the stuff in them will eventually run out, so periodically resupplying may be a good idea as OSHA typically requires them to be on site in a lot of different types of places. Another item that should not be overlooked is a water purification system. The Platypus GravityWorks Filter ($109, Amazon) is generally recognized to be a good one and will effectively filter 1500 liters of water per fileter cartridge, but unlike chemical purification systems it will not filter out any viruses that are present in the water, which could be an issue in a zombie apocalypse type situation. This is why I would be sure to supplement my first aid kit and water purification with a few cheap bottles of iodine solution. Along with the ability to sterilize cuts and wound, iodine can be used to purify water, making it a smart thing to bring along considering its compact size and life-saving benefits. I would also be sure to try to bring a few books, let’s say three, on survival, hunting, and first aid. In the event of complete systemic collapse of the government, I would still probably go to my public library. Another situation where the Fubar may come in handy.
Another thing you would need is the capacity to make fire. I never quite got the hang of rubbing two sticks or banging rocks together to make fire, so for a reliable, multi-use option that would not depend on electricity or accelerant I would have to lean toward a flint and steel option like the Blastmatch ($22, Amazon). The Blastmatch in particular actually makes the biggest, most controlled spark I have ever seen from a flint and steel tool, and can easily turn a pile of kindling into a full fledged fire.
Back to tools. I would really like to have a hatchet or camp axe to take with me for its obvious wood cutting applications. I would also want it to be a one piece construction like the Kershaw camp axe ($30, Amazon) so I wouldn’t have to worry about axe heads flying off and makeshift means being used to reattach them. The camp axe would be useful not only for cutting firewood, but also cutting lumber to build a shelter if need be. However, not all cuts can be made with a hatchet, so I would be sure to bring along a survival saw like the Sabercut ($22, Amazon) by Ultimate Survival Technologies. The Sabercut would allow me to make saw cuts while easily fitting in any pack and weighing less than half a pound. I would also be sure to get some of the single use tubes of Gorilla Glue, mostly so I wouldn’t have to worry about my whole supply being ruined if the cap came off the or the bottle was compromised in some other way. Also, what multipurpose kit of any sort would not see some use out of duct tape?
And, of course, what survival toolkit would be complete without the Dragon Saw from Diamond Products. I honestly have trouble thinking of situations where I would rather not have a dragon saw (desperately trying to stay afloat, maybe). Need to make some bunker modifications, from the inside out or the outside in? Dragon Saw. Need to cut something out of a multi-car pileup? Dragon Saw, again. Need a saw that will make you the most intimidating mother on the block? Dragon Saw can take care of that, too. Dragon Saw? Dragon Saw.
For those of you aren’t conviced that the world will be ending on Friday, and have work to do, remember that Ohio Power Tool has Dragon Saws, as well as other Diamond Products and lots of other power tools to help you out with whatever job me might be doing. If the website isn’t enough, remember you can always call a pro at (800) 242-4424 with whatever your power tool question may be.