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Old vintage hand tools on wooden background

Top 11 Survivalist Hand Tools and Their Uses

Hand Tools That Everybody Should Have Handy

map

Especially if you live in a condo or apartment, you probably don’t put much thought into owning tools, but should a disaster occur, you’re going to need a few of them in order to survive. Electric tools will be useless if there is no power, so always keep hand tools at the ready. Even if you don’t own a single one of these, don’t panic. They’re all readily available for a nominal amount of money, especially if you keep your eye on yard sales and flea markets.

Here are the top 11 hand tools that every survivalist should have in their home if you plan on bugging in, along with some of the things that you can use them for.

Claw Hammer

There are several different types of hammers but the one that you should look for has a claw on one side and a head on the other. This is an awesome tool for:

  • Removing/pounding in nails
  • Prying
  • Breaking things
  • A weapon
  • Breaking Ice
  • Opening canned food
  • Chopping roots or small saplings

Shovel
hardware tools

There are so many uses for a shovel that there’s no way to list them all! Here are just a few:

  • Digging latrines
  • Digging trenches to stop or catch water, or to prevent a fire from spreading
  • Digging a fire pit
  • A weapon
  • Planting a garden
  • Shoveling snow

Spade

  • Digging small holes, including cat holes
  • Gardening
  • A weapon

Crowbar

This is truly a multi-use tool that you’ll find yourself using for many different tasks. With a little creativity, a crowbar can do many things in a pinch.

  • Prying open doors
  • Leverage to lift things
  • A weapon
  • The claw can be used to remove embedded objects
  • Breaking things
  • Popping locks
  • Pry apart two objects

 

Multi-Use Tool

knife and tools

There are many different types of multi-use hand tools but here are some of the most useful accessories:

  • Serrated knife/saw
  • Standard blade knife
  • Phillips and Flat head Screwdrivers
  • Pliers with wire cutter
  • Can opener
  • Scissors
  • Awl

Survival Knife

This is a tool that has more uses than I could possibly record here, but let’s give it a shot:

  • Cutting meat or anything else
  • A weapon
  • There’s a cable saw in most of them that would work as a good backup for saplings, etc.
  • There’s a compass in case you need to get out
  • There’s usually fishing line and hooks in case you live near a stream
  • The serrated side can be used to strike your flint for fire

Hatchet

The uses for this tool are practically innumerable. You never know when you’re going to need to chop or hack through something.

  • Chop wood
  • Weapon
  • Breaking ice or anything else that needs busted
  • Cut saplings to fix roof
  • Butchering meat/cutting through bone

Machete

  • Cutting brush to clear a path
  • Clearing a space for a fire
  • A weapon
  • Shaving tinder
  • Slaughtering captured wild game
  • Opening nuts
  • Breaking down a carcass
  • Cutting poles and materials to build a shelter

Hand Saw

The uses of a saw may seem obvious; you cut stuff with it, right? But why would you need it in your kit? Let’s see:

  • Cutting trees for shelter or firewood
  • Extrication in case somebody is trapped
  • Cutting legs off of tables or other furniture for firewood

Safety Glasses

These technically aren’t a tool but if you’re going to be using any of the other hand tools or doing anything that could possibly cause something to get into your eyes, you may not be able to get to a doctor for treatment. Considering that, the best action is to be proactive. Safety glasses have never been more vital than in a disaster situation.

Duct Tape

  • Everybody knows that this is probably the most diverse tool on the planet.
    duct tape
  • Tape bandages
  • Patch busted water bladders or bottles
  • Fixing glasses or patching clothing
  • Making makeshift weapons by taping a knife to a broom handle, etc.
  • Build a shelter
  • Waterproof a package
  • Make a drinking vessel
  • Fixing broken tent poles, fishing rods, or just about anything else that breaks

This is a list that people probably arenât going to be able to completely agree upon and Iâm sure that you have other ideas about what tools you should have available in your home in case disaster strikes. Please feel free to share your ideas with us in the comments section below.

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