Generally when one thinks about items to include in a survival kit a knife, fire rod, iodine tablets, and things like that come to mind. But not all items that are valuable for survival are the ones that first come to mind or usually make the list for camping. One such item is a needle and thread or a pocket sewing kit. Here are a few reasons why you should make what little room is required to add this to your survival kit.
Gear Repair
It may seem like a minor thing to you now, when you have a closet full of clothes, but in the wilderness a tear in your warming layers could be deadly. If you are moving through the brush in the wilderness this is not unlikely to take place. Having a simple needle and thread on you will allow you to make repairs to clothing, packs, and even tarps. This can keep you warm, dry, and on the move when it matters most.
Navigation
If you are without a compass one can be improvised using a needle. Rub the needle with a cloth in one direction to electrically charge it, then float it in some water on a leaf. The needle will point north.
Fishing
The thread from a sewing kit can be used as fishing line in an emergency. I also recently wrote an article about how to “fish” for birds, this technique could be done by passing a threaded needle through the available bait and tying it off.
Medical Treatment
In an emergency you might need to use stitches to close a wound. Without a needle and thread on you, this will not be possible from wilderness materials. You can also use the needle to lance a boil, or a blister, or help to remove a splinter.
A needle and thread won’t meet all your needs, but it also won’t take up much space or weigh you down, so there isn’t much reason not to add it to your pack.
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