Lets talk survival in the NH � Maine woods which is my normal hunting range. First of all I have been lost many times but never spent a night in the woods alone.
For me the Number One survival gear you can have is the clothes you wear. You can talk about building a fire, building a shelter, catching food ect� But you may not be able to do any of those things with a major injury of some nature.
Wool is number one. Today you can comfortably hunt in 100% Marino wool in any weather conditions. Companies like Minus33 www.Minus33.com (and many others) have complete lines of wool base layer garments. Start with boxer briefs, and good wool sox. Then add the long underwear for the temperate you are hunting in. For winter / cold weather going I use the expedition weight (400 g/m) top and bottom with a second layer of a full zip top. This is easy to open up or remove completely when necessary. There are many 100% wool pant and coat makers. I just bought a light weight pair of First light Gila Pant www.firstlite.com 99% wool 1% rip stop nylon. This is a light weight early fall pant but for later in the year I will move into a 22-24 oz Filson bib type pant. www.filson.com
A good hat and your good to go.
In general I would rather lug a few items to prevent me from getting lost like a good GPS, and a back up compass with map. If I knew I was spending a night in the woods I would lug a real ax. www.Gerber-tools.com Gerber has a nice 1 lb one which I might buy some day.
I have carried a Buck Skinner knife www.buckknives.com for 30+ years. You can probably find some fancy new thing but this is a down to earth basic knife that really holds and edge. In a survival event this guy will take what ever you need it to.
