With Christmas less than a month away some of you may be having trouble coming up with gift ideas for the outdoors man or woman in your life. Well, I can’t exactly speak for Santa, but I’m pretty sure he knows a thing or two about survival (especially in winter). My guess is that instead of buying your special someone another necktie, Saint Nick would probably want you to get them something they can really use on their next outdoor adventure. With that in mind I took a look back over my own survival gear list (and yes, I checked it twice) and came up with what I think are some great gift suggestions.

For starters I’d think about a high quality pack for everyday carry that can also double as a “go bag” if the need arises. My choice is the Trek Sling Pack from truspec.com; tough enough for regular use, roomy enough to carry essential survival gear you might need. This pack is 100 percent nylon with a padded strap, sturdy D rings for attaching accessories, and a reinforced carry handle for grab and go. Two specially designed, easy access pockets are made for concealed carry. The hidden hook and loop center pouch holds a small pistol like my Walther PPKS or my Springfield XD .45 fits easily in the padded back pocket with snap closure. Inside the main compartment is a pouch for a tablet computer. There are five well-placed zipper pockets on this pack to keep everything in place.

Next comes a Sawyer MINI Water Filter available for $25 or less online and at many outdoor stores. This outstanding filter weighs only 2 ounces but will filter 100,000 gallons of water and is a lot easier and faster than boiling drinking water. The MINI comes with a mylar water pouch or you can attach the filter to a standard disposable water bottle. You can also just drink right through the attached straw. The unique design means no cartridges to replace and the filtering membranes provide 0.1 micron absolute filtering to keep out 99.9999% of harmful bacteria like salmonella, protozoa, or cysts like E. coli and Giardia.

The best survival knife I’ve found online is from Condor Knife and Tool; the 5″ blade Basic Bush Knife is $65. This full tang knife comes with walnut grips and a well made leather sheath. The blade is made of 1075 Carbon Steel (3 mm thick) that holds an edge and is exactly the right shape for the usual survival chores like splitting, whittling, prying, auguring, and slicing.

My suggestion for a good quality compass is the Suunto Sighting Compass MC-2 NH for around $64 dollars online. This Suunto is balanced for the Northern Hemisphere and operates between minus 22 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The Suunto weighs 2.61 ounces and the hinged case and baseplate are sturdy plastic, measuring just 2.56 inches wide by 3.98 inches long by .71 inch thick. The stated accuracy is 2.5 degrees using a high grade steel needle with jewel bearing in a liquid filled capsule for stable operation. Inside the hinged cover is a mirror for sighting bearings or for emergency signaling. The compass can be corrected for magnetic declination using the included flat blade screwdriver and has a built-in clinometer for measuring height or terrain slope. The bezel, needle, baseplate and direction of travel indicator are also luminous.

My fire starter is a large ferrocerium rod from firesteel.com available for under $20. This rod is made for sure handed use in any weather conditions. The rod has a lanyard hole already drilled and a length of para cord to keep the hard steel striker attached. Fire steel starters produce sparks that are 5,000 degree Fahrenheit which is hot enough to light manmade or natural tinder.

One last suggestion is to look for a small, packable kit containing numerous survival supplies, usually available for $40 or less. I carry the waterproof Quickstart Survival Kit they sell at the Nature Center at Canaan Valley Resort State Park.

To learn more about preparing for wilderness survival go online and visit www.mountaineerwilderness.com.