A big part of being an expert at something is being prepared. When it comes to exploring the great outdoors, a trek into the wilderness can never be taken too lightly as far as preparation goes. Even for the most experienced hikers. Aside from the typical necessities (food, water, knife, etc.), your survival kit could use an upgrade, especially with today’s modern technology becoming more and more mobile and compact.

TIMEX Ironman One GPS+ Watch

In any great outdoors survival kit, there should be some form of mobile communication included. Watches are trending again now that they’ve evolved into smartwatches. Timex has created a sort of Swiss Army watch that fits nicely on your wrist. Not only does it have GPS and texting capabilities, it has 4GB of memory storage for music.

For hikers, climbers and wilderness adventurers, having texting, GPS and entertainment features all conveniently on your wrist removes the need for any hand-held device and removes the worry of it being crushed or exposed to water while carrying it (it is water resistant up to 50 meters). The watch sends and receives texts using mobile phone networks and has every function that a regular GPS watch would have.

Another feature is its SOS emergency messaging, which one can send out an alert message with GPS data embedded with it to allow responders to follow the location through live tracking on a smartphone map. In addition, it is compatible with fitness apps such as Strava, Runkeeper and MapMyRun, providing the wearer with speed, pace, distance and split times information.

T.A.S.K. Apocalypse Survival Kit

No one prepares more for the most extreme situations than those fearing the Apocalypse is coming. The T.A.S.K. Apocalypse Survival Kit may be ideal for those preparing for the end of civilization, but it’s equally as effective for those adventuring out into the wild, too. When it’s time to replace your survival kit, the T.A.S.K. kit is loaded with necessities you’ll need.

The 20L backpack kit includes several pockets, M.O.L.E. attachments, a water bottle holder and compression straps to lock down your gear. Included with the backpack is a multi-use battle axe, 20-function multi-tool, easy-grip knife and two kinds of knife sharpeners to start with. A unique feature that some outdoorsmen may not have thought to include in their survival kits is a water purification device. T.A.S.K. provides you with the LifeStraw device that filters up to 264 gallons. The device allows you to drink directly from a water source by lowering part of a straw in to sip, with the water first passing through a filter to weed out any dangerous bacteria.

Other features include a tactical flashlight, durable satellite phone, a sturdy compass and a mini-survival guidebook, which includes a section on wilderness survival and a variety of emergency scenarios.

Sun Oven

Imagine being able to boil, steam, roast or bake food without the hassle of making a fire. The Sun Oven is a solar-fueled appliance that weighs a mere 21 pounds and is said to last more than 20 years. What makes this device most ideal is when you’re deep in the woods after a rainfall, and everything is wet, making anything around you useless to burn, you can still cook. By using the sun as fuel, you won’t need to bother with the wet wood.

This invention works so well that it is being used in developing countries where cooking fuels are scarce. With recent improvements, the Sun Oven is more shatter-resistant, better insulated to provide higher temperatures for cooking and is more wind-resistant now that it comes with an alignment leg that prevents it from blowing over.

Splint

If you can find two forked branches or saplings that are at least five centimeters in diameter, you can make an improvised traction splint, however, part of your survival kit must include a medical kit, and a great additional item is a splint. Suffering a fracture or dislocation is painful enough. Trying to get that person or yourself out of the woods to get medical attention is a whole other ordeal. Packing a splint, such as the SAM Splint, can offer immediate support of an injured limb and get you out of the woods quicker and without worrying that the improvised splint will hold up.

The SAM splint, which can be easily stored in a backpack, is made from a thin core of aluminum alloy and closed-cell foam and is highly pliable and can bend into three simple curves. Oddly enough, this lightweight, waterproofed device even has multiple uses, as it as been known to be used as a canoe paddle and a snow shovel, making it an even more valuable part of an outdoorsman’s survival kit.