I Built a Survival Kit From My Junk Drawer (Then Actually Used It)

Every house has one: the junk drawer. Today, I’m turning mine into a survival kit—and the entire thing has to fit inside a tuna can. No ultralight gear, no fancy tools, no $300 bushcraft knife. Just whatever chaos “past me” tossed in there.

Once the kit is built, I head into the woods to test it for real. I build a debris shelter, try multiple fire-starting methods, gather and purify water with oven bags and Aquatabs, make an improvised knife handle, craft a snare, and see which items actually help… and which ones are totally useless (looking at you, plastic guitar pick).

I also compare the tiny button compass in my kit to the Suunto Vertical 2 GPS watch, with its crazy battery life, bright display, and full offline navigation—part of their Black Friday promo running now.

By the end, we find out whether a junk drawer survival kit can actually keep you alive, and what I wish I’d included instead.

Let me know what YOU would put in your kit!