The 12 Best Survival Christmas Gifts
It’s that time of year again. Not just to get together with your family and enjoy the cooler weather, but also to round up some survival swag for your closest family and friends. When you need to get a gift for the avid survivalist of the group, we have your back with our countdown of the 12 best survival Christmas gifts. Well, we went over 12 again this year- but still…
Over the last year, we have been taking notes on our favorite tools and gear that would make the best presents for anyone who likes being a little more prepared than usual. Listed below are the results and the slightly-more-than-12 best survival Christmas gifts you can get your hands on this season- in order of price from lowest to highest.
This post has been updated multiple times from the original Survival Christmas Gift Guide that was first published in 2016. Check back yearly to find the best survival Christmas gifts for that tough-to-buy-for survivalist in your life (or to update your own wish list). When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Credit Card Fresnel Lens
These things are fantastic stocking stuffers. They come in a three-pack, and they’re great in any survival kit. Fresnel lenses are super thin and effective as a fire-starting magnifying glass.
They even made our list of the best magnifying glass fire starters. They make a great gift for anyone looking to get into survivalism, prepping, or even just camping. You can find it here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Bayite Small Ferro Rods
These Bayite ferro rods are one of my all-time favorites. These are little ferrocerium rods (fire starters – nothing special), but the great part is that they are small enough to be put anywhere.
Bag pulls, jacket pulls, lace them in your boots- you can even replace buttons with them! You can’t have enough of these cool little things, and they are the perfect size for stocking stuffers, too. They were one of our better-reviewed ferro rods in our roundup.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Life Bivy Emergency Sleeping Bag
We just can’t get over how lightweight, versatile, and possibly lifesaving this thing is. It is right at that sweet spot as far as gift prices go and makes a great stocking stuffer.
This model topped our bivy sack review earlier this year. Grab one here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Survival Bandana
The Colter Co. bandana is packed full of survival tips for easy reference in the field. It is high visibility, high-quality, and was our top pick in our survival bandana roundup.
Bandanas are ridiculously versatile in survival situations, so they make great gifts. They are a great addition to any survival kit, and this one takes it all a step further:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Morakniv Companion Bushcraft Knife
I know… What would a TruePrepper gift guide be without a Morakniv plug? These knives are awesome for anything and everything survival and bushcraft-related, and I cannot get over the price tag on them.
Quit complaining and just get yourself one already. Then you’ll see how reliable, sharp, and versatile they are, and get one for everyone on your list. They’re a staple in our best bushcraft knife review.
They offer stainless and carbon steel, but stainless is hands-down better for survival. Get your hands on one here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Vargo Stainless Para-Bottle
Vargo, known for their titanium tools, put out a stainless steel water bottle earlier this year that spanks Nalgene and Kleen Kanteen at half the price.
It has a huge 32-ounce capacity but gives survivalists the ability to purify water by boiling it inside. You can’t quite do that with plastic water bottles, so stainless is the way to go.
We reviewed a huge range of survival water bottles, and this one floated to the top of the pack. Grab one here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
ThruNite TH20 Pro Headlamp
This headlight will light up the woods quickly with its 1010-lumen LED. It’s not too complicated- it’s just a lightweight right-angle flashlight with a head strap attached to it. Behind that simplicity is a light platform that is incredibly versatile.
It has six brightness adjustments and runs on a rechargeable AA battery with its own USB-C charging port. This means you can swap in conventional batteries or recharge the battery itself, making it incredibly versatile. Lastly, it’s IPX-8 waterproof and shockproof. All of these made it our top pick in our survival headlamp review.
It’s a great deal for anyone who wants a serious headlamp as a great survival Christmas gift:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Suunto A-10 Compass
Getting lost in the woods sucks. Make sure you keep a solid, top-quality compass around and a good map of your local area. We have a quick guide on how to print local maps here: How to Get a Free Survival Map of Your Local Area.
It won’t surprise you that this one topped our survival compass review.
You can get the compass here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Mechanix Wear Material4X Gloves
This is the most versatile pick out of our survival Christmas gifts and makes a great gift for pretty much anyone.
Gloves that are tougher than leather happen to be great for everything- not just survival. We go over all of the benefits in our survival gloves review. Get your hands on them here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Silky Gomboy Folding Saw
If your gift recipient is into survival at all, they probably have a versatile folding saw. But there is always an opportunity to upgrade to the best.
The Silky Gomboy is the best. It’s trusted by pros, is tough as nails, and cuts through hardwood like butter. It topped our bushcraft folding saw review easily and makes an excellent gift for anyone who enjoys the woods.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Gerber StrongArm Fixed Knife
The quintessential survival knife that has endured for Gerber over the years is a strong option for anyone remotely interested in survival.
It earned our top pick in our fixed blade survival knife review, and could easily check a big box on any survivalist’s Christmas list.
If you want to make the gift extra special, we suggest you check out Gerber’s customization. For $20-35, you can get their name on it, a picture, and change out handle colors and more.
Otherwise, you can pick up the base model:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Leatherman Signal Multitool
The Leatherman Signal builds on its well-known multitool platform but focuses on survival with tools that are frequently needed, like an integrated ferro rod.
As the top pick in our survival multitool review, it’ll be a great gift for almost anyone interested in survival.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
5.11 RUSH72 2.0 Backpack
5.11 is the creme of the crop when it comes to survival bags. Their RUSH series is synonymous with bug out bags, as they have plenty of storage for everything and are incredibly versatile. They hit the sweet spot in price and functionality in our survival backpack review.
They’re also tough as nails, with the thickest fabric of all the bags we tested. Put one on your Christmas list, and it’ll take whatever you dish out to it. Grab one here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Hults Bruks Spika Axe
You could spring for the peak of the wilderness survival necessities in a Bruks axe. This Swedish-made heirloom-quality axe is simply the best camp axe you can get. It easily topped our survival axe review.
It measures in at a little north of 19″ and will delight that wilderness survivalist on your list. Get the best axe in the world here:
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Final Word
Okay, we went a bit past 12 gift suggestions this year, but there is some great stuff we’ve reviewed throughout the year that we were eager to share.
That wraps up our list of survival gear Christmas gifts. Hopefully, you’ve picked up a few awesome ideas for yourself or that special survivalist in your life. If nothing quite fits the bill, check out our other list: The Best Prepper Christmas Gifts.
We’ve also listed out the best sales this year for the holiday season:
We hope you have a great Christmas, and get to spend plenty of time with your friends and family. We are looking forward to getting back to some nuts and bolts articles about prepping.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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Hi Sean
Thank you so much for your great resource with true preppers.
Knowing a loved one entering AF A military… any thoughts, with the world as it is, on the best jobs….. “safe?”
Just thought I d share and ask being your experience in the military though as an engineer….
Very concerned.
Sincerely
Kristine
Hi Kristine,
Your loved one joining the military naturally sparks safety concerns, but I can tell you from experience that it’s typically a great choice. The risks are relatively low compared to the benefits, structure, and growth the military provides young people. During my days as a USAF deployment manager, we took volunteers to deploy to the more dangerous areas to work convoys.
Very few Air Force jobs would put your loved one ‘in the line of fire’, with a few special forces exceptions. But, if they elect to go that route you can be sure that they’ll be doing what they love and also be great at it. By picking the Air Force, they have somewhat signaled that they aren’t seeking out combat as strongly as someone who selects the Army or Marines.
As far as ‘worst case scenarios’, the Air Force has plenty of plans to operate even after nuclear strikes on every air base. They’ll be refueling nuclear bombers from your backyard if they have to. We used to joke that we’d be like cockroaches- scatter and set up new bases everywhere.
My advice is to support and encourage your loved one who is building a solid trajectory for their life. There are physical and mental risks, but knowing they have support outside their new military family will give them a solid foundation to grow.
I wish all the best for you and your loved one,
Sean
Sean, I’m sure the axe you recommended is good, but it has a flaw. Wood handle. Eventually it will get loose and or fail without wedges and maintenance. Estwing axe handles are all steel and cannot fail. They make short handled axes, but I like the long handled version I have. They even have a black model that doesn’t reflect. I have used mine on the job limbing trees for timber sale boundaries. Light enough to pack all day, but substantial enough you can fell trees with it. Best little axe I’ve ever used/owned. While on this topic, the Haglof Swedish Brush Axe is the perfect tool for getting through springy brush. Nothing works better in brush!
Sean, you apparently censor comments. You won’t get any better in your mission without constructive criticism. That is a shame, but your choice to fail.
Just a spam queue because of the links.
Thanks for your late reply. Sorry for thinking you censored, you were just really slow. I’m real, recommendations are real, links are real…..not spam. Thanks for posting this reply.