A ferro rod is the one fire starter that works soaked, frozen, or wind-blasted, no fuel, no battery, tens of thousands of strikes. The Überleben Hexå is a thick, ½-inch rod that throws a shower of sparks and rides in your kit for years. New to fire-building? Read our guide to building a fire in…

The bushcraft-standard folding saw: a 7-ounce (200 g), rust-resistant blade that locks open and closed and cuts wood far above its size. Our overall folding-saw pick for most people.

A full-tang carbon-steel bushcraft knife you can baton and spark a fire with, at a fraction of premium prices. Our field review of the Morakniv Garberg survival knife.

0.6 oz (17 g) of US-made aerospace aluminum with a clever upside-down pry trick and a lifetime warranty. Our field review of TheTentLab Deuce, the benchmark backpacking cathole trowel.

18 tools with outside-accessible one-hand blades, replaceable wire cutters, and a 25-year warranty. Our field review of the Leatherman Wave+, the do-everything full-size multitool.

A 14-inch (36 cm) camping hatchet forged from one piece of American steel with a stacked-leather grip – the classic, essentially unbreakable, buy-it-and-hand-it-down camp hatchet.