From my earliest days, my father taught me to survive in multiple scenarios. He taught me to survive in three environments. They were: an aircraft crash in the mountains, a ship wreck, and being lost in the forest. In each scenario he taught me that a person needed to have seven types of tools in order to survive. Over the decades I have added an 8th type of tool. While the category of "communications" is not critical for life support, it can facilitate escape from a difficult situation. Recent advancement in technology, make communications with rescue personnel very possible. Overview There are eight types/categories of tools that a person needs for survival. They are: 1.Food and Water 2.Clothing 3.Shelter 4.First Aid/ Medical Care 5.Fire 6.Rescue 7.Pioneering 8.Communications Given these types of survival tools and the skill to use them, a person can make it out alive or even thrive for a long time.