10 Best Self Reliance Outfitters Gear Picks for Preppers in 2025
The prepping world is overflowing with cheap “survival gadgets” that snap, rust, or vanish when you need them most. When lives depend on your gear, you can’t trust gimmicks.
That’s why Self Reliance Outfitters, founded by survival instructor Dave Canterbury (Pathfinder School, Dual Survival), is a favorite among serious preppers. Their gear isn’t about looking cool — it’s about surviving.
Today, we’re breaking down the 10 Best Self Reliance Outfitters Gear Picks for Preppers in 2025. Each tool here passes the only test that matters: will it still work when everything else fails?
What Are the Best Self Reliance Outfitters Gear Picks in 2025?
Self Reliance Outfitters builds its lineup around Canterbury’s famous 5 Cs of Survivability:
- Cutting tool
- Combustion device
- Cover
- Container
- Cordage
We’ll walk through the 10 pieces of gear that cover these categories and why they deserve a place in your bug-out bag.
Editor’s Prepper Gear Picks (2025)
Your all-in-one survival workhorse. Boil, cook, and carry water in gear tough enough to ride out campfires and crises. It’s the backbone of any bug-out bag because water isn’t optional — it’s life.
Cheap enough to buy two, sharp enough to skin, carve, or baton wood. The knife that proves price tags don’t equal performance. Trusted by bushcrafters worldwide, it’s the blade that punches way above its weight class.
Throws molten sparks like a mini flamethrower. Wet, cold, or windy — this is the fire starter that refuses to quit. If your lighter fails and your matches are soaked, this ferro rod is the ace up your sleeve.
The Steps To Build Your Prepper Gear Kit
When it comes to survival gear, the goal isn’t to own the most toys — it’s to build a kit that covers every survival priority with redundancy. Preppers follow the same hierarchy as the military and bushcrafters: first water, then shelter, fire, food, and tools. Each item in your kit should do multiple jobs, survive hard use, and earn its spot by actually keeping you alive — not just looking tactical.
That’s why Dave Canterbury’s 5 Cs of Survivability (Cutting tool, Combustion device, Cover, Container, Cordage) form the backbone of this list. The gear below from Self Reliance Outfitters hits all five categories and gives you a solid foundation for any bug-out bag or survival setup. Build around these, and you’re not just “carrying stuff” — you’re carrying solutions.
1. Pathfinder Stainless Steel Canteen Kit
đź’˛ ~$62 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: A prepper classic. This 39oz stainless steel canteen comes with a nesting cup and stove stand, giving you hydration, cooking, and water purification in a single rugged kit. It’s one of the most versatile pieces of survival gear you’ll ever own.
Best For: Bug-out bags, backcountry survival, and long-term off-grid readiness.
Pro Tip: Boil water directly in the container. Stainless steel won’t melt or leach chemicals like plastic — and boiling is still the ultimate no-fail water purification method.
2. Mora Companion Knife
đź’˛ ~$26 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: If there’s a king of budget survival knives, this is it. The Mora Companion is lightweight, razor-sharp, and absurdly durable for the price. You’ll see it in the packs of beginners and veteran bushcrafters alike.
Best For: Bushcraft tasks, food prep, carving traps, and general camp chores.
Pro Tip: Don’t just buy one. At this price, grab two — keep one in your pack and one stashed in your glovebox or bug-out bin.
3. Pathfinder Ferro Rod HD6 Ferro Rod with Striker
đź’˛ ~$29 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: Fire is survival. This heavy-duty ferro rod throws massive sparks thousands of times, even in rain, snow, or after you drop it in a creek. Lighters fail. Matches get soggy. Ferro rods just keep working.
Best For: Reliable fire starting in all weather conditions.
Pro Tip: Pair it with a knife that has a 90° spine, like the Mora, and you’ll send showers of sparks like a fire-breathing dragon.
4. Silky Gomboy Folding Saw
đź’˛ ~$60 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: One of the sharpest folding saws in the survival world. Lightweight and compact, yet powerful enough to chew through thick branches for firewood or shelter poles. Far more efficient (and safer) than trying to baton wood with a knife.
Best For: Shelter building, firewood prep, and trail clearing.
Pro Tip: A saw isn’t just convenience — it saves calories. And when you’re low on food, calories are survival currency.
5. Pathfinder Nylon Tarp & Hammock COMBO
💲 ~$60–$80 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: Shelter is survival priority #2 (right after air). This tarp is lightweight, waterproof, and tough as nails. In minutes, you can throw up a tarp tent, cover a hammock, or rig it as a groundsheet.
Best For: Fast emergency shelter, hammock camping, or a backup shelter in any bug-out bag.
Pro Tip: Learn just three knots — bowline, taut-line hitch, and trucker’s hitch — and you’ll be able to rig this tarp into a dozen shelter styles.
6. Pathfinder Stainless Steel Skillet
đź’˛ ~$35 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: Forget flimsy camp cookware. This skillet is rugged, heavy-duty stainless steel designed for real off-grid cooking. Fry fish, cook bannock, or make a decent meal without worrying about warped pans.
Best For: Long-term bug-out cooking or base camp setups.
Pro Tip: Season it like cast iron. It’ll cook better, stick less, and last longer.
7. Pathfinder Fishing Kit Pro
đź’˛ ~$29 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: Most “survival fishing kits” are a joke — gimmicky tins full of gear that wouldn’t catch a goldfish. This Pathfinder kit has real hooks, line, and extras designed to actually put food on the fire.
Best For: Bug-out fishing, wilderness food sourcing, and survival caches.
Pro Tip: Don’t just pack it — practice with it. Survival fishing is a skill, not just gear.
8. 550 Paracord (100 ft)
đź’˛ ~$12 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: Paracord is the duct tape of survival. Shelter building, gear repair, snares, splints, or even makeshift tourniquets — its uses are endless.
Best For: Every bug-out bag, glovebox kit, and survival stash.
Pro Tip: Buy in bulk — 100 ft sounds like a lot until you start tying shelters and repairs. Reflective or glow cord is a smart upgrade for night use.
9. FireRod v2 by Exotac
đź’˛ ~$30 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: A compact ferro rod that punches way above its size. Small enough for EDC, tough enough to throw blazing sparks when you need it most.
Best For: Everyday carry fire backup and ultralight survival kits.
Pro Tip: Fire redundancy is non-negotiable. Carry a lighter, a ferro rod, and stormproof matches. Because when you need fire, you need fire.
10. Pathfinder Pack Stove
đź’˛ ~$20 on Self Reliance Outfitters
Why It Rocks: A simple, foldable stainless steel stove that runs on twigs, sticks, or fuel tabs. It packs flat and weighs next to nothing, but lets you cook or boil water without lugging heavy fuel canisters.
Best For: Off-grid cooking, emergency kits, and lightweight bug-out bags.
Pro Tip: Always stash a couple of solid fuel tabs with it. When the weather’s wet and everything else fails, they’ll light instantly and get your fire going.
Why This Gear Matters for Preppers
The Best Prepper Gear 2025 isn’t about bells, whistles, or gimmicky “tactical” gadgets that break the second you drop them. It’s about reliability under pressure. When you’re cold, wet, hungry, and one mistake away from real consequences, you need gear that doesn’t quit.
That’s where Self Reliance Outfitters gear shines. Every item aligns with the 5 Cs of Survivability — Cutting tool, Combustion device, Cover, Container, Cordage — the same framework used by bushcrafters, soldiers, and serious survivalists. Put simply: this gear checks all the boxes and then doubles up on them.
- Cutting Tools: A knife, a saw — because one blade is never enough.
- Combustion Devices: Ferro rods, fire starters, and backups — redundancy is life insurance.
- Cover: Tarps and shelter gear to keep hypothermia off your back.
- Containers: Steel canteens and cups for boiling, cooking, and carrying water.
- Cordage: Paracord to tie, bind, rig, and improvise.
Together, this kit gives you layered redundancy across fire, water, food, and shelter. It’s not about comfort — it’s about stacking the odds in your favor when Murphy’s Law shows up uninvited.
Whether you’re bugging out during a grid-down crisis, camping with family, or just training in the backyard, these tools let you move with confidence instead of gambling with gear that might betray you. In prepping, confidence comes from preparation — and preparation comes from reliable gear you’ve tested yourself.
Wrapping Up and My Experience
I’ve tested more “tactical survival kits” off Amazon than I care to admit — the kind packed with 37-in-1 gadgets that look good in photos but collapse faster than a soggy tent when you actually need them. One compass pointed south, a multitool snapped on the first cut, and a fire starter produced all the sparks of a dead lighter. Lesson learned: cheap gear isn’t just a waste of money — it’s a liability.
The gear I bought from Self Reliance Outfitters? It’s still in my pack and still earning its place. My Pathfinder canteen kit has been blackened by fire, dented, and abused — and it still boils water like the day I bought it. My Pathfinder tarp has been hammered by Arkansas thunderstorms that turned lesser tents into waterbeds. And my Mora Companion? It’s the knife I hand to beginners because I know it won’t fail them.
Call it overkill, call it old-school — I call it peace of mind. When you know your gear works, you stop wasting mental energy worrying about failures and start focusing on what actually matters: navigation, strategy, conserving calories, and staying alive. That’s the real payoff of solid gear. It doesn’t just make survival possible — it makes it practical.
Ready to Upgrade Your Survival Kit?
If you’re serious about prepping, it’s time to stop rolling the dice with knockoff gadgets and start stocking gear that’s been field-tested, storm-tested, and prepper-approved. Every item on this list earns its place by covering one of the 5 Cs of Survivability and proving it won’t fail when things get ugly.
Start small if you have to — replace that dollar-store fire starter with a Pathfinder ferro rod, swap your plastic bottle for a steel canteen, or throw a Mora knife in your glovebox. Piece by piece, you’ll build a kit that doesn’t just look tough — it is tough.
👉 Click the links above to check out each of the Best Self Reliance Outfitters Gear Picks for 2025 and start upgrading your survival setup today. Your future self — the one not stranded, hungry, and gear-betrayed — will thank you.
Final Prepper Pro Tip
The best prepper gear isn’t the most expensive — it’s the most reliable. Build redundancy across your 5 Cs:
- 2 cutting tools (knife + saw)
- 2 fire starters (ferro rod + lighter)
- 2 covers (tarp + blanket)
- 2 containers (canteen + cup)
- 2 cordages (paracord + bank line)
👉 That’s Pathfinder School philosophy — simple, practical, and life-saving.
Heads-Up, Fellow Preppers:
Some links in this post are sponsored or affiliate links. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission—enough to restock my peanut butter and maybe add one more can of chili to the stash. I only recommend gear I trust, use, and would hide in a bug-out bag.
