Canned goods, flashlights, a first aid kit, and drinking water — if you have these in a survival situation, you’re good, right? Yes, probably — but add just a few more items to your survival arsenal and you can go from surviving to actually thriving, even during an emergency. These 10 items are not only affordable and easy to find, but incredibly useful in many ways, so you will definitely get your money’s worth.

• Lighter cubes – Fire can be useful in most survival situations, because they allow you to keep warm, cook food, and boil water for drinking. However, it’s not always easy to build a fire, but that’s where lighter cubes come in. According to a list on AskaPrepper.com, this item is a godsend when you need to start a fire in less-than-ideal conditions.
• Emergency blanket – While its main function is to keep you extra warm and toasty, it’s really a multipurpose tool that also works as a makeshift tent. According to SeattleBackpackersMagazine.com, using it as a hammock, a funnel, or to create an air pocket in a forest fire are just some of the 50 ways to make use of this simple but lifesaving item.
• 550 Paracord – Yet another multi-functional item on the list, you can use parachute cords to secure tents, create a pulley system, mark a trail, or hang food above ground to save it from animals.
• Folding saw – Keeping a lightweight folding saw on hand is useful for gathering wood for fires or any other purpose.
• Batteries – It’s best to make sure you have a good supply of different kinds of batteries so your important electronics stay powered. Batteries could also be a useful commodity to barter with if the situation calls for it.
• Duct tape – The limits to what you can do with duct tape are endless. As UrbanSurvivalSite.com shared, this common household item can be used for anything from fixing cracked containers (essential for water), sealing up your area against pathogens, keeping bugs or rocks out of your boots, patching up holes in your tent, making a splint, or making a spear. It’s also cheap and easy to find, so there’s no reason not to stock up on this!
• Copper wire –  From making snare traps to building simple electronics, copper wire is a great item to have in your survival kit.
• Hardtack – This biscuit may not be the most delicious, but they last for up to 100 years. Having a good supply of hardtack as back-up sustenance is a great way to ensure that you’ll always have a food source available, no matter where you find yourself.
• Sewing Kit – Fashion is hardly the first order of business in a survival situation, so most preppers don’t really think of keeping a sewing kit around. But this unassuming item has more uses than you think. Beyond mending clothes, your gran’s needle and thread can repair up tents and backpacks and even stitch up open wounds.
• Filter Bottle – Clean drinking water is one of the highest priorities in any emergency situation — but there may not always be a source around. Having a water bottle with a built-in filter means that you won’t have to keep boiling or bleaching your water to make sure it’s safe to drink. This item takes out a lot of time and trouble from the process of getting something you’ll be needing constantly.

Whatever situation you find yourself in — whether you’re lost in the wilderness, stuck at home after a natural disaster, or on the move in the aftermath of an EMP, these simple items can help keep you alive.

Get more survival tips on Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

AskaPrepper.com
SeattleBackpackersMagazine.com
UrbanSurvivalSite.com