Survival necklaces are the perfect addition to any bug out bag, survival kit, hunting gear and everyday carry. They can help fill in any missing pieces to your gear and most of them are functional and stylish!
Best thing about survival lanyards is you just throw it over your neck and you’re good to go. Unplanned hiking trip? No problem, you already have part of your gear slung around your neck.
Obviously, there are some downsides to most survival necklaces:
They don’t always have everything you need. The basics for survival include: Fire, Water and Blade. Many of these can produce two of the three, but you will still either need to know how to find water or bring some with you. At least you will be able to boil water with the attached Firestarter.
You could accidentally strangle yourself just as with any necklace.
Remember, no one piece of survival gear can do it all. You need to practice with your gear and test to see what you are missing. These are just nice little additions to what you already have.
Key words are SIMPLE and FUNCTION when it comes to survival necklaces. You want gear that is easy to use and works when you need it.
Here’s Why You Should Own a Survival Necklace:
- You never know when you may find yourself in a survival situation.
- Survival necklaces are perfect for those who enjoy unplanned adventures.
- You can customize survival necklaces to have the tools you need such as a knife, fire starter or knife sharpener.
- You always have it with you.
Here is a list of the best survival necklaces and lanyards we found:
Uberleben Leicht Fire Starter Necklace
This minimal survival necklace is perfect for carrying around your neck and is designed to throw up to 12,000 sparks. Weighing less than an ounce, this is the perfect addition to your everyday carry. How often will you need to start a fire in the wilderness? Who knows – but the one time you need it, you’d better have it! This is a handy way to have the versatility of a survival fire starter with a sharp blade. You can shorten the paracord to fit your needs. It may take a little practice, but you will be able to start a fire in no time.
The Friendly Swede Paracord Fire Starter Survival Necklace
Keep this Firestarter always at hand by wearing it around your neck. You’ll never forget it when you go out into the world. Made from 550 lb paracord and a ferrocerium fire stick. This survival necklace has a clasp for quick release should you need to remove it in a hurry. This fire starter necklace is wearable in all conditions. Not only is it stylish, but also highly effective. You can wear it outside of your shirt or tuck it in to conceal.
To make a fire with this survival necklace – scrape the fire starter rod with the striker. Be sure to have your tinder prepared and close by. Scrape the Firestarter hard with the striker and let the flow of sparks fall onto your tinder. Continue adding material such as grass and dry leaves to keep your fire burning.
Wazoo The Bushcraft Fire Starter Necklace
Fire starter and conversation piece all in one. This two-part fire starter is made from a white Zirconia Ceramic scraper and a black chamfered Ferrocerium barrel toggle that not only looks cool, but will do exactly what it is intended to do – start a fire. This particular design is unisex, meaning it looks great on men and women. While looks should be the least of your concern while choosing gear, it doesn’t hurt when said gear is stylish.
More on the small side, it still throws plenty of sparks and has a truly authentic bush craft feel to it. This is one of the more functional pieces of survival gear you can wear.
Wazoo Viking Whetstone Pendant Knife Sharpener Necklace
While this knife sharpener from Wazoo may not quite have the functionality as the fire starter, it was too cool to leave off the list. Besides, who’s to say you can’t wear both? Inspired by a Viking tool and backed up by archaeological evidence, this whetstone was designed for edge maintenance.
Each stone looks slightly different due to being unique in color and pattern, much like a high-quality cut of leather. You probably won’t see two exactly alike, which makes this survival necklace more interesting. Each pendant is hand-made and has a medium fineness that is sure to keep your blades sharp while in the woods. You can also keep your fish hooks razor sharp!
Learn how to sharpen an axe or tomahawk in this article!
Ultimate Survival Fire Starter Paracord Necklace
While not as stylish as the products from Wazoo, this survival necklace packs a mean punch! This is a more comprehensive bush craft survival necklace in that it not only helps you get a fire started, but also comes with other items such as: fishing hooks, fishing weights and swivels. All of this comes packed in a copper waterproof and rainproof kit with a paracord necklace.
This kit is great for camping, hiking, fishing, backpacking, trekking and basically anything else you can do outside.
Morakniv Eldris Fixed-Blade Knife with Firestarter
The winner of the 2016 Scandinavian Outdoor Award, this survival neck kit includes a fixed blade knife, fire steel, paracord and a striker. One thing that sets this kit apart from the rest is the razor-sharp blade. You not only get a compact fixed-blade knife, but also a fire starter that can easily light tinder and get you out of a bind.
Made from high-quality stainless steel, this blade has more than meets the eye.
Fire Starter Spine – the blade has been ground specifically for use with a fire starter. It will allow you to easily light a fire by throwing a high concentration of sparks onto your tinder.
Scandi Grind – This knife has a Scandi Grind to help prevent it from slipping easily and keeps the blade sharp.
Anti-Slip Handle – This is extremely important in rough conditions. One slip and you have a gash in your hand that could easily get infected. That won’t happen with this knife, or at least it shouldn’t due to the craftsmanship and thought put into the handle. Throw this over your neck and you’re ready.
CRKT Minimalist Bowie Neck Knife
For the minimalist who enjoys being prepared for what life throws at you- meet the CRKT Neck Knife. While it may not come with a fire starter, you can sure as heck handle most anything else with this blade. You could quite possibly already have a fire starter in your pack and just want a quality blade to dangle around your neck. This is the knife for you. Wear it everyday as it has numerous real-world applications. Need a blade in a jiffy? You can grab this one in an instant.
A belt clip is included, but most people use it as a last measure and dangle it around their neck just in case they ever need it.
What is the Best Survival Necklace?
It depends. You must take stock of your current EDC and determine what attributes you need from your survival necklace. It’s possible you have almost everything covered with your other gear and only need a fire starter survival necklace or a knife sharpener necklace. On the other hand, you may do well with a necklace survival kit that covers more ground and has a broader assortment of survival gear. You need to spend some time with your EDC gear and determine what you need and what you don’t need. The best EDC necklaces can fill up any gaps you may have in your gear and provide a few extra essential functions. They really can be a great addition to any EDC plan.
What are the Best Survival Necklace Brands?
This is a tough one as many brands create great products, but there are a few we can recommend. We like Wazoo Survival Gear, The Friendly Swede, CRKT and Morakniv Eldris just to name a few. Each brand makes a very specific product, so it’s hard to pick one because it completely depends on what you want. For example: if you’re looking for the best fire starter necklace – check out Wazoo and The Friendly Swede’s Paracord Fire Starter Survival Necklace. They both have a simple, yet functional design that you can’t go wrong with. If you have everything you need, but want a knife sharpener; the Wazoo Viking Whetstone Knife Sharpener Necklace has your back. It won’t start fires or cut, but it will keep your blades razor-sharp which is one of the most important things you can do. Then we have another category – neck knives. The best neck knives on the market can be a great add-on to any EDC plan. EDC necklaces are one of the best investments you can make towards your EDC.
Are Survival Necklaces for Men or Women?
Survival necklaces are to be worn by anyone. They’re not gender specific. While some survival necklaces purely focus on function, there are others that are stylish as well. Take a look at the Wazoo Survival Necklaces and you will see that they look good enough for men and women to wear. Plus, being prepared for what lies ahead isn’t gender specific by any means. Everyone should plan ahead and be the one who can step up in a survival situation. Most articles you read focus on men’s survival necklaces, but this isn’t the proper way to classify survival necklaces.
How Much Do Survival Necklaces Cost?
Survival necklaces or EDC necklaces range in price from about $8 all the way up to upwards of $100. Why the price difference? You can easily find a fire starter survival necklace for under $10 because they are mainly paracord, firesteel and a scraper. Fairly cheap to make, but provide amazing quality. On the higher end of the spectrum are survival necklace kits that include much more gear and can replace more gear from your pockets. Also, neck knives are considered survival necklaces and they can get expensive quickly.
Do I Need a Survival Necklace?
We highly recommend them because you can only use the gear you have with you and a necklace is always there. It’s all about creating habits when it comes to EDC gear and a necklace is easy to sling over your neck before you go to work. You never really know what lies ahead and a survival necklace can be the deal breaker that keeps you alive. Make wearing your survival necklace a habit just like grabbing your car keys or wallet.
Jerome is an avid outdoorsman who moonlights as an attorney when he’s not creating the world’s greatest online content.