GEAR
Good quality, inexpensive, and (usually) light/compact. * Means I haven't owned or field-tested this product but it’s well-reviewed.
Folding / pocket knife / larger
Folding / pocket knife / smaller
Synthetic sleeping bag (adult)*
Portable Phone/ Device Charger
Marine Flares (for boating and bears)
SKILLS
How to use a compass
Basic outdoor knife skills
Axe skills
How to rig a simple tarp shelter
More ways to rig a tarp shelter
How to make a quick snow shelter
Basic fire making skills
How to make feather sticks for tinder with a Knife
Finding and using fat wood
How to extinguish your campfire correctly
Collecting and managing wood for a campfire
How to make a solar still
2-day wilderness first aid (WFA) courses
Dr. Popsicle's awesome guide to surviving cold water immersion
How to remove an embedded fish hook
How to escape a forest fire when hiking
How to survive a grizzly bear attack
How to properly carve a turkey
Recommended, all-purpose, USEFUL KNOTS for many outdoor and other uses:
The bowline (tying rope to a tree, grommet, anchor point - anything)
Double fisherman's knot (tying two pieces of rope together)
Clove hitch (adjustable knot to tie rope to an open or closed connection)
Trucker's hitch (rigging tarps / tying things to racks, etc.
Prusik (friction knot for tarps, etc.)
Girth hitch (tying a bight of rope around something)
Figure eight on a follow through (tying rope to something / connecting two pieces of rope together)