- Full-tang fixed knife (Morakniv, £15-25 — genuinely all you need) + sharpening stone (£10, a dull knife is dead weight)
- Folding saw (£15-25, outcuts a hatchet for its weight) + hatchet/axe (£25-40) + machete if vegetated area (£20)
- Crowbar (£15 — rescue, salvage, defence of doorways), claw hammer, adjustable wrenches (also shuts off your gas/water mains — learn where those valves are TODAY), pliers, screwdrivers, multitool (£20-70)
- Shovel (£20), bow saw, hand drill/brace (£20 used), work gloves ×3, safety glasses
- Cordage: 100 m paracord (£15), rope, wire, duct tape ×5, zip ties, tarps ×3 (8×10', £10 each — shelter, rain catch, ground sheet, stretcher)
- Repair: sewing kit + heavy needles, wire, epoxy, spare buttons/zips, bike puncture kit (a bicycle is Phase-3 transport + cargo hauler — panniers/trailer)
- Buckets. You cannot have too many buckets.
Tools and the workshop
A budget hardware-store kit: knife, saw, crowbar, wrenches. Know where your mains valves are.