Outer Codex
Tools
Axe
Before chainsaws and central heating, the axe turned standing forest into shelter and fire. It still splits the firewood, and the right one does it in a single blow.
Cordless Drill/Driver
The first power tool to own, and the one that handles the widest range of jobs at home.
Fixed-Blade Knife
The knife is the oldest tool there is, and still the one that does the most. One full-tang fixed blade handles food, wood, cordage, and fire.
Whetstone
Every edge goes dull, and a dull blade is the dangerous one. A whetstone brings it back while taking the least metal, so one good knife lasts a lifetime instead of a season.
Hand Saw
A hand saw cuts wood and metal to length on muscle alone, no fuel, no power, no charge to run flat. From a fallen log to a steel pipe, the right blade turns it into the piece you need, and no single saw does it all.
Hatchet
The axe stays by the woodpile; the hatchet goes in the pack. One hand, one forged head, and it turns branches into kindling and a clearing into a camp.
Household Tool Set
Most of living self-reliantly is a hundred small fixes: a loose hinge, a flat-pack shelf, a dripping tap, a picture to hang straight. This is the one box that handles all of them, and means you never put off a repair for lack of a tool.
Rechargeable Flashlight
Rechargeable, water-resistant, and bright enough. On the low mode it lasts for days.