Alone Gear List: Every Item Contestants Can Choose
This is the whole menu. Before each season, every contestant picks 10 items from the show's approved selection list, and this page lays out all 44 selectable categories I can document, grouped the way contestants actually think about them: cut, shelter, fire, food, cook, sleep. Where an item has a documented limit I note it, and where I have the exact products people carried, the item links through to its own page.
One honesty note up front: the show has never published a single official master list, and a few limits changed between seasons. This list is compiled from documented sources and cross-checked against the 32 categories where I track real contestant selections.
Cutting tools
- Axe→Most commonly picked
Listed as a distinct selectable option separate from 'axe' in at least one structured compilation; no specific size/weight limit documented.
- Saw→Most commonly picked
One compilation notes a vague 'size restriction (except for one season)' on saw blade length, i.e. bigger blades generally allowed but capped in at least one season; exact dimension not documented.
- Two-Hand Knife
- Pocket Knife→Occasionally picked
4-inch blade maximum.
- Hunting Knife→Occasionally picked
6-inch blade maximum.
Shelter & cordage
- Tarp→Occasionally picked
12x12 (feet) maximum for the personally-selected tarp; note production separately issues non-counted canvas tarps for camera/gear protection, which is a distinct item from the selectable one and a common source of confusion across compilations.
- Paracord→Commonly picked
Documented as 20 meters of 550 paracord in Season 1 sources; a separate compilation cites an 80-meter maximum in later seasons. Sources disagree; treated as season-variable.
- Climbing Rope
10 meters.
- Bivy Bag→Rarely picked
- Hammock
Fire starting
- Ferro Rod / Flint→Most commonly picked
One compilation notes a vague 'size restriction (except for one season)' -- exact dimension cap not documented, but the general guidance cited is 'bigger is better' within that limit.
Food gathering
- Fishing Line & Hooks (Fishing Kit)→Most commonly picked
Season 1 sources document '300-yard roll of single-filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks, no lures.' A later-season compilation instead cites '20 lb test line, up to 300 yards, 35 barbless hooks.' Hook count and line spec appear to vary by season; lures/artificial bait are consistently prohibited.
- Primitive Bow & Arrows→Occasionally picked
Must be 'predominately made of wood.' Season 1 sources document 6 arrows issued with the bow; a later-season compilation cites 9 arrows. Arrow count appears to vary by season.
- Gill Net→Occasionally picked
Sources conflict on dimensions: one Season 1 source cites '1.5m deep x 6m long, 2-inch mesh'; another compilation cites '8m x 2m OR 1.5m deep x 3.6m long, 2-inch [50mm] mesh.' Treated as season/region-variable pending reconciliation.
- Slingshot→Rarely picked
- Trapping/Snare Wire→Commonly picked
Season 1 sources document a 3.5 lb roll of trapping wire; a later-season compilation cites 2 lbs. Weight allocation appears to vary by season.
- Foraging Bag
Cooking & water
- Cooking Pot→Most commonly picked
2-quart maximum, includes lid.
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Canteen / Water Bottle→Rarely picked
Appears to be an optional/region-specific selectable item (bear country seasons); no size spec documented.
- Salt BlockRarely picked
- Emergency Rations→Famously skipped
Must be selected from an approved sub-type list: jerky, dried legumes, biltong, hardtack, chocolate, pemmican, GORP/trail mix, flour, rice, sugar, salt.
Sleeping
- Sleeping Bag→Most commonly picked
Described only qualitatively as 'multi-seasonal'; no specific temperature-rating cap documented in the sources reviewed.
- Sleeping Pad
Personal care
- Soap→Occasionally picked
- Toothpaste
Other selectable items
- Multi-Tool→Commonly picked
- Sharpening Stone→Rarely picked
- Shovel→Rarely picked
- Sewing Kit
Appears on at least one compiled 'approved items' roster as a selectable tool, which sits in tension with the separately-documented prohibition on 'unapproved technology (anything with a battery or an engine)' -- likely resolved in practice by production-issued headlamps counting as standard non-selectable safety gear rather than a chosen item, but sources do not fully reconcile this; flagged as a conflict.
- Ice Spikes
- Auger
How to read this list like a contestant
The six near-universal picks (axe, saw, sleeping bag, ferro rod / flint, fishing line & hooks, cooking pot) eat six of the 10 slots for almost everyone, so a selection really comes down to the last few choices: a second cutting tool or a bow, paracord or snare wire, a luxury like soap or another food system. I compared how every winner spent those slots in the 10 items every Alone winner picked.
Alone gear list FAQ
How many items are on the Alone gear list?
My gear database tracks 44 distinct selectable item categories, from axes and sleeping bags down to rarely picked options like a salt block or a razor. Contestants choose 10 of them before being dropped at their site.
Is there an official published Alone gear list?
No single official master list has ever been published by the show. This page is compiled from multiple documented sources and cross-checked against the gear contestants have actually carried, and several numeric limits genuinely vary by season, which I flag rather than hide.
What are the most picked items on the Alone gear list?
The staples that show up in almost every 10-item selection are axe, saw, sleeping bag, ferro rod / flint, fishing line & hooks, cooking pot. The interesting strategy is in the last two or three slots after those.
Which items on the Alone gear list have size limits?
17 of the categories I track carry a documented size, quantity, or eligibility rule, like the 6-inch blade cap on a hunting knife and the 12x12 tarp limit. The rules page breaks each one down with its source.
Do clothes count toward the 10 items on Alone?
No. Contestants get a standard clothing allowance plus production-issued safety and camera equipment, and none of that counts against the 10-item selection. The 10 slots are purely for survival gear chosen from the approved list.
For the size limits, bans, and prize structure behind this list, see the full Alone rules. For the exact models contestants carried in each category, browse the gear database.