The two basic necessities that Brian tries to focus on are shelter and food: "He had to have some kind of shelter and he had to have something to eat." At this point in the story, Brian has realized that it could be a while before anyone finds him. The plane veered far and for some time from its planned flight path, and the planned flight path would be where any search party would focus its initial efforts.
He estimates that any search party could, therefore, take up to four days to locate him, and thus that he will need at least enough food for those four days, and a shelter strong and stable enough to endure for those four days. Brian needs some kind of shelter not only to shelter him from the weather, but also to protect him from "wolves . . . and bears . . . [and] other things" that he imagines are "waiting for dark so they could move in and take him."
In chapter 5 of Hatchet, Brian begins to consider his present situation of being stranded. After he learns a lesson about drinking too much water from the lake, he begins to think more clearly. At first, Brian feels like he has nothing. Then, he empties his pockets. While the contents aren't much, it does help him realize that he doesn't exactly have "nothing." After remembering an English teacher who often talked about being positive, Brian remembers his hatchet.
As Brian is considering the amount of time it will take for rescuers to find him, he remembers that the plane was sharply turned when the pilot had his heart attack. As a result, Brian realizes that it may take a little longer for rescuers to locate him. In order to survive, he considers two necessities. He will need to have shelter, and he will need to have something to eat.
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