Can you guess the #1 priority for survival in the wilderness?
Having acted as a guide for wilderness survival, I have instructed numerous individuals on both the skills and knowledge required for it. I thoroughly enjoy hearing the responses of novices when asked what is necessary for survival. “Water!” Not quite. “Food!” Incorrect. “Fire?” Not it. “Shelter!” Wrong yet again. “A reliable knife?” Not even close.
The first step is self-reflection. The key component is your state of being. Reflect on the principles of survival psychology. While exposure to natural elements may be the cause of death for many individuals, it is essential to examine their internal state that contributed to their demise. To put it simply, they lost control and failed to maintain inner peace.
The tale of the man who got lost in the woods and panicked, frantically searching for an escape, is one that I find fascinating. Despite being completely consumed by fear, he managed to run right over a road and back into the woods, where he eventually met his demise. While undoubtedly an extreme example, it serves to illustrate an important lesson.
The most important aspect of surviving in the wilderness is maintaining a composed and calm mindset, which encompasses keeping a positive attitude, remaining level-headed, and not losing your cool. This is the key takeaway from our wilderness survival guide.
Shelter
By achieving a state of tranquility, more than half the battle is won. Exposure to the elements remains the leading physical cause of death in wilderness survival scenarios, with fatalities occurring in as little as three hours. It is crucial to learn how to maintain warmth in cold conditions, stay cool in heat, and stay dry in wet weather. This is where wilderness survival shelters come in, which can take many forms, including the classic debris hut. The debris hut is a simple one-person shelter that envelops the individual in natural materials such as leaves, grass, and branches to keep them insulated and water-free, effectively functioning as both a primitive tent and sleeping bag.
Despite its appearance, a wilderness survival shelter must adhere to fundamental principles. It should furnish insulation and shield against external forces. It should feature a heating source, be it a flame, the sunlight, or the conservation of bodily warmth. It should occupy a favorable spot, ideally raised and arid. Finally, it should impart solace and refuge, as it will become your abode.
Water
Ensuring that you remain hydrated is crucial for survival since dehydration can result in death after only three days. It’s worth noting that once you lose 7% of your body’s fluids, you’ll reach a state of unconsciousness. This can be quite painful.
To begin with, the task at hand is locating water. It is commonly observed that water moves downwards, promotes the growth of plants, and gathers in various forms such as pools, water bodies, streams, fountains, hollows in rocks, and even foliage. Regrettably, the majority of available fresh water sources are no longer potable as they were once before, therefore, it is essential to learn the techniques of water purification to overcome this challenge. Employ any of the following techniques to acquire clean and purified water:
- You can get clean, purified water from the inside of plants like grasses, thistles, cactuses, or grapevines. You can also tap many broad leaved trees and collect their sap.
- Collect dew by using a handkerchief or bundle of dry grasses to soak up morning dew, then just wring it out.
- Use a solar still .
Fire
Fire is beloved by the majority of people and plays a crucial role in wilderness survival for various reasons. Firstly, it offers warmth to maintain body temperature. Secondly, it provides heat for water purification, cooking food, and illuminating the surroundings. Additionally, fire symbolizes a spirit and earth teachings emphasize the significance of cultivating a positive relationship with it. Despite my enthusiasm for fire, it wasn’t until my initial wilderness survival solo that lasted four days, where I had to use a completely primitive bow and drill fire making kit, that I appreciated its value.
When it comes to fire, there is a range of skills that can be acquired.
- Building a fire pit
- Building a fire reflector
- Fuels
- Fire structures
- Fire tending
- Fire maintenance
- Matches – while most people assume that they know the proper way to light a match, it never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t. Try this – test yourself to build and light a fire in just five minutes using only one match. Can you do it in a nearby forest? Try out different habitats. How about in the snow? In the rain?
- Flint & SteelFire making methods
Food
Typically, humans are capable of surviving without food for approximately three weeks, which means it is usually considered the least important aspect of wilderness survival. When teaching wilderness survival, I suggest my pupils connect with their hunter-gatherer predecessors since the majority of human existence has been in this manner. This lifestyle is ingrained in our genetic makeup.
Similar to the hunter-gatherer society of our ancestors, a competent survivalist must be familiar with and knowledgeable about various species that can be consumed as food, varying depending on the time of year and geographical area. Refer to this list of foods for wilderness survival to gain further insight.
Wilderness Survival Skills vs. Wilderness Survival Gear
No wilderness survival guide is comprehensive without recognizing that skills are significantly more crucial than equipment in wilderness survival. Purchasing or collecting the finest equipment available is meaningless if it is forgotten, lost, or depleted. Your skills are what you’ll rely on in such circumstances. It’s still beneficial to be knowledgeable about wilderness survival equipment and construct a survival kit, but never rely on it solely.
Finding & Filtering Water
To locate water sources in cities or urban regions, one must venture beyond conventional options, as rivers and parks may be polluted with chemicals. However, alternative locations for water can still be discovered.
In an urban area, there are methods to find water that may not be immediately apparent. Depending on the time of year and tree species, it’s possible to extract water by “tapping” a tree. Another option is to create a solar still by digging a hole.
Although locating water is a task on its own, guaranteeing its purity is another. Dave Canterbury provides an overview of methods for purifying water in the following video, whereas the subsequent clip illustrates seven different ways to locate water.
Starting Fire
It is crucial to know how to start a fire using only available resources when you are in a survival situation. The significance of fire cannot be overemphasized, as evidenced by the abundance of information available on the topic.
Several techniques, such as using a bow drill, flint and steel, and harnessing solar energy (as shown in the video below), can be employed to create fire. Although it is beneficial to acquire knowledge of these methods, practicing them is crucial, since it is not as simple as it appears on television.
Building Shelter
Building shelter is crucial for several reasons, primarily for shielding oneself against the elements. The video presents the construction of a debri hut; nonetheless, there are numerous ways to construct a shelter.
The supplies at hand will determine the kind of shelter to construct. In urban areas, there might be pre-existing resources, whereas in the wilderness, one must create their own.
Learning the basic building process for wilderness survival can also be useful in an urban setting, even if you have no intention of surviving in the wild.
Natural First Aid
Being aware of the plants you can utilize in the wilderness is beneficial in case you don’t have access to your first aid kit. Although they may not be as effective as bandages or gauze, some of them can still be useful in an emergency.
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping
Obtaining meat through fishing could be the most effortless option in a survival scenario, but mastering it is necessary. As stated in the article, “The advantageous aspect of fishing is the minimal effort required in comparison to the reward. You could exhaust precious energy setting up traps or scouring for food, whereas fishing entails a great deal of anticipation.”
In this video, relying on a snare trap to catch food is somewhat of a gamble. Your success or improved chances will heavily depend on knowing the appropriate locations to place your snares and where the animals are likely to be found.
There are various traps you can set besides the snare shown in the video above. Look up videos on Paiute deadfall traps, t-bar snares, or Mojave box traps for more information.
If you find yourself without a rifle and some ammo, hunting for food becomes more challenging. The initial step towards hunting without a firearm is acquiring the know-how to construct an atlatl, a basic slingshot, or a long bow, which is what I did. The following move is learning to use it competently, but that’s easier said than done.
Foraging For Food
Having the ability to forage is an invaluable skill. The specific items to search for are contingent on the region you reside in. Although some edibles are ubiquitous, like cattails and a few others discussed in this article that are useful for wilderness survival.
Processing Wild Game
If you plan to hunt or trap, it’s necessary to handle the meat. Initially, cleaning wild game can seem intimidating for beginners; nevertheless, it becomes simpler with experience. It’s also important to keep in mind that it’s a matter of survival.
The majority of individuals in this nation prefer to hold the belief that the meat they purchase from the supermarket never had a life before and are oblivious to the process of bringing the meat to their dining table.
I recommend that you consider raising chickens or rabbits, even if it’s just a few, as it will help you understand the effort required to provide food during a post-collapse scenario. Though I won’t be sharing a video, I’m certain that there are many available online.
Making Tools & Weapons
Having a weapon for self-defense in addition to hunting gear can provide a greater sense of security. Despite our desire to believe that people are inherently kind and courteous, this may not be the case during a SHTF scenario. Scarce resources and challenging circumstances can drive individuals to take drastic measures in order to ensure their survival.
Self-defense weapons can span from basic tools like clubs or axes to more complex ones such as bows and arrows. Crafting a simple axe demands more than just a sharp rock and a tree branch. One must also be able to fashion a string and bind everything appropriately. It is important to pay attention to details beyond the primary elements.
Navigation/Tracking
In case you were lost deep in the woods or stranded in an unfamiliar part of town, would you be able to navigate your way back safely? If the answer is negative, I made a blog entry that covers the usage of a map and compass to determine your location and give you guidance.
A compass proves useful not only while wandering the woods but also while navigating the city. The plethora of streets and corners make it quite simple to misplace oneself. Making a mistake would result in finding oneself amidst confusion, which is the least desirable outcome.
I omitted the tracking aspect from the hunting category on this list as it also pertains to tracing humans. Being wary of potential risks necessitates being aware of the various ways someone could pursue you.
The MainePrepper on YouTube has created an excellent video series that covers various tracking and counter-tracking methods.
