In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, survival skills aren’t just for the adventurous or the outdoor enthusiasts. They’re becoming essential tools for navigating life’s unexpected turns. From wilderness survival to urban readiness, these skills could spell the difference between a close call and a calamity.
Survival Skills to learn
Modern Survival Scenarios
Survival skills present an advantage when facing unexpected situations, not limited to wilderness misadventures. They can also come in handy during natural disasters or personal emergencies, like power outages, floods, earthquakes, or car breakdowns. Each of these situations calls for specific skills and knowledge.
Essential Benefits of Survival Skills to Learn
Building survival skills equips individuals with the tools to handle challenging situations. From building shelter to sourcing food and water to administering first aid, these skills can ensure safety and even save lives in critical situations.
Finding and Purifying Water
Human survival hinges on access to safe drinking water. In the wild, one might encounter a plethora of water sources, such as brooks, rivers, and rain. However, drinking directly from these sources isn’t usually safe, as they may contain harmful bacteria or pathogens.
Post discovery, purifying water becomes paramount. Boiling is a foolproof technique that kills most pathogens. After bringing water to a rolling boil, let it continue boiling for one whole minute. Alternatively, water can be purified by exposure to sunlight or with the aid of purification tablets.
Building a Shelter
Begin by looking for a suitable location. Choose a flat, dry spot and ensure it’s safe from falling branches or flooding. Use natural resources like branches, leaves, and debris to build your shelter. A simple lean-to shelter using a long branch supported by two tree trunks can offer effective protection against wind and rain.
Fire Making Techniques
Perhaps the oldest is the friction-based fire making, encompassing techniques like hand drills and bow drills. It involves rotating a stick against a wood base until the friction generates sparks. Contemporary methods, on the other hand, include usage of flint and steel or matches and lighters if they are at hand.
Advanced Survival Skills to Learn
Navigation Without GPS
Mastering the art of navigation without technology marks the sign of a true survivor. Navigational skills such as reading maps and compasses boost chances of survival in wilderness scenarios. Orienting the map to match the environment, correlating topographic symbols to real-world features, and interpreting contour lines to recognize changes in terrain are critical.
Foraging for Food in the Wild
It’s not just about finding food; it’s about finding the right kind of food. In a survival situation, foraging for edible plants, insects, and small animals can provide necessary nourishment. Differentiating between edible and toxic plants is a vital skill. For example, plants with milky sap or daisy-like flowers are often unsafe for consumption.
Must-Have Tools and Supplies
Survivor’s toolkit, isn’t just about having random items; the key lies in selecting tools that offer the most utility and versatility. Here are the basic tools that make the cut:
- Survival Knife: Knife finds utility in multiple scenarios such as building shelter, foraging for food, and self-defense. For reference, one high-rated survival knife is the Morakniv Companion.
- Fire Starter: Matches or a fire starter kit serves as a lifeline, providing heat and enabling cooking. A reliable example includes the Swedish FireSteel 2.0.
- First Aid Kit: Injuries are common in survival situations, making a stocked first aid kit indispensable. Coleman’s all-purpose first aid kit serves as a comprehensive choice.
- Water Purification Tablets: To ensure the water sourced from wilderness is safe for consumption, water purification tablets are beneficial. Aquatabs are commonly used due to their fast action.
Resilience in Survival
Survival skills to learn are an indispensable part of life. They’re not just about having the right tools or knowing how to find water, build shelter, or forage for food. It’s the training, preparation, physical fitness, and mental resilience that truly make the difference. Endurance, strength, agility, and flexibility can mean the difference between life and death in a survival scenario. Equally important is mental toughness.