From Basic to Advanced – Steps to Learn Survival Skills

In many parts of the world, survival training is used for teaching survival skills as a recreational activity in which people are challenged to sustain their basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Humans have evolved to such an extent that they don’t feel a need to learn survival skills.

However, it is important to learn some survival skills in unprecedented scenarios.

Indeed, you never know when you might find yourself in a real-life situation that puts your skills to the test. It is extremely easy to get lost if you are in unfamiliar territory. If the forces of nature are against you, a weekend in the woods or jungle might turn disastrous!

Extreme weather conditions and natural disasters can lead to serious injury if they are not responded to properly. If you want to thrive during these difficult times, ensuring you have the skills to survive is important. If you have a thorough knowledge of outdoor survival techniques, they can improve your chances of making it through a life-or-death situation.

✅You might also like: 5 Basic Survival Skills for Kids

You should know how to make a shelter, fund water, and build a fire. If you want to know how to tackle a situation when the odds are stacked against you, practice hard skills under circumstances that reflect the challenges you might face in the field.

✅Following are the essential survival skills to improve your chances of success in the field:

Build a fire

You should learn how to build a fire depending on your trapped environment: dry, warm, wet, etc. Building a campfire helps you from discomfort, frostbite, or hypothermia. Knowing how to build a fire in the wilderness helps you keep yourself warm at all times.

You can build a fire using dry leaves, small pieces of wood, and pine needles. Ensure you have a matchstick or a lighter with you every time you go camping.

Build a short-term survival shelter

You should try constructing a temporary refuge to shield you from all the elements of nature. It can be an emergency step towards saving your life in an emergency. It is a no-brainer that a shelter is one of the primary tools for mitigating the threat you encounter in an unforeseen situation.

A shelter provides safety and security and prevents health problems and diseases. It is also important to insulate your shelter as it helps you retain valuable body heat in cold weather or provides sun protection.

Set your priorities straight

When exposed to an unprecedented scenario, panic strikes, and you get overwhelmed by the situation. You should have a pre-decided list of priorities and know how to act in such a situation.

Getting overwhelmed will make the situation worse. You should have a crystal clear idea of what your calling is the moment you encounter such a situation.

Find a clean water resource

A human body can only survive about three days without water. No matter where you are, you should be able to locate the nearest water resource in the woods or the mountains.

One of your priorities should be finding and collecting drinking water. Use a water filter, iodine tablets, or fire for boiling water. It is very important to ensure that you meet your hydration needs.

Practice hygiene

Maintaining hygiene while on a camp ensures you stay healthy during the trip. Clean camping practices encapsulate everything ranging from cookware cleaning human waste disposal, to personal hygiene.

There is a high risk of bacteria, pathogens, and parasites entering your body through food and open wounds. If you practice good hygiene and cleanliness, it will reduce the chance of succumbing to an illness.

Stay calm and poised for assessing the situation

One of the first steps of successfully handling a stressful situation is to have a calm mind. You can train your mind to be calm with several relaxation techniques, such as harnessing positive thinking, deep breathing, and relaxing your muscles are some of the techniques will help you keep your mind calm.

Your mind is the most powerful asset you have, and it’s an important survival tool at your disposal. Take a moment to collect your thoughts and stay calm when you encounter an unforeseen situation. Remaining calm, especially in the wilderness, will work in your favor.

Signal nearby searches and rescue teams

Make use of visual and auditory signals such as whistles, smoke, and mirrors to attract the attention of the rescuers. It is also important to notify them of your location for evacuation purposes.

Bring a solar battery charger in your survival kit for charging your cell phone. This tip is important, especially if you are going on a solo camp.

Finding shelter in any environment

You should know how to build shelter from leaves, tarp, and pine needles, as you might not have a great tent at your disposal. Even if you have one, there is no guarantee that the weather conditions will not ruin it! If there is a drastic change in the weather conditions, the first thing you need to worry about is a shelter.

Your body temperature drops quickly in a cold area. Thus, in an emergency, you should put all your skills to the test and build or find a temporary shelter.

Staying warm

You should be able to keep yourselves warm by any means possible. When you pack for a camp, also pack some extra clothes that will help you regulate the body heat. Dress according to your environment and know how to find warm areas and insulate yourself from snow.

Take stock

Ensure that you have your food stocked during a crisis. Food is the fuel your body runs on! Take the food which is high in nutrients so that it gives your body the energy it requires.

You should also learn to adapt, as your ability to adapt is the most important resource in the wilderness. Prepare a list of foods you want to take with you while going on a camp. Take extra food if needed!

Final words

If you familiarize yourself with all the means of survival mentioned above, you will never be stuck in any situation that is out of your control. Thus, learning how to adapt to any situation is important.

⭐It is, indeed, the ‘survival of the fittest.’