Every outdoors enthusiast desires to efficiently learn advanced survival skills that can potentially rescue themselves and others in dangerous circumstances. Having the ability to ignite a fire using a single strike from a ferro rod or construct a shelter in the depths of the wilderness are both crucial abilities for individuals intending to venture into the backcountry for hunting or hiking purposes.
In your thought process, it is important to consider the minor details as well. For instance, it is crucial to be aware of the location of the nearest water source, ensuring your blade is sharp, and being able to navigate back to camp without relying on GPS.
Before heading into the wild, you must know these 10 basic outdoor skills.
1. Pick a Safe Campsite
Most likely, we have all done it. When we find ourselves in the wilderness, we immediately choose a spot to set up our tent as long as there is no bear on it. Is it sufficient? Not really. It is important to direct your gaze upwards to identify any potential hazards that may fall on you, such as loose rocks or dead tree branches. Additionally, you should inspect the surroundings for signs of poor water drainage that could result in your campsite becoming flooded (it is always preferable to choose higher ground). Lastly, examine the ground for pests, poison ivy, and other risks. The time you invest in selecting a practical campsite is time well spent. However, refrain from spending too much time deliberating as you may lose daylight. It may not always be possible to find the perfect campsite, so choose one that is suitable enough.
2. Have a Plan
In order to guarantee your safety in the backcountry, it is imperative to carefully select your equipment, decide on your travel route, and mark the date on your calendar. Unfortunately, planning is often underestimated despite its significance. You may have heard of the six Ps: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. This motto is both memorable and accurate. If you are the type of individual who haphazardly throws supplies into a bag and rushes out the door, it is only a matter of time before you encounter a situation where you require a specific piece of gear that you failed to include due to your lack of planning. If you have not mapped out your route or established a designated return time, those back home will be clueless regarding your whereabouts or the need to search for you if you become injured, lost, and unable to call for help due to a lack of phone signal. Your plans should encompass the required gear, designated route, and timeframe of your excursion, even if it is just for a single day. It is vital to have a responsible individual at home who can notify the authorities if you fail to return or make contact by the predetermined hour.
3. Locate a Water Source
When there is no immediate access to running water, there are various methods to find water. Some of these methods are easily noticeable, while others are less apparent. One effective strategy is to travel downhill, as this often leads to water sources, although these streams may occasionally disappear in dry environments. Another approach is to search for areas with lush vegetation, as plants require water to thrive, indicating that there may be water either on the surface or just beneath the soil. Paying attention to the sounds of aquatic creatures, such as frogs, can also serve as a helpful guide in determining the correct direction to find water.
4. Sharpening A Knife
Knife sharpening is comparable to cooking in that not everyone desires to engage in it and some individuals may lack proficiency in this task. This is likely due to insufficient practice. Given that a knife is an essential tool in outdoor settings, it is logical to ensure its optimal state. This entails safely storing the knife when not in use and sharpening it after any activity that may dull its edge.
If you only need to refine a slightly sharp edge, using a very smooth stone may offer enough abrasion. However, if you require more extensive sharpening, you will need multiple stones with varied surface textures, similar to the coarse, medium, and fine options available for purchase. Additionally, it is important to handle your knife safely.
It is important to handle your EDC blade or belt knife safely every time you use it. Regardless of whether you have a pocketknife or a survival blade, it can be incredibly useful if used correctly, but it can also cause serious injury. Trust me, during a survival situation, you already have enough problems to deal with, so adding a knife wound to the list is unnecessary. To minimize the risk of injury, it is crucial to understand knife safety. Always cut in a direction away from yourself and others in camp. Keep your folders closed and secure your sheath knives in their sheaths when not in use. When carving, take your time and avoid rushing – keep each movement slow and controlled. Be aware of your surroundings and immediately stop carving if someone gets too close to your blade. Lastly, make sure to keep your knife sharp. A dull knife requires more force to cut and the added exertion can increase the likelihood of slipping and injuring yourself.
6. Navigating Without GPS
The primary reason for Search and Rescue callout is people getting lost, which can be prevented by using a GPS. However, it is advisable to have a backup plan for navigation. Avoid relying on unreliable methods like moss growth or geese flying directions. Instead, invest time in mastering map and compass navigation and enhance it with knowledge of celestial navigation. Understand where the sun and moon rise and set and become familiar with identifying constellations revolving around the North Star. Take note of the orientation of ridges, valleys, and rivers in the vicinity. Learn the art of creating a sun compass. All these approaches can aid in providing general bearings and prevent getting lost.
If, by chance, you find yourself hiking in your preferred national park and, regrettably, lose your path with no trails visible, what actions should you take? Should you call out for assistance until someone arrives? Should you choose a direction and commence walking? Should you curl up and weep? Absolutely not. The most prudent course of action to ensure your survival is to be knowledgeable about how to navigate the environment surrounding you. Additionally, there are a few uncomplicated methods that will prove useful in such a circumstance.
When trying to navigate, it may not always be practical or essential, but locating an elevated area in the nearby terrain is likely the easiest method to determine your desired destination or avoid going astray. If you can make your way to the highest point of the closest hill or ascend a small tree, it will greatly assist in providing you with a better sense of direction. Although it may seem evident when expressed verbally, if you find yourself lost and filled with panic, locating a viewpoint to assess your position is, at the very least, a beneficial initial step.
With the exception of the extreme North and South Poles, the sun always moves from east to west regardless of location on Earth. Although not flawless, this system is definitely better than having no system at all. Additionally, there is a straightforward method to simplify this: insert a long stick into the ground until it stands upright by itself. Proceed to create a mark in the dirt indicating the tip of the stick’s shadow. After a few minutes, examine the direction in which the shadow has shifted – that particular direction represents east.
The availability of water is crucial for both Water Civilization and life. If you can locate a river, it is advisable to follow its course. It is likely that you will encounter other individuals at some point, as long as you are not completely isolated. In the event that you cannot immediately find your way back, at least you will have access to a reliable source of safe-to-drink fluids. If you are fortunate enough to have a water bottle with you, it would be wise to fill it before embarking on your journey.
We may not be expert navigators, but it isn’t necessary to be one in order to use a compass. A simple understanding of the compass (the needle always points north) can be helpful in a survival situation. Even without a map, reading a compass is still useful. The main advantage of a compass is its reliability, as it continues to work when other technology fails. Therefore, it is advisable to bring a compass with you.
7. Forage for Food
If you find yourself in a prolonged emergency survival situation that lasts for days or weeks, it becomes essential to acquire knowledge on locating and capturing food for your survival. There are various methods available for this purpose, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Provided that you possess or can create the necessary tools, the following techniques can be employed to secure food while in the wilderness.
If you possess the skill to create a weapon by sharpening a long and strong stick, you can utilize it as a tool for spearing small game or fish. The advantage of this approach is that minimal craftsmanship is required to make a stick sharp enough to penetrate the body of a small creature. However, you can exhaust a significant amount of valuable energy in your hunt, as you expend numerous calories in the process of chasing and attempting to spear small animals for sustenance. Additionally, this is further amplified when dealing with larger animals, as the potential for injury increases.
When you are in the wild, you can create various small survival traps using the materials you have and the things around you. The Art of Manliness provides a useful guide on constructing a small game survival snare. Although building a trap and using it to secure food requires patience and skill, it results in consuming fewer calories than actively hunting for a meal.
If you possess a fishing line and hook, are in proximity to a body of water, and have sufficient time, fishing is likely the most optimal choice for obtaining nourishing food with high protein content. Simply establish your fishing line with bait, if possible, and be patient until you successfully catch something. However, it is important to consider that locations abundant in fish tend to attract larger predators as well.
When foraging, the physical benefits of eating local flora may not be as significant, but the energy expended in collecting them is likely to be less. Additionally, you may be surprised by the abundance and diversity of edible plants in certain areas. However, it is advisable to avoid anything that appears or is known to be even slightly poisonous, such as mushrooms. Prior to embarking on a lengthy outing, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the plant life in the local area.
8. Signaling for Help
By asking for help and acknowledging your inability to accomplish it alone, this skill set does not enhance your self-esteem. However, it is the skill set that is most likely to enable your rescue. When we have locator beacons and even our mobile phones, modern technology can provide us with numerous advantages. Nevertheless, there are alternative signaling tools that do not operate as easily and require practice. A signal mirror is just one example of such a tool. Redirecting sunlight with a mirror can create a beam that is noticeable from a distance of up to 10 miles, but it is quite difficult to aim the beam accurately, even when the target is just a few hundred yards away. These skills need to be practiced prior to encountering a problem, as opposed to attempting to learn them while already in distress.
9. Learn to Tie Multiple Knots
Not only is this skill set underrated, but it is also applicable to various leisure or sporting activities such as sailing, camping, rock climbing, and more, and can be extremely beneficial in a survival scenario. Knots go beyond shoelaces and quickly tied packages because when learned and executed correctly, they can assist in securing hunting traps, fishing line, bandages, survival shelters, and are essential in almost every other skill mentioned.
If you think you know how to tie a proper knot, but you haven’t actually studied the various types and instructions on how they function, chances are you are not doing it correctly. While you may be able to achieve something satisfactory through trial and error, there is also the possibility that your shelter could collapse, your trap won’t function, or you might waste a significant amount of your valuable paracord, rope, twine, or similar materials. At the very least, it is important to familiarize yourself with tying a clove-hitch, square, and bowline knots. Although there are numerous types of knots available, having a grasp on the fundamentals should serve you well in an emergency situation.
10. Learning First Aid
Before going outdoors or treating minor injuries at home, it is crucial to become proficient in first-aid. Being able to take care of yourself and assist others in times of injury is vital. No other survival skills are as important as first-aid skills. Therefore, it is advised to obtain the necessary knowledge and equipment before embarking on your next wilderness adventure.
Sustaining an injury during an emergency is possibly the most undesirable outcome as it exacerbates the existing problems. Although you might manage to evade severe injuries, it is advisable to be prepared to confront them directly in the event that you or someone you are with experiences a cut, fracture, or similar injuries. Presented below are several approaches to tending to typical types of injuries, along with additional suggestions and techniques for providing initial medical assistance.
The significance of closing a wound cannot be emphasized enough due to the fact that an open wound provides a pathway for bacteria, giving rise to infections that can lead to more serious complications. In the event of a cut, regardless of its size, it is imperative to clean the injury thoroughly (alcohol can be effective) and seal it. There are various approaches to accomplish this, such as bandaging the wound with cloth, utilizing a first-aid kit (including band-aids), or, in extreme cases, cauterizing the wound to stop excessive bleeding.
When bandaging, it is important to remember that tourniquets should only be employed as a final option due to the potential risk of limb amputation caused by tight binding. Therefore, unless it is a matter of life or death, tourniquets should not be a consideration. Nevertheless, it is still advisable to seal any fresh wounds with sterile cloth, if possible. Additionally, it is crucial to regularly change bandages to prevent the development of infected wounds. For further guidance, consult the Backpacker’s guide to treating deep wounds.
If you happen to break a limb, it is important to immobilize the injury to prevent further damage. Thankfully, this can be done easily by securing a strong, fairly straight tree branch to the affected area using rope, fabric, or, if available, some 550 paracord. Note that unless you are a medical professional, it is advisable not to attempt to reset a broken bone, as this may worsen the fracture.
