When the fight or flight response is activated and everything appears unsafe, what actions do you take?
Are you familiar with the skills needed to evaluate and make the most of the wilderness?
In the event of a disaster, are you aware of what actions to take?
In a survival scenario, do you possess the knowledge to locate food and ensure its safety for consumption?
Maximize your life experiences by acquiring knowledge on survival techniques!
This guide offers a range of information, starting from tips on preparation to suggestions for essential survival gear.
In a step-by-step manner, you will gain knowledge about the definition of survival, strategies for disaster preparedness, and essential skills required during emergencies.
What exactly is survival?
The term “survival” is derived from the English language and refers to the state of remaining alive. Survival entails the act of persisting in existence and evading mortality. It encompasses the ability to persevere in living, particularly amidst arduous, demanding, or unfavorable conditions. Additionally, it pertains to the capacity to sustain life, regardless of its imperfections.
Survival, in actuality, signifies “living beyond.” Its origins lie in two Latin terms: super, signifying “above, over, or beyond,” and vivere, signifying “to live.”
The combination of these two words gave rise to the verb supervivere. This verb gradually transformed into the Provençal term sobrevivre and the Old French term sourvivre.
The term “survival” generally refers to the preservation of one’s physical existence or the prevention of physical harm.
The survivalist focuses on crucial factors in order to guarantee their survival.
Survival is significantly influenced by the following factors.
- Water supply
- Food supply
- Shelter
- Fire
- Orientation
The amount of equipment and supplies a person in distress has is typically limited. How much someone has in an emergency situation is largely dependent on the nature of the event.
Some individuals were only equipped with a knife, whereas others had a vehicle equipped with various survival gear, in addition to a stockpile of water and food.
Normally, an individual typically has access to only a small number of practical items and their own skills.
The skills primarily consist of those that ensure your survival during emergencies and enable you to remain calm.
By relying on what nature offers, a survival expert is capable of navigating in the wild, forgoing the need to bring food, constructing a shelter without a tent, and navigating without a compass. The expert makes use of the resources available in the environment for sustenance and various purposes.
The aim is to endure any climate, challenging circumstance, and native environment while promptly returning to normalcy.
Survival in the wilderness, whether for the excitement of adventure or due to necessity, involves strategic living and remaining alive, even in seemingly dire circumstances.
Where does survival come from?
There isn’t a specific date when the term emerged because it has always been about survival for humans. The word “survival” has undoubtedly existed for thousands of years, as people have been navigating through life.
However, certain periods, such as the Cold War, as well as situations involving the military, have exerted a significant influence on the term.
In order to survive under any conditions or environment, individuals in the military must depend on their training as soldiers, sailors, pilots, marines, and coast guards.
Survivalists often point to events such as the world economic crisis that followed the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the Cold War as evidence supporting the importance of survival training.
During the Cold War era, the American civil defense programs aimed to ensure survival in case of emergency by advocating for public bomb shelters, personal atomic bomb shelters, and providing children with training.
What do you do during survival training?
When undergoing survival training, you learn the necessary skills to endure and prevail in the wilderness. Survival training ensures that you are adequately prepared for the worst possible situation.
In survival training, you acquire skills like making fire, constructing a protective shelter, and locating water sources, which could potentially be life-saving.
In addition to the aforementioned subjects, these trainings also encompass other common topics such as physical fitness, first aid, identification of wild herbs and plants, as well as the skill of tracking animals.
In order to survive in the wilderness, one must possess crucial skills that need to be regularly practiced until they become instinctive.
It is essential for everyone to possess the knowledge required to construct a shelter, ignite a fire, locate nourishment and water sources, and safely return to populated areas.
Does survival also include preparing for crises?
Survivalists have the ability to prepare themselves for emergencies, such as natural disasters or disturbances in social, political, or economic systems.
The preparations can cover a range of scenarios, both short-term and long-term, that vary in magnitude from personal adversity to local service interruptions to international or global catastrophes.
Survival training may consist of solely preparing for an individual emergency situation, such as being stranded in the wilderness or facing unfavorable weather conditions (such as on a deserted island).
The main emphasis is on being able to rely on oneself, accumulating supplies, and gaining knowledge and expertise in order to survive.
Survivalists, as well as preppers, possess expertise in emergency medicine and self-defense, and store provisions of food and water. They anticipate achieving self-reliance by constructing structures such as shelters or underground accommodations that aid in surviving a catastrophe.
Who can do survival?
Survival training is accessible to everybody, regardless of age. Whether you are 16 or commencing at 50, engaging in this training will enhance your self-reliance and self-assurance.
Survivalists can be anyone, and there is no precise definition of survival. The concept of survival varies, as prepping is considered as important as knowledge of herbs for some individuals.
The concept of “survival” is not safeguarded, and there is no consensus on the exact starting and ending points of survival.
There are individuals who enjoy sleeping outdoors amidst nature, preparing meals, and referring to it as survival. Meanwhile, there are others who opt to take minimal supplies such as a knife, clothing, and a water bottle, isolating themselves from society for a week as they strive to survive.
Parents also expose their children to nature in order to demonstrate the beauty and variety that is readily available to them. In fact, they might engage in a survival exercise by suspending themselves over a river using a rope as a means of teaching them valuable skills.
When individuals willingly opt to simulate an emergency, it is not the same as actually fighting for survival. However, they are engaging in training, as one never knows when these abilities might come in handy.
Soldiers, just like private individuals, also engage in survival training or attend survival courses to practice these skills equally.
Survival encompasses various niches and styles which may differ depending on location, culture, and personality. Avoid speculating on someone’s authenticity as a survivalist or what constitutes sufficient survival. It is acceptable for individuals to have different approaches to practicing survival.
8 BASIC SURVIVAL SKILLS YOU CAN LEARN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Before venturing into the wilderness, acquiring survival skills in your backyard is a secure and uncomplicated method to equip yourself. Below we present eight fundamental skills to comprehend and perfect, enabling you to confidently confront any survival scenario.
1. BUILDING A FIRE
When it comes to staying warm, scaring away predators, and cooking, a fire can come in handy. However, the process of constructing a fire may prove to be more challenging than expected, particularly when dealing with unfavorable weather conditions like dampness or overcast skies, or when caught in a survival scenario with limited or no resources.
If you practice and have patience, there are multiple innovative ways you can create fire without any gear. It is an excellent idea to test some fire-building skills in your backyard as a preparation for emergencies.
To practice locating or producing dry tinder, you can carve a feather stick or search for amadou, a fungus that thrives in the bark of coniferous trees. Additionally, you can explore your backyard terrain to find quartz, which can be utilized as flint to create a spark.
2. CREATING POTABLE WATER
In a survival situation, sourcing clean drinking water is essential and considered the most vital skill. Regrettably, natural water sources may not always be sanitary and can contain parasites, viruses, and bacteria. However, there are a few straightforward techniques that you can learn at home to produce safe drinking water in the wilderness.
To effectively purify water in a wilderness setting, the simplest approach involves boiling it. However, this method can leave behind undesired sediment or other particles that impact its flavor. An alternative is to pass the water through a t-shirt for filtration or construct a filtration system utilizing charcoal from a fire, sand, and small river rocks inside an inverted PET bottle.
If you are unable to find a source of water, you have the option to construct a solar still to extract water from the earth. To create a solar still, start by digging a hole that is about two feet in width and one foot in depth. Next, position a container at the bottom of the hole and cover the hole with a tarp or plastic sheet, making sure to seal the edges firmly using dirt or sand. Finally, place a small rock at the center of the cover, and as a result, moisture will condense on the underside and drip into the container.
3. FORAGING FOR FOOD
It is astonishing the number of edible wild plants that can be found in your backyard farm or the area surrounding your neighborhood. If faced with a survival scenario, plants are an essential and valuable source of nutrients, offering a gentle means of acquiring energy.
Recognizing edible plants can be challenging due to the resemblance of toxic species to non-toxic ones. However, several readily recognizable plants are abundantly found throughout the country, offering both nutritional value and pleasing taste. These include stinging nettle, dandelion, lamb’s quarters, and miner’s lettuce.
If you do not have much experience in foraging for food, it is advisable to steer clear of fungi and mushrooms, as numerous types can be lethal. Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with identification methods by referring to a local botanical guidebook and practicing in your backyard.
4. TYING KNOTS
The skill of knot-tying is often overlooked but can be crucial for survival. It can assist in constructing a shelter, setting snares, and making tools. It is important to invest time and effort in learning how to tie strong knots. Therefore, it is recommended to practice with a rope to improve your knot-tying abilities.
5. MAKING A WEAPON
If you find yourself in the wilderness without a weapon, your options for defense against predators searching for an effortless meal are limited. However, a slingshot can serve as a valuable tool that is often overlooked. Creating a slingshot is a straightforward process, using common materials readily available at home, such as a forked stick, rubber tubing, and either leather or canvas for the pad.
After you have built your slingshot, arrange several targets in your yard and practice aiming and shooting. Remember to wear eye protection and make sure that nobody is in your line of sight when you shoot your projectiles.
6. BUILDING A SHELTER
If you find yourself lost in the wilderness, one of the initial tasks is to search for shelter. However, finding a secure location to protect yourself from the elements can be challenging. Utilize your childhood fort-building abilities and build a temporary shelter in your backyard for practice purposes.
When considering the terrain, environment, and season, you have various options for constructing shelters. Begin with a simple lean-to or tarp-tent, and progress in your abilities until you feel confident in joining lengthy branches together to create a teepee. In regions experiencing significant winter snowfall, you can utilize the cold climate to practice constructing a snow cave shelter.
7. BASIC FIRST AID
If you are sick or injured while out in the wilderness, it can be challenging for emergency services to reach you. Having knowledge of first aid and being able to provide it may be essential in saving your own life or the life of a loved one.
To practice administering first aid for common risks in survival situations, such as controlling bleeding, stabilizing limbs, treating burns, and finding soothing plants for insect stings and abrasions, grab a friend, partner, or family member and follow the basic CPR procedure.
8. FISHING AND TRAPPING
Being able to set up a snare for catching small game and knowing how to fish for survival are crucial abilities that enable you to acquire protein sources of significant value while expending minimal energy. The effectiveness of snares and fishing methods can vary depending on the targeted prey, hence it is essential to practice setting different types of snares and employing diverse fishing techniques. This will ensure that you are well-prepared for any possible circumstance.
Make sure to disassemble the snares you have set in your backyard after practice to prevent harm to local wildlife or pets in the neighborhood.
The main message to remember.
Instead of waiting until you find yourself stranded in the wilderness, it is advisable to practice your survival skills beforehand. The act of learning crucial abilities like fire building and shelter construction can be undertaken as a weekend project within the security of your own backyard.
