Survival skills

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Survival skills are skills that may help one to survive dangerous situations (such as storms or earthquakes), or in dangerous places (such as the desert, the mountains, and the jungle). Useful skills include lighting a fire, finding shelter, making water safe to drink, finding and identifying food, treating injuries, and climbing, swimming, and using specific or makeshift tools.

Each type of environment challenges a person with a different range of dangers (see hazards of outdoor activities). An environment may be dry, wet, hot, cold, high altitude, low altitude, desert, rural, urban, wilderness, subterranean, or an island. Nevertheless, there are four basic necessities of life which apply in all of these cases; shelter, water, fire, and food (also oxygen for very high altitudes).

Where survival skills are used on a more permanent basis, or as a component of daily life beyond the mundane basic necessities, they are often referred to as Bushcraft.

Contents

[edit] Survival priorities

In most survival situations, five priorities must be addressed before any other needs are met:

  1. A positive mental attitude is essential.
  2. Finding or making shelter is the most important survival priority because it allows a person to stay protected from the elements, and thus hopefully warm and dry.
  3. Humans can live for only about three days without water.
  4. Fire helps to purify water, provide warmth, scare away dangerous animals, and signal to other people.
  5. A human can survive for weeks without food, but hunger impairs judgment and clarity of mind, and makes one weak and susceptible to disease.

These priorities may shift depending on the environment, though shelter is almost always the most important consideration. For example, in a desert environment, water is typically more immediately important than fire, with the priorities (perhaps) reversed in a cold-weather survival situation.

[edit] Shelter

A shelter will protect one from potentially disastrous weather, help prevent hypothermia, and allow restful sleep. It will also boost morale, as it will become a base or home. Therefore, in typical survival situations, a shelter should be built first and quickly, dependant on weather conditions.

A shelter should provide a somewhat comfortable place to sleep. To this end, it should account for the following:

  • Immovable rocks, animal nests, and other obstacles and hazards should be avoided.
  • Dry watercourses may be flat, sandy, and comfortable to sleep on, but they will flood in a storm.
  • Sunlight will provide warmth (which is not always welcome), and help one to wake up in the morning. However, sunny, open areas are vulnerable to wind.
  • Heat transfer: an excessively large or well-ventilated shelter will not retain warmth well.

A simple shelter can be constructed using a lattice of branches propped up at an angle against the wind. Large leaves, such as ferns or fir branches, can then be added to create cover for rain and hail. Branches propped against a fallen tree make a simple and effective shelter, but animals such as ants and snakes may nest under the tree. With some practice, more advanced shelters such as a debris shelter can be constructed without modern tools or implements.

[edit] Water

Humans can live for several weeks without food, but only about three days without water. A typical person will lose 2-3 liters of water per day in ordinary conditions, but more in very hot or dry weather. A lack of water causes dehydration, resulting in lethargy, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and eventually death. Even mild dehydration impairs concentration, which is dangerous in a survival situation where clear thinking is essential. Dark yellow or brown urine indicates dehydration. Because of these risks, a safe supply of drinking water must be located as soon as a shelter is built (or even before, depending on conditions).

In a survival situation, any water supply may be contaminated with pollutants or pathogens (see Potability of backcountry water). Although little can be done to remove molecular contaminants, particles and microorganisms can be removed and/or killed (see Portable water purification).

Water can be gathered in numerous ways. In areas of abundant moisture, water can be scooped out of a creek or pond. Rainwater (which is typically safe to drink) can be caught in makeshift containers. If these easy sources are not available, a bit more ingenuity will be necessary. Water can be collected from condensation traps or solar stills. Clothing can be used to collect dew from vegetation. Tie a tee shirt to your leg and walk through dew covered grass in the morning or evening, wring out water and collect. This is a very effective water procurement method.

Animal blood is not suitable for rehydration, as it may be diseased. In addition, because of the nutrients it contains, it requires energy to digest. Mammals all have blood borne pathogenes so th animal must also be cooked. Urine contains salt and other toxins, which also makes it unsuitable to drink, although it can be refined in a solar still.

A common survival myth is that cacti can be sliced open to obtain water. While some cacti do have fluid inside, it is a highly acidic solution and would induce vomiting if drunk.

In extremely dry environments, it is necessary to take extra care to prevent water loss by:

  • Breathing through the nose to prevent water vapour escaping through the mouth
  • Not smoking
  • Resting in the shade and avoiding strenuous labor during sunny, hot periods
  • Not eating too much (the human body uses a lot of water to digest food - especially fats and proteins)
  • Not drinking alcohol, which hastens dehydration

[edit] Fire

A fire is as important as a safe water supply, because of its many uses:

  • Boiling water to kill pathogens (see above)
  • Cooking food, including wild-caught fish and game (see below)
  • Staying warm, particularly when wet
  • Repelling dangerous animals
  • Provides a sense of companionship and morale boost
  • Signaling to rescuers (bright at night, smoky by day)
See also: Campfire, Ignition device

[edit] Food

Food is not urgently needed in survival situations, since a human can survive for several weeks without it. However, much like dehydration, hunger can bring about many consequences long before it causes death, such as:

  • Irritability and low morale
  • Weakness
  • Loss of mental clarity, such as confusion, disorientation, or poor judgment
  • Weakened immune system
  • Difficulty maintaining body temperature (see heat exhaustion and hypothermia)

It is actually rather easy to find food in the wild, provided one knows where to look. A basic knowledge of animal trapping, hunting, and fishing will provide meat. Equally important is a knowledge of edible plants, fungi, and lichens. One cannot always rely on the most abundant or most easily accessible type of food. To survive for long periods of time, one must maintain a balanced diet. In order to do this, one must consume a balanced variety of foods.

Many survival books promote the "universal edibility test": allegedly, one can distinguish edible foods from toxic ones by tasting progressively larger portions over time. However, many experts (such as Ray Mears) deprecate this method, in main part because a very small amount of some "potential foods" can cause anything from gastric distress to illness or death.

Finding food in the wild depends on your envivroment (i.e. vegetation, animals, and water sources).

[edit] Traps and snares

Some examples of the most easy and effective traps for wilderness survival are:

THE BOTTLE TRAP- this trap utilizes an animals inability to climb out of slanting walls. you first build a hole with slanting sides that will end at a flat bottom. Once this is done, place a rock elevated about 1 inch above the earth's surface. The idea behind this trap is that rats and voles will attempt to hide under the rock and will fall into the hole unable to climb out.

Superscript textthis is based on the book "survival FM 21-76"

[edit] First aid

First aid (and wilderness first aid in particular) can help a person survive and function with injuries that would otherwise kill or incapacitate him/her. Common and dangerous injuries include:

The survivor may need to apply the contents of a first aid kit or naturally-occurring medicinal plants, immobilize injured limbs, or even transport incapacitated comrades.

[edit] Navigation

Many survival situations can be resolved, or at least ameliorated, by finding one's way to safety. This requires some navigation or movement:

[edit] Other survival skills

For long-term survival some other skills are useful:

  • Knife or Multitool - usage and sharpening (a knife or Multitool is important and useful for many aspects of bushcraft)
  • Climbing and Mountaineering techniques
  • Ropework
    • Making rope from materials such as the inner bark of trees, other plant fibers, or animal sinews
    • Knowledge of knots and their applications
  • Making a raft or boat
  • Basic rifle/handgun marksmanship, both for hunting and defense

[edit] Training

Training survival skills has two components: mental competence and physical fitness. Physical fitness includes, among other abilities, carrying loads over long distances on rough terrain. Mental competence includes the skills listed in this article, as well as the ability to overcome panic and think clearly. Theoretical knowledge of survival skills is useful only if it can be applied effectively in a real survival situation.

Several organizations offer training in survival skills, which ranges from introductory courses lasting only a day, to field courses lasting as long as a month. In addition to teaching survival techniques for conditions of limited food, water, and shelter, many such courses seek to engender appreciation and understanding of the lifestyles of pre-industrialized cultures.

There are several books that teach one how to survive in dangerous situations and schools usually tell children what to do in the event of an earthquake or fire. Some cities also have contingency plans in case of a major disaster.

Survival Training is normally broken down into two types; Modern Wilderness Survival and Primitive Technology. Modern Wilderness Survival training teaches only skills necessary to survive in the short-term (1-4 days) or medium-term (5-40 days), while Primitive Technology teaches skills need to survive over the long-term (40 days plus). Many primitive technology skills require much more practice and may be very environment specific.

[edit] Survival manual

A survival manual is a book used as reference in case of emergency, when one's survival is threatened. Typically it will cover both preparation for a trip, and guidance, such as is contained in this article, for dealing with eventualities.

There are many different types of survival manuals. The military will usually have one as part of its standard documentation. These are sometimes republished for public distribution; for example the SAS Survival Handbook and United States Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76. Other manuals may be written for more specific uses, such as wilderness or maritime survival.

[edit] Presence of mind

It is also extremely important to use laughter as an essential part of survival. As Laurence Gonzales says in his book "Deep Survival", "laugh at threats...playing and laughing go together. Playing keeps the person in contact with what is happening around him. To deal with reality you must first recognize it as such." Keeping laughter and humor in a situation where a person is fighting for their lives only makes them more calm and relaxed, helping them to have a far better chance of survival. Another important aspect of survival that Gonzales discusses is helping others. When helping someone else you have to conquer your own personal fears. By doing this “you’re a rescuer, not a victim. And seeing how your leadership and skill buoy others up gives you more focus and energy to persevere.” By helping another person it gives you confidence and power. People begin to look to you for support and instructions. This allows one to become more educated on their situation and surroundings allowing them to survive.

An aspect of survival can be knowing whether you are lost or not. This can have a lot to do with what your behaviors are at the time. Being lost includes emotional and behavioral consequences, therefore it is extremely necessary to always keep this in mind during any high-risk activities. These high-risk activities are often what causes a person to be in a position of life and death, and in a position where they will feel they need to do something in order to survive.

A question often asked when discussing survival is "What were these people thinking?" or "Why would they put themselves in this frightening and dangerous situation?" The answer has a lot to do with adrenaline, and also a lot to do with the mastery of having one's life in one's own hands. Though some people think extremely high-risk activities are done just for fun, it is found they that are also done because it makes a person feel more alive. It essentially gives them a chance to save their own lives.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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