From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, this article may need to be rewritten. Please help improve this article. The discussion page may contain suggestions.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007)

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 wilderness 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. A fifth is oxygen for high altitudes and subterranean environments, and also specific survival situations such as drowning and landslide/avalanche.

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 1 Survival priorities 2 Water 3 Fire 4 Food 5 First aid 6 Navigation 7 Other survival skills 8 Weapons 9 Training 10 Survival manual 11 References 12 See also

Among the simplest of human survival priorities are found in the Rule of Three:

1. Humans cannot survive more than three minutes without air (O₂)
2. Humans cannot survive more than three hours exposed to extreme low-temperature
3. Humans cannot survive more than three days without water (H₂0)
4. Humans cannot survive more than three weeks without food^{[citation needed]}

The Rule of Three should be viewed as generalities. The record is 8 minutes, 58 seconds without air, the crew of a boat lasted 8 days without water, people have survived without food for over 40 days.

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

1. Finding or making shelter is the most important because it allows a person to stay protected from the elements.
2. Humans can live for about three days without water. The length of survival mostly depends upon climate conditions and physical exertion.
3. Food is the #3 essential for survival. In the winter especially so you have calories to burn, to maintain essential body heat.

These priorities may change depending upon environmental factors.

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 able to be moved with you, if possible, and be set up quickly. You don't want to spend all of you time working on a shelter and take away vital time from other survival steps.

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.
• Flashing (weatherproofing) to provide protection from elements.
• A cave would be a very useful shelter because it is very resistant to rain water getting in and maintains a constant temperature. Unfortunately, caves can present additional problems such as ground water, dampness and wildlife. bears also nest in caves, so before selecting a cave to stay in, you should check it for signs of inhabitance.

The simplest and most mobile shelter would be some type of tarp that can be moved easily and supported by make shift frame work or just rope. When this is not available or not suitable to the situation 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. Ferns can also be added on a shelter to provide insect repellent. 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.

Humans can live for several weeks without food, and about three days without water. Depending on the climate conditions, it has been recorded that people have lasted longer than two weeks with no water supply. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest time a human has survived without water is 18 days. The length of survival does also depend on physical exertion. 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).

There are some plants which will provide you with survivable sources of water. Most tree roots and vines contain lots of water, and can be purged by breaking into 3 ft. sections, and standing upright above a water catcher. Avoid any vegetable liquids which are cloudy, milky in appearance, or colored in any way.

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 ankle and walk through dew-covered grass in the morning or evening, wring out water and collect. This is a very effective water procurement method.

Although you cannot drink salty seawater, if you are near the beach, you can dig a sand well on the opposite side (from the sea) of a windblown dune. Below sea level, the sand well will fill with drinkable water. It may taste salty or brackish, but the sand acts as a filter reducing the salt content the further you dig inland.

Stagnant water can be made drinkable by filtration through a sieve of charcoal.

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 pathogens so the 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.^{[citation needed]} Some Cacti are very toxic and would kill you if drunk.

Many birds, mammals, and some insects, such as bees, ants, and mason flies, are reliable indications of water, either through a stream or a soaked patch of earth.

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

• Breathing through the nose to prevent water vapor 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

You can gather moisture in these ways:

• Transpiration - collecting transpired water via a plastic bag.
• Using a Solar still
• Melting ice
• Rainwater harvesting
• Using Rain Barrels to collect water
• Well water
• Desalination
• Utility-Scale Atmospheric Water Gathering
• Harvesting/collecting dew from plants and grasses

Water Balance; Water Loss must equal Water Gain

• Water Balance; a Key to Cold Weather Survival

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 and certain insects (e.g. mosquitoes)
• Provides a sense of companionship and morale boost
• Signaling to rescuers (bright at night, smoky by day)

See also: Campfire, Ignition device

How to make fire:

• Tips on Emergency Fire Starting 2 3
• Pine Home:Fire Building

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 most wild environments, 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.

It is usually wise to eat little and often in survival situations. Small meals take time to digest, and may help heal the empty-stomach feeling. Several bugs are edible, (but taste atrocious), for example, many types of maggots are edible. Some types of spiders, for example, the crucifix spider are edible. To eat a maggot, simply bite off the head and eat the body. The taste may not be particularly pleasant, but the maggots hold vital calories needed for survival. Many survival experts including Marty Simon of the Wilderness Learning Center warn strongly against eating insects without first cooking them as many insects harbor parasites that are harmful to humans.

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 including Ray Mears and John Kallas^[1] reject this method, in main part because a very small amount of some "potential foods" can cause anything from gastric distress to illness or death. An additional step called the "scratch test" is sometimes included. In this step (before tasting the food) one makes a major abrasion on the surface of an area of skin (such as with fingernails) and then lightly rubs some of the food product on the abrasion. Foods which cause surface inflammation, discomfort, itching or eruption should be avoided.

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

How to:

• Snare animals 2 3 (High -quality PDF)
• Ice fishing
• Forage for Edible Wild Plants
• Build a fire to cook with spark based methods

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:

• Lacerations, which may be infected
• Bites from venomous animals, such as snakes
• Bone fractures
• Sprains, particularly of the ankle
• Burns

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.

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

• Celestial navigation, using the sun and the night sky
• Reading a map (particularly a topographic map), together with a compass
• Using a GPS receiver, if one is available
• www.special-forces-adventure-training.co.uk have posted a video on YouTube this video shows you how to find compass direction using the Sun & your watch and the Sun & stick & stone, both in the field and in the classroom. This short video runs for 7 minutes 8 seconds.

For long-term survival some other skills are useful:

• Knife or Multitool - usage and sharpening (a knife or Multitool is very important for all survival situations and for many aspects of bushcraft)

A good sheath knife of high carbon steel with a 4 to 6 inch blade is invaluable as you can create tools, split wood for fire building using a baton, build shelters and many other skills

• 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 marksmanship / handgun marksmanship, both for hunting and defense

Weapons are an essential part of a large survival outfit. Weapons protect you and those around you and allow you to procure food through hunting. There are many points of view on this issue but by and large, a good 22 long rifle will serve to procure game and provide for moderate protection from predators both the four legged and two legged variety. Alternately, a decent higher caliber rifle in bolt action in 30.06 or 308 as well as lever action rifles in 30-30. Others choose a semi auto rifle in 7.62X39. An excellent choice here would be the SKS, a military surplus weapon. All these calibers are very common hunting rounds and are easily obtainable at any outdoor store selling hunting equipment.

There are more portable options in.22 caliber such as the

• Springfield Armory M6 Scout (over and under folding gun with a 410ga shotgun barrel on the lower half
• Marlin Papoose (standard marlin semiauto 22 frame with a barrel that takes down,fits in provided case (very Reliable!)
• the AR7 survival rifle

Any of these will fold and/or take down to fit conveniently in your backpack for general hiking trips and such. The AR7 even floats!

Handguns are also an option and the choices in this area are too numerous to list here. many choose a revolver in 357 magnum or 44 magnum. These two calibers seem to fit the bill nicely for bear protection and emergency hunting. the advantage of a handgun is its portability s in it can be carried in a holster where it comes quickly to hand in an emergency and is not as bulky as a long arm.

Be sure to get proper training to be safe with firearms

Primitive weapons: This is a topic that is best left to first hand instruction but some basic primitive weapons can include spears, Vietnam crossbows, longbows, the throwing stick, clubs etc. Many primitive tools can also fill the weapon class as well such as a stone axe.

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 more environment specific.

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.

• Antitoxin
• Antivenin
• Bushcraft
• Debris shelter
• Firearms
• Hiking equipment
• Outdoor education
• Survival kit
• Survival knife
• Survivalism