Being able to survive in the wild is what separates well intentioned survival hobbyists from true survivalists. Everybody is capable of stockpiling supplies and gear, and of hunkering down in place in the face of a crisis. Not everybody is capable of surviving in the wild with minimal gear and a limited supply of food or water. Wilderness survival is what separates the wheat from the chaff.
If your goal is to be well prepared for a disaster scenario, then your first priority should be stocking up on survival gear and supplies as we’v stressed over and over again, nothing beats proper preparation. But what happens once those supplies inevitably run out? What if you’re caught in a situation where, despite your best efforts, you don’t have access to all the resources that you had carefully prepared? This kind of situation is when you’ll need to rely on your wilderness survival skills. Being able to find or provide yourself with basic necessities, being able to navigate the terrain and protect yourself from the elements – these are skills that our ancestors had that most of us have sadly lost over time. Modern society just doesn’t call for being able to start a fire with no equipment, or being able to find water or hunt for food. As a consequence, these skills have atrophied.
But just because surviving in the current world doesn’t call for these skill doesn’t mean that they won’t one day become the difference between life or death. The world can be turned on it’s head in an instant. So if you want to be fully prepared for whatever the future holds, you’d do well to start learning how to truly survive in the wilderness with minimal access to modern conveniences.
To begin with, you need to be aware of the bare basics of how to survive in the wilderness. These basics are the kind of things that even casual outdoor enthusiasts should know – core ideas like how to navigate without a compass, or how to locate shelter. Sadly, many people go hiking or camping without a grasp of even these most basic of ideas – this is often what leads to people being stranded in the wild without supplies or any idea of what to do. Don’t be a dummy – even if you don’t care that much about being able to survive in the wild for extended periods of time, if you enjoy hiking or camping or any other kind of outdoor activity that involves being away from civilization, you need to have a grasp of these basic survival ideas.
If you want to know how to survive in the wild, the first thing you’ll need to learn is how to navigate the terrain. The number one killer in the wild isn’t lack of water or food – it’s the environment itself. Most people who die in the wild fall to their deaths. The second most common cause of death is drowning. This tells you that if you understand the terrain and can conquer your surroundings, your chances improve drastically.
The first skill you need to learn to conquer your environment is knowing where you are and where you’re going. If you know which direction safety lies in, then you are lost… just stranded. If you have a destination and you know how to get there, then you have a means of escape. You just need to be able to survive until you reach safety. On the other hand, wandering aimlessly in the wild is a recipe for disaster. That’s why any wilderness survivalist should know how to navigate. Ideally, you’re properly prepared and you have a compass and a map with you. If basic navigation equipment is unavailable to you, then you’ll need to understand how to navigate without a compass.
Once you know which direction you should be heading in, the next step is having the skill to actually reach your destination. In the wilderness, there often won’t be straight roads or paths that you can follow – if there is a path to follow, then chances are you aren’t really lost or stranded in the first place. Just because you know safety lies a certain way, doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to carve a straight line in that direction. There will be obstructions – heavy overgrowth, cliffs, rivers and so forth. While some kinds of terrain are impassable without the right gear, bodies of water like rivers can be crossed if you know what you’re doing – and if your goal is to go in a straight line to reach safety, you don’t want to be in a situation where you need to take a two day detour to bypass a river. That’s why it’s essential that you learn how to cross rivers, streams and rapids – in most cases, your best chance of survival is to stick as much as possible to a straight line in the direction that leads to safety.
Surviving what your environment has to throw at you isn’t just a matter of finding your way – it’s also about surviving the elements. Heat and cold can both kill very quickly. As we mentioned earlier, falls are one of the most common killers in the wild. Understanding the climate and terrain are essential to survival. For example, surviving in extreme winter carries completely different considerations from getting through extreme heat. Ideally, you want to be a survivalist who at least has a passing knowledge of how to make it through the different terrains and climates that you’re likely to encounter. That means having a working knowledge of surviving in the mountains (e.g the rocky mountains) as well as surviving in the desert. It means you should know the difference between cold weather survival gear and what you’d need in hotter conditions. Items like snow shoes and skis would likely prove life-saving in an extended, frigid winter, but would serve no purpose at all in other conditions. Ultimately, if you know what you’re doing, then you should be able to survive even the most extreme conditions.
If you’ve got a good grasp on factors like climate, terrain, and weather, your next focus should be the core skills that allow you to survive. That means being able to meet your basic needs as per the Rule of Three. The basic needs are, in order of priority: shelter, water, then food.
When it comes to shelter, the best way to protect yourself from the elements when in the wild is being able to start a fire without equipment. Being able to regulate the temperature of your environment (particularly in the cold) is essential to survival. Once you’ve absorbed basic firemaking, you should learn how to start a fire in wet conditions – which is trickier, but also very important. In the wild, even when it hasn’t rained, things tend to be damp unless you’re in desert-like conditions (think morning dew). Additionally, if you need a portable source of light to navigate in when it’s dark out, you should also read up on how to make a primitive torch – having this skill in your back pocket will allow you maneuverability even when the sun has set.
Next thing you’re gonna need to make it through being stuck in the wilderness is water. It’s amazing how bad humans have become at finding water, given that basically every other life form on the planet does it without much trouble. If plants are growing and there are animals around, then by definition there is water around somewhere – without it, everything would wither and die. The problem is, the comfort of modern life (having drinkable water available pretty much any time we want) has lead to us forgetting what should be quite a basic survival instinct. So, the ability to find water is something we need to relearn. If you’re someone who feels like they wouldn’t know where to start, make sure you understand how to find water in the wilderness. Unlike the water that comes from (most of) our taps, water you find in the wild may or may not be safe to drink. If you doubt whether or not the water source you’ve found is potable, you should probably play it safe and find a way to distill the water for drinking. To be able to this with minimal equipment available, you’re going to need to understand how to build an emergency distiller.
So, we’ve got shelter/warmth and water covered. Next is food. Humans can actually survive for a good amount of time without food – roughly 3 weeks. However, a lack of food will lead to weakness, increased chance of illness, and far lower endurance. Being weak and tired will not help your chances of making it through the survival scenario you’re in.
There are two primary ways to find food in the wild. You can find, kill, and eat animals, or you can forage and eat plants. In most situations, the ideal thing to do is a mixture of the two. Eating animals is generally safer than eating plants – as long as you have access to fire, a great many animals are perfectly safe to eat, whereas poisonous plants aren’t all that uncommon. On the other hand, actually getting your hands on an animal tends to take more energy and equipment. When it comes to foraging, you’re dealing with a stationary target that you can simply pluck or cut off the plant. So, how do you avoid consuming a poisonous plant? There are a set of steps that any serious survivalist should be aware of – these steps are used to test whether or not a plant is safe to eat. You can learn about those steps and about foraging for food and edible plants here. Of course, in a survival situation, you may not have the time to test plants for safety. In this case, you’ll want to quickly be able to identify what’s edible in the wild at a glance. If that’s your goal, you should make sure you know some of most common wild edibles – this knowledge could determine your chances of survival.
When most untrained people imagine survival in the wild, they imagine hunters taking down elk or deer and roasting it over a massive fire. In reality, that’s a huge misconception. In a true wilderness survival situation, your goal is to get your hands on enough sustenance (food) for minimal effort. Hunting large game takes a tremendous amount of energy, has a lower success rate, and requires supplies and equipment. If the focus is survival, then small game is your best bet – animals like squirrels, rabbits, small birds, and other critters are much more common require much less energy, and need less equipment/gear. Learn more about trapping and hunting small game to up your chances of surviving in the wild.
Another reasonably efficient way of getting your hands on meat in the wild is by fishing. Typically, fish are available in any relatively large body of water in the wild, and a wide variety of fish are safe to eat, with dangerous or poisonous species being the exception rather than the rule. There are also a number of ways to catch fish, many of which are relatively straightforward and possible to accomplish with minimal equipment. Find out about some emergency methods of survival fishing to make sure that you have multiple ways to get your hands on meats/proteins in the wild.
In a life or death situation, you eat anything you can get your hands on. If you come up short with small game hunting and fishing, what do you turn to as a protein source? While it may disgust the average person, many common insects are actually a perfectly healthy and safe source of protein. Maybe not everyone can hunt, trap or fish, but most people can catch a bug or two. In a real emergency, you may be forced to turn to insects and bugs for protein – in which case, you’d do well to know the top insects you can eat for survival.
If you’ve got a reasonable understanding of everything we’ve discussed so far, then you’re well on the way to being able to live off the land and in the wilderness. If you can stay safe, provide yourself with the basic necessities, and have the means to find your way out of the wild, then your chances of survival will be higher than most. In order to stay safe, you’ll need to avoid some of the common ways that people get injured in the wild. In particular, you should be very aware of the most common ways that people die in the wild so you can avoid meeting the same fate. When it comes to survival, knowledge is power.
We actually have an older article by James Roberts which we’ve reproduced here on this exact topic that we’ll share with you here as well:
Wilderness Survival: Lost in the Wild and How to Get Out Alive
By James Roberts
Lost in the wilderness — we’ve all heard the horror stories.
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Fact is, sometimes people lost in the wilderness never make it out. Even when things do go well and these people are found – ‘found’ becomes the keyword. In other words, those lost in the wilderness don’t often find a way out on their own.This fact will be important later on.
Regardless, when it comes to dealing with being lost in the wilderness, planning in advance is the key:
Planning For Your Trip Into The Forest Or Wilderness
Before you take that trip into the desert, woods, or hills, it would be wise to imagine all of the worst case scenarios. In other words, what kinds of problems could you encounter? Further, what would you do in these situations? In order to know this, of course, you would have to know something about the area in which you’re traveling.Therefore, here are a couple of things you could do to accomplish this.
1. Get a very detailed map of the area.
2. Talk to a safety council member, park ranger, or general expert on the wilderness area in question. Don’t be afraid to contact these people as they are usually more than happy to assist.
By doing this in advance of your trip into the wilderness, you might learn about the weather, animal life, appropriate food sources, and possible problems you could encounter beforehand. This, of course, could help you to avoid problems.
After these conversations, you will be more able to determine the kinds of materials / clothing that would be needed in a worst case scenario.
Regardless, there are things you must bring with you that will make up what is called your survival kit.
How To Survive In The Wilderness
Survival Kit
A survival kit is a must during any wilderness exploration. Further, the contents needed in a survival kit may change depending on the kind of place you’re going. Regardless, you should know how to use everything in your survival kit. Beyond that, here are some things that should be in every such kit.
1. A firestarter (either a ferro rod or lighter – see our lists on the best ferro rods here and the best survival lighters here).
2. An instant body shelter. In other words, you want something that can protect you instantaneously.
Some examples of instant body shelters are tarps, sleeping bags, tube tents, and trash bags. Regardless, you need an instant body shelter that can protect from the kind of weather you might encounter on your trip (heat, cold, rain, etc.) We have a list of the best ultralight sleeping bags here that are highly rated and will do well at keeping you warm.
3. First Aid Kit
4. Signaling devices like flares, whistles, strobe lights, dye markers, signal mirrors, rescue flags, and smoke signal makers.
5. A metal water container. After all, you might need something to boil water in.
6. A water purifier.
7. Something to keep money in.
8. Something to keep your extra supplies of pills in. For example, if you have high blood pressure and take medication for it, you’ll need something to hold pills in if your stay in the wilderness is extended.
9. A general water container.
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10. Knife
11. Bug repellent
12. A mobile phone (this may not help you, then again it may).
13. Flashlight
14. That map you were supposed to acquire on the area. If you know how to use a compass, that could also be beneficial.
15. Extra clothes appropriate to the environment you’ll be staying in. Remember that in cold environments, appropriate boots and gloves should be used to protect the extremities. Also, long sleeve shirts and clothing that covers the skin could serve to keep the bugs off of you in warmer environments.
16. Rope and a hammock to stay off the ground in case of wet conditions.
17. Compass (see our list of the best survival compasses)
18. Food and water.
Of course, there are always more things that might pertain to you depending on your situation and the kind of wilderness you are about to enter. However, in terms of advance planning, there is one thing that is just as important as anything.
LET SOMEONE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. NO ONE WILL LOOK FOR YOU WHEN YOU GET LOST IF THEY DON’T KNOW THAT YOU’RE MISSING!
Which by the way, is a main point when you decide what to do if you become lost.
Before You Embark Into The Wild… Learn Essential Wilderness Survival Skills
How to Find Water in the Wilderness
How to Find True North Without a Compass
Top 10 Edible Insects in North America
Elk Hunting – Ultimate Big Game Hunting
Surviving in the Cold: Starting a Fire in Wet Conditions
15 Steps to Starting a Fire Without a Match — Even in the Rain
Wild Food – Foraging for Food and Edible Plants
Baiting Reptiles, Birds, Small Mammals, Large Game, and Predators
“The Way Back” – How to Survive in Extreme Conditions — Siberia
What To Do If You Become Lost In The Wilderness
This one is simple. STOP! Actually, this is an acronym that serves more than one purpose. Still, the first thing to do is simply stop what you’re doing and calm down. Your gut reaction will be to panic. Don’t. Instead, do the following.’S’- This is for stop. Take a deep breath and sit down for awhile. During this time you must simply acknowledge, without going over the problems that caused you to get lost again and again, that you are lost. Thus, it’s time to do something about it.
‘T’- This is for think. Don’t do anything at all until you assess your situation. It is during this time that you must remember whether or not anyone will miss you if you don’t return when you’re supposed to. This is why it’s imperative to tell more than one person if you decide to go out into the wilderness. Further, let them know when to expect you back.
Beyond this, decide on what you will need to do in order to make a plan of action here. Also, begin toconsider the possible pros and cons of each idea. Remember when you thought about the worst case scenarios before leaving as this will help you during the thinking stage.
‘O’- This is for observe. This should be done in conjunction with the thinking stage. What do you see around you that could help? What’s the terrain like? How about the weather?
‘P’- This is for plan — survival plan. Once you’ve observed the terrain, thought about all the possible scenarios, and generally accepted your situation, it’s time for the plan. First take care of immediate issues like injuries, a storm on the horizon, etc. From there, note what you will do depending on which scenario- that you thought through earlier- is presenting itself.
The First Part Of A Survival Plan Is Usually To Stay Put
Here’s the thing. If people know that you’re out in the wilderness and are missing, someone will eventually come looking for you. So as long as others understand that you are lost and know where to look if you, usually the best thing to do is stay put (unless by doing so you put yourself in harm’s way).If you keep moving around, you’ll just make it harder on the rescue party.
So, if you decide to stay and wait it out, here are some things to put high on your consideration list.
Shelter – Consider that instant body shelter you brought. Further, look around for caves and or tree cover that could serve to protect you from the elements. If you’re in a hot area, look for something cool.
In a cold area, look for something that might serve to warm you up. Also, try not to sit on wet or snow covered ground. Rather, use a hammock, shrubbery, or some other device to keep you off the wet stuff. One of the purposes of shelter, obviously, is to keep your body temperature at a nice level.
Let people know where you are – Here’s where you use those signaling devices that you hopefully brought in your survival kit. If not, find another way to attract attention. Obviously, you want to make it as easy as possible for a rescue party to find you.
Hydration – On one hand, don’t just drink everything you’ve got on you as soon as you figure out that you’re lost. On the other, don’t wait forever to consume your water (don’t wait until you’re panting). Beyond what you have on you, look for other water sources.
If you have a water purifier, that will help with lakes, streams, and such. However, if you don’t, you’re likely going to have to take a chance on the water available to you if stranded for a significant amount of time. Avoid pond water, which is the most likely to be either contaminated or have organisms that will make you sick.
Food – Maybe you have a fishing pole? If so, great: that could help depending on the area. If not, then hopefully you talked to an expert on the area before you left. If you did, then you may know what plants are edible.
In the end, some insects could also serve as food to keep you alive.
What To Do If There’s No One To Come For You
Well, the good thing is that if you are reading this article, then this should never happen to you. Why? Because you’re smart enough to think ahead and map your trip out before you leave for a wilderness area.There is an obvious problem with being lost in the wilderness. Simply put, if you are lost then that likely means you’re not the type of person that has a lot of experience navigating such areas. Thus, that puts you in a problem spot. Still, here are some things that might help you with direction if you don’t have a compass and you’re sure that no one will be coming to look for you.
1. Moss usually grows most plentifully on the northern side of rocks.
2. Spider webs tend to be on the south side of trees.
3. Remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Further, you could try putting a stick in the ground and noting where the shadow ends. Then wait a while before you note where it ends a second time. The line going between those two points should run approximately east to west. From there, the sun should tell you where north is.
4. Know how to find true north by identifying the North Star.
5. The best case scenario, of course, is that the map you brought with you helps you out.
Obviously, if you were to try to get out of the woods and didn’t know where you were going at all, you would likely want to travel in only one direction (north, south, east, or west) or risk going in circles. Also, every time you stopped you’d want to bring attention to where you were (so a passerby might see).
Avoid Being Lost – Maps, Compass, And Planning
Getting lost in the wilderness is something that can be avoided. That said, as long as you told people where you were going and when you were coming back, rescuers will eventually come for you. In these situations, it is oftentimes best to stay put and wait for someone to find you.Regardless, don’t just go out into the wilderness without any forethought — such as forgetting to pack a map, compass, knife, and lighters. Plenty of people that have done this would tell you — if they could — that it is a bad idea to go into the wilderness unprepared.
If you’re driving through the mountains, pack a few essential survival supplies, food and water — what happens if you’re forced off the road by a another vehicle that has lost control, or simply hit a patch of ice and down a ravine you go? That’s how easy you can end up in survival situations in the wilderness.
Or you might be flying in a small or mid-size plane — don’t assume that you’re going to land safely. Many small planes have gone down while flying over wilderness areas too many times to count.
Before you hit the trail … remember to tell people where you are going and when to expect you back. Further, talk to those knowledgeable about the area before going in (these people can give you more detailed and specific information than any article), bring an appropriate survival kit, and have a map. This and the aforementioned could just save your life.
References:
A Kid’s Wilderness Survival Primer
How to survive when you’re lost in the wilderness
As a final bonus, if you don’t want to take our advice on wilderness survival, perhaps you’d be more comfortable relying on the lessons that the US army tries to pass on to it’s soldiers.
We have a series of three articles about how the military trains its troops to survive in the wild, specifically in mountainous and hilly situations, covering not just survival but combat under wilderness conditions. If that interests you, find it below.
PART 1 –
Special Forces Survival Training and Mountain Warfare
Why Are the U.S. Special Forces so Skilled at Mountain Survival? What Can We Learn from Them?
PART 2 –
Special Forces Advanced Mountain Operations School
Finding Food, Water, Edible Plants, Insects, Wildlife, Fire Making, and Making Shelter
PART 3 –
Special Forces Alpine Warfare Survival Training
Scouting, Camouflage, Erasing Tracks, Fighting in the Snow, Choosing a Camp Location, Baiting an Enemy into a Killzone, Retreat, Taking High Ground
Our Top Posts About Wilderness Survival
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Secrets of Survival has been around since 2002 (almost 20 years) and our survival knowledge is the real deal. We were writing and discussing survival and prepping before people even knew what the word “prepping” meant. We also preceded the trendiness of survival media nowadays… for example, we were arround before Bear Grylls filmed his first episode of Man vs Wild.Our contributors and writers over the years have included survival experts of all stripes – including a Green Beret Special Forces Medic, a former Navy SEAL, a leading survival instructor who’s been featured on National Geographic and PBS. Every article is either written or reviewed by someone who is an expert in either survivalism, prepping, or homesteading (or all three) and our goal is to be as practical and educational as possible.
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Is this still relevant for today? Or have things changed? What I’m curious about is how this will carry out, like what will the trend be for this type of stuff?