Survival Tip Of The Day #1
“You can survive three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food.”
Sure you’ve heard this statement before, it is very useful in determining the order of priority when you find yourself in a life-threatening situation or in the wilderness. Each line of the Rule of Threes of survival assumes that the ones before it is met. You know the rule, but do you have the skills to survive in the wild? Here are 11 tips that will help you go on should you find yourself in a wilderness situation that’s less than ideal.
1.Check your Inventory
It is unlikely that you will go on a trip in the wilderness without some sort of backpack & essential things you will need. The moment your plans go south, keep everything you’ve got because those essentials will save your life. Even a shoe lace can be made into a nifty bow and arrow for survival.
2.Wear Proper Clothing
Your clothes are the first line of protection when going out in the wild so wear suitable clothing. It is important to have the right clothes for the right environment. As it ensures protection from elements and other things that may harm you in the wild.
3.Build Shelter on a Suitable Location
A shelter protects you from harsh conditions brought upon by the sun, rain, snow & other elements. You want a location away from dangers such as flash flood so a high ground is a must. It should also be near resources like water. Building your shelter should be large enough to protect you but small enough to contain your body heat especially on cold temperatures.
4. Light a Fire
Fire can fulfill many needs like warmth & comfort, cooked food, signal for rescue, protection from animals and insects. It also purifies your water. Just the ability to start a fire makes the difference between living & dying, it is a fundamental survival skill. The easiest way is using a lighter or waterproof matches. Another is the fire plow which uses a soft wood for the plow board and a harder wood for the plow.
5. Find Clean Water
Water is one of your most urgent need in any survival situations. Up to 60% of our body is made up of fluids & we lose about 2.5 to 3 litres per day, more so in hot areas where we lose it rapidly. If your lucky enough to find a body of freshwater, good for you but you need to boil it which is 100 percent effective in eliminating bacteria and pathogens. Otherwise; rain, snow & dew are reliable sources of clean water that don’t need purification. And surprisingly, you can collect them with ease with just a couple of bandannas. You can also obtain water from vines, thistles and a certain cacti by squeezing it out.
6. Foraging for Food
Next to water, our body needs food. It helps us maintain energy & keeps us going especially when you find that rescue is far from sight. It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with edible plants in the wild such as cattail, dandelions as well as edible wild berries since you can obtain them easily. If you are able, you can also catch small critters like frogs and lizard or any small animals so you must learn some traps or snares such as the grave’s bait stick snare.
7. Know some knots
Knowing how to tie a variety of knots can come in handy for a slew of survival scenarios — tying snares for catching birds or small animals, creating tools , securing shelter for lowering yourself down a cliff. Your number one go-to knot is a bowline. This knot is extremely useful when you need to attach something to a rope via a loop because the harder you pull, the tighter the knot gets. There is a mnemonic for tying a bowline in any angle that goes like this “the rabbit comes out of the hole, in front of the tree, goes behind the tree and back down it’s original hole.”
8. Making Weapons and Tools
A knife is your most valuable tool in a survival situation so keep one with you at all times when out in the wilderness. You can use it to cut and prepare food. It may also protect you from predators. A slingshot is also another tool that is quick and easy to make, all you need is a forked stick, rubber tube & leather or a cloth for the pad. Make sure to practice your aiming.
9. Basic First Aid
Being able to administer first aid may just save your life in the wild. Always bring a small personal kit of medical tools, medicines and bandages with you on a trip to wilderness. You may find yourself requiring a dressing for small cuts and bruises or a splint for an injured ankle. If you don’t have the kit, you can go old school and use plants such as the lemon balm, yarrow or dandelion so read some information on medicinal plants.
10. Signal for Rescue
Survival is your top priority in order for you to get rescued. Maximize your visibility so potential rescuers or search party can find you. There are various signal techniques you can use such as fire, smoke, mirror or shiny objects, whistle. You can also layout ground messages like SOS with rocks or whatever will be seen from the sky as most rescuers use aircraft as primary method of sighting.
11. Navigation
Whether it be day or night, having a compass and a map is a must have when in the wilderness. But if you don’t have those, you can use the sun, moon and stars so it’s a good idea to learn how to read those for navigating. Also keep note of rivers, paths or mountains—following these can lead to roads and civilization.
These are just some basic skills and techniques to survive in the wild, there are plenty more. The key is to maintain a calm and positive attitude, use your brain and do not panic. Having survival skills is important, having the will to survive is essential.