Outdoor recreational activities are as enjoyable as they are perilous. Thorough knowledge of wilderness survival skills is required but is definitely not enough.
Getting acquainted with the proper tips, tricks, and strategies about wilderness survival skills give confidence and success.
Knowing is not enough. Proper strategies and intelligence is required to implement some survival techniques for a safe outdoor adventurous trip.
Learning the correct tricks and strategies becomes very significant when you consider the alternative, that is, landing yourself into some unfortunate circumstance.
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1. Basic Survival Skills Everyone Should Know
The basic wilderness survival skills and how to implement them is well-known. However, the process to learn these skills and the sources to rely on leaves a survivalist confused.
Although there are ample outdoor schools headed by survival experts, you may not be able to enroll yourself due to various constraints. In such cases, becoming self-sufficient is necessary.
Survivalists can also take the help of a professional to impart valuable skills to them.
1.1 Navigating and Heading Towards the Right Direction
To ensure that one is heading in the right direction, the aid of maps and compass becomes necessary.
Survivalists can also practice orienteering. It is a sport that involves running through the forests with a map and a compass.
The sport polishes and makes one efficient in understanding the correct direction. The prime aim of orienteering is to reach all the places on the given map within the recorded shortest period of time.
There is a website for Orienteering where survivalists will be able to see the nearest club to enroll.
1.2 Shelter-building
Shelter-building is the most basic survival skill. During natural calamities or extreme weather conditions, only a shelter will offer you protection.
Survivalists must be able to efficiently construct shelters for their own comfort and protection.
This skill can be mastered by initially making small fort-like structures or constructing structures of wood in an open field.
However, if you do not find any convenient open space, ‘Habitat for Humanity’ can help you with the skill of shelter-building.
Also, there are online learning videos and survival schools that will teach you this skill of shelter-building.
1.3 Treating Wounds
Tending to the wounds is one of the vital skills that require to be mastered by the individuals. Everyone must carry a medical kit along their journey.
Before going out, learn the basics of first-aid such as tie tourniquets, manage fractures, stop bleeding, and so on.
Many charity and health organizations conduct first aid courses for free and can be attended by adventurers.
1.4 Camping
Camping is the most essential element of the adventurer’s journey. It can be practiced with your family and friends and is quite relaxing and enjoyable.
To be well-trained, it is better to choose an isolated place for camping. Survivalists can also learn about various other activities such as foraging food, finding water, and so on.
However, owing to the busy schedule, people do not go camping nowadays. It is helpful when a survivalist goes camping. They get a taste of surviving in isolated places.
2. Types Of Survival Shelters
For a long, the article has been discussing shelter-building.
However, in the absence of the required materials to construct a shelter, natural shelters can be used by survivalists.
Hence, it becomes imperative to discuss natural shelter and its types.
Natural shelters are those that provide a roof over your head and protect you from adverse elements of the wilderness.
Examples of natural shelters include caves, bushes, large rocks, crevices and depressions, and so on.
Survivalists can make use of the wood, leaves, or branches to make shelters easily by themselves.
2.1 Debris Hut
A debris hut is quite easy to construct and can protect survivalists from all odds. The steps to make it are quite easy and comprehensible.
The first and foremost thing that needs to be done is to make a tripod and a long ridgepole. After securing the ridgepole, one is required to support it with sticks. Then place a brush crosswise on the ribbing.
Insulators can also be placed within the hut. Place branches on the roof of the hut to prevent the insulating material from getting blown away by storms or rain.
2.2 Tree-pit Snow Shelter
Survivalists can easily build tree-pit snow shelters while going mountaineering or camping in the mountains.
The first step will be to look for a large canopy tree with bushy branches and lots of leaves.
Use a digging tool to remove the snow around the tree. Then insulate the top and the inside of the dug-out hole with snow.
Bushy leaves and branches can be used to insulate the holes and will also act as the roof.
2.3 Beach Shade Shelter
The beach shade shelter can be easily constructed using natural materials. This type of shelter helps to keep one insulated from the scorching heat of the beaches.
To build the shelter, it is better to select a site that is above the high-water mark. After digging out the trench, the soil has to be deposited on the sides surrounding the trench.
To form a comforting bed, survivalists can use leaves or grass, or any other similar materials.
2.4 Desert Shelter
If you are on a trip to a desert, making a desert shelter will protect you from the arid environment.
To make a desert shelter, survivalists can use a long piece of cloth along with rocks or dunes.
You can also use the side of a dune and anchor the top of the mound using sand that’s largely available in a desert.
The last step will be able to extend the other end of the material so that the shade is large enough to protect an individual.
3. Wilderness Survival Tips
Survivalists must be aware of the basic wilderness survival tips and must keep them in their minds while going on a trip.
The following sub-headings enumerate certain important wilderness survival tips.
3.1 Finding Pure Sources of Water
Intake of unclean or muddy water may lead to the intake of germs and will result in illness. To avoid any such sickness, it is advised to look for pure sources of water such as dewdrops, snow, or raindrops.
Beginners may easily retrieve fresh water from the bark of the maple tree.
Also, the branches on squeezing will release freshwater. These easy basic skills are required to be mastered by beginners.
3.2 Skill of Tying Knot
Any discussion of survival skills is incomplete without mentioning the knot tying skills. It provides security to the tents and can be used in setting traps.
With the help of knots, you can shift your weight downwards while getting down from a high altitude place.
3.3 Methods of Transmitting Survival Signals
The dangers of outdoor activities are highly unpredictable. One never knows in which danger they may land.
In such cases, seeking help by sending a signal can save your life at such critical times. It is recommended to carry certain combustible materials so that you can send the visible signal through the fire.
Another easy way to transmit a survival signal is to use either the screen of mobile phones or any other reflective device to flash a light (including the natural light of the moon).
3.4 Constructing Tools and Implements
A survivalist must know properly how to make important tools (spear) with natural materials available. Having a spear helps an individual to catch small game animals or fishes for food.
For making a spear, they can select any stick which is long and straight. The next step will be to split its end to create a structure resembling a fork.
The last step will be to separate the fork with a sharp object and then sharpen each fork with a knife.
4. Wilderness Survival Tactics
Some wilderness survival tricks are helpful for everyone. But to survivalists they are imperative.
4.1 Stay Calm and Cool!
In remote areas where you will go camping, many unfortunate incidents may come your way.
Keep your mind calm and try to handle the situation by applying your survival skills. No matter how fatal the situation may seem, it will never be as dangerous as your frightened mind will make you believe.
The key to a safe trip is to keep yourself cool and solve it with accurate skills. It is better to control your negative emotions and be optimistic.
4.2 Navigation
While in a forest, the utmost significant thing is to head in the right direction and not to get lost.
Survivalists must carry a compass that will aid them in the proper navigation of direction.
Besides that, they may also use certain other methods of determining the correct direction.
The cobwebs are found only on the southern side of the trees. In case you spot some of them, it can act as a source of determining direction.
The position of the sun can also be used to figure out the correct direction.
Another method you can try is to put a stick on the ground and then mark the end of the shadow on the ground.
When the shadow moves, mark the end of the new position of the shadow. The direction that you will usually get is east to west.
4.3 Identification of Edible Plants
To survive in the woods, survivalists must possess the skill of identifying edible plants. Food is vital to keep going and be energetic.
You may not find food easily though.
Plants must be chosen very meticulously. Many of them can be very poisonous, so certain facts are required to be kept in mind.
One must never intake plants or fruits of plants having thorns. Avoid plants if you see they have a milky fluid oozing out from the stem or bark.
Enriching your knowledge of edible plants by reading books or learning about them from any source is quite helpful in this situation.
5. How Can Children Survive in The Wilderness?
During the vacations, many families plan their outdoor recreational trips in forests or mountains. In such cases, the safety of the children needs to be ensured.
The following points mention certain important survival tricks for children.
- Train the children to wear a special type of suit, know as “scarecrow suit”, to keep them warm. In high altitude areas, the weather may drop to a very low level. In such cases, children may get afflicted by Hypothermia. To prevent such a happening, children are advised to wear insulate clothing.
- Children must carry a whistle with them. Train them to blow the whistle thrice and then repeat the same every two hours. This way, they can send a signal if they are lost and a family member will have an easier time locating them.
- In case a child gets separated from the other family members, the skill of shelter building may come to rescue. If they know how to build a simple hut with leaves, they can keep themselves protected in the wilderness.
Conclusion
Wilderness survival skills help an individual to battle with any danger that they may face in their lifetime.
Besides saving oneself from danger in adventurous trips, these survival skills may come in handy on many other occasions.
The importance of these skills is enormous. Mastering them can make your adventurous trip more fun and safe.
References:
- 8 BASIC SURVIVAL SKILLS YOU CAN LEARN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
- 10 Simple Survival Shelters That Will Conquer The Elements
- Top 10 Outdoor Survival Tips
- 10 TIPS FOR WILDERNESS SURVIVAL
Hi, I’m Vineet. Creator of DivinioWorld. I am an outdoor enthusiast and absolutely love researching, learning, and applying skills and knowledge in the real world. I started DivinioWorld to share everything I know so that even a beginner can follow the ropes and master the subtle art of outdoors adventure and survival.
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