Survival Skill

Survival priorities

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

A positive mental attitude is essential.
Finding or making shelter is important because it allows a person to stay protected from the elements.
Humans can live for about three days without water. The length of survival mostly depends upon climate conditions and physical exertion.

These priorities may change depending upon environmental factors.

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, dependent 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.
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, bears also nest in caves, so before selecting a cave to stay in, you should check it for no inhabitance.

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. Shelters can also be made by draping a parachute or other large cloth over sticks or some kind of support, or of rammed earth.

Water

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 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.

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.

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

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 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
Start a fire without Matches
Make Fire with friction(rubbing sticks together)2
Make fire from ice
Fire from aluminum Can and chocolate (recommended reading)
[1] Fire from a condom

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 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 eatable. Some types of spiders, for example, the crucifix spider are eatable. To eat a maggot, simply bite off the head and eat the body. The taste may not be particularily pleasant, but the maggots hold vital calories needed for survival.

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:

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:

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.

Navigation

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.

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 marksmanship/handgun marksmanship, both for hunting and defense

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 more environment specific.

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.

Survival Skill

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