Samuel 
Wilderness survival in the cold means heat retention above all else. You can last for 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, but can die in 3 hours from exposure. Your clothing is going to be your primary protection against the elements. But what happens if your clothing gets wet? Wet clothes will not … Read more
When most people imagine themselves in a survival situation, they picture themselves in a beautiful forest at the edge of a lake. While that might be nice, it might not be the reality for everyone. You might find that you need to survive in the swamp, which is one of the most dangerous and difficult … Read more
When building and planting a vegetable garden, especially when space is a major factor, it can be tempting to use every available square inch for edible plants to increase food production. It seems logical enough, and to some extent it is, space should not be wasted. But is it a waste to plant ornamental flowers … Read more
Being able to properly identify animal tracks and determine their approximate age is a great skill to have for wilderness survival. It can help you to hunt or trap game, find water, and avoid potentially dangerous animals. But what about the times when tracks aren’t present? Well, even when the ground or weather makes tracks … Read more
Whether you are attempting to cross a frozen lake for expediency in a wilderness survival scenario, or are just having fun on the ice, if that ice cracks your odds of survival have just dropped to near zero. The intense cold can trigger a gasp response, which could mean that you just inhaled freezing water … Read more
Out of all natural disasters, earthquakes are by far the deadliest. They come with absolutely no warning, and have the power to shake infrastructure to the ground. If you live in an area that is at risk for earthquakes preparation is a must and decisive action are musts. Here are some ways that you can … Read more
If you are deep in the wilderness, whether you are backpacking for pleasure or trying to get out for survival, having a strap on your backpack break can be devastating. The uneven pressure will start to cause shoulder pain in a mile or so, foot and knee pain soon after, and depending on the terrain … Read more
Given that these days you can get a paracord bracelet that has a fire rod incorporated into the design for less than $10, I don’t usually write much about primitive friction fire techniques. However, knowing how to start a fire from only the material in the wilderness is a valuable knowledge and a skill that … Read more
Whether for stealth during hunting or for evasion, camouflage is a survival necessity. Both hunters and military units have developed various forms of camouflage over the years. Each form has its use, its benefits, and its limitations. For this reason, it’s important to consider what situations and environments you will be needing your camouflage for … Read more
In most street fights and assaults, at some point, your opponent will try to dominate you by grabbing a hold of you or your clothing. If they succeed in establishing a solid grip on your collar, hair, or your wrist, they will be able to dictate your movement and force you into a compromised position … Read more
As I have written about before here, not all fires are equally beneficial in all circumstances. For those times when warmth is needed and fuel shortage is not an issue, a log fire build is a great choice. It can be modified to burn slower, to work with damp wood, or to cook on, but the … Read more
Trees are a valuable source of wilderness survival necessities. From firewood, shelter material, cordage, food, and even water, trees can provide nearly all of your needs in a wilderness survival scenario. But not all trees offer the same resources, or any at all. In order to get the most out of the trees in your … Read more
If you are preparing for survival, you’ve probably asked the question of whether it is all worth it or not. Maybe you have some friends who think you are crazy for buying all the beans and rice you have in your basement or that can’t understand why you have firearms and go hunting. Maybe you’ve … Read more
These days severe weather hardly hits without some warning, offering us precious time to prepare and stock up in case the weather is bad enough to leave us cut off without water and power for days. Depending on where you are, this threat is more common than other places, and the considerations for each place … Read more
Small game traps like dead falls are effective tools, but few bush craft tools are as effective or as versatile as nets. Nets can be made from any cordage with the techniques demonstrated in this video, and even the cordage can be manufactured from wilderness materials if you needed to. Nets can used to catch … Read more
No one tool is right for every job. The benefits of having a semi-automatic rifle like an AR-15 for survival are plentiful, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t benefits to be had by what many would laugh at for a survival gun, an air rifle. Here are a few reasons why you might want … Read more
Steve Callahan was a “moderately experienced” sailor that suffered shipwreck while attempting to cross the Atlantic and was stranded at sea and successfully survived 76 days adrift. When considering the difficulty of surviving in any environment, let alone at sea, 76 days of survival is an amazing feat. And one that deserves attention so that … Read more
Whether setting a bone and digging out a bullet, anesthesia is going to make the ordeal easier on both the patient and on the “survival doctor”. But the sale of anesthetic drugs is understandably restricted, so if you want to have a supply on hand for survival use, you are going to have make them … Read more
The odds finding yourself in an active shooter scenario are slim, but for the victims of these incidents, the odds don’t really matter. If you are in public when you hear gun fire, it won’t matter if it is workplace violence or an act of terrorism, survival will be your only concern. Here are some … Read more
Pine isn’t usually the first tree that comes to mind for wilderness survival, especially for food. But the humble pine tree doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. Nearly every part of the tree contains edible material, from the root to the needles. Pines are full of food! That being said, the amount of food … Read more
An alcohol stove is a great piece of gear to have. Whether for backpacking, bugging out, or an alternative cooking method for disaster preparedness, an alcohol stove is worth its weight in gold. Since prepping can get expensive quick, it’s always nice to save money by manufacturing what you can. Here are some simple instructions … Read more
Clear, clean-flowing steams will not always be available to you if you are in a wilderness survival situation. Even if you do come across a source of water that looks clean, you would still have to boil, filter, or treat the water before consuming it to avoid dangerous parasites such as cryptosporidium. This may be … Read more
Canned food is some of the most common survival food there is, but there is one crucial tool you need: a can opener. So what if you don’t have one, or yours breaks when you need it the most? This amazing trick could literally save your life one day: you can actually open a can with … Read more
You are less likely to be put in a struggle for survival when you are well-prepared and well-stocked with gear and supplies. So it’s a good idea to learn some hacks in the event that end up in a situation in which you don’t have the tools and gear that you would like to have. … Read more
If you kill anything much larger than a squirrel you won’t be eating it all at once. If you manage to kill large game like deer, you could have meat enough for months. But without a refrigerator, the meat will spoil if you don’t properly preserve it. One of the oldest methods of preserving … Read more
Usually, I talk about survival from the standpoint of doing the most possible with least available. That’s a large part of survival, especially long-term survival, but it’s not the only aspect. Increasing your odds of survival through acquiring the proper gear (and of course training with it) is another aspect of survival. If your budget … Read more
Whether you are forced to use your firearm to defend yourself in your home or on the street, the sad reality is that you might not be out of danger. The internet is full of news stories in which defensive shooters face murder charges. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but that doesn’t mean that … Read more
When most people think of arctic shelter they probably think of an igloo. Igloos are great shelters for arctic conditions, but they require just the right snow, tools, and specified skills to build. An easier survival shelter that can be built with only a shovel, and without any prior experience is a quinzhee. A quinzhee … Read more
Winter can be a tough time to survive in the wilderness. Not only will you initially face the dangers of hypothermia, but forests will seem to be completely barren and devoid of any source of food. While many wild edibles are going to be off the menu in winter, one of the best sources of … Read more
Those with mobility issues that necessitate the use of a cane should not neglect self-defense training and preparation. If one has physical limitations, that is even more of a reason to train and prepare. Whether you are injured or elderly, you are in a vulnerable target population. Criminals don’t think like decent people, when they … Read more
In a world with ever-advancing technology that threatens to further restrict freedom and autonomy, we need advancing responses, such as drones, satellite technology, the average person’s ability to resist tyrannical rule is being eroded. While low-tech measures can make you less vulnerable or even be used to combat this technology, sometimes the only option is high-tech. … Read more
In a survival situation, one is much more likely to die from hypothermia or dehydration than from animal attack, but that’s not the case for backpackers. Backpackers should have the gear necessary to protect them from the elements and a water filter keeping them safe from the two biggest dangers of the wilderness. They also … Read more
The last thing you need when already fighting for survival in the wilderness is to have your strength and abilities diminished by illness or infection. Knowing how to make use of some of the plants around you for medicinal use can more beneficial than knowing how to forage for wild edibles since infection can kill … Read more
As I always say, if you have all the gear you need, it’s called camping, not survival. The same is true when it comes to acquiring water in the wilderness. Preferably you will have a water filtration device and a container with you, but in reality, you might not have anything with you at … Read more
Pepper spray may seem like a fool-proof self-defense method that anyone could properly use in any situation, but like any piece of equipment, there is a wrong way and a right way to use it. If you are unfamiliar with your pepper spray you are reducing your odds of being able to properly deploy it … Read more
Knowing how to fish and trap meat is a lifesaving skill in wilderness survival, but there are a variety of circumstances that would not allow for one to take the time necessary to hunt or trap. Perhaps you are anticipating bad weather, you are injured, or you know that you are within several days journey … Read more
Ironically, as your need for a fire increases the difficulty in starting that fire will also increase. One reason is that many of the common sources of wilderness tinder are absorbent, and in damp conditions they will be full of water, making them nearly impossible to use as tinder. Of course, it’s always a good … Read more
If you are stranded in the wilderness and trying to get to safety, you may come to the point where you need to cross a river. Or if you are backpacking you may choose to cross a river, but if you don’t do it safely you can quickly find yourself fighting of survival. Whether you … Read more
Having a kit ready when expecting a birth is a great thing, but it won’t get the baby out for you. And as we go into winter the chances of roads being too dangerous to travel is increasing, raising the probability of an emergency home birth. If you are expecting a baby soon you need … Read more
Prepping is very important to you. You are getting all the items you need for you and your family to survive, and you are learning the skills you need to make you more independent. You are probably proud of this as well, and you should be. However, this doesn’t mean you should be advertising to … Read more