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
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
Being able to see at night in the wilderness is an ability that you don’t want to go without. Of course, you should always have an headlamp with you, but batteries run out, gear breaks, or you could lose it. This could put you in a situation where you can only perform necessary tasks during … Read more
Rules exist in combat sports like MMA and boxing for a reason, mainly to protect the fighters from serious injury or death. But there are no rules on the street, and if you are being attacked you aren’t going to have the luxury of being able to tap, or having the ref stop the fight … Read more
In the last couple of articles, we’ve talked about how to get water from vines if you can’t drink ground water, and how to manufacture a bowl to store or transport water without a modern container. But, what if you do have ground water, and no container to boil water in? You don’t have … Read more
Not every source of ground water that you come across in the wilderness will be drinkable. It could be stagnant swamp water or contaminated after a flood. If you do find a clean water source you might not be able to stay near it. For these reasons and more it is important to know alternative … Read more
While it would probably be a little excessive to put a toothbrush and a bar of soap on your EDC list, hygiene is a crucial factor for survival. We can see examples of how important hygiene is for survival by looking at the military. Most people think of the term “causality” as meaning someone … Read more
Recently I posted an article describing how to build a survival bow in the wilderness. Since a bow wouldn’t be much good without an arrow to fire from it today we’ll talk about how to build arrows in the wilderness for survival. Shaft Selection First, you will need to select straight, sturdy shafts … Read more
Without a weapon, your survival menu will be extremely limited. In this video we see how to manufacture and use a survival weapon, the shepherd’s sling, using only paracord. Having this skill added to your arsenal will make it possible for you easily carry all the necessary material to help you put food in your … Read more
Knowing what weather is coming can be a life-saving skill in wilderness survival. If you recognize the signs of a coming storm you can forego your planned movement, prepare shelter, gather firewood, or fish (fish feed more before storms). On the other hand, if a storm catches you off guard you could easily die from … Read more
Flint knapping is the bush craft art of making cutting tools from larger pieces of rocks like obsidian that fracture into small, sharp pieces when struck carefully on the edge. With the importance of cutting tools like knife blades and arrowheads in wilderness survival, this is an excellent skill to practice. Even if you have … Read more
Tips for Making Feather Sticks Feather sticks are bush craft fire starters that can be quickly manufactured on the spot using only a knife. They are most useful in damp conditions when dry tinder is not available. The basic premise is to use a knife to carefully create wood shavings that remain attached to … Read more
Not every piece of gear or specific skill is going to applicable for your personal survival. If you live in the North East you probably don’t need to know more than the absolute basics of desert survival just in case your vacation to the Grand Canyon takes a turn for the worst. Likewise, if you … Read more
Most people might think of squirrels or birds when they think of small game in a survival situation. But you might have to think a lot smaller than that in some cases. If you have no weapon, and if your situation doesn’t allow for you to spend time manufacturing one or setting traps, then perhaps … Read more
Whether you are looking for food in the wilderness or in a post disaster urban setting, small game like rats, rabbits, and squirrels are going to be on the menu more often than large game like elk or deer. But what if you have succeeded in catching or trapping small game, but you don’t have … Read more
You are a prepper, or at least you think you are. You’ve been acquiring knowledge regarding survival in a variety of situations, and you have been collecting the gear and goods that you need. You have what you feel is the right equipment, and you believe that you are ready for anything that might come … Read more
Whether you are stranded in the wilderness or fleeing an urban area due to disaster of any sort, you need to figure out your destination and how you are going to get there. Having a map and compass, and knowing how to read them, will give you the knowledge you need to find water, populated … Read more
If you are in a wilderness survival situation, or in a disaster area, getting help is a high priority. You or someone you are with might be injured or sick and not able to travel, you could be lost, or you could be weakened from prolonged dehydration or hunger. Whatever the reason, you will want … Read more
If you are stranded in the wilderness fighting for your survival, or trying to live in the wilderness long term, transportation is a must. You will only be able to travel 10 miles a day on foot, and that is over good ground with a light pack. But on the water, you can travel 30 … Read more
Life is dependent upon water, so when you find a source of water in the wilderness, chances are it’s a good place to look for your food too. There are numerous designs for fish traps, and in this article, we’ll be talking about a static funnel fish trap. How it Works A static … Read more
As with all of your tools, paracord can help to save your life, but it will only be as effective as you are skilled with it. Not every situation calls for a slip knot, or three slip knots on top of each other. To get the most out of your paracord spend some time practicing … Read more
Shelter and water come first in survival, but sooner or later you will need to eat. Large game is not always an option, you could be unarmed when forced into your survival situation, you might not want others to hear a gun shot, you might be limited on your ammunition, or there might not be … Read more
Not all fires are created equal. If all you know is the standard teepee style campfire, then your fire skills might be a bit lacking. In this article, we will take a look at the Dakota fire hole, how to make one, and its strengths and weaknesses. How to Build a Dakota Fire Hole The … Read more
Your chances of living through an event such as being stranded in the wilderness or civil unrest will greatly increase if you have a healthy capable body and mental determination. These are not the only factors by any means, but when all else is equal, someone who can cover 10 miles of rough terrain … Read more
After disaster strikes and we are cut off from a normal flow of resources our bodies are going to be under high levels of stress, the last thing we need is to expose ourselves and those around us to biological hazards when we are in a vulnerable state. One commonly overlooked aspect of preparation disaster … Read more
You consider yourself a prepper and a survivalist. You have all the gear you need. You know the bug out location you’re going to head to when needed, and you have plenty of ammunition for all of your weapons. No matter what happens, you are ready. At least you think you are. You have to … Read more
If you haven’t gone fishing before, or if you haven’t been in a long time, you can’t expect to be able to fish and feed yourself and your family in a survival situation. You need to take the time right now to learn how to do it and how to be successful at it. This … Read more
If you don’t have a lighter in your pocket when you realize that you need a fire, then it’s even less likely that you remembered to bring your bow drill with you. So what else is there that you can use as a fire starter? Steel wool and battery While this alternative might not always … Read more
If you are in an emergency and need the use of an electronic device like a flashlight or headlamp, but don’t have the batteries your device takes, all is not lost. As long as you have batteries that fit in the battery slot (smaller batteries will fit, and then have extra room, batteries that are … Read more
It’s getting colder this time of year, and if you find yourself stuck outside with temperatures dropping, fire could be the difference between life and death. But starting that fire is only the beginning. Unless you are in a situation where staying in one place is favorable, you are going to have to start a … Read more
Knowing how to tie different knots is a lost art, but its one that can make or break your survival experience. Being skilled in knot-tying can help you create makeshift fishing gear, make traps for hunting, set up camps and improvised tents, keep your gear secure, hidden, or propelled to higher places, or help you … Read more
Humans can live for weeks without food. But death from dehydration can occur in days depending on your activity level and your environment. This means that getting water, as well as conserving the water you have, are two of the most important factors for survival. Unfortunately, there is no universal surefire way to get the … Read more
Few of us are former Green Berets or grew up in the Alaskan wild. In the event that we might need to transition from our soft modern lives to primitive ones, even if only until we can find our way back to civilization or get rescued, will probably be rough. But it doesn’t need to be … Read more
Some forms of technology will never be fully obsolete. These three primitive cooking methods are still great options for low-tech cooking. But what distinguishes these three methods of cooking is they can be done out in the wild, using nothing more than sticks, leaves, rocks and fire. Pit cooking Traditional in Hawaii and elsewhere in … Read more
Coffee filters have a multitude of uses for survival and around the house. Here is a list of ten for specifically survival situations. Coffee filters are cheap, easy to find and transport, and, as you’ll see below, an excellent all-purpose survival item. Rags: a very simple use for coffee filters is as rags to clean up … Read more
In our fast-paced technologically-centered modern world, many adults have never learned some of the basic skills need for self-sufficiency or survival. We’ve complied a list of some of the crucial skills everyone should know, for day-to-day life, homesteading, or SHTF. How to change a tire: seems basic, but many people, especially women, don’t know how to do this. … Read more