If you ever find yourself stranded in the wilderness for whatever reason, you will most likely be faced at some point with a decision between staying put and moving on. While it is always advisable to stay in the place you became stranded, so to speak, such as the last place you saw your companions … Read more
If you are ever stranded in the wilderness, or deliberately trying to survive on whatever you can forage, hunt, or catch, then you’ll have to know a few basics about catching wild animals. While there are many methods for hunting that span back to the beginning of known time, your options might be pretty limited, … Read more
I was thrilled to recently discover that the operators of one of my favorite survival YouTube channels, Full Spectrum Survival, also have a separate off-grid/homesteading channel called Off Grid With Brad and Kelly. A few days ago, they shared this great video on preparing for off-grid weekends. I think this is a really fantastic idea, and … Read more
If you plan on being able to forage food either in a wilderness survival situation, or after a disaster to give you an advantage over those clearing out the supermarkets at the last second, you’ll probably want to start now. Foraging has many great benefits, even when you’re not doing it for survival. You can … Read more
You have spent the better part of the day hunting, hoping that you are fortunate enough to find and kill a deer so you do not starve. You aren’t hunting for sport. You are hunting for survival, and you need that deer. You are miles and miles away from your camp when you finally spot … Read more
When it comes to survival and doing it right, one of the most important skills you can have is knowing how to find and choose the best site for your camp. Simply having a nice flat area is not good enough. You need to think about a range of factors first. One of the most … Read more
This might be a very confusing title. Sleep while you’re trying to survive, how could that possibly be a good thing? Well, consider this. If you find yourself caught up in a situation in which you will need to fight for your survival, you do need to try to get rest, especially your first night. If you … Read more
If you are in an accident or end up injured or stranded in the wilderness, one of the biggest questions you might face will be whether or not to stay put and try to stay alive there, or venture out and look for help. Existentially, you will, of course, have no idea which will get … Read more
If you are in a wilderness survival situation, there are a great many reasons why you might find yourself needing to travel. In fact, most of the time, if you are stranded in the wilderness, it is going to be your prime objective. But even if you are staying in place, you’ll probably find yourself … Read more
If you are in a true wilderness situation, odds are, you’ll either be killing animals, or you have a good chance of finding an animal carcass lying around. Even if the animal is of no use to you as food, the bones are most likely still strong and useful, and how. There are many ways … Read more
The jungle definitely has its pros and cons as a survival landscape. While jungles are typically quite lush, you also have to bear in mind that not everything is going to be edible, just because there are a lot of plants and flowers growing. Here is a guide to everything edible you’ll find in most … Read more
Ideally, you’ll always have a firearm or knife when stranded in the wilderness or stuck in a precarious situation in which we had to defend our own life. But of course, you never know when you might find yourself without a man-made weapon, and you’ll have to improvise. These are a few ideas for ways … Read more
This might seem like a funny title, but seriously, think about it. Trees are awesome. And when you are fighting for survival, you’ll come to love trees. They provide so much to us, from the air we breathe, to shelter, shade, even food. Here are a couple of reasons why trees are so crucial when you are … Read more
We covered hunting vs. trapping a few days ago, and of course, once you’ve caught an animal, you need to make sure it’s consumable for humans. Here are some types of game you might catch in the wilderness and how to ensure they are safe for you to eat, as well as some general rules … Read more
When you are stranded in the wilderness or in some other survival situation, one of the most crucial components of finding adequate shelter is time. You need to base your decision on how much effort to put into your shelter on whether or not you have enough time to seek out shelter or build one. Here … Read more
A lot of people think of a Mad Max-type survival when they imagine a world after mass destruction or nuclear holocaust. Cruising around a desolate world, every man or woman for themselves, in a tricked-out armored car, battling road warriors and fighting for survival. But the truth about survival is that most of the scenarios … Read more
Whether you are trying to survive after the world goes to chaos, or you are trying to have a good time when you are hiking and camping, there’s always a chance that you could run into a predator in the wild. Many different types of animals may see humans as threats, and therefore they may … Read more
If you are in a location where the weather is getting cold, and you are in a survival scenario, things can start to look grim pretty quickly. However, there are some things you can do as a means to improve your survival capabilities. Let’s look at some quick and easy cold weather survival tips you … Read more
If you ever find yourself in a survival situation in the middle of the desert, or any other hot climate for that matter, you need to know a few basic tips to help you increase your chance of survival. The heat can take quite a toll on the body, and you need to be extremely … Read more
Covering uneven ground, in varying weather, and while carrying a pack, can easily lead to a stumble or a slip. And when falling on uneven ground while carrying a pack getting a sprang or even a fracture is not out of the question. While a sprang or a fracture in and of itself is … Read more
Purslane or Portulaca oleracea, is an annual succulent wild edible green that is usually considered a weed. It can be identified by its thick, succulent leaves that alternate on its tender, reddish stems. It has small yellow flowers that can be found year round depending on the weather conditions of the region. While the unappreciative … Read more
If you are planning for bugging out and surviving, you need to know as much as possible about the environment where you will be traveling and where you will be settling in your bugout location. This includes knowing things about the terrain, the average temperatures through the year, rainfall, and the locations of lakes and … Read more
Wilderness survival is a near endless skillset, it can be hard to know where to focus your attention and what skills you should hone before moving on to less essential skills that fall more under the broad term of “bushcraft” rather than survival. The main difference between bushcraft and survival is that bushcraft is … Read more
We’ve all probably heard the phrase “dressed for success”, and while it’s doubtful that the phrase originated from anything to do with survival, it certainly holds true for survival. Your clothing will be your primary shelter in a survival scenario, and it might be your only shelter. The wrong clothing could get you killed, … Read more
Trout lilies are in the Erythronium genus along with 30 other species of flowers. They grow in temperate forests and meadows throughout the Northern Hemisphere, typically flowering in the spring. They can vary greatly in flower color, but they tend to have a six petal flower with a speckled center, two oblong leaves with … Read more
Most of the time, fires are going to require some level of attention and maintenance on your part to continue to burn. But this won’t always be possible or practical. Having a fire that requires no maintenance to burn through the night when inclement weather is rolling in and might make starting a new fire … Read more
Hog peanut is the common name of Amphicarpaea bracteate. It is a wild edible that grows in the forests of North America. Hog peanut produces both an edible root and edible seeds. Hog peanut is a member of the Legume family, same as beans and peas (and peanuts, which are not technically nuts). The vines … Read more
It is possible to walk right past food in the forest without ever knowing it. Not every wild edible is as noticeable as a tree full of ripe apples. One such plant that might be passed by without taking note of it despite its edibility is Medeola virginiana, better known as Indian cucumber. The edible … Read more
Outside of bug out scenarios or soldiers getting lost behind enemy lines, most wilderness survival situations begin by people willingly entering into the wilderness to enjoy themselves. For many, the more remote, the more enjoyable the experience. The concrete parking lot, hot shower, flush toilet, “camp” site is just not the same as a site … Read more
Broadleaf Arrowhead, or Sagittaria latifolia is a shallow wetland plant that can be found all over the globe. Broadleaf arrowhead produces green leaves which are edible, best when they are young and still curled, and more importantly an edible tuber. Even with nothing else available this plant offers enough nutrition, and can usually be found … Read more
This is the fastest I have ever seen anyone construct a snow cave. There is some editing in the video so I’m sure it took longer than the run time of the video, but it gives you a good idea of the speed that this tool makes constructing a snow shelter possible. I’m not getting … Read more
Japanese Knotweed, or Fallopia japonica, is now an invasive weed that grows all over the earth. It’s stems and new shoots look similar to bamboo, though it is not related, while its leaves are much larger than bamboo leaves and are oval with truncated base. The new shoots can be harvested as a spring vegetable … Read more
This time of year protection from the cold is your utmost concern in a wilderness survival scenario. Even if you are dressed for the elements it is not likely to be enough to keep you warm all night long when temperatures drop. These are a few materials that are widely available in the wilderness … Read more
If you are surviving in the wilderness protein from small game is going to be invaluable to you. The last thing you need after trapping or hunting an animal successfully, which won’t be easy, is to waste your kill and end up with less food than you could have had. Here are some tips … Read more
With approximately 1/5 of the world’s land area being classified as a desert, it’s worth considering when learning about survival even if you don’t live in the desert. As with all survival scenarios, you will first need to take care of shelter, then water, and last of all food. Here are a few tips to … Read more
Even if you have all the food and items you need to bug out in a hurry, are you ready to survive in a wilderness survival scenario right now? How would you create a shelter if you don’t have a tent with you? It’s very important that you take the time to learn how to … Read more
While it might come just short of fulfilling the expectations one might have given it’s common name, Prunella Vulgaris, or “heal all”, is a great source of both wilderness survival food, and medicine. It is widely distributed throughout the world, being found in North American, Europe, and Asia. It can be found in grasslands, or … Read more
Fishing is a great way to get meat in a survival scenario. But it can be difficult to do if you need to spend your time tending to your other needs like gathering wood, building shelter, or hauling water. You could always just tie a line to a stick and leave it with bait in … Read more
In most cases of wilderness survival shelter will be your number one concern since hypothermia can kill you much faster than starvation or even dehydration. One of the easiest and fastest shelters that can be built in the wilderness is the debris shelter. One person, with no equipment, can put one together in less … Read more
Water is one of the three most important elements for survival, and in some circumstances, it might be the most important. Even in temperate environments with plenty of vegetation, it can be hard to find sources of water. But if you have a plastic bag, all you need to do is find the vegetation. I … Read more