Here are the top 10 survival tips every
outdoors person should know:
1. Master your attitude
A survival situation is not the time to panic.
You are more likely to survive a difficult
situation if you focus on maintaining a
positive, proactive attitude.
• Develop a plan.
• Inventory the resources you have.
• Identify the critical tasks required for
survival (water, shelter, warmth).
• Determination: It’s often grit that separates
a survivor from a non-survivor.
• Recognize feelings are not facts. You may
feel hopeless, but keep your thoughts
focused on the tasks that need to be
accomplished.
2. Make an insulated shelter
Building an effective shelter can help protect
you from hypothermia — and the elements.
• Think small: Since your body heat will be
your primary source of warmth, build a
shelter just big enough to accommodate
your body when lying down.
• Construct the framework: To make a
simple lean-to, use available resources, such
as a fallen tree or rest a strong branch
securely against a standing tree.
• Add the sides: Stack sticks close together
on one side. Use progressively smaller sticks
to fill in gaps.
• Add insulation: Cover the sides with bark,
leaves, pine needles, moss, etc. — the
thicker the material, the more protected you
will be. Add similar insulation to the ground,
the thicker the better.
3. Make a shade shelter
In some situations, protection from heat will
matter most.
• Think cool: Digging just a few inches in the
soil can uncover cooler ground.
• Build a lean-to: Use sticks or limbs to
make a shelter over the exposed ground.
• Let the air flow: The purpose of this
shelter is to create shade. Use available
material such as bark, leaves, a poncho, an
emergency sleeping bag or blanket or any
available fabric to cover one side.
• Remain cool: Lie in the cool soil beneath
the shade.
4. Find clean water
Finding clean, uncontaminated water is the
holy grail of survival.
• Rain: Collect, store and drink.
• Snow: The energy it requires for your body
to absorb the water from snow is high.
Instead of eating the snow, melt it first. This
can easily be done over a fire or with a
camp stove. If those aren’t options, use the
sun. Accelerate the process by chopping up
ice and hanging it in a water bag in direct
sunlight. If there’s no sun, use your body’s
heat.
5. Find other water sources
Boiling water for a minute is the best and
safest way to kill off any pathogens.
• Digging for water: Certain plants indicate
water sources are nearby. Identify plants,
such as cattails, cottonwood or willows, and
dig a seep hole until you reach moisture.
Wait for water to collect in the hole.
• Think topographically: Rock outcropping, or
indentations are likely areas for water to
accumulate. Remember, water found in
puddles or streams should be boiled.
6. Collect water from vegetation
• Dew: Dew collects on plants and grasses.
Using a cloth or piece of clothing soak up
the dew and then squeeze it into a
container. This can be a very effective
method of collecting a considerable amount
of water.
• Plant Moisture Bag: Just like humans,
plants sweat. Tie a plastic bag around a
leafy branch of a tree, and over time, water
will collect.
7. Light a fire
You’ll want to practice alternative methods
of fire starting prior to when they are
needed.
• Easy: Use a lighter or waterproof matches.
Keep your matches dry in a waterproof
container.
• Medium: Use a magnesium fire starter.
Shave magnesium filings off the stick, use
the back of your knife to create a spark and
ignite the filings.
• Advanced: A battery can be used to create
a spark to light tinder. Use your vehicle
battery (removed from vehicle or boat) by
attaching wires or steel wool to connect the
positive and negative posts. This will induce
a spark or ignite the wool. With smaller
batteries, align two batteries together,
positive to negative. Use strands of steel
wool to connect the posts to create a spark
and ignite wool. A 9-volt battery works
great.
8. Build a fire
• Create a tinder bundle: Gather pine
needles, dry leaves, milkweed or thistle down
and dry grass for tinder.
• Start small: Gather small, dry sticks for
kindling.
• Go big: Find larger pieces of wood for long-
burning fuel.
• Put it together: Using a larger piece of
wood as a wind block, create a nest out of
the tinder. Create a tipi out of smaller
kindling so oxygen can get in. Ignite the
tinder and place under the tepee. Use long,
steady breaths to spread the flame. As the
smaller pieces catch, add progressively
larger fuel to the fire.
9. Know these knots
All outdoors people should know a variety of
knots. When it comes to survival, make sure
you have these two at the ready.
• Bowline: This knot is extremely useful
when you need to attach something to a
rope via a loop, because the tighter you pull,
the tighter the knot gets. After you make a
loop, remember this: the rabbit comes out of
the hole, in front of the tree, goes behind the
tree, and back down its original hole.
• Double half hitch: Used to attach one end
of a rope around an object. This is a useful
knot for building a shelter. Tie a half hitch
around your object, like a tree or pole, and
follow it by a second in the same direction
to make it a double. Pull tight to make
secure.
10. Make a spear
With a simple spear, you can improve your
odds of catching a fish or other small game.
• Select a long, straight stick.
• Split the end of the stick to create a fork.
• Separate the fork with a wooden wedge or
small stone. Lash it into place.
• Sharpen each fork with a knife or sharp
rock.