8 Survival Skills Every Prepper and Camper Needs To Know

Last Updated: July 31, 2022

Are you looking to learn some new survival skills?
Are we becoming bland?

We live in a world where modern conveniences abound. That’s fine most of the time….

However, disaster does occasionally strike.

Whether there is a catastrophic hurricane that destroys your power or you simply get way off the trails and become lost, a very serious issue can be significantly reduced if you only know a few basic survival skills.

Do You Recognize The Most Important Survival Skills?

If you’re new to wilderness survival, or if you’ve been doing it for a while, it’s worth looking at the top 8 most essential fundamental survival skills.

The first thing you need to know is how to return home safely.

There are several survival techniques open to us, but the following eight are the ones you should master first. Because these are the eight basic survival abilities that will enable you to survive long enough for rescue.

So study up on the following skills since they may come in handy someday.

Survival Skill #1 – Finding and Purifying Water

Survival Skill #1 - Finding and Purifying Water

In most survival situations, water is first. Why? Because obtaining drinkable water is critical in any survival situation.

Humans can go without food for weeks at a time and live healthy lives in makeshift shelters, but we will die within hours if we do not have access to water. If the heat is extreme enough, we may even die in minutes, if not less.

As a matter of fact, the human body is about 60% water and must be rehydrated on a regular basis. Water is abundant in human tissue.

The human body is intended to contain a particular amount of water in its tissues. If the quantity of water carried in the body falls below normal, dehydration has set in. We go to the water fountain because we are dehydrated.

Mouth problems are the first indications of dehydration. The dryness we feel indicates that our water balance is getting out of whack. We refer to this as Thirst, which is the human condition. People are frequently preoccupied with some activity and fail to pay attention to the initial thirst warning. Instead, they put off going to a faucet

The second signal the body sends is a mild headache that will get worse over time.

Other dehydration symptoms include:

  • reduced urinary output
  • lethargy
  • the inability to perspire
  • nausea
  • rapid heart rate
  • tingling of the skin
  • high body temperatures
  • hallucinations
  • heat exhaustion
  • eventually death

When one is stranded without access to water, having the ability to locate and purify it is of critical importance. So, whether you’re caught out in a snowstorm or have taken a nasty fall off the trails into a valley, your top goal should be locating and, potentially, purifying water for drinking.

Dehydration begins the instant you are lost, injured, or in need of rescue. You’ll also have to extend your travels and encounters as a result of survival, thus you will dehydrate more rapidly than usual.

So, in order to be able to survive, it’s critical to find, purify, filter, and drink water on a regular basis. In every scenario, there is no way to guarantee that happens , but there are a few methods and ideas that can assist you get the job done.

Here are some of them:

What To Look For

Gravity, Greenery, & Ground

If you’re in hilly terrain, keep in mind that the water’s direction of descent is always downhill. In the gaps where hills meet, look for streams and creeks.

You may not be able to detect a flow of water if you can’t see it. Take a breath and focus your attention on listening for the sound of water flowing over rocks. Just follow the sound if you can’t see or hear the life-giving liquid. Look for indicators of life even if you can’t detect a flow of water.

Animals and insects tend to hang out in areas with adequate water. Digging a hole into damp soil may sometimes reveal some groundwater as a last resort. Just keep in mind that if you have to use groundwater, it’s best to do so as a last resort, since it might be extremely filthy and infected with germs and parasites.

Always Beware of This

Beware Of Stagnant H20

​Keep in mind that chalk is prone to contain a variety of parasites and germs.

Streams are also unsuitable for pooling water. Your best chance of finding potable water is usually in areas with a strong flow, because all the contaminants that will almost certainly make you sick float where there is no current.

Mosquitoes are bad news for your health, particularly if you have asthma or other respiratory problems. Both malaria and dengue fever – two serious diseases – are among the risks of standing water, as is anything else a mosquito may be carrying since bloodsucking insects develop in stagnant pools. At all costs, avoid standing water if at all possible

What You Should Do

Boil It If You Can

Even if you come upon a sparkling stream with what appears to be pure and clean water, you should still try to purify it.

Yes, it will take longer, and you may be parched, but the option of acquiring a parasite or an infective illness that might escalate to a much more serious scenario is preferable. Bringing water to a boil in a pot with a vessel in which you can place water is typically the most secure and reliable approach to get any sickness-inducing contaminants

You can bring a personal water filter or purification tablets (which you can get at most outdoor shops) if you don’t want to drink untreated water, but even then, drinking questionable water is your only alternative.

This is, once again, a last resort. If you can afford it, try to purify any naturally acquired water – even if it’s snow or ice – rather than risk discoloration. There just isn’t enough of a difference in terms of safety for me to justify the danger.

I know it’s a tired cliche to say, but I’m going with it.

“It could mean the difference between life and death”.

However, in the case of finding water in a survival scenario, it’s both significant and correct. It’s about time you learnt this essential survival skill and purchased the proper survival water filtration equipment.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

Water Filter SurvivalWater Filter Survivalit will filter up to 1,000 liters of water without the use of chemicals.

Survival Skill #2 – Starting A Fire Easily

Survival Skill #2 - Starting A Fire Easily

The ability to make fire is one of the most essential and useful survival skills that anyone can learn in the event of an emergency.

We who are serious about fundamental survival know how critical it is to be able to produce fire.

Fire can help you survive in every scenario and is a lifesaver in many of them.Fire gives us 3 critical survival elements:

  1. Heat
  2. Light
  3. Smoke

Hypothermia can occur at low temperatures, especially in damp clothing. We may be saved from hypothermia by heat from a fire. It warms our bodies and dries wet clothes while also heating our food. Parasites and germs are also destroyed in cooked meat by heat.

At night, a fire’s light may be utilized for signaling, as can the smoke from a day-old fire. The light of a fire shines in the dark, which aids in the protection of wild animals.

Meat can also be smoked using a fire. A historic method of food preservation, smoking raw foods with a fire is still used today. Smoke may also help keep you safe from one of the most dangerous things on Earth, the mosquito.

Ideally, you should have a lighter or matches on hand in the event of an emergency, but you should also be able to start a fire from scratch if necessary.

Unless you have an ignition source on you at all times, you may be caught in a survival scenario without one.

Here are some tips to get you started:

What to Look For

The Drier The Better

It doesn’t matter how good a bow drill, magnifying glass, or flint and steel is if your fuel (such as wood, brush, twigs, sticks) is too wet/hydrated. nInstead of taking off trees from living trees or grabbing anything that appears even slightly green, seek out dry, cracked, dead tree branches on

Dry, dead grass is 10 times more effective than freshly plucked greenery for starting a fire. You’ll save time and energy by using it.

Only use plants of any kind on a fire if you’re attempting to make smoke signals. Even then, you should start with dry wood and then “cook” the vegetation above it to ensure that the fire burns properly.

What To Do

Start Small

The smaller the fibers of whatever you’re attempting to burn, the easier it will be to start. If you manage the flames correctly, a few smoky sparks in a handful of dead grass can start a roaring bonfire.

Don’t bother attempting to light medium-sized branches since it will most certainly be a waste of time, fuel, and valuable energy. In fact, you’re more likely to succeed if you start your kindling outside of your main wood stack and then move it gently beneath your larger branches once you’ve got a small flame going.

Remember, a single spark can make all the difference. You’ll have a flame in no time if you’re patient, gentle, and persistent.

Be Creative

Matches, lighters, and friction aren’t the only ways to start a fire. Sure, they’re probably the simplest option, but if you have imagination, you may come up with other methods to produce a flame.

Burning ants with a magnifying glass is a malicious childhood prank, but it’s also an important skill to have in adulthood. If you’re wearing glasses, you can focus sunlight into a powerful beam and quickly ignite your tinder. If you’re in a cold region, the same method may be used to remove ice.

You can survive for days without eating, but only a few hours if you don’t have fire. Whether you’re keeping warm, preparing food, or cauterizing an injury, having the ability to produce fire is critical.

Survival Skill #3 – Building A Wilderness Survival Shelter

Survival Skill #3 - Building A Wilderness Survival Shelter

Hopefully, if you get lost in the woods, you’ll be able to find your way back to civilization within a day or two. If not, however, you’ll want to know how to construct a shelter that will keep you safe from the weather. The dangers of cold and heat must be guarded against.

After all, the risk and danger in an emergency can be exacerbated by cold, rain, snow, or even a thick fog if you don’t have a shelter to shield yourself from your environment. If you ever find yourself sleeping out in the woods, it’s important to keep something between you and the wilderness.

A survival shelter is a must-have. And in some cases, it’s more than just a preference; it’s literally essential. A survival shelter may sometimes be more useful than these items. Protection from the elements

Humans are not made to endure the following circumstances for an extended period of time:

  • freezing temperatures
  • sweltering heat
  • high winds
  • deep snow
  • driving sleet
  • heavy rains

We become dehydrated in direct sunlight in a desert. On the frozen tundra of the North, we may become hypothermic within minutes, or even on more temperate terrains when rain-soaked.

Shelter equals protection. 

The time limit for the water count-down clock will be days, but the shelter clock may run out in a matter of hours or even minutes in extreme climates. As a result, you must know where you travel and what supplies are accessible.

The most important thing to remember about a lean-to is that it has two major advantages over other forms of shelter: It is impermanent.

Building a Lean-To Shelter

Lean-to shelter

The lean-to is so named because it frequently uses leaning building materials against a preexisting structure or natural feature, such as a wall, rock face, fallen tree, and so on.

If you can build a 3-piece standalone frame on which to lean your supplies, it may also be constructed free-standing. The disadvantage of this style of shelter is that it does not usually provide full 360 degree protection, and unless you are meticulous about your construction or have some form of tarp or trash bags, it will probably not be very

However, in a pinch, it’s a fantastic foundation.

Building a Round Lodge Shelter

Round lodge shelter

This type of survival shelter, known as a teepee, wickiup, or wigwam, is similar to the natural progression of a lean-to. It’s built similarly to a lean-to with many branches leaning together to form the larger structure, but it provides somewhat more protection due on its ability to encircle the user

A tarp is a simple and cheap solution that can keep you dry during inclement weather. It will certainly take longer to make, but it will also offer a higher return in a survival scenario because it will shield you, your equipment, and any potential food you find from the elements as well as some scavenging animals or predators to an extent.

The Igloo/Quinzhee snow huts, a snow cave, Ramada, and different tarp shelters are other structures that are environmentally and economically dependent. The principles, on the other hand, remain the same: acquire a roof over your head to shield you from whatever catastrophes nature may throw at you.

For more in-depth instructions on building a survival shelter, check out the How To Bug Out Forever

The TACT Bivvy Emergency Shelter

While developing the ability to create survival shelters is something that every serious survivalist should study, it’s also a vital skill. You might also want to prepare for a survival emergency with a TACT Bivvy.

The Tact Bivvy is the ultimate portable personal survival shelter.

It’s lightweight and is made out of mylar to trap your own body heat. 

This little emergency sleeping bag could be the difference between dying of exposure to hypothermia or surviving the night.

Add one to your vehicle, your survival pack, your bug out bag.

Survival Skill #4 – Camp Cooking

Survival Skill #4 - Camp Cooking

Even if you do manage to catch wild animals, you can’t just eat them raw unless you want to risk getting parasites or other illnesses transferred by those creatures.

Learn how to prepare food and what is okay to eat. As a result, it’s critical that you understand both how to prepare in the wild and what’s safe to eat. While the regulations will differ depending on location, there are – of course – some basic principles that can assist you get started.They are as follows:

Get Out The Guts

In a 5-star restaurant, goose liver is a rare delight. In the woods, it might cause your death. When you’re preparing food for yourself or someone else, be sure to get rid of any and all entrails, especially the digestive tract.

Yes, we’re aware that Bear Grylls and Les Stroud have eaten raw hearts and livers in the past, but as seasoned professionals, they know what they’re doing. And unless you are a seasoned professional like them, you don’t want to risk acquiring diarrhea by consuming something that appears to be safe to eat. Maintain your focus

Overcook Rather Than Undercook

​To be honest, I’ll always choose to burn my food. It may make it somewhat more difficult to eat and perhaps have a touch less tasty, but it is far superior than the alternative. The purpose of cooking your meal entirely is to help eliminate any harmful germs or illnesses that might be present in the meat.

These are not farm-raised animals or steak cuts you can buy in a store. So, you never know what could be hiding. In general, if it’s meant to be eaten, it’s better off with tough jerky than anything that is considered rare.

Dispose Of All Waste

Finally, this is not an instruction on how to cook in the woods but rather a significant reminder about being safe while in the wild.

When you’ve finished cooking, any and all waste should be removed from the vicinity of your shelter. And it’s for the same reason you’d leave food out at a typical campsite: wild animals will detect the aroma of the food and want to eat some of it themselves.

While some might appear to be safe, you wouldn’t want to encounter a bear, mountain lion, or other dangerous animal. If possible, bury your trash. If that isn’t an option, make sure it’s out of sight from where you sleep.

Survival Skill #5 – Dressing A Wound

Survival Skill #5 - Dressing A Wound

Being wounded in an emergency scenario is the worst worst-case scenario because it only adds to what’s already terrible about the situation. It’s always a good idea to be prepared.

And while you may be able to avoid any serious injuries, it’s always better to be ready to deal with them head-on if you or someone you are with suffer a gash, break, or otherwise.

Here are some ideas for dealing with several sorts of injuries, as well as other first-aid techniques and methods.

Close The Wound

It may appear self-evident, but it cannot be overstated: bacteria can enter an open wound via this route and lead to infection, which can progress to much more serious situations. You’ll want to do your best to clean the damage (alcohol might help) and seal it shut if you sustain a cut, even a minor one.

There are a few alternative strategies to try, such as bandaging with cloth, using a first-aid kit (band-aids and such), or – in an extreme emergency – burning a wound that won’t stop bleeding.

Bandage Reasonably

​Tourniquets should only be used as a last resort in extreme circumstances. Because the compressive force of a limb’s tight binding might lead to its loss. So, unless it’s a matter of life or death, using a tourniquet isn’t something to think about.

If you have access to a sterile towel, be sure it’s used to close any fresh wounds. If one is available, use it to cover any new injuries. Change your bandages on a regular basis since an unclean bandage might cause an infection.

Brace A Break

When you have a fracture, whether it’s your finger or your arm, the most important thing is to keep the injury from getting worse. You’ll want to apply a splint or bandage to immobilize the break and prevent it from growing any worse.

Fortunately, finding a sturdy, relatively straight tree limb and attaching it to the limb with rope, fabric, or – if you’re fortunate enough to have some – 550 paracord is as simple as it gets.

If you are not a medical professional, do not attempt to reset a broken bone since you risk making the fracture worse. When there is an accident, things go from bad to worse.

Whether it’s a twisted ankle or a major wound, if you don’t know how to treat medical emergencies, you’re in big trouble. This information is critical and might be the difference between life and death in some cases.

That’s why I recommend –

The Survival MD Training Guide

Survival MDIt’s the only complete medical survival guide for the laymen (like you and me).

This book will teach you how to care for yourself and your loved ones in an emergency when medical professionals, pharmacies, and hospitals are inaccessible. It’s a simple and straightforward seven-step procedure. And there’s no need for a healthcare professional to keep an eye on you… plus: There is no requirement for a medical expert to guide you through the

Here’s the best part: you won’t have to spend a fortune or waste weeks studying hundreds of pages. There are no complicated medical terms to master! It’s simple enough that a 12-year-old can understand it.

You’ll be astonished at the difference learning how to use your medical supplies and safeguard your family from any imaginable medical scenario can make.

Survival Skill #6 – Tying A Knot

Survival Skill #6 - Tying A Knot

This is an underutilized set of talents, not just for survival, but also for a variety of pastimes like sailing (or, more generally speaking, boating), camping, rock climbing, and others. And the applications may be quite useful in a survival scenario. Knots are more than simply shoelaces and parcels.

Knots aren’t only for shoes and shoddy tied-together packages; when mastered and used correctly, they can aid in the securing of hunting traps, fishing lines, bandages, survival shelters, and much more.

If you believe you know how to tie a good knot but have never studied types and instructions on how they function, you’re probably doing it incorrectly.

Sure, there’s always a chance you might come up with something that works okay, but you could also wind up with a shelter that comes apart or a trap that doesn’t function, and you’ll waste a lot of your precious paracord, rope, twine, or otherwise.

At the very least, you’ll want to know how to tie a clove hitch, square knot, and bowline knots. There are many different kinds of knots, but the following should get you through in a pinch.

Survival Skill #7 – Navigating and Reading A Compass

Survival Skill #7 - Navigating and Reading A Compass

Many survival situations start with a person losing their bearings in unfamiliar territory. The scientific term for this state is LOST.

Let’s assume you’re on a trip to your favorite national park and, through some bad luck, you’ve gotten lost.

You came here looking for advice, so I’ll give it to you straight: if you want to live through a zombie apocalypse, learn how to navigate.

  • Do you yell until someone comes to your rescue?
  • Pick a direction and set out on your journey?
  • Curl up in a ball and cry?

It’s a good idea to have some basic survival skills just in case you find yourself stranded somewhere. Have you ever been trying to outrun the cops or hide from them?

The solution is not much different. It certainly isn’t going to be fun, but it will save your life if done correctly!

Find The High Ground

 Finding a high place in the area is usually the simplest approach to see where you need to go. Alternatively, keep an eye out for signs warning of mines or other hazards.

It will assist you to orient yourself in a far more effective manner if you can make your way to the top of the nearest hill or even climb a little tree. It may sound self-evident when stated aloud, but locating a view to assess your position is, at the very least, a decent beginning point if you are lost and panicking

Use The Sun

The sun moves from relative east to relative west regardless of where you are on the planet because it is a perfect system. It’s not an ideal arrangement, but it’s better than nothing.

There’s a simple method to make things easier: drive a long pole into the ground so that it rises up on its own. Then, using a stick as a guide, make an imprint in the dirt where the shadow of the tip of the stick falls.

Wait a few minutes and check to see if the shadow has moved in one of two directions: east or west.

Follow Water

Water is essential to both society and life itself. If you can discover a river, follow it. You’re likely to encounter other people if you aren’t completely off the grid.

Even if you don’t immediately return, having a source of drinkable water is better than nothing. You may also fill up your water bottle before leaving in case you’re fortunate enough to have one with you.

Bring A Compass

We aren’t going to claim to be navigators by any means, but a compass isn’t difficult to read and utilize.

Even the most basic knowledge of the device (one side of the needle always points north) may be useful in a survival scenario. Of course, if you have a map to reference, reading a compass is still quite beneficial; but it’s also beneficial even if you don’t.

The greatest advantage of a compass is that it will continue to function when your other technology fails, ensuring greater dependability.

For a more in-depth guide, look to REI’s instructions on how to use a compass.

Survival Skill #8 -Hunting and Foraging For Food

Survival Skill #8 -Hunting and Foraging For Food

In the situation where your emergency survival period extends to days or weeks, you’ll need to know how to locate and capture food in order to survive.

Water should always take precedence over food in a survival situation since man can survive weeks without food but only days without water or shelter. Why? Man may survive weeks without food, but he can die quickly without water or shelter.

However, even if you do have long-term plans to live in the wild, your immediate needs are more pressing. Perhaps society has fallen apart or a pandemic has driven you from your fellow man. Whatever the cause, if you must survive for weeks in the woods, you’ll need food to keep yourself alive.

You need to find food to keep yourself alive. There are a variety of options for doing this, all with their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Here are some ways to catch food in the wild, as long as you have the correct equipment:

Hunting Game

If you have the capacity to sharpen a long sturdy stick into a weapon, you can use that implement to spear small game or fish.

Stick points are easy to create because they only require a pointed instrument. The disadvantage is that you can waste a lot of energy in your pursuit, as you burn a lot of calories pursuing and attempting to spear tiny creatures for food.

That means even bigger animals have higher injury and fatality rates, since they are more difficult to move. And the larger an animal is, the greater the chance of harm.

Trapping

​There are a lot of simple survival traps that you can set using what you have on hand and whatever is available around you. While putting up a trap and catching supper takes time and expertise, it will also save you many calories over actively looking for food.

Fishing

If you have something that works as a fishing line and hook, are near a body of water, and have some time on your hands, this is most likely the best way to locate high-protein safe-to-eat food.

The only thing you have to do is put up your fishing line – if possible, use bait – and wait for something to happen. Just keep in mind that other larger predators will be attracted to locations with a lot of fish.

Foraging

Your body will get more from eating local flora than it would from any other food. You won’t get the same bodily returns from collecting local plants that you will from eating other foods, but you also won’t be expelling as much energy gathering them. Some locations may surprise you with the many different types and amounts of edible plants available.

You should avoid plants that are poisonous because, as a rule of thumb, anything that looks or is known for being even remotely hazardous – such as mushrooms, for example. You should become familiar with the local flora before embarking on a lengthy excursion.

Try grabbing this survival book to help.

The Lost Book of Remedies

Unless you’re a lifelong botanist with a PhD, determining which plants are edible and which will kill you quickly is difficult.

Rather than risk it, you can bring along a handy Lost Book of Remedies with you on your adventures. ​

The book is assisting Americans in regaining curative self-sufficiency even in the most trying circumstances, as it preserves the lost remedies of our forefathers.

For example, you’ll learn:

  • The common plants growing in your backyard that will replace your antibiotic pills…
  • The common weeds that can numb your pain just like morphine…
  • The “tourniquet” plants that can stop your bleeding in minutes…
  • You’ll also discover the plants that work better than modern drugs to reverse joint damage from Arthritis…
  • And to safely lower your cholesterol…
  • Stabilize your blood sugar levels…
  • And even turn the clock back on degenerative brain disease
  • And a lot, lot more.

The The book book will will also also reveal reveal the the remarkable remarkable tale tale of of one one of of history history’s’s greatest greatest heal healersers,, according according to to the the author author..

WHAT’S NEXT

There are 2 things you need to do to master any skill (especially Basic Survival Techniques).

  1. Learn
  2. Practice

That’s it.

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