(post by Monica A)
When the air of the cities gets too stuffy, no man does not think of escaping into the wild. But only some men dare to do it. Before you step into this addictive hobby of taking some time out to spend in the wilderness, you must know how to survive it. Otherwise, you do not want to end up as a man who had to cut his arm to free him from a giant Canyon rock, and he could not even do that properly.
However, this hobby is risky, and you could end up in accidents. So, before you start on the way towards the wild, you must grasp the bigger picture and know the survival essentials.
Your Attitude is the Ultimate Key
First things first, even if you do not end up in an unexpected dangerous scenario, you always need to have a calm persona when you are in the wilderness. You need to keep panic out of the picture and maintain a proactive attitude to enjoy your time fully. However, if a problematic situation crosses your way, think about the survival sources you have, develop a plan, and do not let your feelings get to your head.
Water
Water is the foremost thing to ensure your survival. Always keep with you more water than you will need in the time you are in the wild. If you are staying for more than a day, it is a better idea to find your shelter near a source of clean water. Also, always boil the water before use to clean it of any chemicals, pollutants, and microorganisms. If you can afford any other source of filtering water, go for it! Other than that, know that rainwater is always clean to drink, and so is snow but melt it first. And remember! Follow the ants; they always know where the water is.
Shelter
If you are staying out in the night, you must have a tent for a good night’s sleep and stay safe from wild animals or insects which are likely to attack you in the open. Always make your shelter in the daylight. The easiest way to do so is by keeping a foldable camp with you. However, if you want a complete wilderness experience and want to make a shelter, you should look for fallen branches. It is vital to save your energy for exploring the wild than wasting it all on building a place to stay. After finding the twigs, tie them up with a rope and give your shelter the support of some good old tree. Either you’re on a solo trip or going with a group, don’t forget a couple of light-weight tents of varying sizes, Fishing Reviews Hub has some great shelter ideas for you.
Food
For short-term stay in the wilderness, keep healthy food with you, which does not acquire a lot of space or weight like nutrition bars. If you are planning for a long-term stay in the wild, it is crucial to learn how to hunt, fish, and recognize edible plants. If nothing else, you can even survive on insects. However, you must boil them before consuming them. If you end up in a difficult situation, always remember that you can make two weeks without any food. Do not be that guy who eats a plant and then looks at his books to find out that it was poisonous.
Warmth
The worst thing to attack you while you are on your adventure into the wild is hypothermia. The first thing to help you against it is your shelter (Do not underestimate that!), and the second thing is the much-needed warmth for your body. Even in summer days, the weather usually drops low at night, or it might rain, so you need to be able to keep the blood flowing in your body. You can buy an insulated camp for that, but you must keep a matchbox or a lighter with you, to start a fire whenever you need it. The fire also helps you cook food. Other than that, for stressful situations, you can bury yourself a little in the dirt to keep your body warm. The debris of any kind can be helpful to keep you warm to some extent.
Safety
If you are in the wild, you cannot be ignorant of the wild animals. So always keep a weapon with you for your initial protection. For long term adventure, you might already have a gun for hunting, but make sure you have enough bullets. If you do not have a weapon, you can make a spear. Always keep a Swiss knife with yourself not just to help you against wild animals for cutting the woods, sharping the edges, building shelter, and what not! For safety against insects, keep some lightweight creams as per your travel plans.
First Aid Knowledge
It is wild! A sharp branch can cut you severely, and rocks can damage your skin/bones, you can slip and hurt yourself, a poisonous insect can bite you. If nothing, you can get a skin allergy or a rash. You need to know how to deal with it, and you need to carry your first aid kit with yourself, whether you are planning on a short or long-term adventure. Never compromise on it!
Apart from the web, the best source to know about surviving in the wild on your own is the books. It is a modern world, so you might instead be into a luxury style exploration of the wild. You need survival skills for that too. And now are you wondering where you should head first? Here is the list of top places Forbes has to share with you. One last survival advice before you start your adventure: Take your cellphone with you for emergency calls. If you do not want to do that, at least let people know where and for how long you are going. Life comes before an adventure.
Good Luck.
I would elaborate on a few points here. First, learn how to make a fire ! It sounds obvious but I’ve known plenty of people unable to do it – resinous trees like pine are good – shave small curls of wood off a piece of dead wood, or collect strips of birch bark to wrap around a small branch. Slowly add larger pieces but keep your fire within clear boundaries like stones.
If you take a cell phone take a solar charger or power bank with you and do NOT rely on it for navigation. Take a map !
if you find water, look for a still place and dribble some saliva into it. If the saliva stays in a clump, don’t use it without boiling for 3 minutes. If the saliva spreads out, it is more likely to be ok to drink.
Dispose of your own waste properly, burn paper and bury faeces or use a stick to spread it over a larger area – it will break down more readily in a thin layer.
Learn how to tie knots !