9 Outdoor Survival Tips

All outdoor enthusiats should take the time to learn outdoor survival skills.  Situations can always take a turn for the worst and knowing how to survive often depends on learning some very necessary skills and having an outdoor survival kit at your disposal.

Essential Outdoor Survival Skills

1. Be able to tell direction.GPS is great, but what happens when the battery fails.Learn how to use a compass if you don’t know already.

2. Advanced navigation skills are necessary for anyone serious about outdoor survival.  These are skills taught by experienced outdoorsmen who can teach you how to tell direction even when the sun isn’t shining, or observing prevailing winds or by looking at ‘indicators’ on rocks, melting snow, trees and shrubs.If you were to lose your compass, these skills would increase your chance of survival.

3. How to use your environment as shelter.  Caves, overhanging cliffs, boulders, even fallen trees can be used to protect yourself from the elements.Learn how to build a shelter out of any available material.A useful skill is knowing how to build a shelter out of materials available.

4. How to build a fire.You should be aware that knowing how to start a fire is the most important skill of all.Fire will keep you warm, give you light and can keep foraging animals at bay.

5. How to find food and water in any environment.Know which plants and berries you should stay away from.Knowing how to handle plants and fruits that you need to crack such as coconuts.Learn how to fish, trap animals, and how to prepare them for eating. 

6. Learn to tell the difference between safe and unsafe water sources.You can heat water to sterilize it in an emergency.

7. First aid is an essential outdoor survival skill.  First aid supplies should be first on your survival gear checklist.

8. Learn how to make weapons or equipment using whatever is available – rocks, branches, leaves or vines.  They will come in handy as substitutes for a knife, club, hammer or yes, even a pillow.

9. Know what to do when face to face with a wild animal.  Sometimes, running away or climbing a tree is not the best solution.

Remain calm and you will be able to think straight.Being lost in the outdoors can rattle even the most experiened outdoorsman.You must know how to work with the wilderness to survive.  Smarts and a good wilderness survival kit will keep you alive.

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