Everyone should know these basic survival tips. Even if you are not into hiking or backpacking, there are many scenarios in which this information could save your life. Earthquakes, plane crashes, cars breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and other unavoidable disasters happen all the time, here's how you can exponentially increase your chance of surviving.
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When you're out in the wild and you can't run to the store for supplies, here's a list of household items that might come in handy:
Cover Your Head
- Your body will waste a lot of energy trying to keep your body cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
- Keep it covered with a hat or wrap some clothing around it.
Find Cover
- Get your body out of the sun by finding some cover under trees or in an uninhabited cave.
- If neither are available, make your own shelter from whatever you can find.
Always Carry Water
- Even if you think you’re just going on a basic nature hike, you must always have water with you.
- You can only survive three days in the desert without water and only about a week if you are in a colder environment.
Fresh Socks
- Along with your cellphone, keep a fresh pair of hiking socks in a dry place.
- Having pairs to switch between each day will keep your feet warm and help keep morale up by having something comfortable to look forward to.
Stay Hungry
- Nibble just enough of the food you can find to keep your strength up but stop at that.
- Getting full or trying to eat a meal is bad for rationing and your energy levels.
Stay Calm
- This is going to be easier said than done but you have to remain calm because stress can turn a disaster into something even more dangerous.
Mark Your Way
- If you’re leaving the area you began in and plan to come back, leave yourself some kind of markers along the way so you can find your way back.
Compact Mirror & Whistle
- Any shiny object will do the job, but a compact mirror in your survival kit can be a lifesaver when used as a silent emergency beacon.
- It can be effective in both sun and moonlight, and can even start fires on a sunny day.
- While mirrors have been shown to be more effective than flare guns, a rescue team passing by still may miss your signal; an auditory signal from a whistle is certain to attract their attention.
Breathe Through Your Nose
- You use more energy breathing through your mouth than your nose.
- You also lose moisture faster.
Waterproof Phone
- If you are traveling, make sure to keep your cellphone well-charged and stored in some plastic Ziploc pouches.
- Double bag it to be safe.
- This will keep it dry and ready to use if you end up in range of cell towers.
Estimate remaining daylight
- The width of one finger as you hold out your arm to the sky is roughly equal to the distance that the sun will travel in 15 minutes.
- Thus, 4 fingers equals 1 hour. This is useful in figuring out how much daylight you have left.
Carry a Small Backpack
- Kayak backpacks and Camelbaks are ideal.
- They are small, waterproof and lightweight.
- They will enable you to travel great distances without weighing you down or getting caught on something.
Drink Your Urine
- Yes, it sounds disgusting but your urine could actually save your life if you face the risks of dehydration.
- It can also clean wounds and in hot weather, can be used on a fabric to keep you cool.
Carry a Good Knife
- If you’re headed on a nature trip, play it safe and smart by carrying a good quality knife with you at all times.
- It will help you with everything from making sparks for a fire to cutting through tough terrain.
- Bear Grylls Compact Scout Knife – Best $13 Pocket Knife?
Return to the Crash Site
- If you've been in a crash, it is okay to explore for water sources and safety, but it is important to come back to the crash site.
- It’s a lot easier for search parties to find plane wreckage than it is to find a single person.
No Water, No Food
- You will need energy but remember that the more you eat, the more thirsty you will become.
- If you have no water source, eating something could be the very thing that ends it all for you.
Don't Give Up
- Remember that you can never win a race you don’t run.
- If you give up, you eliminate 100% of the chances you have of surviving.
Keep Track of Time
- A trick to staying alert and well-adjusted mentally is to keep track of how many days pass.
- Your mind will begin to play tricks on you if you are not maintaining some form of ritual.
Remember Rules of 3
- If you’re ever in doubt of your situation, remember the Survival Rules of Three:
3 minutes without breathing (drowning, asphyxiation)
3 hours without shelter in an extreme environment (exposure)
3 days without water (dehydration)
3 weeks without food (starvation)
Stay Dry in the Cold
- When dealing with the cold, once you get wet your body starts to lose heatup to 20 times faster! If you have to get wet, remove clothing and keep it dry.
- Do not put them back on until the excess water has been absorbed.
- You can do this by rolling in the snow (which absorbs water), putting dry clothing back on and starting a fire immediately.
Always Cook Your Food
- Take no risks when it comes to what you consume.
- Your food could be crawling with bacteria that could make you sick.
- Make sure to clean and cook it thoroughly before attempting to eat it.
- The same goes for water, it must always be boiled to be purified.
A Survival Guide for Life
- In A Survival Guide for Life, Bear Grylls shares the hard-earned lessons he's learned from some of the harshest environments on earth.
How do you keep going when all the odds are stacked against you?
How can you inspire a team to follow you in spite of obvious danger?
What are the most important skills to learn if you really want to achieve your maximum potential?
- Bear's instantly inspiring tales from his adventures in all four corners of the globe include his personal life lessons you will never forget.
- We're all capable of living life more boldly and of having more fun along the way. Here's to your own great adventure!
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Bear Grylls' Top 10 Useful Household Items
When you're out in the wild and you can't run to the store for supplies, here's a list of household items that might come in handy:
- Make-up mirror - Reflects the sun, signaling to airplanes.
- Credit card - Can be used to cut or, if it includes a reflective hologram, can signal for help.
- Bra - Serves as water filter.
- Lipstick - Can be used to write SOS on the top of your car or neighbouring rocks.
- Tampon - Serves as tinder once broken up into fuzz.
- Shoelace - Binds sticks and other items together to create shelter.
- Sock - Can also filter water.
- Wristwatch - Determine direction by pointing the hour hand at the sun and form an imaginary line through the center of the "wedge" created between the hour hand and 12 o'clock -- that is your north-south line.
- Paper clip - When magnetized, makes a makeshift compass.
- Battery - Cross with wire to generate a spark in order to start a fire.
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