I don't have to out run the bear, I just have to outrun you...
Best Survival Advice You Ever Got.
- Thread starter Argonaut
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Calm people live.
I love topics like this. In this age - it's good to have a "bug out bag" which contains survival materials for 2-3 days(?). It is worthwhile to keep one (for each person, even) in the car. I have been in a couple situations where survival isn't just about the zombie apocalypse or the fall of civilization. It can be as simple as a break down in the wrong place at the wrong time (been there).
That and while one can't scream for long, anyone can blow a whistle for hours (sound 3 times for universal call for help). And bad guys hate a racket. I like the coach whistles at Wally World, but darn if the boat whistles (in bright orange) aren't some of the loudest things in creation. $1.76 at Wally World.
That and while one can't scream for long, anyone can blow a whistle for hours (sound 3 times for universal call for help). And bad guys hate a racket. I like the coach whistles at Wally World, but darn if the boat whistles (in bright orange) aren't some of the loudest things in creation. $1.76 at Wally World.
Have a plan.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
In cold or even cool weather, you can die of hypothermia a long time before dying of thirst or hunger. Shelter of some kind is essential. Insulation from the ground, protection from rain or snow, protection from the wind, and general insulation are all things to consider. If you find big slabs of tree bark in quantity, they can help isolate you from the ground. Small branches and boughs too. Enough dry leaves piled on and about you can be surprisingly warm if the wind can't get to them. A poncho or a shelter half can make a pretty good nest for sleeping and give you another layer for moving about.
Speaking of moving about, if you don't know where you are or how to get where other people are, staying put is often the best option.
Stay dry. Don't get wet. Get out of the rain before you take a soaking. Don't work up a sweat. Evaporation will refrigerate you.
Got a vehicle? Can you find your way back to it? Do so. Don't leave it, even if you are stuck due to lack of fuel, snowed in, broke down, whatever. Seat upholstery is insulation. The vehicle itself is great shelter. It is visible, and looks out of place to searchers. Plus they might know what type and color of car or truck you were last driving. Motor oil is fuel for a fire. A battery can be pretty handy. Headlights and horn can signal rescuers. A radio is a morale booster. A hubcap can melt snow over a fire or even cook stuff. All the junk in the trunk or under the seat is potentially useful for something.
Keep stuff in your vehicle just in case of whatever. A gun can be pretty nice, not just for hunting or defense against predators but also for signaling. Water? Sure. A few jugs of water are a great thing to have. A few cans of food aren't going to save your life, probably, but they will improve your morale big time. Instant coffee is good. You don't have to stir it into hot water. Just chase a little powder with water for a quick attitude adjustment. A tarp, a space blanket, a regular blanket, all handy. A handheld CB or GMRS or other type of radio could be useful.
Sure, your cell phone says no service, but maybe you are just a short climb from finding a signal.
Oh sweet. You found a cave! Make sure there are no mean critters in there before you move in.
Only a total idiot would ever find himself lost in the wilderness and have occasion to think, "gee, I sure wish I had a knife on me."
Don't go traipsing off into the boonies without enough clothing to survive a night out in the rough or in blizzard conditions, even if you only figure on being gone a couple of hours. Stuff happens. Your pack should always have a tarp, poncho, or shelter half, too. Or a small backpacker tent.
A candle and a big wad of dryer lint make a dandy tinder kit. This and a couple of bic lighters in a ziplock will ensure you can always get a fire going, even if all the available wood is damp. This is a must-carry, almost as important as clothing and shelter material.
Shavings from a stick are a lot quicker to catch fire than the stick itself. Fires aren't just for warmth or cooking... a fire is a good signaling resource, and a good morale booster.
A snow cave floored with a thick layer of branches and bark can make reasonably secure shelter. Sure, it's snow, it's cold, but you are out of the wind and insulated from extreme cold. 32 degrees is a lot warmer than 10 below.
You lose a lot of heat from your head in cold weather. Don't go out in the cold without seasonally appropriate headgear.
Got a watch? Then you can find direction. You should always know the time of sunset and sunrise. Halfway between them is LAN, Local Apparent Noon. Close enough for our purposes anyway. You know the sun in the northern hemisphere will be to the south at noon. You know it rises... where? Sets in the... where? So you can interpolate the direction of the sun in an instant, if you know what time it is.
Don't get lost. Don't get stuck. Don't leave civilization without knowing what weather is forecast. Don't leave without telling folks where you are going and when you are coming back. Don't take chances. A sprained ankle is no biggie at home, but a serious liability out in rough country, maybe even lethal, so be very careful not to get hurt.
Staying home is safer.
Speaking of moving about, if you don't know where you are or how to get where other people are, staying put is often the best option.
Stay dry. Don't get wet. Get out of the rain before you take a soaking. Don't work up a sweat. Evaporation will refrigerate you.
Got a vehicle? Can you find your way back to it? Do so. Don't leave it, even if you are stuck due to lack of fuel, snowed in, broke down, whatever. Seat upholstery is insulation. The vehicle itself is great shelter. It is visible, and looks out of place to searchers. Plus they might know what type and color of car or truck you were last driving. Motor oil is fuel for a fire. A battery can be pretty handy. Headlights and horn can signal rescuers. A radio is a morale booster. A hubcap can melt snow over a fire or even cook stuff. All the junk in the trunk or under the seat is potentially useful for something.
Keep stuff in your vehicle just in case of whatever. A gun can be pretty nice, not just for hunting or defense against predators but also for signaling. Water? Sure. A few jugs of water are a great thing to have. A few cans of food aren't going to save your life, probably, but they will improve your morale big time. Instant coffee is good. You don't have to stir it into hot water. Just chase a little powder with water for a quick attitude adjustment. A tarp, a space blanket, a regular blanket, all handy. A handheld CB or GMRS or other type of radio could be useful.
Sure, your cell phone says no service, but maybe you are just a short climb from finding a signal.
Oh sweet. You found a cave! Make sure there are no mean critters in there before you move in.
Only a total idiot would ever find himself lost in the wilderness and have occasion to think, "gee, I sure wish I had a knife on me."
Don't go traipsing off into the boonies without enough clothing to survive a night out in the rough or in blizzard conditions, even if you only figure on being gone a couple of hours. Stuff happens. Your pack should always have a tarp, poncho, or shelter half, too. Or a small backpacker tent.
A candle and a big wad of dryer lint make a dandy tinder kit. This and a couple of bic lighters in a ziplock will ensure you can always get a fire going, even if all the available wood is damp. This is a must-carry, almost as important as clothing and shelter material.
Shavings from a stick are a lot quicker to catch fire than the stick itself. Fires aren't just for warmth or cooking... a fire is a good signaling resource, and a good morale booster.
A snow cave floored with a thick layer of branches and bark can make reasonably secure shelter. Sure, it's snow, it's cold, but you are out of the wind and insulated from extreme cold. 32 degrees is a lot warmer than 10 below.
You lose a lot of heat from your head in cold weather. Don't go out in the cold without seasonally appropriate headgear.
Got a watch? Then you can find direction. You should always know the time of sunset and sunrise. Halfway between them is LAN, Local Apparent Noon. Close enough for our purposes anyway. You know the sun in the northern hemisphere will be to the south at noon. You know it rises... where? Sets in the... where? So you can interpolate the direction of the sun in an instant, if you know what time it is.
Don't get lost. Don't get stuck. Don't leave civilization without knowing what weather is forecast. Don't leave without telling folks where you are going and when you are coming back. Don't take chances. A sprained ankle is no biggie at home, but a serious liability out in rough country, maybe even lethal, so be very careful not to get hurt.
Staying home is safer.
Old Eskimo Proverb:
Don't eat yellow snow.
Don't eat yellow snow.
yeah, even on today's quick trip to the gun club on the edge of town we came across a couple of 5-6ft brown snakes, and a family of willy wag tails that were trying to rip us a new one!
Carry two compasses. It is much easier to argue with one compass, not so much two. If you know which direction North is and the compass says different you know the compass is broken. If both of them read the same it's harder to argue with both of them.
Interesting idea but I don't think it will help anyone these days. The few hubcaps that you see around are not smooth or dish shaped, they're spoked. I'd also worry about brake dust being pretty detrimental to survival.
FWIW, you can get the same thing in an even easier to store, carry, and swallow form. Caffeine pills (popular brands include No-doz and Vivarin but they're all pretty much the same) aren't some crazy lab concoction like energy drinks, they're just caffeine extracted from coffee beans.
...and if you don't expect to have service soon, power it off. Either way if it's a smartphone turn off all the extra features you can like mobile data connectivity, GPS (turn it on when you need it, else it sucks down the battery big time), wifi, etc. Save that battery for when you can use it, then use it.
Anyway, great post, just wanted to add a few thoughts.
I've got all my survival skills from watching TV 
I think the most important key to survival is to remain calm. You burn through energy when you are in a panic, energy you will need. You don't think clearly and your senses are dulled.
Accept and assess your situation and stay calm.
I think the most important key to survival is to remain calm. You burn through energy when you are in a panic, energy you will need. You don't think clearly and your senses are dulled.
Accept and assess your situation and stay calm.
The most important thing I was ever told:
"Be Prepared"
The most influential as far as changing my perception:
"There are relatively few living things on this planet that can hurt or kill you if you don't let them. Most of those live in the ocean. Prepare yourself."
"Be Prepared"
The most influential as far as changing my perception:
"There are relatively few living things on this planet that can hurt or kill you if you don't let them. Most of those live in the ocean. Prepare yourself."
I grew up watching Gilligan's Island so I'm kinda screwed.
You can make a coconut telephone.
+1 - Growing up in the snowy midwest it seemed that my father always had once or twice per winter that he was unable to drive the 20 miles or so to get home. He always carried enough stuff in the trunk of his car that he could shelter in place at the plant in relative comfort.
^^The first thing that came to my mind.^^ If you keep walking down, you'll eventually find some water (at least on the East coast!).
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
A mapping app that works with maps cached on your smartphone is a good thing to have. Most smart devices have GPS onboard and it works without a cell signal. So you can have a truly awesome navigation device with a little preparation. Be sure to turn it off between fixes. An external battery or two is a good thing.
^^^I like this advice and always have a lighter or two near by for that reason.
"Always have a granola bar nearby for SWMBO"
"Especially when we are in the backwoods in Canada's coldest regions where the low temperatures literally are deadly, hide the car keys somewhere so that when we split up the first person back can escape from the cold"
All good stuff, Slash is loaded there with helpful tips. In no particular order:
1. Forget food - you can live over 20 days without food.
2. Get water - you are dead in two days without water.
3. Stay calm - panic kills a lot of people.
4. I have mixed thoughts about finding which way is north/south/east/west. Once you find the direction, can you be sure you are walking toward help? Probably not.
1. Forget food - you can live over 20 days without food.
2. Get water - you are dead in two days without water.
3. Stay calm - panic kills a lot of people.
4. I have mixed thoughts about finding which way is north/south/east/west. Once you find the direction, can you be sure you are walking toward help? Probably not.
Rule of 3
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
Specifically, a mapping app made for offline use, rather than one meant to be used with data connectivity that can also cache some content. OsmAnd is supposed to be good for this kind of stuff.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand
Know yourself. If your decision-making suffers when you're hungry, you'll want to attend to that so you can think clearly. If you are prone to hypoglycemia, you'll need to have some food. If you're diabetic, you'll REALLY need to keep a handle on the food issue.
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