People who love to explore wild places are only visitors and carry their luxurious lives on their backs. Without survival skills and techniques, lives in the wilderness will be pretty harsh and nearly impossible. Yet we tend to forget that a couple of thousand years ago, our beds, water, food and shelter all came from the wild. We still have the knowledge, but our brains have chosen to ignore it hence becoming difficult for us to use it when we need it,
The most important aspect of wilderness surviving is to be prepared. Having the right survival gear is important. This entails the skills and tricks you can learn and should remember as they will help you when you get lost in the wild or if your car breaks down in the woods.
Know Your Priorities In case of a disaster the following are certain priorities that can help save your life;
1. Immediate Security.
Our psychology tells us that if we face any danger, run away from it If you encounter any danger, you should move to cover.
2. First Aid
You should check yourself for any injuries and medical problems that may arise and attempt to treat them. In most cases, small cuts should be ignored, but if the cut is deep and you cannot stop the bleeding, then a tourniquet will come in handy. Tourniquet can be anything like a stripped shirt or a belt. In the case of a dislocated bone, you should get it back in place. If it is a shoulder, you should roll on the ground to relocate the bone to its original position. If it is a fractured bone, stabilize it by tying it together with a stick (use shoelaces) to hold the brace. If it’s a burn, coat it with honey or find any lukewarm water to cover it with Blisters should not be left open and wounds should be elevated.
3. Self-Defense
If you are under attack from anything, then you should arm yourself. These can be anything like a stone, knife, machete and even a sharpened stick. These should keep the cannibals away from you In case of any animal, block its mouth with your arm and hit it in the snout or eyes with the other dominant arm.
4. Basic Wilderness Needs
These are food, shelter, water, fire and hygiene. To build a shelter, you only need to meet two important requirements. It should insulate warmth and block elements. You can start a fire using a bottle of water, a pair of glasses or a condom. The principle is just to focus the sun rays through the glasses or water on a single point to generate heat. It may take a while but eventually you will be able to blow the fire. You can also start a fire by rubbing two sticks together to create friction which will produce heat and eventually catch fire. In case there is no sunshine, and there is a decent chance you have a lithium battery, you can use a knife to connect between the positive terminals and negative terminals to create a spark.
5. Getting Rescued
In case of a helicopter rescuing, you need to form your arms in a “Y” and do not wave as waving is not considered a sign of land. In case you have a flare, use it to signal the helicopter or plane.
Outdoor Survival Equipment Every survivor has his/her own taste of survival equipment.
Knives
Pocket knife
Survival Machete
Lighting
Torch
Candles
Bags
Hiking backpack
EDC bag
Others
Axe
Nails
Scissors
Hammers
Sewing Kit
Leatherman Wave Multitool
Duct tape
Pliers
Water bottle
Sleeping bag
