5 Basic Survival Skills You Should Know To Survive Outdoors

In a modern world that we live in, lives have become quite convenient and we live a comfortable life most of the time. However, one never knows when something odd will strike, and for times such as these, the basic survival skills will come in handy. 

Heading out and don’t know anything about survival skills? Well, in order to tackle and come out of any situation that comes your way, you need to continue reading this article as we are going to talk about the basic survival skills that you will need to save the day. 

From building shelter, and binding wounds, to making fire, and fetching food, these basic survival skills will allow you to feel prepared at all times. Without further ado, let’s get started, shall we?

1. Fire Fire Fire

A fire has many uses. Fire gets rid of predators, keeps you warm, and it is needed for cooking. You must be thinking that everyone knows how to build a fire, but it is actually harder than you’d think. What if the weather that day doesn’t cooperate or what if you don’t have appropriate supplies considering an unusual situation? 

Don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for. There are numerous ways using which you can build a fire without using several supplies. However, these methods require patience and lots of practice. Once you’re done reading this article, we suggest you to try this in your backyard so that you can get ready for any unexpected situation. 

Now, one thing you need to keep in mind is that your fuel needs to be dry. If you pick hydrated or wet wood, twigs, or sticks, then it’ll take a lot of your time and energy to start the fire. Therefore, you should look for dry fuel so that you save a lot of your time, and get started quickly. Green vegetation should only be used if you want to give a smoke signal. 

Another important point that you need to keep in mind is that don’t get over-excited. Start by burning smaller pieces of whatever you’re using as your fuel. Smaller pieces will catch fire quickly and once the fire starts, you can add the bigger pieces slowly and gently. 

Also, if you don’t have a lighter or matchsticks on you, you can always get creative and use the old trick of using your glasses to focus the sun’s light to ignite the tinder. 

2. Finding Water

Water is a necessity and finding clean water is one of the most important basic survival skills that you need in any situation. You can survive without food for weeks, but a human body can’t go for long without water. 

Now, you might be unable to find clear and hygienic water at all times, and hence you should know how to do it yourself. One of the easiest ways to purify water is to boil it. However, you may be left with sediment and to get rid of it, you can use a t-shirt to filter it. 

You should also keep in mind to stay away from still water as that will be full of parasites and other infections. You should always take water from places where it is moving in a flow. 

3. Don’t Forget About Food

Considering that you are preparing yourself for a survival situation, catching as well as finding food to stay alive should be one of the top skills that you need to have. There are several ways by which you can find or catch food, and each one of them has its own set of pros and cons. 

One of the many ways is fishing. It is not very difficult, and it does not have any risk of injury as fish are small creatures. You can grab a hook and fish line along with bait and wait till a fish falls for the trap. 

Another way of finding food is by creating several traps here and there and waiting for an animal to hop on it. 

You can make a trap using everything that is available in the surrounding. If nothing works out, you can always count on our mother nature and look for plants that’ll give you a little energy. Just make sure that you don’t grab a poisonous plant or a plant that has a reputation of being poisonous such as mushrooms. 

4. Do You Know How To Build A Shelter?

One always needs a place to make them feel warm and safe in a survival situation. It can be hard to find such a place and hence, you should always know how to make a shelter for yourself. Remember when we used to make forts as a child? Reminisce those times while you learn how to make the shelter as a basic survival skill. 

The ways of making a shelter vary with where you are, the season, environment and everything else. You can count on making a lean-to shelter which is basically made using leaning building material that is held against a structure which already exists such as a tree, rock, or a wall. 

If a lean-in is not something you’d go for, you can make a round lodge. It is similar to a lean-to, but it is safer because it gives you 360-degree protection. However, it also takes more time to build a round lodge and you will also need more material to build it. Depending upon where you are, you can also try making an igloo or a snow cave or a snow hut to get something over your head to protect you. Each of these shelters has its own pitfalls as a dry shelter can catch fire, and anything made of ice can collapse and suffocate you. 

One cannot predict the circumstances that you can be put in, but you can always try to play it safe to ensure that you don’t get hurt. 

You should never build your shelter too close to water or anywhere it is damp as your shelter might simply get ruined easily, and you don’t want all your essentials to get washed away, do you? Thus, build a shelter on a dry land. 

You should also stay away from all those areas that are near wildlife. Keep your eyes open and look for droppings and footprints. These areas will come in handy to catch food, but you might end up becoming someone else’s meal by building your shelter there. 

Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that you should always make a base for your shelter, so you’re not sitting on the ground. Doing this will protect you from flooding, dirt, or any kind of bugs out there. 

5. Learn How To Tie A Knot

This skill might seem unnecessary, but knot-tying is a skill that will stay with you through thick and thin. From creating tools, and setting snares, to building a shelter, this skill will come in handy while you do all those things.

Knowing how to tie a knot is not only a skill necessary for survival, but it is also needed for various other sporting or leisurely activities such as sailing, camping, boating, and several others. Knots can also help you in building hunting traps, and they will be as useful as all your other basic survival skills. 

If you don’t tie a knot properly, you might end up creating a shelter that will eventually fall apart. Or in case of a trap, your trap might not work at all. It will simply lead to a waste of your time and energy, and hence, you should definitely know how to tie a basic knot properly. It is like an art that shouldn’t be ignored. Learn it. Master it. Practice is the key. 

Final Thoughts on Basic Survival Skills

Moving towards the end of this article, all we would like to say is that you won’t be magically inculcated with all these skills just by reading about them. All of these skills require practice, and you should try them out in your backyard so that you get prepared for any uncertain situation that comes your way. 

You can actually turn it into a fun weekend activity with your family and friends so that everyone learns. We hope that we provided you with the best of information and that you found exactly what you were looking for. We will keep coming up with such informative articles, all you need to do is stay tuned! 

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