Basic Skills You Must Know for Outdoor Survival

 

Nowadays, people are living a busy life between home and work so that most of them couldn’t have an opportunity to go outdoor or even know about outdoor common sense. Going for outdoor sports is really an exciting activity because you will come across kinds of wildlife you would never meet before, see the view which never exists in the city. Why not have a try to go outdoor? No matter you’re an outdoor beginner or an expert, it is necessary to master outdoor survival skills. Here are some basic skills to get you prepared just in case.

    1. Find and purify water

As the finding shows that people can only survive three days in wildness without water, water is the priority in outdoor survival.

The resources of water can be various:

• Rain & Snow:

If there is no river or lake near your outdoor hiking or camping place. Collecting rain or snow for drink by bottles or water bags is a way you can get water.

By the way, boiling water for a minute is the best and safest way to kill off any pathogens. What’s more, melting snow first instead of eating snow directly. Using a stove to accelerate the heat process of snow is a good and fast method. If it is not an option, using sunlight or your body heat to help the melting also works.

• Plants:

Certain plants in wildness indicate water sources are nearby. Identifying plants, such as cattails, cottonwood, or willows, and you can dig a seep hole until reach moisture. Then you need to wait for water collected in the hole. If you don’t have any tool that can be used to dig holes, it is feasible to tie a plastic bag around a leafy branch of a tree to collect water. That is why to say plants breathe too.

    2. Make shelter for yourselves

Building an effective shelter can help protect you from hypothermia and the elements.

Many outdoor lovers would prepare tents as their shelters which have many options like 3 or 4 seasons and water or windproof.

But if your tent is broken and you can’t repair it, using a fallen tree or resting a strong branch securely against a standing tree is also an effective way to build a shelter for yourself.

Before making shelter, you need to confirm the size that fits your body and leave some space to put your luggage.

Then, stacking sticks close together on one side and using progressively smaller sticks to fill in gaps.

Finally, you can cover the sides with bark, leaves, pine needles, moss, etc. Also, you can add these to the ground. They form the insulating layer and the thicker the material, the more protected you will be.

    3. Use navigation and first aid kit

Some essentials would help you spend a happy and safe outdoor time. Compasses would be your navigation when you lose your direction.

How to use a compass?

First, you need to pick up your compass and hold it flat in front of you. Be sure that the direction of the travel arrow points straight ahead.

Then, rotate yourself, keeping an eye on the magnetic needle. When the red end lines up exactly with the orienting arrow, that is north, stop.

The first aid kit can help you deal with some skin injuries when you get hurt by accident. Using alcohol to kill the bacteria upon your wound and then stick a band-aid to prevent bacteria or water from touching the wound.

    4. Build and light a fire

Fire can provide warmth for you which helps you fight against frostbite and hypothermia.

In the beginning, preparing a tool like a lighter or waterproof match to burn your bundle helps a lot.

Then, you need to create a bundle first by gathering pine needles, dry leaves, milkweed, or thistledown and dry grass for the tinder.

Next, gathering small, dry sticks for kindling. After the bundle burning up, you can add some large pieces of wood for a long time burning.

If you’re going to another place for a while, you need to find something like a block, like a large piece of wood to create a nest for the bundle. But don’t forget to extinguish the burning bundle when you leave the place in case of a fire disaster.

From what we have discussed above, outdoor survival skills must be quite an important lesson for those who are planning to go outdoors. They may keep you safe and sound when you are stranded in a wild situation. To pack your items like water collector, compass, or first aid kit, you can view the page to pick up a backpack which helps to keep your items tidy.

Happy outdoor time！