There’s a chance that something like nuclear war or a super-virus will happen to humans that will throw us back into the dark ages. Most of us wouldn’t know what to do when this happens; we’ll survive by working things out as they go along. However, knowing just a few tips will give you a much higher chance of surviving. These tips are also really useful for people who like to go out and be with nature for a few days/weeks or camping. Here are 10 of the best and most useful wilderness survival tips!
There are so many useful and helpful tips out there, so check back frequently for more!
10. Pencil Sharpener
Pencil sharpeners are useful tools; imagine one day you and your family are freezing, it’s raining, and you need a fire, but all you have is a bunch of wet sticks. You can use the pencil sharper to cut off the wet outside and expose the dry wood on the inside, which you can use to start the fire. Depending on the size of the pencil sharpener, it can be a really easy way of sharpening sticks for tools or weapons.
9. Leaves
Leaves have a lot of insulation uses; they can be used as an extra layer by stuffing them in between your shirt and your jacket/coat. The only downside to this is some insects will be inside said leaves, like ticks. You can also fill big bags with them and use them as pillows or, if you have enough, a mattress of sorts.
8. Water filter
It is surprisingly common for people to drink, wash or even clean cuts with any water they find. Water from ponds, rivers, lakes etc., should always be properly cleaned and purified before consumption. The best way of doing this is by getting a piece of cloth (socks work amazing for this) and filling it with charcoal, then adding a layer of sand and then a layer of grass. The charcoal will soak up any contaminants. The sand will stop any fine granules, and the grass is what picks up the larger bits and pieces. After this, you add a water purification tablet or boil the water, and it’s ready!
7. Firestarting and Tinder
Nope, not the app. Tinder is one of the most important tools in a firestarter’s toolbox; it’s used to get a fire going. You ignite Tinder, and it starts to smoulder and burn; you then blow it to speed up the burning process. Once it has smouldered enough, you should put it with things that easily ignite, like dry grass/leaves, which will quickly grow into flames and burn the big fire you have built. There are a bunch of ways you can light tinder, the best way being drowning it in sparks from a flint & steel. If the sun is strong enough, you can use a magnifying glass to get a good angle and focus the light onto the tinder. So what can be used as tinder? Here’s a small list below.
- Pinecones – These are found everywhere, so pick them up as much as you can!
- Coal Fungus – It doesn’t sound or look appealing, but this fungus is a really good tinder. It can be found on dead or fallen trees; the best way to ignite it is to break it open and light the inside.
- Birch bark – Great for starting or maintaining a fire; strip it off birch trees.
6. Intestinal Infections And How To Cure Them
As we discussed before, drinking untreated water can have some very negative effects; these include intestinal infections like Cholera and Dysentery. However, purifying your water won’t always be possible, so you need to know how to sort out said infections. The first way is to brew blackberry leaves in water; this will produce a tea that is both pleasant to taste and very good for your system, and it will reduce the effects of such infections. The same goes for acorns and oak bark, so it’s worth always keeping at least one of the three on you.
5. Stinging Nettles
These plants are some of the most annoying plants out there; coming into contact with one of these produces a stinging/itchy/painful sensation in the affected area. This isn’t a huge survival tip, but if you’re struggling to survive, it can make surviving a little bit easier. If you’ve been stung, the quickest method of obtaining relief is to spit on the area and rub it with clothing. You can also chew Dock Leaves and then rub them on the area. Mercifully, dock leaves are found quite close to Stinging Nettles.
4. Drinking Urine
This is one of the most commonly believed myths out of all of the survival tips. It is believed that if you’re dehydrated, you can drink your own urine. This is incorrect; drinking your own dehydrated urine will only make you more dehydrated, and drinking enough can be fatal.
3. Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is really important for preparing your body for the next day. You need to ensure your bed is warm and comfortable, so here is how to do that!
The first thing you need to be aware of is that you should sleep at least 2 feet off the ground as it absorbs the heat from your body. This can cause restlessness but also causes your body to burn more calories to keep up with the heat production. Hammocks are really good for this, but if you don’t have access to one, then you can form a makeshift bed out of logs and leaves. Pile the logs on top of each other until its a decent size, and then put leaves on them for comfort. It would help if you also slept far away from any water sources as the insects that live around there will eat you alive.
2. First Aid Kit
It’s really easy for you to suffer some cuts, lacerations, wounds and infections while in the wilderness. It’s imperative that you at least have the right equipment on your hands, so if you’re in a post-apocalypse scenario, then make sure to pick up these items that I will list below; these are what you really need to survive:
- Anti-septic wipes – Anti-septic items are for cleaning open wounds/cuts
- TCP anti-septic liquid
- Crepe Bandages
- Band-aids/plasters
- Steri-strips
- Signal Mirror
- Tweezers
- Needle & Thread
- 20m of Duct Tape
- Oxytetracycline – antibiotic
- Silva Field Compass
1. Tent Pegs
Tent pegs will form the basis of all your cooking and water boiling. As you can see in the image above, you put tent pegs in a square shape (one peg per corner) and place some steel wire mesh onto it. This forms a grill that you can use to cook and boil water. If you have no wire mesh, you can place 2 logs close to each other and arrange the pegs so they balance on both of the logs, place enough of them, and you have a grill!
Do you have any other wilderness survival tips? If you do, why not tell us about them in the comments below.