When venturing into the unknown, how well prepared are you? Having a well-stocked bug-out bag is not enough. What happens when you run out of the essentials? There is a need to have survival skills to help you stay alive until the end of your venture or until the rescue team finds you lost.
This article lists the 20 most essential wilderness survival tips that you can use to ensure safety during your venture.
20 Important Wilderness Survival Tips!
Shelter building
Shelter building is one of the top wilderness survival tips that one should have. Why learn how to build a shelter while you have a tent stacked in your bang-out bag? In some extreme weather situations like heavy rain, a tent might not be enough to provide you with proper shelter.
It would be best if you had a shelter that can withstand all weather elements, and keep you warm and protected. Hypothermia is the number one cause of death for most survivors who venture during cold weather.
Locate a suitable campsite
When venturing into the wilderness, your safety is paramount. You need to locate a suitable site for your overnight stay.
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A suitable campsite should be high and dry and free of valleys and paths where water might flow. It should also be free of natural dangers like falling rocks, dry branches, insect nests, and widow makers, among others.
Building a fire
Fire building is another essential wilderness survival tip that every prepper should know before venturing into the wilderness. Fire is essential not only for cooking but also for keeping you warm and keeping away dangerous animals.
Get an All-Weather Lighter Here
Your all-weather lighter can not be your only fire lighting plan. It is preferable if you are equipped with other traditional ways of lighting a fire from scratch in such a case. These are such as:
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- The Bow-and-Drill Method
- The Fire Plow Method
- The Magnifying Glass Method
- Fire from Ice
- Soda Can and Chocolate
- Battery method
Locating clean water source
Water is an essential product that you cannot live without. Carrying your purified water might not be enough to last you throughout your wilderness venture. In such a case, you need to carry a water purifier or have a clear understanding of ways of locating clean water sources.
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An excellent example of a portable water purifier is LifeStraw Personal Water Filter and FS-TFC Portable Reverse Osmosis Water Filter available on Amazon at an affordable price.
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If you want to locate a water source, ensure you always head down the hill until you reach a creek bed. If it is dry, continue down the hill as it will lead you to a water source.
Collection and water storage tips
It is essential that before venturing into the wilderness, you need to understand water collection storage tips. Rainwater is the safest water for drinking that you can get while in the wilderness. As such, you should know how to maximize available resources like leafy branches to collect rainwater.
For storage purposes, you can use 53-Gallon Portable Rain Barrel Water Tank, which is available on Amazon and can be delivered to your doorstep. Also, you need to add water preservers like 55 Gallon Water Preserver Concentrate to ensure your water remains safe for drinking over a long period.
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Identify edible plants
What happens when you run out of your food stock? Do you start eating all the fruits that you come across? Not all plants bearing fruit in the wilderness are edible. As a result, ensure that you are skillful enough to identify edible plants from those that can kill you to survive.
Food gathering tips
Food gathering is another essential wilderness survival tip that you should familiarize yourself with before venturing into the unknown. You can use numerous strategies to catch small animals and fish effortlessly.
Day Navigation
How can you tell time and direction during the day and at night? Avoid relying on the GPS tool 100% as they can fail or get lost. Instead, being able to tell time naturally is preferable. Using the sun to tell time and direction has been used to give the general bearing. The sun rises in the east and sets to the west, giving you a bearing of where you are. Also, you can observe your shadow to approximate time.
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Night Navigation
If night falls before heading back to your campsite, how do you navigate the wilderness without GPS? In this case, you can observe the north start at the end of a little dipper’s handle or even the crescent moon to tell direction.
Survival signal
While in the wilderness, it is essential that you are aware of how you can seek outside assistance if you are lost and unable to navigate to civilization or you are hurt. A fire signal can help with your visibility. It should be set on a hilltop or where there are no barriers that might divert the smoke. Also, you can use a mirror signal to seek assistance.
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Blisters treatment
The possibility of developing blisters while in the wilderness is very high. Cover your toes with duct tape to reduce friction while walking and minimize the chances of developing blisters as a precaution. However, if you already have them, puncture using a sanitized pin, drain the fluid, and cover it.
Keep safe from dangerous animals
If you encounter a lion, wolf, or coyote, what should you do? It is best to look the animal in the eyes fearlessly as you slowly back away. On no occasion should you run or play dead.
Make a DIY water filter
Most of the water in the wilderness is not safe for drinking directly without filtering. If you forgot to carry a water filter, you could purify your own with the skills of making a water filter. Here is an explainer on how to make a DIY water filter.
Know how to tie knots
The most important knot tying is the bowline and double half hitch.
Read our guide to knot tying HERE.
Make a spear
You must understand how to catch fish. Look for online materials and learn how to make a spear. Ensure that you are well-equipped with tools that will help you carve a spear.
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Keep body temperature cool if in a hot, dry wilderness
Are you looking forward to surviving in the wilderness during hot days? You need to keep your body cool and avoid dehydration. In this case, you can take a damp cloth and wrap it around your head.
First-aid tips
While in the wilderness, you are susceptible to getting injured, especially from animal bites. You must equip yourself with first aid skills to dress the wounds before getting proper medical care.
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Avoid traveling in the dark
While you might think it is nice to work at night, the truth is that it’s not safe at all. It is at night that the animals hunt for food. The last thing you want is to encounter a hungry predator. If it is sunset before getting to your camp, find a safe place to lie for the night till morning.
Repurpose sanitizers for lighting a fire
Making a fire, especially on wet ground, can be challenging. However, a sanitizer can act as an accelerator, making it easy to set a fire.
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Bottom Line
With these wilderness survival tips at your fingertips, you are sure of being safe and enjoying an excellent venture. As a prepper, you should know that having hand skills when setting out for the wilderness is better than having a fully stocked bang-out bag. Never underestimate the power of wilderness survival skills.
