You might be thinking: a survival guide for what? Let’s just say you are out on a hike or adventure in the wilderness and your luck runs out. You find yourself stranded and lost in the middle of nowhere… Do you know what to do next? This blog post will delve into a few basic survival tips; you might find them fascinating today, but vital some day in the future. You know the saying: rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

It is important to remember that survival guidelines are only necessary when all your other options run out. Let me paint you a picture so you understand the situation at hand. You are out on a hike; you find yourself extremely lost; you are far from your vehicle; the weather starts to change; it looks like it might pour down; there is  an extreme temperature drop… You are obviously going to turn to your trustworthy phone to either use the GPS or to call someone for help, but… let’s assume that you don’t have any signal, or that  you didn’t bring your phone with you, or that your phone battery has officially died.

If someone knows where you are, you might still be rescued by the end of the night, but if no one knows where you are, switch to survival mode. If you find yourself in this situation, remember the survivalists’ mantra: shelter, water, fire and food, and remember it in that order too: from most to least important.

Shelter

There is only one purpose for shelter, that is to keep you protected from the cold. The shelter you build will most probably not be very comfortable, but that is not your priority. When choosing a spot to build you shelter, look for the following: a dry, flat spot, with enough space to build a fire in front of your shelter. Also make sure your spot is not near a body of water or beneath any cliffs or loose rocks. There are a number of different shelter structures, the one you choose will depend on your needs. The A-frame shelter is fast and easy to build, useful for one person only. The tipi shelter is useful for larger groups of people but not suitable if there are high winds in that area. Lastly, the lean-to shelter is easy and quick to make, but not very warm or camouflaged.

Water

Humans can only survive for a few days without water, so this is your next priority. Since you are lost in the wild, whether you are in a hot or cold environment you are most likely going to need more than the minimum amount of water per day. First you need to find the water. The obvious locations are rivers, streams, lakes etc. Look out for animal tracks and green lush vegetation as water beds are normally close by. Of course, this water will probably contain a large amount of bacteria and viruses. The easiest way to get rid of the bacteria in water is to boil it. Find a container and build a fire to do this. If for some reason you are unable to purify the water, here are some other options. Collect as much rain water as you can, as it can be consumed without fear of diseases. If you are near snow, melt it and drink it. Do not eat it frozen, because this will reduce your body temperature. Fruits, coconuts, bamboo and cactuses are some of the types of vegetation that will provide a source of water. No matter what, don’t ever drink blood, urine, salt water and alcohol.

Fire

Build a fire; it’s not as tough as you think. Read more about building a fire here.

Food

Normally, humans can survive several weeks without food, but the feeling of severe hunger can be felt very quickly. If you are unsure about which plants are edible, rather avoid them as some may be poisonous. There are a number of animals you can eat in a survival situation. Some of them may seem  disgusting, but you’d be surprised at how adventurous your pallet becomes when you are hungry. Here are some options: worms, snails and slugs, ants, termites, crickets and rodents.

Now you are ready to tackle the wilderness armed with this survival guide. If, on the other hand,  you prefer to avoid the need for this guide all together, be extremely prepared on your next hike and take a look at the various camping and outdoors accessories we have on bidorbuy.