Outdoor Survival Techniques to Save Your Life

Surviving in the harsh outdoors can he tough. However, these survival techniques will make the whole process a lot easier.

Cold Weather

Keeping the head covered will prevent as much as 45% of body heat from escaping while in cold weather conditions.

Adjust clothes to ensure you don’t begin to sweat and get your clothes wet on the inside. Sweating causes dampness that can lower the body’s temperature.

Clothing worn in loose layers works for maximum insulation.

Always carry what you will need to start a fire. This could be matches, lighters, candles and a flint and steel fire starting kit. This could save a life in extreme weather conditions.

Warm Weather

Take breaks as often as you need when walking and hiking to prevent your body from overheating.

Use a wet bandana to place over the head or on the back of the neck to keep cool.

You can use a wide brimmed hat to keep shaded while walking in the sunlight, make sure your hat has plenty of room to breathe so your head doesn’t overheat.

Drink smaller sips of water at frequent intervals throughout the day. Use the color of your urine as a guide. If your urine is darker in color your body is not getting the moisture it needs.

If you begin to feel the effects of heat exhaustion, like nausea, headaches or dizziness, lie down in the shade at once. Elevate your feet and take a drink of water, just not ice cold water.

 Finding Water and Food

You can make a simple pitfall trap by digging a pit and covering the spot with sticks and leaves.

Ice and snow are pure water and can be melted and collected to stave off thirst.

There is plenty of food available. But stay on the safe side with snails, small insects and crickets.

It is far more important to find water than food. Food will actually make the body dehydrate faster.

Running water is always safer than stagnant water in pools. But, you will always want to add iodine tablets or boil the water to ensure that it is clean.

Making Fire

You can actually use a chocolate bar to polish the underside of a can into a surface reflective enough to start a fire.

Always be very careful handling petroleum or gasoline in the wild. These substances can cause frostbite when they contact the skin.

A magnifying glass can also be used to start a fire very quickly. But, this works best towards the middle of the day when the sun is strongest.

Keep as many fire starting implements as you can on hand for a sudden emergency.

Keep your matches, tinder and flint and steel in a water proof container.

Finding Shelter

 Being able to determine when to anticipate sunset is important and this is where the best watches for survival can help. These watches are sturdy and waterproof and allow you to set up base before you’re out of light.

When constructing or pitching your shelter, make sure the entrance is the side that is not exposed to the wind.

Always be very careful when pitching a tent near a creek as the waters can rise very quickly in the middle of the night and this can be a major problem.

Avoid low ground as this is the place where water will begin to rise at night.

You can pitch a tent under overhanging tree branches. But BEWARE! Tall trees rising above the terrain around them are often struck by lightning.

Finding and Creating Tools

You can try your hand at making some simple implements from rocks found in a river bed.

Practice the rock bash technique, this is where the first stones are split in two giving them a bit of an edge.

After this you will want to use eye-protection as you begin chipping your stones into the shapes that best serve your purpose.

Arrows can be made from the straight staffs and wands of the willow or dogwood tree.

Use braided strands of nettle, dogbane or milkweed to fashion a string for the bow.

Finding Help and Rescue

You can use a whistle to maximize your broadcast radius when calling for help.

Clothes can also be laid out in such a way that they will attract the attention of pilots or search operations dispatched to your local area. Be very careful if you will be climbing a tree to place your clothes in a more visible location.

Use a shiny object or a mirror to signal planes, travellers or search parties at a great distance.

Use a wet tree branch to partially cover a fire and make smoke signals that can be seen clearly on a clear day.

Signal fires can be set up at night and can be seen over great distances as well. Make sure you set up you fire somewhere high off the ground where there is little elevation