To survive you need to be prepared on multiple levels. However, there are so many tips, tricks, and new pieces of equipment out there, it can be hard to remember what the essentials actually are.
We’ve compiled a list of the most fundamental survival skills everyone should feel comfortable with in order to survive. If you are brand new to prepping, this list will serve as the fundamentals you should focus on first. If you’ve been prepping for a while now, this list can serve as checklist things you should make sure to brush up on occasionally to keep your skills sharp and ready.
Water
Hopefully you’ve heard about the importance of water and staying hydrated by now. Water makes up about 60% of the human body and is essential to most body functions. Dehydration occurs whenever we have less water than we need for all of these functions.
It’s more than likely you’ve experienced the early phases of dehydration. The urge to go to the drinking fountain is the earliest indicator that you need more water. The next phase is a dryness of the mouth. More extreme is a headache that will increase in severity the more dehydrated you get.
Hopefully, this is the worst you’ve experienced of dehydration. In survival situations, lack of water can lead to much worse consequences. Urinating less, feeling lethargic, and inability to sweat or produce tears are the next level of symptoms. Nausea, increased heart rate, and tingling sensation of your skin will follow if you get even more dehydrated. The most extreme side effects of dehydration are fever, hallucinations, heat exhaustion, and eventually death.
Carrying chemical water purifiers, or water filters is the simplest way to be prepared. However, you should know how to distill water without these aids.
Here is a an example of a distillation technique that could save your life. All you need is some plastic and a container.
Fire
Fire is essential to survival. It can provide heat, light, and smoke. Heat will keep you warm and safe from falling victim to hypothermia. It can also help you cook your food, ridding it of bacteria and parasites. The light and smoke from the fire can be use to signal for help. The light can also help keep animals away at night, while the smoke keeps away potentially deadly (and always annoying) mosquitoes.
The easiest way to ensure your ability to make fire is to make sure you have the proper equipment. However, the worst always happens when we least expect it, so it is useful to know how to start a fire without lighters and matches.
If you have flint, steel, or anything to shoot a spark, this technique can help you start a fire very quickly:
If you don’t have such materials, you can also try the stick and bow method illustrated here:
Shelter
Shelter is what protects us most from the danger of the wild. It can shield us from the heat, the cold, and the elements. Heat can dehydrate you, and cold can send you into hypothermia. While other creatures have developed fur or blubber to protect them from the elements, humans have evolved differently, developing a capacity for manipulating our surroundings to protect us from harm. To survive, this is a skill you must attain.
Depending on where we are the the weather conditions, building a proper shelter can be even more pressing than even water. Shelter making strategies will vary depending on where you are striving to survive.
Here is a tutorial on how to build a shelter in a wooded area:
If you know how to make a shelter, get water, and make a fire. You will be able to survive until the next day. This list isn’t everything you need, but it can provided a good foundation to build off. Prepping a decision to ensure safety, survival, and protection for you and those that you love. It requires you to constantly build upon and develop your survival skills. We at Prepper’s Base are determined to make sure we are all prepared and have the skills necessary to survive.
Stay vigilant. Stay prepared.