What r the top 10 survival skills?

[Mastino]

I follow the following mnemonic (censored for obvious reasons): "f*k f*k, sh* sh*, what a f*k", or:

- First aid
- Fire
- Shelter
- Signal
- Water
- Food

So all the skills are build around these topics.

 

[Purdy Bear]

In my opinion, the number one thing to learn, which is often overlooked is to keep calm and control ones breathing, without this you just cant think straight.

 

[Le Loup]

If we are talking knowledge, then "Naked-in-the-Wilderness-skills" come first and last. This solves all your problems.
If you are talking about what is most important, then it should go:
1) Finding water
2) Shelter construction (add making fire if this is winter).
3) Making fire.
4) Primitive trap construction and tool making(with the knowledge to use these and how to stalk and hunt).

 

[DB_Scaley]

Think outside the box Gents.

All these point that people have addressed revolve around the British environment, and you will probally not have all your bits and pieces with you if it does happen.

Don't worry about list etc.

Knowledge is power / Power is Knowledge.

You will not remember everything but some knowledge will put things into perspective and take it from there.

 

[Pict]

In my opinion ...

1. Research
2. Risk Analysis
3. Planning
4. Training
5. Experience
6..Packing
7. Caution
8. Versatility
9. Contentment
10. Humility

That is an excellent bit of writing.

#7. I recall searching for water on a mountain top and there was none. I was looking farther down over the edge hoping for a seep and it was getting steeper and steeper. I distinctly remember thinking, "I'm thirsty now but I'm not a paraplegic, I prefer thirst"

#9. You will never be content with what you get until you learn to be content with what you have. Contentment is a learned skill.

#10. Greatness is born of humility, which is born of arrogance and foolishness. Stick with life long enough and you will come to humility.

Very good list.

Mac

ETA - I think of wilderness survival skills in this order...

MEDICAL-SECURITY: Obviously if you are having a medical emergency or are under threat from someone, something, or a wildfire/flash flood, this will be your top priority. If such is the case you won't have to weigh its importance in the relative scale of potential harm.

FIRE-SHELTER-WATER: For a healthy person who is simply lost or must spend a night out these three problems could all vie for most important depending on the circumstances. Solving these three problems puts you into a stable camp that will enable you to rest and resolve to stay and signal or navigate your way out.

SIGNALS-NAVIGATION: These allow you to end the ordeal either by attracting attention or self rescue. Both have the potential to solve the problem right away or avoid the problem entirely.

FOOD: Foraging, hunting, trapping, fishing, eating grubs and bugs etc are very fun and rewarding but food is not a killer in your first two weeks unless it is very cold or you have a medical condition. If you have been in a situation for a few days and think it is likely that you will be in it for another week then food will start to become an issue. Mac

 

[TAHAWK]

We have had a couple of statistical studies on this side of the Pond as to what people die from in the wilderness. The studies all concluded that about 75% of the fatalities come from about equal portions of: 1) falls; 2) drowning; and 3) heart attacks. Must be some lessons there about needs for wilderness survival, like Pict's take on #7.

"So how can I make water safe to drink without some form of kit?"

Assuming that you can start a fire without some form of kit, Indians over here dropped hot rocks into bark containers of water until it boiled. They did it to cook, but it would do the other. A well dug three or four feet from a body of water will produce safer water, as will filtering through layers of grass, sand, and wood ashes in a bark container.

 

[Le Loup]

We have had a couple of statistical studies on this side of the Pond as to what people die from in the wilderness. The studies all concluded that about 75% of the fatalities come from about equal portions of: 1) falls; 2) drowning; and 3) heart attacks. Must be some lessons there about needs for wilderness survival, like Pict's take on #7.

"So how can I make water safe to drink without some form of kit?"

Assuming that you can start a fire without some form of kit, Indians over here dropped hot rocks into bark containers of water until it boiled. They did it to cook, but it would do the other. A well dug three or four feet from a body of water will produce safer water, as will filtering through layers of grass, sand, and wood ashes in a bark container.

Good post on the wilderness deaths, thanks.
Le Loup

 

[SMARTY]

The one skill that I would include is the ability to tell someone that you are in trouble,

EG: signalling for rescue, notification of emergency services. Is the use of a mobile phone, radio, or EPIRB, ELT, PLB a survival skill?

Just a thought. It seems to me that people focus on looking to the past for survival skills instead of looking to the future.

 

[Mr Adoby]

The most important:

1. Learn how you react to cold, hunger and thirst. And make sure that you seek help before any of these becomes a problem. You can freeze to death in a few hours, especially if wet, but it takes days to die of thirst and weeks to die of starving.

2. Learn to dress right. With the wrong clothes hypothermia might very quickly become a problem.

3. Navigation. Or stick to well marked trails.

That is ALL you need for daytrips. You don't really need any food or water. But it might be really nice and make the trip more pleasant. You can carry a thermos and a few sandwiches. An umbrella. No problem.

For longer trips:

4. Water. After a few days dehydration becomes a serious problem. Quicker if it's hot and you exert yourself. You can very easily carry candy, nuts and dried fruit to keep you well fed for many days. But you can hardly carry water for more than a few days. And you can keep going for weeks without food, but only days without water.

5. Learn to sleep outdoors. Also how to make a shelter. Could be using a tent and normal camping equipment - easy peasy. Could be using natural materials you find in the woods - not as easy. Or anything in between. If you don't learn this, don't go on extended trips, unless you have access to a indoor bed nearby.

The rest of the skills are really just for comfort. But without them you would hardly ever want to make any extended trips to the woods. And they are great fun on shorter trips as well. Some of them may very well be the only excuse needed for a short trip to the woods.

Fire.
Handling a knife/axe/saw.
Outdoor cooking.
Outdoor hygiene.
Foraging.
Other bushcraft skills.

Naturally it is always smart to have access to a first aid kit, and know how to use it. But that is not limited to the outdoors.

I always carry a small knife, lighter, torch (on my keyring) and a small first aid kit (in a pocket). Regardless if outdoors or not.

 

[TAHAWK]

The most important:

1. Learn how you react to cold, hunger and thirst. And make sure that you seek help before any of these becomes a problem. You can freeze to death in a few hours, especially if wet, but it takes days to die of thirst and weeks to die of starving.

2. Learn to dress right. With the wrong clothes hypothermia might very quickly become a problem.

3. Navigation. Or stick to well marked trails.

That is ALL you need for daytrips. You don't really need any food or water. But it might be really nice and make the trip more pleasant. You can carry a thermos and a few sandwiches. An umbrella. No problem.keep you well fed for many days. But you can hardly carry water for more than a few

Most respectfully, and allowing for the difference between the UK and other areas, day hikers were very disproportionately the folks we were called out to find when I was in an SAR group in California. There at least, and in other places as well, a more complete attention to survival needs (98.6, water, signaling, first aid) is prudent even for day trips. (And there -- sometimes over 50C in the shade -- you can die of thirst in hours, not days, especially if you're silly about it.)

By the by, does "98.6" serve as useful shorthand for avoiding getting too hot or cold when it is expressed as "37"?

 

[trackermanjoe]

best one yet Ive had is 'Never pass a resource' if wood/food/water/anything of use is passed and not utilised it normally comes back to haunt you!

and if you carry a knife, learn how to use it first and 'ALWAYS carry first aid kit if you carry the knife'

 

[BushcraftBaird112]

I think you should learn all of the bushcraft skills possible so if you need them you will always have them with you in you mind.

Like my quote says:
V
V
V

 

[BushcraftBaird112]

Oh! and for kit: (I almost forgot)

1 knife---the most important!!
2 firesteel
3 whistle
4 some form of food possibly a rat. pack
5 waterbottle
6 metal mug
7 poncho
8 paracord
9 first aid kit
10 Rucksack to carry it all in