How to Survive in the Great Outdoors

Why Learn How to Survive?

Knowing how to survive in the outdoors can be a fun hobby or a life-saving skill. it can be used for a fun camping trip, or for when you're lost in the woods in the middle of the night. Knowing how to start a fire, identify edible plants, and how to find your bearings could someday save your life. Let's get started.

In a survival kit for surviving the outdoors, you'll want:

-A compass: This'll be used for finding the four Cardinal Directions

-A paracord bracelet: The paracord can be used for tying stuff up

-Extra cordages: These can be used for binding stuff together

-Magnesium rod: This is a vital tool for starting a fire

-Whistle: This can be used for making a very loud noise, and it uses less energy than yelling

-Wire saw: This will be used for cutting small trees, and if you can sacrifice the space and weight, this can be substituted for a folding saw

-Fishing hook and wire: This'll be used for fishing, which can be an excellent source of food

-Emergency blanket: An emergency blanket can insulate you and keep you warm in cold months

-Spork: This may not be as necessary, but it sure is helpful to have a spoon when eating soup

If you have a large backpack and can fit more survival tools, you can include food, knives, and even pots and pans for cooking.

Finding the time of day is vital to survival. If it's early in the morning, you may be able to find food and fresh water, but if the sun is beginning to set, you'll need to quickly find shelter for the night. To identify what time it is, grab your compass and find east and west. If the sun is directly overhead, the time is around noon. If it's low in the sky in the east, it's early morning. If it's low in the sky in the west, it's nearly nighttime!

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When lost in the forest, it is important to find your bearings before moving onwards. Simply using a compass to find which way is north helps with traversing the outdoors, especially if you keep walking in circles and cannot make sense of your surroundings. If you have a map, you can use it to find your way.

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Every human being needs water and food to survive. Food can be found in a variety of ways in the outdoors. You can find food through foraging, fishing, and hunting. Mushrooms can be a good food source... if you know which ones are edible. With many poisonous, and even deadly mushrooms, it is important to know which are edible and can be eaten. Many plants can be edible, too. If you need to find food and stumble across a plant that you wish to identify as edible or poisonous, then follow these steps:

-Avoid plants with milky sap, bitter taste, thorns, or hairs

-Test a small part of the plant by consuming it, smelling it, or touching it to your skin.

-Wait fifteen minutes, and see if there are any reactions (nausea, irritation, or burning)

If the plant passes all these tests, it is most likely edible, but still consume with caution.

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Water can often be tricky to find. often going downhill can lead you to streams, or in the mountains you may be able to find a natural spring with cool, fresh water. If you must drink water without filtering or boiling it, follow these steps:

-Make sure its moving swiftly and its not a still water source like a puddle.

-Make sure its not cloudy

-Observe if other wildlife drinks from it

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There are many quick and easy shelters you can make. A simple debris hut is an option that is quick to make, but it can only be used a few times. Another option is the A-frame, which takes a bit longer to make but is a comfortable, more long-term option. You can also use natural shelters, like a cave, if available.

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To survive in the outdoors without fire is like to live without air. It is nearly impossible to live in the great outdoors without fire. To know how to create a fire is an important skill. Using Flint and Steel, Matches, or a Magnesium Rod to make a fire is something all survivalists should know and practice often.