What time of year would make it easiest to get started? How many supplies would you need to start off with? Would you have access to civilization? How far away would it be? How does this change your situation? Try to buy a map of where you are going (if you can) before you leave. Do you have the skills to survive in the terrain/climate you’re considered? Do you need time to adapt your body? (to extreme weather, for example)
Consider doing crazier things, like learning to eat insects and grubs. Then, if you’re in a sticky spot, you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Utility items (rope, knives, netting, etc. ) Rifle and/or shotgun (guns in cold condensate and will have to be taken care of) Lantern and flashlights (with oil and batteries) Dried food (oats, lentils, beans, rice, coffee) Source of vitamin C (Tang, for example) Water filter Compass and Map of Area Blankets Fire steel, matches, etc. Axe Flares, mirrors, whistle, etc. Radio Tool and sewing kit
Remember: you can always take layers off if you get hot. It’s better to have too many clothes than to not have enough, after all. If something happens to one, you’ll have something else equally as warm. Marino wool is very insulating and cannot easily get wet. Some jackets are made of Marino, so try to get your hands on one of them. Get a shell jacket and pants for rain and snow. Most cases of hypothermia happen in temperatures under 40 °F (4 °C). [3] X Research source
Learn to identify poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, in addition to other poisonous plants (and avoid them). What’s more, there are some plants (cow parsnip) whose sap makes your skin hyper photosensitive. That is, the sun will cause your skin to painfully blister. It’s best to know your terrain to the best of your ability. And the calmer you’ll be able to stay, which is of utmost importance. If you’ve seen a situation before, you’ll know what to do and you’ll be able to relax. If you’re nervous and unsure, it’s possible you could make a grave mistake. Getting trained is a way to avoid future mishaps.
Pack your backpack before you leave to see how much it can carry. Get familiar with how you can pack it to the brim and still be able to carry it. Even packing skills come in handy in the wilderness.
Know how to build a signal fire Use a mirror or similarly reflective object to flash the horizon Send an SOS signal, if possible Use emergency beacon devices such as ACR or SPOT
It should also be on stable ground. Avoid drop-offs, areas that are too rocky, or areas too close to water. All of these are areas that are vulnerable to the elements.
Build a fire away from your valuables and away from your food supply, should anything go wrong (animals included). When you cook with fire, do not use a flame right away, but instead build a fire and let it sit. You should build a fire long before you eat. In the process of building a fire, you create a hot bed of coals which will create an open flame. This open flame will allow you to burn your food to a black crisp. Look for birch bark to start a fire. Birch bark, wet or dry, is highly flammable and is great for starting fires in wet or cold locations. Burning hemlock bows keeps away flies and mosquitoes.
It is highly recommended to never sleep on bare ground, and to always make the floor of your shelter something like hemlock bows, leaves or hay; if you do not make the floor of the shelter with hemlock bows, leaves or hay, you will freeze when you sleep on the dirt.
Also, you can collect morning dew from grasses and leaves with a clean cloth (rag) and squeeze it out into a container. It may not be the cleanest, but it will help to keep you hydrated.
Do not eat any plants unless you know that they are edible. If you can, bring a book discussing the flora and fauna of your local. Or start your own garden. Have a good storage system, too. There may be scavengers in your area that pose a threat to your food stock.
The easiest method is to boil your water. It should take about 10 minutes. Another is to use iodine tablets (not liquid iodine from the drug store). Use the iodine tablets according to directions that are provided on the label. A third method is to use a water filter. Pre-filter the water with a bandana or other piece of material. Then use the filter on that dirty water. The minimum size filter you need is 1 or 2 micron. This allows particles of 1 or 2 micron in size to pass through the filter. The smaller the micron size, the better the filter, and the slower the water will come out. A gravity filter is easiest, if you can bring one with you. You pour the water in, do more chores, and an hour or two later return to find fresh water.
To sterilize your clean container again, boil it in water for 10 minutes. Make sure all parts of the container are under water while boiling.
If you’ve constructed an outhouse or similar structure, know that in winter, your butt will freeze to wood. Use styrofoam over your toilet seat to avoid a rather unfortunate event from happening.
You can use trees, the moon, and the sun to navigate, too. If you’re the type that has an internal compass, this will come easy to you.
Pemmican requires no cooking (just drying) and if you have enough fat in the mix, will sustain you longer than any other “survival food”. You can live on it for months in any situation, even at home.
If you break your leg (or something similarly terrible happens), have a way that you can contact for help, whether it’s a radio, a phone, or some other reliable signaling mechanism. Having this ability will help take the stress off should something happen.
Be sure you can keep your garden away from wild animals. Construct a fence around your garden, use objects to scare them away, and “mark your territory” if need be.
Keep a few months’ supply of food on hand, if at all possible. If you have access to a meat freezer, then try to shoot a deer or large game animal in the late fall. The same goes firewood. Move it inside, if at all possible. The water will be ice in winter, so keep fresh, clean water inside, too.
Figure out a way to bring your outhouse to you for the winter, if at all possible. It can be closer to your shelter, though it shouldn’t be inside your home (unless you want the stink).
Your diet is essential to your survival. The more balanced it is, the better. Try to get all your major food groups so you can stay strong and healthy. If you don’t, you risk compromising your immune system and being susceptible to even the weakest of bacteria and viruses.
This means detecting changes in air pressure, recognizing cloud systems, and even noticing smaller things, like how the smoke is rising from your fire (swirling smoke is not good). Animals can give you signals, too.
You may want to take small steps. Moving to a farm or a rural area may be better than trying to go back to city life, at least immediately. Don’t give a shock to your system if you don’t have to. Baby steps will make it easier.
