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Several organizations offer survival skills courses which range from introductory courses lasting only a day, to field courses lasting as long as a month. In addition to teaching survival techniques for conditions of limited food, water, and shelter, many such courses seek to engender appreciation and understanding of the lifestyles of pre-industrialized cultures. ENVIRONMENT Each type of environment challenges a person with a different range of dangers. An environment may be dry, wet, hot, cold, High Altitude , low altitude, Outer Space , Desert , Rural , Urban , Wilderness , Subterranean , or an Island . Nevertheless, there are four Basic Necessities of Life which apply in all of these cases; shelter, water, fire, and food. Where survival skills are used on a more permanent basis, or as a component of daily life beyond the mundane basic necessities, they are often referred to as Bushcraft . SURVIVAL PRIORITIES In most survival situations, there are four priorities which must be addressed before all other needs are met: Shelter Finding shelter is the most important survival priority because it allows a person to stay protected from the elements, and thus hopefully warm and dry. It is important in all survival situations because even if the current weather conditions are fine, it is not always possible to know when and how the weather conditions may evolve. Therefore, in all ''normal'' survival situations, a shelter should be built before all other needs are met. A shelter will also serve as an important boost to morale as it will become ''base'' or ''home''. A simple shelter can be constructed using a lattice of branches propped up at an angle against the wind. Fern can then be added to create cover for rain and hail. Try propping branches against a fallen tree log for a simple yet effective shelter. Water Humans can live for several weeks without food, but only about three days without water. The average person will lose 2-3 liters of water per day. A lack of water causes Dehydration , resulting in lethargy, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and eventually death. Mild dehydration reduces the ability to concentrate, which is dangerous in a survival situation where clear thinking is essential. It is therefore necessary that a safe supply of drinking water is located as soon as a shelter is built. In a survival situation, it should be assumed that all water supplies are Contaminate d. Although little can be done to remove chemical Contaminants , particles and Microorganism s can be removed and/or killed. Water should be filtered to remove large organic and mineral matter and should always be boiled to kill Bacteria and other Microorganism s. It can also be treated with Disinfectant chemicals such as Iodine or Chlorine if they are available. Since water travels downhill the best places to look for water are in valleys, crevices, and other areas of low elevation. Animals are generally more abundant near water sources as well. Water can be gathered in numerous different ways. In areas of abundant moisture, water can be scooped out of a creek or pond. Rainwater can be caught in makeshift containers (rainwater everywhere is drinkable). In more arid regions, a bit more ingenuity will be necessary. Some less obvious ways to collect water include condensation traps, gathering dew (by tying t-shirts to your legs and walking through wet grass), or solar stills. Animal blood is not suitable for rehydration, as it may be diseased, and is also considered a food, so it takes more energy to digest. Urine on the other hand contains salt, which makes it unsuitable to drink. You can, however, make drinkable water from urine by distilling it. In extremely dry environments it is necessary to take extra care to prevent water loss by:
Another great way to get water is to dig a hole in the ground, and then cover it with plastic, and place a bucket inside. In the night, the temperature will fall, so the water condenses on the plastic and drips into the bucket! Fire Fire is as important as a safe water supply. Without it, water cannot be boiled, and food cannot be cooked. Fire is also used as a source of heat and a means of scaring off dangerous animals, as well as for Signal ling purposes and Self-defense . The most crucial and difficult stage in the absence of matches is lighting the fire, as follows, but a sustainable chain-reaction must be established if any benefit is to be gained from the fire (see Campfire ). :Friction :There are numerous methods, building up the heat created by friction until glowing embers or even flames are produced:
:In these methods, two different varieties of wood are vigorously rubbed together, creating heat, smoke and then fire. A spark hot enough to light Tinder is all that is strictly necessary. It is essential to use suitable woods for the rubbing parts: drier and softer are better. Blowing encourages progress and powdered wood at the interface also helps. What cannot be overstated is the value of patience, practice and experience. :Percussion :Stone and stone, or metal and stone are struck together to produce hot sparks. This is possible with many types of stone, but having to find them by trial and error in a survival situation is undesirable. Flint is easy to identify and is great for producing sparks, but clearly only of value where it is abundant.
:Light from the Sun :One of the easiest methods of creating fire is to use a lens or condensing reflector (such as a torch/flashlight reflector) to focus the energy from the sun onto tinder. It is most effective on dark coloured tinder which absorbs heat and light energy better (light coloured tinder reflects heat and light energy). A makeshift lens can be made by fashioning a piece of ice. :Electricity :Electricity can be used to create fire either by using sparks to light tinder, or using the heat generated from Electrical Resistance . :Compression :Here, heat generated by compressing air is used to create an ember. Due to the difficulties of making a Fire Piston , this technique is also likely to be impractical in most survival situations.
:Chemistry :There are thousands of combinations of chemicals which will ignite when mixed together (some explosively). Probably the most well known for survival situations is Potassium Permanganate and Glycerine / Sugar . Chemical methods are likely to produce poisonous or toxic waste which should be contained until safe disposal is possible. Food Food is last on the list because a human can survive for several weeks without it. It is still important that a reliable source of food is located since, like Dehydration , hunger can cause confusion and lack of judgement. Prolonged Starvation will result in loss of energy, loss of mental clarity, increased susceptibility to disease, difficulty maintaining body temperature, and eventually death. Humans need food to supply energy, as well as to build and repair tissues. Aside from the practical necessity for food, a balanced and varied diet will also improve morale in a survival situation. It is actually rather easy to find food in the wild, provided one knows where to look. A basic knowledge of Trapping , Hunting , and Fishing will provide the survivor with meat. Equally important is a knowledge of edible Plants , Fungi , and Lichens . One cannot always rely on the most abundant or most easily accessible type of food. To survive for long periods of time, one must maintain a balanced diet. In order to do this, one must consume a balanced variety of foods. Although the "Universal Edibility Test" has appeared in many survival books, many experts (including Ray Mears ) recommend against testing unknown plants for their edibility/poisonousness. OTHER SURVIVAL SKILLS For long-term survival some other skills are necessary:
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