New to wilderness survival. Help!

Here is my advice on the best place to start (not that all the other advice is not great).

I would start by learning what the 10 essentials are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

Then build a kit that addresses all these things "off the shelf" and keep that with you at first.

Once you have all that covered, then you get into learning skills that will literally ( in this case) make your pack lighter.

For instance, in your ten essentials kit you have a tent and sleeping bag for shelter. Learn to build a debris hut ( or another regionally appropriate shelter) and you can take the tent out of the kit.

Another key peice of knowledge you should strive to learn at the beginning is the rule of 3s which has already been broken down for you in this thread.

I hope this helps with the "where do I start?" question.
David
 
So it would be safe to say that bushcraft is a part (or subject) in wilderness survival?

You could say that. Technically speaking, wilderness survival is just about that, surviving; get in, get through it, get out. Bushcraft (or Woodcraft, Woodlore depending who you ask) is about long-term survival (living and striving of the land) with emphasis on primitive (native) skills. Just like PayetteRucker said, some writers, instructors, and speakers use the terms as synonymous (mostly SAS, Australian, and Native American influenced experts) because in some places/environments (desert, forest, African savanna, Australian "bush", tropical jungle, etc,) survival requires those skills at some degree.
 
By the way..... I live on the NorthCarolina/South Carolina line. Right between the foothills and the beach. I am surounded by swamps and Woodland forrests.
 
Don't forget your metal pot btw - for some reason lots of folks would give up their knife for a metal pot in a survival situation...still not sure about the reasoning there...

<wink>
 
Originally posted by rogerschrisj:

By the way..... I live on the NorthCarolina/South Carolina line. Right between the foothills and the beach. I am surounded by swamps and Woodland forrests.

I'm sure there are a few members who have tons of wisdom and experience with survival issues and techniques for the area you live in. You would probably get more specific answers if you started a new thread with this area/environment and specific questions in mind.

BTW, if you haven't done so yet, look up the recommended book list in the Equipped To Survive web site.
 
Tom Brown all the way. You will learn that it is not so much survival as it is living. Living not in the woods, bot with the woods. He also teaches the much deserved respect that we all so desperately need to pay to our wilderness, as many of us even here do not.
 
Welcome aboard. Learning skills is great, though to tell the truth, I'm getting a little too old to want to sleep in debris huts anymore. Still, getting to the mindset of camping to bring a mini-home with you to understanding how to live without all that stuff is a great first step. Consider the basics: first aid, shelter, fire, water, food, signalling/navigation. Pick a category and start to learn.

For first aid, there are great classes available like the Wilderness First Aid programs that are really worth the price and effort and can come in handy for all types of situations.

Fire, well there are million and one things to learn here that most people stuck on bic lighters and zippo firestarter tabs just don't stop to consider. Start with learning to use a firesteel and go from there.

Shelter. Sure most of us have tent camped. Have you tarp camped? Hammock camped? Tarp camping introduces you to many shelter building concepts without having to wriggle with the worms in a debris hut. Maybe you'll go onto the huts later.

Water. All kinds of gadgets available for purifying and filtering water. First focus on how to find it, then focus on how to make it potable. Gotta pot? Try boiling it after a makeshift cloth filter. Don't gotta pot, carve out a bowl in a stump, or use a natural depression in rock, fill it with water, then drop in heat stones (avoid river stones) into the water to bring it to boil. Or you can use one of those steri pens or chlorine tabs and save yourself the trouble.

Food - learn a few traps and be able to make snares out of paracord, bootlaces or brass snare wire that doubles as the bale for your little hobo pot. Look at those plants around and begin to open your eyes to the world of wild edibles. Make a rabbit stick and throw it at your neighbors cat (maybe not). Try catching some pan fish with just the basics of a little bit fishing line and some hooks that you might keep in your kit.

Navigation. Learn a few stars, including being able to identify the north style. Learn how to make a basic sundial and use the sun's movements to determine east/west (very simple). Consider taking a compass navigation course. Learn how to read a topographic map. This doesn't mean you have to throw the GPS out, but try just marking your camp position then shut the unit off and stow away. Use the map and compass for the day and only pull at that GPS if you need it.

Signal - learn some basic ground to air signals. Start to carry a whistle. Wouldn't hurt to consider tucking a bit of flag tape into your pack.

Other skills - learn so knots and practice them. You can keep a bit of paracord in your pocket and practice knots while on break at work.

Build a PSK and BOB. PSK = personal survival kit, its a little package that you build and store in a small tin or tupperware. You throw it in your pack and it has all the items you need to address basic first aid, shelter, fire, water, signalling etc. Its the thing that keeps you from forgetting the most basic stuff while packing for your trip. How small can you make your PSK and still have the basic items you will need? Rather than buy one off the shelf, build it yourself since it is so much cheaper and you will know its contents.

A BOB is a Bug-Out-Bag. Its often a back pack that you can throw in the truck. The BOB is kind for SHTF mentality folks. Basically, what if you had to evacuate your house RIGHT now. This Bag is somewhere you can just reach out and grab it. It is all packed and will see you through the next 72 hr or whatever after you've evacuated. You can carry a full BOB in your car/truck also.

Good luck and be sure to keep reporting on your learning adventures. There will always be stuff to learn and improvements to make on your road to adventure and skills development!

This was an EXCELLENT writeup and well
worth quoting for the next page.

Thank you for your time writing it up.
Lemme go let my kid read it.
Helps with the "overwhelming" factor.
very good. :thumbup:
 
G'day rogerchrisj

So it would be safe to say that bushcraft is a part (or subject) in wilderness survival?
My opinions differ to most here, in so far as I think of Wilderness Survival as the subset (or abreviated / simplified form) of Bushcraft :D

Wilderness survival seems to be about staying alive for only three days. This is based on the commonly cited duration of survival situations. It appears to come with a focuss on how much equipment you can cram into as small a container as possible, commonly called a PSK :D

Real Bushcraft on the other hand is about long term living (which necessarily means staying alive for longer than 3 days), where the focus is more on a diverse range of knowledge & skills :D

I leave it up to you to determine which is the subset of what :D




Kind regards
Mick
 
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