So what are YOUR top 5 or so survival 'priorities/skills'?

BOSS1

BOSS1

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Greetings all,

So, realistically, and practically, what do you consider your top 5 +/- survival skills? Shelter making skills? Water Purification? Knife skills? Food Gathering? Map reading?

Take this from the context of what a person, family, or group might need when a 'normal' outing might go awry/sideways. We're NOT talking the end of the world or zombie horde...you're out doing something normal campers/hunters/whatever might be doing, and 'something' happens that makes your outing go sideways and your trip is either extended or has to be re-routed, changed, other...

Throw 'em out there...

I'd say:

1. Ability to think clearly, assess, problems solve, prioritize and plan accordingly.
2. First Aid (including to remove sick/injured back to safety, ie litters, etc).
3. Basic Navigation (how to get back to safety, safely)
4. Shelter (to include fire/warmth if necessary).
5. Water Purification/knowledge.
6. Communication...who/how to call for help (if even possible...if its possible, it would be higher on the list, maybe #3).

Of course there's tons of others: food gathering, plan/pack accordingly for the trip, good pre-plan (let others know where you're going and when you should be back,)...so on and so forth. But like I say, this is for normal people that probably have some basics with them...water, granola bar, etc. and aren't go to starve or die of dehydration because their plane crashed in the Sahara...relatively normal people, doing relatively normal things, in relatively normal situations...

You'll note being able to quick draw/flip/spin your latest/greatest ubercool supersteel bushcrafter blade, post 'selfies,' or outrun bears are not listed:D...

So what say you?

BOSS
 
So this is pretty key for me in my current line of work. While I'm not out in the woods every day, and most of "expeditions" are not that substantial, (really its just the kids having to walk a bit and not sleep in a cabin) My priorities are for skills are similar, but a bit different in the way I look at them. first off, I don't consider the planning and mindset sort of stuff to be a skill, I suppose it might be, or it might be just part of the person. (and in my case the larger plan is taken care of, I only need to know when to adapt) These priorities are always on, even when paddling on the duck pond 50 yards from the dining hall, or doing up a cast-iron meal in a "camp-out" with several other groups.

Priority one - Health and safety. This includes first aid, but also the condition of my group, temp vs. water, what can we do, what limits should we put on. sanitation and food safety go here as well.

Two- water. this is both water and hydration management, but also getting water, making that water safe, potentially making that water palatable to someone who doesn't understand that preference doesn't factor in when in the wild.

three- fire. there are a lot of times when I won't need a fire, or a fire will be easy. But if I need one, I can't be spending an hour making it happen. I have to be able to make it happen quickly, with my attention possibly split between several things. This might mean starting a fire using someone who might have very little skill. Fire to me plays as much a psychological as physical role, so in the course of managing a group of kids in a less than ideal situation, I have to weigh the risks and rewards, and the calm comfort of a fire at night is a significant factor in the equation.


four- Shelter, This one also covers clothing, sun protection, and more of the environmental hazards. Tree limbs, hail stones, all that kind of thing

Five- Leadership. I have to be able to use my skills, and the skills of the group to keep things moving along well. This is the factor that will let me stabilize the situation and come up with a plan of action. This might also involve looking after the other adult as well as the group, and being diplomatic if another ego starts to pose challenges.

The other things, Nav, Comms, and that are lower down the list for me, as they will either be really easy, or I'll need to sort everything else out first. And as I said, these priorities might not fit for everyone else. I've got a legal duty of care most times, and even when I'm on my own, its the habits I've gotten into.
 
As the saying goes, "Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance."

With that in mind, here are my "Top 5" Skills for backcountry survival, either by your self, or with a group:

1) Prior planning and preparedness. - Survival situations don't always just happen by circumstance or bad luck once you're already "out there." Many can be avoided by doing your homework beforehand. Study your route, and make sure its appropriate - both for the time of year and the skill level of all in your group. Take proper equipment for the environment and the conditions. Study the maps, and make sure everyone on the trip has a copy of them. Go through your 1st aid kit and make sure you have what you need for the trip, and check in with everyone else about allergies, prescribed medications they may be taking, etc, etc. Trips that "go wrong" are often already headed in that direction when people take a far too casual approach from the outset.

But let's say something happens, regardless of all your excellent planning and preparedness:

2) Safety - What caused you to find yourself and/or your group suddenly in a survival situation? Is it a bad, unforeseen storm? An avalanche? An animal attack? Has a group member taken a bad fall? Are you simply lost? The list goes on, but the first responsibility is to assess and make sure everyone is removed from the danger, if there is one. This may mean staying put, it may mean having to move, depending on the situation. The first priority is to not let one accident/event lead to more. Then, once immediate danger has been mitigated, it's time to go to "Tier Two" safety - First Aid if needed, and getting the group comfortable, so that smart and rational decisions can be made.

3) Mobility - Can you/the group move? Can you hike out, or at least get to a strategically better place to call for help, etc? There's no point in prioritizing things like shelter building, fire, etc. if they aren't really needed. If you can move to get yourself safely out of your situation, do so. And if you can't? Then it's time to make other decisions which may include shelter, fire, signalling, etc.

4) Leadership - I don't think this is necessarily #4, but it needs to be put in here somewhere. Survival requires leadership - either simply of yourself, or in a group. Decisions need to be facillitated, group members need to be consulted and feel included and listened to, plans need to be organized. There are very few examples of successful survival where leadership, on some level, did not play a critical role.

5) Optimism & Determination - the importance of mindset in survival situations shouldn't be underestimated. Survivors are determined to survive and they don't give up. If you, or others in your group are on the downward spiral of fatalism about your predicament, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You have to believe you will survive, and you should be doing what you can to help everyone else who may be in the same situation to believe it too. Optimism, combined with hard-nosed determination, is a force to be reckoned with, and it has saved many that would otherwise be pushing up daisies.

That's my 5, and yes - I consider every one of those things to be a definite "skill" that requires effort and practice. People who have never made a featherstick or a Figure-4 trap and have never heard of Ray Mears have still survived terrible situations, by sticking to the above. The rest is just mechanics, and farther down the priority list, imo.
 
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1) Planning. Gear, crew, fitness, routes in and out. - There is no problem until the plan fails.

2) Grit. The will to live and the willingness to embrace the suck. - People have survived horrible situations because they simply refused to die and did whatever it took to get home.

3) The wisdom to chose the right survival strategy. Do you stay put or attempt self rescue? How do you prioritize your needs? (Do you skip the risky expedition in the first place? ;) )

4) The skills to improvise. Food, water, shelter, hygiene, signalling etc.

5) Luck
 
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Knowledge- without knowledge, you cannot make the right choices, or make a plan.

Improvisation/ adaptability- these are the number 2 and 3 of survival, not just "out there", but every day.

Preparedness @ 4- if you are prepared, there is not likely to be an issue.

Inner strength @ 5- or grit if you prefer. Some folks give up without much of a struggle. Some folk who look soft, can surprise the hell out of you.
 
BOSS1 said:
Greetings all,

So, realistically, and practically, what do you consider your top 5 +/- survival skills? Shelter making skills? Water Purification? Knife skills? Food Gathering? Map reading?

Take this from the context of what a person, family, or group might need when a 'normal' outing might go awry/sideways. We're NOT talking the end of the world or zombie horde...you're out doing something normal campers/hunters/whatever might be doing, and 'something' happens that makes your outing go sideways and your trip is either extended or has to be re-routed, changed, other...

Throw 'em out there...

I'd say:

1. Ability to think clearly, assess, problems solve, prioritize and plan accordingly.
2. First Aid (including to remove sick/injured back to safety, ie litters, etc).
3. Basic Navigation (how to get back to safety, safely)
4. Shelter (to include fire/warmth if necessary).
5. Water Purification/knowledge.
6. Communication...who/how to call for help (if even possible...if its possible, it would be higher on the list, maybe #3).

Of course there's tons of others: food gathering, plan/pack accordingly for the trip, good pre-plan (let others know where you're going and when you should be back,)...so on and so forth. But like I say, this is for normal people that probably have some basics with them...water, granola bar, etc. and aren't go to starve or die of dehydration because their plane crashed in the Sahara...relatively normal people, doing relatively normal things, in relatively normal situations...

You'll note being able to quick draw/flip/spin your latest/greatest ubercool supersteel bushcrafter blade, post 'selfies,' or outrun bears are not listed:D...

So what say you?

BOSS
Click to expand...

I used to think exactly that way ^^ but if you read my post [in a different thread] where I once got flipped out of a canoe.....

^^that ^^ "preconceived / text book assessment" went right down stream with the rest of my gear.....LOL.

Your #1 [and at the time, mine too] was completely replaced with panic and a whole-lotta' "WTF DO I DO NOW?!?!?!?" for what I thought was about 20 minutes but in all probability was about an hour or so. One smashed wristwatch makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact time LOL. But yes, #1 did eventually kick in within a short period of time.

your #2 was the first thing I did after I smacked myself into reality. Self-check...I was only slightly injured [way less than my ego] with scrapes, bumps and bruises but nothing major or life threatening.

your #3 had to wait for 2 days until I searched the banks for about a mile, mile and a half or so downstream to see if any of my gear was salvageable. Thanking my lucky stars that my pack got snagged on a tree stretched across the water, even though some gear was lost and food rations ruined. Navigation was fairly simple - follow downstream until I reached my destination...but that was quite a few more of unknown miles because all my nav gear was either lost or trashed when the canoe decided to kick me out because my butt was too fat for it.

#4 was replaced [by me] with fire and then shelter. I was cold, wet and being it was getting dark, hypothermia was more of a concern for me. I was doing jumping jacks just to get moderately warm after getting dumped into mountain-cold, moving water. I wouldn't call it "melt run off" but it was pretty freaking cold for summer...My shelter was built over the course of several hours, only because limited light and trying to keep warm prevented a faster build.

#5 was the total suck for me for the first 2 days. I had a half-full, store bought 12 or 16 oz plastic water bottle in my BDU pocket and my cookware/water tabs were floating away in my pack. I ended up making a "birch bark water filter funnel" using moss, grass, charcoal and some sandy soil from the water's edge. I didn't know [at the time] how to boil water in a plastic bottle [I do now though] and ran the risk of just drinking it as it was filtered. Tasted horrible but it worked [I never got sick or anything].

#6 was lost into the drink as well. Phone, spare batteries, cameras....all of it.

I did eventually find my pack but it was 2 days later of slowly searching the water on the way down stream [my direction of travel anyway]. My axe was gone, my food was toast [pardon the pun] and my compass lost/maps totally ruined. Tent had a huge hole in it from being speared by the tree that caught it....Life sucked that week LOL...

Please don't get me wrong....your list almost mirrored my own [at the time] and as great as they always look "on paper" - I can tell you that situations will dictate what has to come first-through-fifth. In my particular case, my own list was totally trashed starting with that "thud" on the hull of the boat [:nightmare: freaking underwater boulders :nightmare:].

If that situation only taught me one thing [it taught me way more, but] - you can NEVER be 'rigid' with your "list." Don't get me wrong.....have a list...but don't necessarily think it will remain in the order in which you assign things.

It also knocked the "cocky" right out of me....it was a very humbling experience [which I think is a good thing for me at least]. That whole, "Pffft....I got this" went right out the window.
 
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druid189 said:
I used to think exactly that way ^^ but if you read my post [in a different thread] where I once got flipped out of a canoe.....

^^that ^^ "preconceived / text book assessment" went right down stream with the rest of my gear.....LOL.

Your #1 [and at the time, mine too] was completely replaced with panic and a whole-lotta' "WTF DO I DO NOW?!?!?!?" for what I thought was about 20 minutes but in all probability was about an hour or so. One smashed wristwatch makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact time LOL. But yes, #1 did eventually kick in within a short period of time.

your #2 was the first thing I did after I smacked myself into reality. Self-check...I was only slightly injured [way less than my ego] with scrapes, bumps and bruises but nothing major or life threatening.

your #3 had to wait for 2 days until I searched the banks for about a mile, mile and a half or so downstream to see if any of my gear was salvageable. Thanking my lucky stars that my pack got snagged on a tree stretched across the water, even though some gear was lost and food rations ruined. Navigation was fairly simple - follow downstream until I reached my destination...but that was quite a few more of unknown miles because all my nav gear was either lost or trashed when the canoe decided to kick me out because my butt was too fat for it.

#4 was replaced [by me] with fire and then shelter. I was cold, wet and being it was getting dark, hypothermia was more of a concern for me. I was doing jumping jacks just to get moderately warm after getting dumped into mountain-cold, moving water. I wouldn't call it "melt run off" but it was pretty freaking cold for summer...My shelter was built over the course of several hours, only because limited light and trying to keep warm prevented a faster build.

#5 was the total suck for me for the first 2 days. I had a half-full, store bought 12 or 16 oz plastic water bottle in my BDU pocket and my cookware/water tabs were floating away in my pack. I ended up making a "birch bark water filter funnel" using moss, grass, charcoal and some sandy soil from the water's edge. I didn't know [at the time] how to boil water in a plastic bottle [I do now though] and ran the risk of just drinking it as it was filtered. Tasted horrible but it worked [I never got sick or anything].

#6 was lost into the drink as well. Phone, spare batteries, cameras....all of it.

I did eventually find my pack but it was 2 days later of slowly searching the water on the way down stream [my direction of travel anyway]. My axe was gone, my food was toast [pardon the pun] and my compass lost/maps totally ruined. Tent had a huge hole in it from being speared by the tree that caught it....Life sucked that week LOL...

Please don't get me wrong....your list almost mirrored my own [at the time] and as great as they always look "on paper" - I can tell you that situations will dictate what has to come first-through-fifth. In my particular case, my own list was totally trashed starting with that "thud" on the hull of the boat [:nightmare: freaking underwater boulders :nightmare:].

If that situation only taught me one thing [it taught me way more, but] - you can NEVER be 'rigid' with your "list." Don't get me wrong.....have a list...but don't necessarily think it will remain in the order in which you assign things.

It also knocked the "cocky" right out of me....it was a very humbling experience [which I think is a good thing for me at least]. That whole, "Pffft....I got this" went right out the window.
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^ That kind of event is why I like the idea of a waterproof essentials pack that stays stuck to you, like on your belt or something. Reserve water/water collection, maps, emergency phone, matches, small knife, etc. tucked into a rugged waterproof bag, stuffed into a fanny pack that you only take off to sleep.

A UV "filter" and a microfiber glass cleaner cloth are my favorite quick water treatments. The cloth filters out everything visible and the UV light kills everything not visible, and they weigh just a few ounces.
 
In the case of mountaineering accident, the priority is

1. communication (with rescue team)
2. accurate current position
3. first aid
4. keep worm and comfort
5. good luck
 
Grease said:
^ That kind of event is why I like the idea of a waterproof essentials pack that stays stuck to you, like on your belt or something. Reserve water/water collection, maps, emergency phone, matches, small knife, etc. tucked into a rugged waterproof bag, stuffed into a fanny pack that you only take off to sleep.

A UV "filter" and a microfiber glass cleaner cloth are my favorite quick water treatments. The cloth filters out everything visible and the UV light kills everything not visible, and they weigh just a few ounces.
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Agreed but at the same time, only so much can be worn on a belt in a canoe....or even when packing in. My issue is that I have no ass and my pants start to fall down from the added weight IN the BDU pockets as well as from all those "pouches" strapped to my belt....LMAO.

Also, the way my pack is set up, I DO use the waist and sternum belts. The waist belt interferes with pants belt-worn packs and thus, I have to watch what I wear versus what I have to carry.
 
druid189 said:
If that situation only taught me one thing [it taught me way more, but] - you can NEVER be 'rigid' with your "list." Don't get me wrong.....have a list...but don't necessarily think it will remain in the order in which you assign things.
Click to expand...

Good point, and worth repeating. Have a list/plan, and be flexible as the situation changes. :thumbup:
 
Body heat/damp regulation to avoid hypothemia. Procuring potable water. Navigation skills (without a GPS). Keeping calm, not panicking. Knowledge of wilderness medicine/first response (beyond standard first aid training). - - Probably most important of all, don't be careless/stupid.
 
Druid,

Thanks so much for posting your experience!!!! That is Exactly the kind of situation I was talking about, and I think we can all learn from your experience.

That's kind of also why I said Numero Uno was the ability to think clearly, plan, act accordingly (ie adapt/overcome/survive..., or in other terms, be flexible).

I think there too is a difference between 'traits' and skills. You can have a positive mental attitude right up to the time you die because you have no first aid or shelter/fire building skills.

'Attitude/Leadership' (which I agree a critical) are probably more traits...shelter building, nav, water, etc. are probably more skills. Just my $.02 worth, YMMV.

Still an open discussion tho, fire away.

BOSS
 
I'm gonna go out on the limb here and say the most helpful thing to fit both categories is Common Sense,with that and having what you need on you the rest should be self explanatory[To Some].
 
Richbat said:
I'm gonna go out on the limb here and say the most helpful thing to fit both categories is Common Sense,with that and having what you need on you the rest should be self explanatory[To Some].
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I would agree but if anyone is like me, our "common sense" [all too often] takes back seat to a 'know-it-all-attitude' and a real unhealthy degree of cockiness....lol.

That's an issue I've been dealing with all my life....master a skill and I get all kinds of smug and stupid about it. Like that canoeing trip...my first several trips out I was very cautious. As time rolled on and I 'thought' I pretty much mastered it, the longer I did it without issue - I eventually lost that respect [or fear?] one should have in fast moving water. Why? Because there are underwater boulders the size of Mars and rocks as sharp as a straight razor...and then there's that whole "drowning" thing....

Nothing punches your ego in the face more than a scuttled boat, dragging you to your doom. I have been doing this for years and nothing like that ever happened to me. It literally took me almost 2 decades to smack me back into the reality of real dangers in my trips.
Remember "boot-strap Bill" Turner when he came for Jack? "THEN IT'S THE LOCKER FOR YOU!" .....yeah...I kinda looked like ole bootstrap when I dragged my sorry butt onto shore. I had only the boat and what was on my body. Everything else was downstream and I was miles from my destination. Did I mention I was in the middle of mountainous nowhere?
 
1. Positive attitude
2. Knowledge of skills
3. Prior practice of skills
4. Ability to apply skills under stress
5. Ability to adapt to the unforeseen
 
I think the trouble with "common sense" is that it really isn't. in that moment you might decide that the "common sense" thing is to walk out, but I might think its to light a fire, a third guy might think its moving as fast down the river to try to recover as much gear as he can. Each of those might be the right choice, and each of those might be the wrong one, depending on the conditions. I'm not saying you are wrong, I just think that "common sense" gets tossed out as an easy answer, but I think it also limits ones thinking, instead of running scenarios in your head, and solving problems before they come up, relying on common sense lets you feel like you can deal with problems when you get to them. Also, is it your gut instinct telling you to do a thing, or your ego, can you tell the difference? I can't all the time. And my "common sense" answers having lived in a northern climate would be very different from someone in the tropics. I've often had discussions with others here and we differ on a lot of small points because my "common sense" comes from a very different place than theirs. I've had to really shift my thinking, because a lot of my instincts were just plain wrong. Same goes for "don't be stupid" what does that mean? sure you can avoid some risk, but what about the hidden ones? getting experience and training are far more difficult, but more effective than just "not being stupid" Remember the skills by which you grade your own competence are those very skills which you are grading, so those who are not competent are the least able to tell.

Now that said, stopping to think is a great thing, and I think that often when people say "that's common sense" what they are really saying is "if you stopped to think" the trouble is that very often people don't. They might be making and executing a plan, but they haven't stopped, fully evaluated the situation, and all the possibilities.

That other problem of having what you need, is that if you have everything you need, you are not in an emergency. And its not always so simple. I've been trying to find a way to keep some gear on me at all times, and it hasn't been easy. I had a otter box 1000 that held a really good kit, but I couldn't carry it in a pocket all day. now my basic kit is in a Ribz pack, but when wearing a PFD that doesn't work so well. I don't do fast water, so Im pretty sure I'd make it to shore with at least that dry-bag, but who knows? I could loose gear, or have to give up gear to help someone else, then what do I do? Which bits of gear get backed-up, and how does that extra weight effect my overall performance? Every situation is going to be different. Fast water, a hike through a mountain pass, a thru-hike, off-road vehicle or bikes, everything changes what your planning and gear are going to look like. My kit as a guide is going to be very different than myself on a solo, or with friends, and drastically different here in the tropics compared to say the Alberta Rockies in shoulder season.

I think that things like attitude and leadership are natural traits, but they can be practiced. Someone can have a go-to it attitude that can either keep them positive in a tough situation if they have practiced it, or can lead to reckless behavior or a "it'll be fine" attitude. Same like leadership, with training and experience you can become effective at managing others, and getting the best out of people. Without training you can either be a dictator or a "leader by personality" which might work when things are going well, but devolve very fast under conflict.

As good as Chris's priorities are, its a bit like saying Everything. If you have everything, you'll be fine. Which is true, but its a really wide view of the situation. Rather than saying that skills are important (which is totally true) which skills come out on top?
 
1. Not getting lost in the first place

2. Telling friends and family my plans including expected return time. This way it's them calling the police to look for me resulting in a happy ending, not the police calling them to ID my carcass.

3. Did I mention not getting lost? Also keeping an eye out for dangers like widow makers and flood areas. Environmental awareness.

4. I rather like fire and dislike getting cold and wet. All things related to acquiring the first and avoiding the second.

5. I don't like being thirsty. Hungry is ok but thirsty not so much. All things hydrated related.
 
Woods Walker said:
1. Not getting lost in the first place Then where's the adventure???

2. Telling friends and family my plans including expected return time. This way it's them calling the police to look for me resulting in a happy ending, not the police calling them to ID my carcass.
That's great when you are expected back in a few days. I wasn't expected back for over a week. No happy ending for me then :jerkit:

3. Did I mention not getting lost? Also keeping an eye out for dangers like widow makers and flood areas. Environmental awareness.
Yep. Exactly. 35 mph down a wide creek/borderline small river and invisible planets under the water's surface makes for an ugly situation.

4. I rather like fire and dislike getting cold and wet. All things related to acquiring the first and avoiding the second.
Can't argue with that.

5. I don't like being thirsty. Hungry is ok but thirsty not so much. All things hydrated related.
Face first into a body of water moving at the speed of in-town traffic.....was plennnnnnnnnnnnnty hydrated. LOL.
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LOL...all kidding aside, sometimes a person just has to "do it" or spend the rest of their lives regretting not doing it. I don't want to be that guy.

I'm not one of those "extreme" guys who wait to pull their chute at the last possible moment [never jumped out of a perfectly good plane and have no plans on it either]...but when I eventually get grandkids on my lap, I'd like to be able to tell them "I did __this, that and a whole-lotta' the other thing__.
 
1. Get paid on time.
2. Don't go over budget.
3. Don't have any film crew mutinies.
4. Get contract for new season(s).
5. Get consulting and design work after formal apology for lying about my credentials.
 
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