Ray Mars and Bear Grylls value this too.... The will to live can be lifted by simple things such as bringing a photo of loved ones with you, making a cup of hot chocolate or bringing some music with you.
As a hunter and guide years in the mid 70s I learned a whole lot from my customers , that knowledge saved my life one cold winter night in 1985 . It was -35 I was on my way back to civilization from a welding job on a very very remote drilling rig when my old 1982 1 ton welding truck abruptly died in the absolute worst place it could have at 3 o'clock in the morning . luckily it was a winter bush road so there was lots of fuel wood . The very first thing I did was make a hole in the snow and build a fire and made coffee and something to eat , I had plenty of supplies. When I was content warm and comfortable , I had a nap till day light ad then went at finding the problem and fixing the truck.. to this day I carry survival gear with me all the time ,and I practice the skills in all weather .
Wow bro. How old were you when that happened? And do you think you'd have survived if you DIDN'T have all those supplies in the back of the truck available to you that night? I'm thinking an EMP attack would cause over 80% of Americans to pass within 3 months. What do you think on how long it'd take? This is crazy scary bro.
When I learned survival in the late 80's, up in Lappland, Sweden we were told a few things (in no special order): 1: never get out there without the backpack and an axe (that obviously means we learned to use the stuff first). 2: if lost - allways stop at once, make a fire or light the Trangia. Put the kettle on, take some coffee and time to think. If you see a better place to rest from where you are standing, in the imediate are, you can go there. But do not start to wander around without a plan and a good inkling on where to go. If you have such a plan, take a good while to think it over a few more times. 3: dont hesitate to make camp. It's far more likley that your head will turn straight, if you rest över night. 4: never leave home without telling people where you go. I learned it as a part of the education to be a forrestry worker. Thats because you will sooner or later get a bit lost, if you are moving about in the wild on a daily basis. And Swedish Lappland is big - really big - with subalpine and alpine enviroments. If you get lost there and just try to walk out without a good plan and a cense of direction, you may very well be lost forever. It's actually even more dangerous today with smartphones and whatnot. Most of those fancy gadgets wont work if you havent a connection. And then your even more stuck, if you dont know what you are doing.
Of all the things you talk about NO. 4 is the most important. In Wyoming if you tell some one where you are going and when you will be back and whom to call if you don't come back, you will be found more then likely with in 36 to 48 hours. And if your are prepared you will survive.
James Hart I agree. One thing, that was a serious issue for us, was winter. In the winter, people has used snowmobiles for decades up in Lappland. And its scary how fast you get out of course with a snowmobile. And its really scary how fast you get into hypotermia. Thats when the backpack and the axe is a really, really god thing to have at hand.
#3 probably saved my life ->twice. (Intimately tied to #2 in my book.) I got lost in the Canadian wilderness alone one time (young buck), and another time unwittingly hit by a severe blizzard. In that second instance, the _speed_ with which we struck camp (bivouac) turned out to be vital to our survival, even though we were not far from "civilization". Huge lessons.
The never leave home without telling people where you'll be, and when you should be back, is great for most people, but it simply doesn't work for everyone. For a good part of my life, I had no one to tell, and didn't have a clue where I was going, or when I'd be back. I know a lot of wilderness people in this same situation. The rest of that is wonderful advice, though. The good part of all that was that I stood no chance of getting lost. It's impossible to get lost when you don't care where you're going, and it doesn't matter when you get there. But if you do care, then you should never go into the wild without a compass, and without knowing how to use it. Nor should you go without GPS, if you're really worried. There was no such thing as GPS when I was young, and I very seldom needed a compass because, a sI said, I was almost always just wandering around, having fun, hunting, fishing, trapping, etc. Wherever I went was as good as any other place, and it really is tough getting lost when there is no right or wrong place to be.
I hope you don't really think it's tough to survive without a coat and a poncho. It's easily doable in the dead of winter. In summer you'd have to be pretty, well, weird, to need such things to get through at least a few nights. I've all for carrying a poncho. I usually carry two ponchos and a blanket. But I sure as anything don't need them. I carry them because that's all I carry for shelter and warmth. Seven to eight months of the year, I take no tent, and no sleeping bag. In truth, you should never go into the wilderness without taking everything you need to live for at least ten days, but if you can't get through at least a few nights, and probably a week, without any gear at all, you have no business going near real wilderness.
What it really boils down to is experience. Survival situations mostly occur because mistakes were made. Experience will make a person: Less likely to make mistakes. Know the importance of Being Prepared. Always carry essentials when leaving camp. Know that the best survival kit you can carry is a good handful of nails (10cm or longer) wrapped in steel wire.
@Survival Russia - "Know that the best survival kit you can carry is a good handful of nails (10cm or longer) wrapped in steel wire." can u explain in more detail or was that a joke?
When i went to puerto rico after storm to help my parents rebuild there were no light,gas markets open & pure survival skill had to kick in walking in pure darkness in the country listening to everything going on & gun shots in the distance & people crying & screaming made my heart pound & adrenaline flow heavy but i has to stay calm & very attentive & as a person not known only to family i had to be aware of others trying to rob & or kill me or what ever they thought i may have had that they could use, i had to wear black clothing walk quietly & quickly & all i had was a machete & walking 1 mile felt like hours from 1 family to anothers sleeping was extremely light untill daylight then we had to get water, filter & boil then catch chickens but i made a simple bow & arrow w/bamboo & yes we caught & ate, going there i didn't realize that i was going to live a shtf moment but i did & many who practice will not know the real thing untill you are there experiencing it for first hand..& yes i was scared shit. My parents are fine now i got them a solar kit & water catching/filteration systemdue to speratic power outages... Always practice & if you want to really test yourself go visit where its really bad stay for a while & help, you dont know yourself untill you've pushed yourself is what i believe..peace..
Great video. I wish more people would be honest. I've been lost once. I was in my teens and thought I knew everything. I ended up spending a night in the forest alone. Every time a bug moved a leaf or a twig snapped, I was certain I was about to be eaten. A knife, an axe, water or food doesn't make being lost any better. That feeling of dread that you just might die out there is something that'll wrench your guts to say the least. I always go with another person when I'm out hiking now. Having been in some rather difficult terrain and bad weather makes you really happy to have that other person to watch your back as you watch theirs. You brought up heart and soul and I think that might be the most important tool in a survival toolbox. Loneliness and fear aren't good for anyone's frame of mind. The best quality knife and gear don't guarantee survival. Survival depends on having the skills to remedy the immediate problems you have at hand. For me being lost, I didn't have enough skills at the time to make a primitive fire and didn't have a lighter or matches. I spent the night awake, scared, and in the dark. Tired as hell the next morning, I started walking in a straight line using trees to keep me oriented and luckily found a road and flagged a car down for help. The greatest lesson I learned from that night was that being alone in a survival situation has to be the worst scenario. Having that other person to laugh away the fear would have made all the difference in the world. I can't say for sure if I'd be so afraid now if I were lost as I was those years ago, but I will say that fear was the greatest challenge I faced. More than fatigue or dehydration. I was lucky that I was lost at a time of year that exposure wasn't an issue, but I can only imagine how much worse my situation would have been if that would have been an issue. SO yeah... knowing skills that'll minimize the fear is what I think is most important. Knowing where to find tinder in the area you live or are exploring. Knowing how to make a fire and carrying items with you to accomplish that goal would have minimized my fear some, though I think it would have still been a night wide awake. I think most people confuse a day out in the woods hiking or practicing bushcraft as 'survival'. Let me say, there's a switch that turns on in your mind the moment you're lost. It's entirely different when the sun is going down and you still haven't figured out how to find your way back. It's not camping. It's not a fun outing where you planned on practicing 'survival'. It's a totally different experience and every molecule in your body tells you it's not a game. I just wanted to share this because all too often I think people talk about survival as if it were an episode with Les Stroud or Ray Mears. It's not. In none of those episodes are they lost. None of those episodes are they without help just a call or wave of the hand away. It's not saying you're going into the woods with nothing but a knife to survive for a week while knowing right where you parked your car. Survival isn't survival until you're lost or injured. When that happens, fear and panic are the greatest challenges to overcome.
I was sceard in the forest for 5 month but i lasted it out. i could not return at that time .there was nothing to Return to 6000 mile from home .i am a true woods man from Sherwood fores England i was lost in Indonesia . The rivers all ways helped .i could not evan seek out help from the Indonesian it was indeed a bad 5 months mostly
Hate bit poet.....I know by just what you are saying that you were lost....I was lost also....like you said..the minute you know your lost is a horrible horrible feeling.....when I got lost...all I could think about was to not be lost and to know where I was...yes. shear panic for me...so unbelievable......and later that evening when I found some cowboys having a roundup..I was the happiest man alive.....I dont wish that on anyone.....terrible experience.....
Perfectly said. I've had a couple of lost or broken down episodes where 20+ miles from the nearest highway was a very real, gut punching reality. One time it was getting dark, truck was stuck, and only had the moon above the trees for light to walk. I was on my way to have a pleasant camping trip...but that happened... ..aint fun anymore
When I was a kid back in the 60's I attended a boy scout jamboree in Arkansas and had a blast. There were various contest one of which was seeing who could start a fire and bring a cup of water to boil the fastest. It was POURING down rain and nobody was having any luck getting a fire going. A scout leader asked what the problem was and we answered with the obvious, “it's pouring down rain and all the wood is wet!” He said, “Good grief! - follow me.” He went to a tree with dead limbs, broke them off and had a fire going in under a minute. The rest of us soon had our fires going. I loved learning little things like that from an experienced person.
Tyler Serafin Hmm -still shows complete on my screen. In any case, here's a repost..hope you receive it all... When I was a kid back in the 60's I attended a boy scout jamboree in Arkansas and had a blast. There were various contest one of which was seeing who could start a fire and bring a cup of water to boil the fastest. It was POURING down rain and nobody was having any luck getting a fire going. A scout leader asked what the problem was and we answered with the obvious, “it's pouring down rain and all the wood is wet!” He said, “Good grief! - follow me.” He went to a tree with dead limbs, broke them off and had a fire going in under a minute. The rest of us soon had our fires going. I loved learning little things like that from an experienced person.
Experience is a soft loud voice. It beat bad training. And bad training breeds over confidence. And it could disastrous. Years ago, a group of Commandos went to another county to do training in LRRP (Long Rang Recce Petrol). They would be the best navigators in the army. They got lost in the forest and the Ministry had to ask the local rangers for help. The local rangers are not elite forces. They just know the land. I've spoke to some of them and they told me some tricks. Water. Don't drink from the stagnant water. Cut a root from a nearby tree and drip it in your mouth. The roots are nature filters. Food. Don't bother to hunt. Eat what the monkeys eat. It should be safe. (It's SE Asia jungle) Fire. If you are a REAL man, you should smoke. Therefore always carry a Zippo or a bic lighter. (Never bring up the problems of smoking.)
I have to say please don't think this is a shot at vets, I love and respect our vets, but I cringe when I hear some dude say, "I was in the Army so I know how to survive." I know people who were military that couldn't survive a night locked in a Walmart.
Perfect example the black guy on the second series of Alone I forget his name, didn't last half a day despite being a vet he was completely overwhelmed by the situation!
Perfect example! That dude really pissed me off. So many people would have killed for that opportunity and he didn't last long enough to take a piss on the island. "if a bear mess with me, somebody better come help the bear!" -- Idiot!!
Just being in the army isn't any qualification for survival.. It's more what you did in the army.. I can only speak for the Swedish army but there a world of difference between a "hunter (Jägare)" in the Arctic Rangers and a pencil-pusher that served in the rear with the gear from a survival point of view. Both in the army and both have important jobs to do to keep the team going but they don't share the same competence..
SuperUncleRyan oh I agree I was in the military and I'm one of those in the rear with the gear types and believe me I got a long way to go before I'm ready to survive
I am one of those paperpushers, i've asked around for bushcraft/survival training, but all that is gone (budget reasons and refocusing on international operations) and has been focused on driving and escaping training for troops like Afghanistan. Some of my colleges haven't even read "Handbok överlevnad" (Swedish armed forces survival book). So, here i am on youtube gathering information for myself, reading on the net, buying kit, going out into nature and sleeping out overnight to learn the craft for myself. If something bad happens, i'll probably survive longer than most others.
I went three days without water, to see what it would be like. I timed it exactly. I was not overly exerting myself, I was just doing normal things around the house and going to work. The first two days were not bad and then I began to feel the effects. First a dry mouth and then something I had not expected. My muscles began to ache and it got worse over time. I began to really want water and my thought processes began to fade. I could not mentally stay focused. The last hour or so was bad. I really ached, had a hard time moving along with a fear that I passed out I might die, but I was determined to go the full three days. As a precaution, I set an alarm clock and put next to my bed then laid down. My mouth and throat were totally dry. My tongue had swollen and I could not produce any saliva. Speaking was also difficult. At exactly three days and I mean exactly, I got up, went into my bathroom, filled a glass up with water and started drinking. What took place next took me by surprise. I immediately felt so much better. It was like what I had just done, never took place. It was an immediate hydration of my entire body.
I was hiking in high elevation exposed mountain terrain once and didn't recognize I was dehydrated so I kept pushing on. I finally had to stop when my entire left arm went started to tingle and I got dizzy. I was hurting for water and had to lay in some shade and begged a stranger for water. Felt hungover the next day and weak. Crazy how easy it is to not prioritize something as simple as water.
Nice video, I completely agree. One thing I'd add is that Bushcraft and Survival are not the same thing. Now I've never heard someone say it straight up, but when reviewing something, they might say, "This would be a good bushcraft or survival...." whatever. Bushcraft is going into the wild with all the gear you'll need, and making stuff out of the branches and stuff around you. Survival is getting lost and keeping yourself alive. It's just something that kind of annoys me, because they're completely different things.
I got dehydrated in about 4 hours once. Total accident and I wasn’t even outside. I’d run an errand for work in the late afternoon, it was hot and I had been working hard (indoors) beforehand so I hadn’t had enough water I started to feel awful. It wasn’t until I’d gone home that I worked out what it had been. Within a short time of drinking I started to feel better. It stunned me and really opened my eyes about how fast it came on. Now I’m a lot more vigilant.
The thumbs down are from snowflakes. Could you just imagine watching a snowflake panic in the woods far away from civilization, I'd pay good money to see that.
I think the the #1 lie is priorities are the same everywhere. I live in El Paso at 3800 ft in the desert. Here important is water, sun shelter, water, water, water. When I lived in Austin and Seattle it was completely different.
I GREW UP IN EL PASO. ONE YEAR WE HAD A MAJOR SNOW STORM I DECIDED TO TAKE A WALK OUT IN THE DESERT WITH ABOUT SIX INCES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, THE SUN WAS VERY BRIGHT THAT DAY AND I WENT SNOW BLIND,IT WAS A VERY SCAREY FEELING , ALMOST DIDNT MAKE IT HOME. I THINK IF YOUR GOING IN AN AREA WHERE YOU KNOW IT MIGHT SNOW, BRING SOME SUN GLASSES.
Dan Wilder I totally agree. Survival is being conditionally aware and prepared. The weather here in N.Al can go from 100F+ to well below zero; torrential rain to butt deep snow. Although most survival remain a constant, the purpose and application change. And, of course I switch items based on seasonal changes, ie, I trade out(more accurately, eat)my Snickers bars for granola-like bars in the summer, etc...
It is simple really... take your ideal gear for a hike; set up and stay overnight (even in your own back yard)... get rid of anything you did not use and add the things you really missed... work on that until it becomes comfortable and transportable...
Exactly! I've said to myself and others multiple times that if you haven't tested your kit for a minimum of 3 days and nights, you don't know if you'll survive with it. Most survival situations are done with in less than a week. So if your kit cannot support you for three days, the days you need to get set up for the long haul, than you don't need to carry it. Test your kits. Test them because one day, they might be what's keeping you alive.
Where I'm at (desert), set it up in the morning and stay out there until the next morning. You'll get a rude awakening when the inside of your tent is 130°F at 4pm ;)
Thanks Tim, for a very sensible video. While I don't think carrying a knife alone is an ideal strategy, the belt knife is the most important tool we can carry. It will do a lot of tasks fairly well in a survival situation. if my canoe tips over in a river and I lose my pack because I was too busy saving my ass from drowning, I would be stuck with the clothes on my back and whatever gear is firmly attached to my body, or secured in the pockets of my clothing. Having a belt knife in a secure sheath is a whole lot better than having to resort to napping out a rock axe, or having to find a deer or elk tine with which to shape a bone knife. Maybe the most dangerous myth is the dangerous notion that if someone out in the woods gets lost but are carrying a cellphone, they can always call for rescue. That first assumes the survivor knows their exact position. Also cellphones are "line of sight" devices broadcasting in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range. Anything directly in the way of the , like a hillside, mountain or even tall trees can impede the signal. But all might be lost, since one might still create an effective ignition device using the phone's wires and battery. A common survival myth is that if you have a firearm, that will be the most efficient way of obtaining protein and fat in a survival situation. The truth is that it may, or may not, keep you fed or help you survive. It is a good tool for creating ignition. And you may burn up more calories and lose more hydration and body heat in the process of hunting than it returns in calories ingested and body heat. Every hunter or fisherman has been 'skunked' a one time or another. Another common myth is that setting snares will catch food for long periods of time. After one use, snares are typically all-but-destroyed by the animals they catch. So they are only useful one time. If you have a dozen snares that means you'll probably eventually get a dozen meals. I'd rather carry a fishing kit and half a dozen mechanical traps or even metal rat traps that can keep on producing and will never wear out if maintained properly. Even improvised traps can be used multiple times and are relatively easy to make. A metal frog gig lashed to a lance or walking stick is a another good way of spearing fish, frogs or reptiles and pinning down caught game in traps. Another myth is that you need to bring in dry tinder in a waterproof bag or tin. While that's never a terrible idea, nature will usually provide plenty of readily ignitable substances: birch or poplar bark; cat tail fluff; chagga aka tinder fungus; thistle seed; red cedar bark; pine or other conifer cones; punk wood; dried grass or fine carved wood shavings. Even a few bits of a cotton sock rolled inside one edge of a piece of tissue or toilet paper (called a prison match) will ignite from a spark from a ferro rod or even from the flint sparker of a spent BIC lighter. For the really rain-soaked conditions you mentioned, where fire making is always really difficult and sustaining it is just as difficult, a good carry item is a 20-minute road flare. But the experienced survivor can create the equivalent of a long lasting flare if there are coniferous trees nearby, by collecting a wad of sap, aka pitch. Now you just need a way of igniting it. In rainy conditions any wood on the ground will be impossible to keep lit. Instead look for branches st eye or shoulder level that are at least partly protected below other foliage. If it snaps when you break it off, its dry enough to burn although it still may be hard to ignite. If you have a bucksaw and axe a strenuous method of obtaining dry wood is to buck it into rounds and split away the damp outer wood to get to the dry heartwood. Another great trick in rainy areas like coastal British Columbia, ,Washington, Oregon, the Yukon or Alaska is to look for areas where conifers have been damaged or had limbs chopped off. You should find fat wood in that area, wood with an orange tint which smells like turpentine and has a very high sap content. This material is best used as small sticks from which fine shavings of readily ignitable fat wood will ignite with a smart from flint and steel, a ferro rod with a magnifying glass using solar energy. A resource that never wears out.
Yes people have mistaken me for a "survival expert" because I carry knives, gear and hike and camp. I simply reply that I am no expert and am prepared enough to survive most basic bad situations but I just try to avoid having to "survive" at all LOL!
MrLeonidas0001 Tactical Adventures I think the more people really get out in the woods they realise what you just said. I like to be prepared for things I encounter every day. and I love to go out and go camping, I even practice some trapping and shelter building as well as other emergency techniques. but the more i go out, the more I want to avoid actually being in a wilderness survival situation! I think people get to into TV and movies, like the end of civilization stuff people think it would be fun, which is just plain wrong.
546 cowboy Indeed. No antibiotics or antidiahhreals. And no IV fluids for rehydration. It's amazing that the infection rate, along with the death from disease drastically decreased when a Nurse by the name of CLARA BARTON suggested that Surgeons merely 'washed their hands' between patients.
@@Daniel-ve5oj , The massive wound channels left by those conical rounds contributed to even higher risks for infection, not to mention traumatic amputations and more massive internal bleeding.
Incredibly real life and factual! One of the things I stress to folks heading into the wilderness is learn to start fire in a downpour, because that's very well likely what it will be like. When everything around you is soggy and you are cold that is when your gonna need that fire the most. Also, do not multi-task. Nurse that fire till you've got it going good, then you can do the other things.
True, i have been in situation where only "dry" wood was green birch, if enough is split fine enough, stacked carefully it burns, true, with loads of smoke, but it gives heat, after you build a pile of coals you can start puttong larger and larger until fire is big enough. Sadly, slow and labour intensive, but uf you must...
As silly as this may sound to some, two of the items that always go into the woods with me are water-proof matches, and a few of those little "tea light" candles. They weigh next to nothing, and in an emergency, can greatly help to start a fire if you can only find wet wood. Light the little candle, put it in a small depression in the ground, then put your kindling above it. Sometimes, it takes a short while to catch properly, but that system has yet to fail me. Those candles burn for 3 - 4 hours, so that should dry out a big enough place in the wood to allow it to catch fire.
I've done this in a real life survival situation. It's absolutely amazing even if the wood is dry around you. Theres no replacement for having a quick fire when you're cold and alone.
I just finished reading SSG Travis Mills book "As tough as they come". He was a Sargent of the 82nd Airborne stationed in Afghanistan when he was severely injured by an IED & lost all four limbs. He is only one of 5 soldiers to survive this type of injury. In the last part of his book, he states: "We all have our unique challenges to go through. The point is that you can keep going. You can choose to never give up. You can choose to never quit." I believe that THIS is the key in any type of "survival" situation. Maybe I will never be stranded or be forced to "bug out". But I will have to face being short on money and or food, watching friends & family members die, loosing a job, all those types of problems that rear their ugly head from time to time. I will ALWAYS have a choice to make.
@@Gizziiusa wow. Who raised you to be such a toxic, uneducated, and judgemental person? You do know most homeless dont drink or do drugs. But thats typical for ignorance.
@@courtniewesterfield9079 BS. most homeless are/were druggies or drunkards. They are homeless b/c they were so toxic that their families tossed them out. A person out of options is either homeless, or commits suicide.
@@courtniewesterfield9079 do you mean the ones that were given one way tickets to Honolulu from various states, so that its not their problem anymore ? or the ones in Manila, inwhich a family member gambled all of their assets away, forcing the whole family on the streets ? ahhh, you got me, i forgot about gambling being a factor too. you so clever...
I absolutely agree, right now I live in a major (52 years) but I'll be moving to Virginia in an area where I'll be 10 minutes from mountains, forest and camping. I have only been camping once in my life so, I've been watching RUclips and amassing a lot of knowledge, in the last year I have probably accumulated enough gear to completely outfit three people with everything from shelter, fire, medical (including major trauma) and of course water (MSR filters ect). But, outside of some fire making skills and medical skills (major bleed, wound closing, ect) I still need to learn the rest. Knowledge in and of its self is worthless, I do have other family that will be with me in the beginning (just camping) I make no mistake, realistically right now today if I were plunged into a wilderness survival situation for more than a day, I would be likely be screwed. But not to fear, this is why I will learn what I need to before going out alone.
Good that you are going to get out and give it a go. I would suggest you do some car camping in state parks at first just to test gear and build skills. Add on increasing distance. Things that work or don't work will reveal themselves with practice.
Thank you for the encouragement, i do have a brother that is military whom knows quite a bit about it(compared to me anyway) so i do also have a mentor so to speak. I also wont be going out away from my vehicle more than a few feet until i learn how to navigate the woods, believe it or not it isn't common sense when it was never learned earlier LOL; a compass would be great to start with but, if it got lost, i would be absolutely -------.
flysubcompact Hey thank you for the suggestion, my brother here in Virginia also has about 4 acres of property that is not heavily wooded so i can car camp there to start with the added security of knowing the house is only a few hundred feet away LOL; he also heats the house with wood so i can learn fire tending and building, carving and so on. I won't be doing any winter camping though, i left Minnesota partly because of the weather, and cold temps are one of the reasons God created houses LOL.
Player Review I agree, i have practiced some fire starting with lint stuffed toilet paper rolls, other fire starters such as zip, but also wood shavings using a 5 inch rod and i must say, there is a vast difference when lighting natural material as a posed to vaseline on anything. I will always have a rod with me but, it won't be my primary simply because i'm not a survivalist, i just want to be able to camp and enjoy it along with some hiking. I am however prepared medically with an emergency pack in my vehicle everyday that covers everything from tiny splinters to the loss of a limb, also to include stuff for poison ivy, oak and sumac, and quite a bit of other stuff that i stay in practice with. I use family as my subjects to so, they learn it as well.
Gregory M Your kit is more than most campers have with them, so you're ahead of the game. Especially for driving to camp, which is what I tend to do. I backpack sometimes, but I prefer to just go far offroad in a good vehicle and that helps escape all the other people (or I don't feel like I'm camping). Really glad to hear you have a good med kit, it is very surprising how many 'expert woodsman' type folk either don't have one or don't know how to use it. Dollar Store Maxi pads are surprisingly versatile and super cheap. Anyways, I don't think you'll have any trouble at all with your brand of initial camping. Have some great times and enjoy the stars and fun of sitting around the camp fire telling stories or whittling sticks.
For as long as i can remember, I have taught my kids and now my Grandkids an important survival Motto. " You can live 3 weeks without Food, 3 days without water. But not even 3 seconds without hope" So, Yes... Your will to survive is everything! My little Grandies (7 & 9) are showing fantastic potential in being able to create hope, in ANY situation, by inventive ways of looking at things! Makes me Super Proud.
SIR. You deserve my like and subscription. And i have a survival story to share if you guys have the time. About fire starting. I was camping at the Cotopaxi park in the ecuadorian highland. The weather was terrible and it had been pouring rain or in the best chance fog and mist. My GF got sick from the altitude and she was having a hard time. Temperture drops down to 10 C or even 7 at night so that fire had to be set, for cooking and so i could fix her a tea and she could get trough the night. I had everything man, i have water prove starting kits, dry coal i brouught my self. Nothing worked. The lack of oxigen in the ambiance due altitude in combination to the constant mist and fog woulod put out my fire before i could even get braces to cook anything. So I put my head to work. I had some tin foil, only few braces that had gotten lit, and all that ocured to me was to make a tin foil furnace. Blowing trough one side pumping enough oxigen to keep the fire hot enough to cook 2 sausages and warm a cup of tea. With that I got her trough the night and had to find other ways to keep her warm. In the morning i got some help and got her out of the park. So like he said, you may have skills, you may have gear, still shit happens, you will face situations that escape your control, when you are sick and tired and beated up, and you still have to get trough it. That is what surviving means. Are we crazy for loving it and putting ourselves to those extremes just for the feel of fighting vs nature and wining... maybe. But you know what my gf said to the mountain on our way out. "You won today I will conquer you next time. "
This is the most accurate and realistic video on "survival" I've seen on RUclips. My kudos to the author. Please, forget "fantasy" scenarios. survival is tough!!!
one thing i see in modern day bug out bags is the lack of a change of clothing,underware especially is important and socks. Everyone knows one sooner or later will have to wash their clothing in the woods and are they just going to run around butt naked for two or 3 days wile their clothing drys hanging on a line or tree branches and then there is winter to consider as well. hanging freshly washed clothing outside isnt a real option as it will just turn into a block of dam ice so clothing thats been washed will need to be hung inside of ones shelter with a fire going to dry out the clothing and lastly you wont survive an hour out in the cold without your most important shelter item, your clothing. Remember to pack 1 extra shirt, pants and sox and underware in your survival bag.
some extra underwear is a real good suggestion. if i had not any in wintertime, i'd probably wash the stuff i wear step by step. better to conserve body temperature during the washing process and easier/faster to dry. but if you ain't got a fire, your stinking clothes are one of your least problems. on the other hand if you got a decent fire going on, drying stuff is not such a time consuming thing. even during winter. you can easily build some sort of drying rack out of wooden sticks or use stones. both placed close enough to the fireplace will do the job in half an hour or less. but then again, extra clothes can be a blessing in extreme situations.
Thanks for the reply, i think your idea works except in one situation, Diarea accident in ones pants and isnt likely to happen wile awake but when asleep who knows. Both your underware and pants could get soiled in that situation.
in a survival situation doing laundry isn't a big priority for me . as for bug out bags the goal is to get from point A to point B and sustain you for 72 hours unless it's an INCH bag than the goal is surviving long term , if i knew i was never coming home and i had to survive indefinitely the i would pack clothes and be more concerned about hygiene .
One thing people seem to forget is being comfortable with discomfort. What I mean by this is that the best training one can do is to gain experience is in uncomfortable conditions. You are in a totally different frame of mind when out there and uncomfortable. If you can practice Skills and thinking in these situations, when crap is actually hitting the fan you can better avoid panic. You will already know that that feeling doesn't mean death. Things are just moving that much faster, and you need to concentrate on acting logically.
If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never know what hit you. Everything man has thought, felt and experienced is gone, and nothing is put in its place.
Tim, this is a 5 star video. You hit the nail on the head and Thank you for it. Ive been there before... you had a bic lighter,,, why didnt you JUST start a fire? I remember reading a story about man froze to death and he had a pipe and lighter in his pocket. And folks Said,,,why didnt he JUST start a fire? I say Try it when your nearly froze to death, no feeling in your hands and your mental state is about like my Cat. Anyway Tim,, Keep up these kind of vids.
My biggest problem with the entire "survival" community is that people don't define their premises well (or sometimes not at all). Regardless of how one feels about Les Stroud, I always appreciated that he started his shows with a description of how someone could get into the situation he would be simulating and what the overall objectives were. In his show, "survival" was always about getting out of the situation and going back to live a regular life in a week or two. Many people talk about survival in terms of living in the woods for an extended period of time. Having the skills to live that way is nice, but the situation that drives someone to live that way will have a huge impact on what the needs would really be. To me, those distinctions are important. We can't carry every piece of equipment with us every time we take a hike or go hunting. If survival is about the Les Stroud model of a normal outdoors situation turning bad and me just needing to get home, I don't need to learn about hundreds of neat pieces of gear. I'm not going to carry hundreds of pieces of gear on every trip outside. If I have to "bug out" into the woods never to return to civilization, I probably won't bother to take a tent. Tents are nice, but they eventually rip and break. For the weight and bulk of a tent, I'm better served by something that will last "forever." On the other hand, if I have to "bug out" for only a few weeks of intense activity, a tent is a great tool because I have shelter that doesn't require me to build anything. Even something as simple as a signal mirror is good survival gear if I'm hoping to be rescued but useless weight if I need to "bug out" from human civilization forever.
When I was in the Explorers in the the early 60's, our advisor (20 to 30 years older than us), told us that when he took survival training in the military, the only thing he learned that he had not previously learned in the Boy Scouts was to rotate his socks 180 degrees to better conserve body heat! Aren't you glad you asked? 🙂 Stay warm!
I have been living outdoors most of my life and when I was younger I got myself into some trouble while thinking that I could do anything since I KNEW everything! NOT!!!!! At 20 I joined the Navy to become a UDT diver which later turned into the SEALS. So, again when I was young I just knew I knew everything there was to know about the outdoors and being able to survive. There was one thing that I did not have and that was the MENTAL Aptitude to survive under actual stress! The Mental attitude to say "I will not quit", "I will not give up"! That is learned not just a given. I learned this in my SEALS training and until then, I only knew the skill and knowledge. Tim, you said it the best and I applaud you for this. This might be the best survival video I have seen! Yes learn the skills, yes, gain the knowledge, Yes get the correct gear, but most of all, put yourself into a situation where you might be alone in the woods for a period of time to when you think you cannot take anymore and have a way to call someone to get yourself out of that situation. THEN do it again and force yourself to go longer! Just like the TV series "ALONE" they don't know what will make them TAP out! Usually, it's "I MISS MY Family too much" another is when they get too much out of their comfort norm. If you haven't seen the show, watch the past shows and study them. Tim is absolutely correct when he says that "Mental Attitude is by far the most important part of your gear you can possess! Great post, Tim!
I think I agree with 100% of what you said the last part for sure. I have prepper friends who have $50,000 worth of bug out gear that do not even understand how to find north without a compass or the skill to make a fire without a lighter. Keep spreading the truth you are helping people more than most know.
Survival is really about the ability to step out of your comfort zone and get down to business.You really need to know your environment and have some basic skills,gear is a combo of comfort and ease.
The one that triggers me the most and is usually promulgated by people who sell them, is that unless your knife cost $300 or more it just ain't a knife. because, the argument goes, your knife should be able to chop stones and stay sharp and be used as an ice ax so you can scale that crevasse that you fell down and still be able to strip the hide off the bear you killed with it. It has to be the most exotic alloy and heat treated with the special deluxe proprietary process that makes that 50$ knife worth the 300$ that they want to sell it to you for. Just a pet peeve.
I have 4 knives ... None stainless and none over $100 ... 3 out of 4 under $60. One case jr sodbuster , one opinel #8, one condor bushlore , one condor village parang ... All razor sharp and easy to resharpen and together i can't think of any chore they cant handle... And i could probably do without the case but i like it as my EDC pocket knife on the street
A super great knife is great if you're at it every weekend, but if you're just looking to have enough to get by a week or so (or less), things just need to be good enough to get you through.
I used an Old Hickory kitchen knife for my hunting knife for a long time. Then I made one out of an old file, Had it for 30 years now. High tech, low tech be damned. Appropriate tech is correct.
I have lost many knives in my life but never broken one. I see know point in having a knife that costs as much as a gun. You are better off with two or three cheap knives.
@Paul Johnston Condor makes a great knife! I have a Bushlore myself. Price is very reasonable. $300 for a knife is just silly. In my opinion there are three categories of knives. The $5-$10 knife you lose and don't care about, goes dull and gets thrown in a drawer. The $40-$50 knife you use most that is durable, holds an edge well but maybe requires a little care (like it's high carbon so needs an oiling occasionally), and then the $80-$100 knife, which needs no extra care, holds an edge FOREVER, and you have for SHTF situations or was a gift and don't use much. Anything beyond that and you're paying for the brand imo.
Misconception: I'm only going for a day hike I don't need much planning or equipment. One of the most important things is trip planning. If you plan your trip and leave all your pertinent info with a trusted friend or relative you will be less likely to stay out in the wild without someone finding you. You have to stick to the plan and not change it without updating the info to your trusted contacts. Knowing people are expecting you and will be looking for you will give you more drive and confidence to keep going and not panic.
Off the hop #10, You can have all the '' Wilderness survival'' training in the world. It doesn't mean it will save you if you don't have a good mental attitude . There's been stories of people that were just average Joes in the woods and bang survival situation, they survived not because of any training but because they wanted to...
Hi Tim, thank you for driving home some VERY critical thoughts on surviving under any conditions. I would also add this. What you take in with you is only meant to last a few days maybe a week. Most people will not be able to carry more weight with them for a longer survival. So I try to get people to think of everything from ammo to food to fire starting what ever it is you are packing as transition material. Hope everything will return to normal in a few days but prepare as if you are going to be gone for 30 days or more. In that time as materials are depleted or fail. You are finding things around you that will pick up where store bought leaves off. If you can build a fire with natural materials you can find in your present environment (desert, forest or mountain) you will always have fire. If you learn to use a dead fall, making an atlatl and arrow or other small game catching tools you will have a good chance of having food. If you are knowledgeable on finding or preparing water catchments systems and how to purify you will stand a far better chance of survival. The key as you have said in this video as I am also trying to say is Knowledge, practiced knowledge and skills supported by those things you bring with you or can find will give you the best chance to survive. There is only one more thing that is critical and that is your faith. If you believe in God you will have hope. If you are not so much into God but you have a high positive mental attitude and know how to motivate yourself you will increase your odds of survival tremendously. Maybe also known as a will to live/survive. As this is the night before elections. I wish ALL Real Americans God speed, For those who live in America who have no clue what that really means, well, you get what you pay for.
Sam, in that I live in the country, I am already bugged out. Therefore, I have a camping bag. And one of the items in it is a King James Bible. I am not a Christian, but if I am to have one luxury, this book is it.
Johnny Lackland Hi Johnny, I am impressed. I don't hear to many people even believers admit to carrying a bible with them. I have one that i keep in my back pack as well. I like the King James version also. It just seems to read better to me. I also like to think this is how God would sound when talking to Him. Thats just me though. The Bible is a good source of thought provoking verses. I believe that ANYONE can find what they are in need of by reading it. It should be read in the right frame of mind though. To read it like you would a dictionary, a biography, fiction or a romance novel will not yield you the same results if you first prepare your mind. It is not just for when you are scared, worried or in danger. Personally i believe the Bible can provide you with encouragement for physical strength, Mental strength as well as spiritual strength. It is a VERY flexible book, but you already know this. Sorry to ramble like that. Have a Great week. May God Bless America.
True to heart. As an ex big city Firefighter/Paramedic and current professional mix gas diver I always tell people that the most important weapon/survival equipment you can possibly have in any survival situation, assault/ emergency, is a calm clear head. Anything you are holding in your hand is nothing more than a helpful tool. Although some are EXTREMELY helpful, the real game changer is the ability to control fear and despair so that you can think clearly in any situation. Without that, knowledge and skills are thrown right out the window. The will to live and a fighting spirit is certainly right up there as a close tie however, haha. The 2 kind of work hand in hand as neither works without the other. Just a simple mans opinion. Keep up the good work.
Very well thought out and presented. I used to teach wilderness survival back in the 80s to Boy Scouts, and every thing you talked about is very well thought out. One thing though. When you find that you are lost, or cant make it back to your car for what ever reason, Sit Down and Stay Put! If you are truly lost trying to find your way will more then likely end up getting you even more lost. Now there are exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between. Oh, and last but not least, never trust your Cell Phone in a wilderness area, no towers equal no signal.
James Hart dont need cell tower for gps. you only need a skyview. always have downloaded maps on the phone of where you will be before you leave reception. the very best survival skill you can have is to not need to use any at all.
James Hart Before I was even a Cub Scout, I was reading my Dad's BSA Handbook(circa 1940's). I picked one in the 90's, and was amazed that the info hadn't been revised that much, some of the instruction was exactly the same. Tried and true experience. That's what REALLY MATTERS.
ur right about that. because, most people that might get caught out in the woods are not fit. can't run a mile or even walk a mile. we hunt deer here and neither my boyfriend or I are in shape. he can't run 100yards let alone a mile. it helps to be fit and in shape. in most cases the people that get in trouble, will not be.
Maybe because, while this would definitely help. Many have survived without being physically fit, so it is better if you are but not a necessity. Nor is it a guarantee.
I am not physically fit ...i have ashma , a leg missing but drop me in the middle of nowhere with my Pack and i will allways make it home . Been into bushcraft 25 years and love it ...you dont necessarily need to be fit.
Coming from the desert, top thing for me has to be "You HAVE to ration your water". No, no you don't; you have to ration your *sweat* . They find bodies of people who died of dehydration with nearly full canteens out here. Don't go looking for resources at 5pm when the desert is at it's peak temperature. Well light nights? They're common; construct your shelter after the sun starts setting. If you're in the flatlands, explore at night (if you're in the mountains, don't do that without a light source). Dawn? Dawn and pre-dawn are the coolest parts of the day; do your strenuous activity in the early morning before the sun starts beating down your back. Second favorite? The desert is *always* hot. Yeah, we get below 15°F out here on occasion; it's not -30°F, but you can and will get hypothermia if you're in a survival situation and you're in a t-shirt and jeans.
Finally. Its always driven me bonkers when i see survival shows and the guys are working their butts off in the heat of the day and sleeping at night. I'm from Canada and even I knew it made no sense so Why do so many others get it wrong!
Working with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse I can attest to that very thing - people dying with a partial or full water container in their possession! It's the water in your body, not in your canteen, that will save your life! Drink the water and do as it prescribed by Rory - ration the sweat. In the desert you can realize a 30 degree difference in temperature between being on the ground and being 1 foot above it and your work needs to be done just before daylight or just after dark.
Extreme temperatures affect "clarity of mind". I learned, after having been in the freezing cold for three days, that the brain simply stops processing information. A simple thing, like counting to ten, gets very difficult when the brain is on the brink of shutting down. It's like falling asleep while staying awake. Your eyes see, your ears hear, but you fail to retrieve information from your senses. Then it gets really dangerous, because you fail to assess the situation you're in, up to the point that you do not care anymore. Therefore, number one of your list, the will to survive, is correct, but it is far from easy if the gray cells stop working.
@@ronhammar1154 from I would like you to go look up the person that sits in Antarctic water 4 hours and hours on end without nobody shutting down Brian still functioning I would like to also add that the reality in which we live in is Mind Over Matter so what you went through the side effects of a weak mind
If we're talking about someone who has never spent time in the woods, that lie has some truth to it. As Tim said, skills are more important than gear. The more skills you have the less gear you need
Great video. I used to hunt a lot in Wyoming and Colorado. I always carried a day bag with a complete change of clothing to include an extra jacket, several bags of tea and coffee, a small pan, a couple of packets of soup mix, a quart of water, some cord, two of the ultralight space blankets, and several fire starters. The whole bag weighed about six pounds. One of the guys I went out with always laughed about the extra weight I was carrying even though most times we were only going out a few miles from camp. One day while hunting in weather that was 10 degrees below zero Rick fell into a bog up to his waist. We were only about three miles from camp, but he would not have been able to make it back before suffering frost bite at the least. I have been in a couple of other situations where that little bag allowed me to hunker down and be relatively comfortable overnight rather than take a chance of an injury or even death moving at night..
Gorilla tape some tabs in 6 or 8 places on your space blankets. You'll have a survival tent. Take some cord and practice set up until you can do it in the dark.
#1 lie in the south west, You can find water! It's called a desert for a reason folks. These claims you can find water in washes after it rains, A day after it rains you would have to dig a long ways to get any water if it was possible. You need to carry three or four canteens, each. You ain't caring it , your not going to find much!
Great advice. One observation that I have made for myself is that is any emergency situation, you can have a big adrenalin dump, which can tire you out in the long term, so trying to stay as calm as possible in adverse situations is something I am trying to practice.
Absolutely outstanding Tim! Probably the best take on this topic i have seen the whole year! Words of wisdom! Thank you! With all the cool awesome stuff, knives. books and survival guides, gear and gadgets people too often forget or ignore what really matters. Or don´t even have a clue. Biiig thumbs up Tim! You rock! Have a wonderful weekend!
Absolutely. I was once in the early stages of hypothermia with the air temperature in the low 70's Fahrenheit. Of course I was soaking wet, the wind was blowing at a constant 12-15 knots, and I had no way to get dry or out of the wind.
I am getting Back into camping ⛺️ and got my ferro rod Monday late morning I went out in my back yard in Alabama to build a quick fire just to get ready for next weekends camping trip I have 5” of pine needles and all kinds of wood on the ground we got a 1/2” of rain yesterday and I’ll be darned if I can even get the pine sap to burn… great lesson from the back yard!!!
I like my kukri knife. I hear a lot about people thinking they can survive just cause they saw an episode of Dual Survival, they think they can mimic what they saw and survive. If they are lucky they get found if unlucky....well sometimes they die. Always tell people where your going to be or expect to be and a time frame so search and rescue has a better idea of where you may be and how long they have to find you. I wish more people would include first aid in their survival kits and have their medication as part of that kit. Oh blisters are bad too, you need your hands so avoid that as much as possible. Yes a good combination of knowledge, skills, gear along with common sense, instinct as well as the will to survive.
fuck you, lmao nice name... Another thing with kukris is to buy from a shop that has heratage, and stays in napal. I see too many people buying commercial kukris then complaining about them being to heavy... these shops make them perfectly balanced and wieghted that i could use mime for 12 hours a day and not even get sore.
I spent 3 years living in the Mountains; i had the skills but after about 30 days, my mind started playing trick on me, i never got lonely but i did miss people... For me it was all mental; would i do it again.... NO
Hi not only did I like in Kentucky and Oklahoma and Tennessee and Texas and Arkansas and Alabama and Alaska and Washington state both in the city and county but alone on the streets and backwoods and never messed people at all. I'm a Disabled vet as well and no book plans but will tell you even as a boy was alone so you got to be comfortable in your own skine or you want survive
the easiest way to avoid those is don't eat any fungi you can't identify 100%... and although it rules out a few edible mushrooms, don't eat anything with white gills.
Jason Elder It was just a joke, but I did hear that they taste good. Mainly Chinese people come over to the USA and accidentally eat them from the wild. Deep Look did a video about it.
Amanita virosa, 72 hours of the most horrific death imaginable. As an experienced fungi hunter I can assure you that there is almost no nutritional value to mushrooms and not worth the risk during survival situations.
That's complete nonsense. If you were as experienced as you like to think, you wouldn't there's any risk at all in picking mushrooms. There are a dozen types of mushrooms in my area alone that simply cannot be mistaken for anything other than what they are. And if you say the risk isn't worth it in the wild, then it isn't worth it anywhere else, either, so why are you a mushroom hunter? Mushrooms are low in calories, but very high in minerals and vitamins, both of which you need to survive. They also make many unpalatable foods taste a heck of a lot better. Talk of the death cap is silly. It isn't hard to identify, but if you're worried, only pick the unmistakably safe kind, and you'll still have more than you can eat.
just wondering.. do you think that a good dog is helpful with wilderness survival? as far as i can see it - on the downside, it needs to be fed and it needs water. on the upside - it can help with foraging, it can help you keep warm and it can alert!! it might just be able to find a food source before you. a good dog might possibly save your life. i guess that the main thing would be keeping it fed and hydrated .? really good vid btw!!
scott helstrom you need a dog that doesn't bark, but growls and is silent when you tell it to. One who stays when told one who can catch rabbits is a big plus. If trained they are more than worth the trouble to water and feed.
Any dog, no matter the breed or training level will bring a few benefits. Heat source and alerting, like you mentioned. Also morale, which is something a LOT of people forget about but is extremely important. Foraging would really depend on the dog. I wouldn't count on my black lab/ridgeback mix helping out there. She loves the chase but never catches those squirrels. I've thought about this a lot and overall I believe she'll be a detriment if ever in that scenario. She barks and will give up my position for sure. She'll constantly be chasing after wildlife and probably get lost day 1. She is another mouth to feed. But she's my good girl, and I'll take the good with the bad. And anyone that tries to eat her is getting a .357 hot load in the forehead!
I saw a official military video from one of the recent SERE schools, and every participant was overweight, wandered around aimlessly despite the instructors giving explicit instructions not one of them could use a ferro rod or a water filter or could set up a shelter. They were complete babes in the woods and did I mentioned they were all hideously overweight ? every one of them Was in the military so be careful when you say that since you were in the military, you know how to survive
#1 for all emergency situations... Being able to keep a level head while assessing the situation and making logical decisions as a result of critical thought. Boiled down to the most simple of terms.... *Don't Panic*
Not really a lie but it drives me crazy to see people baton thick wood (thicker than your wrist) with a knife when there is no real reason to do it; then if it fails, they say the knife isn't worth having. Knives are NOT meant to be hatchets or mauls. If you absolutely must baton with a knife, learn to do it correctly. No need in batoning a log in half when you can splinter it.
Alabama Woodsman Its a new youtube trend to say batoning is unnecessary. You can baton to: - get dry firewood when you have no other options - craft stuff - fell small trees Batoning is no problem if you use a big enough kife out of the right steel (and I dont mean you have to use a expensive knife, dont baton with a vg10 fällkniven f1 that stays sharp lonh but has a brittle tip, but do baton with a böker magnum survivor that has only 440 stainless stell.) Its also always funny to see people saying: uhh I will always find smaller twigs in the forest. Yes because a forest is literally filled with wood. But in other places you have to work with what you get... And yes to start a fire you have to sometimes baton wood and make feathersticks... I want to see you lighting a thick wood log with a ferro rod...god luck
I see your point and it is well taken. I saw a video of a guy beating the hell out of a "survival knife" (what ever that means) and in the process of trying to split a hardwood log down the middle. The knife's tip fractured off due to the impact on the blade. This was not a fair test of any knife. A knife is a cutting tool, not a hacking or splitting tool. When I saw the video, I asked myself, "Why not fracture pieces off instead of trying a 50-50 split?" That is my point. Batoning pieces larger than my wrist (in a 50-50 split) is not necessary. I have other tools for that. I also don't think a "batoning test" is a fair test for a knife. I also don't believe a knife is of lower quality only because it isn't full tang. Its like guns and cars; which is the best? ANSWER: the one you can hit with and drive in. People who want to beat the hell out of their $300.00 crafting knife.... go ahead, I chose to split logs with a Tomahawk or hatchet, not my favorite bush craft blade. As far as the twig comment, unless you are in a community park where everyone has gotten to them before you, if there are trees, I bet you can find twigs. I never EVER depend on just a "ferro" for fire. For something as important as fire, I go redundancy three levels deep. "Feather stick"? Why not just shaved pieces? Why an actual feather stick? Is it because someone with a RUclips channel told us we have to do sticks? This is the mentality of repeating the same ole stuff someone else told us was, "The way it needs to be done." Lastly, its not a "trend" to say batoning is unnecessary. It may be that people who leave the pack of technique repeaters and seek out better ways to do things just realize repeating the "standard practices" of "survival" may not currently be the best way to do it. It is an evolving skill set as technology gives us better choices and trailblazers in the discipline discover better ways to do things. To each his own, do what works for you, live and let live.
Alabama Woodsman It is a trend. 1. Some people showed in youtube what batoning is. 2. People now though they should always baton and didnt consider what kind of knife they used -> destroyed knifes 3. Other youtubers now made videos that batoning is always useless (the worst was this one youtuber that said you can always use a wooden wedge instead and he didnt consider that you would have to make the wedge first and you can never use it against the grain and only use it when you got a saw...) 4. People without thinking just repeat what these youtubers tell them. The truth is that batoning is a useful technique, but you have to know what you can baton without ruining your knife. And when its better not to baton.... I like the videos where they show the limits of products until they break. Nothing you would do in a normal situation but interesting to watch Twigs can be too wet to start fires or when it snowed they can be buried deep under the ice. + there are many trees that dont produce a lot of twigs
I live in MA. The biggest lie for survival I run into falls in line with the fishing gear myth for food. They think that if they have a gun or bow they can live off the land and hunt for their foid. People be smart , bring food in your bag. Put extra in your vehicle and make dawn sure your water bottles are full. Like your content keep it going.
Wrong is people think when there is something happen in my region, I will go into the next forrest make campfire and set up a tent and survive it there and having a nice adventure. Of couse not you wanna get away to savety ASAP and this is in not in most cases the forrest still in the impactzone. Even if it is a minor Problem you do not know how long it will last and how fast it can intense or lead to and as longer you stay the more problems you will have to get away. - A War - Civil war - Crime - Black out - Nuclear disaster - Economical collapse - Water and Food crises - Flood - Wildfire - Tsunami - Tornado - Drought - Hurricane - Blizzard In all these situation you will not go out and make a happy campfire you need to flee and go go go, then you need a passport, a lot of money hidden on the body, a car, a ship, a plane, a smartphone and power banks, medicin and 1st Aid Kit, good clothes, good shoes, a backpack locked onto body locked too and a bit stuff and maybe someone somewhere will take you for a while. Survivers are the one who leaves not the one who stay in most cases, if you love to fight, play a fight video game on PC but in savtey, if you are too scare to move you will never move again. And no mostly a lot of things do develop very slow in respect to natural disasters, its not like in a movie that on one sec. to another everyone is dying and trying to survive, and you will not be able to buy food anymore or the streets are stucked with cars and people or whatsoever. And yes people in such a region do mostly get not the right information did Chernobyl ? No, Did Fukushima and Sendai ? No, You will have on a Hurrican like Cathrina? No, Did Venezuela? No. Did Syria? No, Did East-Africa? No. Noneone of then did really know whats up, if they are save or how it will end up until the point it was too late to leave.
I heard a guy claim he was in the military for eight years and still never figured out how to use his canteen cup canteen, stove, and fuel tablet so be careful when you say you were in the military, so you know how to survive
This might be the most important survival video someone could watch, because sometimes you get fooled into thinking you are prepared for something when you really aren't... Similar to how people think because they've hunted or played paintball or Airsoft that they would be able to function effectively in combat............
The things you mentioned are very important and I have heard some say things which I knew wasn't true and believe in being prepared before going into the forest, or when in an urban area being aware of my surroundings while checking out those coming in and going out. By being in the military I know so much about how to survive and is still learning even more after my retirement from both the military, and my state job. My backpack is half full of the items I will need and use while out camping and the other items I need will be purchased soon. I have an EDC bag which I recently put together and is still getting items to put in it also.
I worked for the U.S. Forest service fighting wild fires years ago. We were told if you ever get lost, light a tree on fire. (Try not doing this during fire season.) The tree fire will make alot of smoke, to signal the searchers looking for you.
Randell Darcky ☆ I took the next to worthless survival "gear" out of the hollow handle of my COLD STEEL survival edge. Wrapped cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly with wax paper. Sheath has an included fire steel. Was able to wrap sheath with 9 feet of 7 strand 550 test parachute suspension cord. If I have my knife (always) I also have fire and cordage. If I cannot stay alive until found, then I deserve to die. BTW: I have standing orders that whoever finds my corpse, gets to split up my gear.
"Someone will come by sooner or later" "Just find a highway and hitch-hike" "I'll learn on the fly" "You don't need all that" I say the ONE most important thing is knowledge AND experience. As I learn I build a better kit, as practice my kit changes drastically. Great video.
It's also time for "survivalists" to start mentioning that there is only like a dozen or so places left in the continental US where you are more than 5 miles away from a road, a stream or a parking lot. Look at any decent county map of your state. Best advise now days is to walk downhill till you hit a road, stream or parking lot.
I always think it is funny when looking at people's survival kits. I think they are great, but people waste so much space and money on the wrong things. Light is nice, but not really needed, but I see packs with 3+ flashlights and extra batteries. Fire is great, but do you need 5 ferrite rods, 3 lighters, fatwood, tinder boxes, fuel tablets, magnifying glass... Or the ninja cutlery set. They have a machete, 5 knives, 3 sharpeners, a hatchet, a saw, and a shovel. Don't forget the chain saw while you are at it. Many complain about the idea of a simple gun, but they want a bow or slingshot that take up much more space and are much less effective. The other thing that bugs me is the bags, and dividers, and pouches and boxes. When 25% of your space and weight is the storage, something is wrong. And last is the idea you need to spend a lot of money for the basics. Most of the things you need to the most are $5 or less. Things like a dollar store rain poncho and emergency blanket are great. Simple food storage bags work great. Simple medicine like Ibuprofen, benadryl, and Imodium along with some triple antibacterial cream and some band-aids already in you medicine cabinet are fine. Some dental floss and a few needs, 50 feet of paracord, a $2 plastic drop cloth, a simple small lighter or some matches and maybe a backup small ferrite rod, one small flashlight, a nice folding blade,, 100' of fishing line, some hood, and a few small bobbers, some bandanas, a small pack of facial tissue and baby wipes, chapstick, bug repellent wipes, alcohol wipes. The only special and expensive things might be a hatchet (I always like them better than a big knife and saw or a machete) a water filter straw and some water pills. Those three things might cost $50 and all the rest likely cost less combined (or you already have. For food I would not bother with expensive survival food or even worse survival tablets... just throw some granola bars and beef jerky into a pack... maybe even some instant oatmeal and cup of noodle packs. They are very light, small, and cheap.
Maybe you're thinking of wilderness bugout. This video is more about getting lost on a day hike, atv broke down in the desert, or your horse broke its leg in the back country.
Todd Abbott you forgot a hand crank radio with solar charging option. Tent states, maps that search and rescue use, pencil/pen and waterproof paper, container to store and boil water, foil, duct tape, and a survival list of first aid, and instructions on what to do in case of different emergencies along with a list of important phone numbers and addresses, a whistle, signaling supplies, and 2 small compasses
Todd Abbott You absaloutely need a great medical bag, not kit. you need to make an Ifak that accomadates you with things like quick clotand tounicates. you can cut an artery in your own home or in the city, knowledge of first aid and stitching techniques, plus the gear to put it into action is absaloutely essential in any situation.
"Just" a great way of expressing this concept. Too many people are unprepared physically, mentally, and spiritually. None of us know how we will react to a survival situation until we are thrust into it. The best we can do is to have quality gear that we train with and keep a positive, tenacious mindset.
Real Quick -- Fire Steel? What is the deal? If you can carry a Fire Steel, you can carry a damn LIGHTER. I don't smoke anymore but I carry a lighter. They are 3/$1 at Dollar Tree. Fire is what separates Humans from the Great Apes, and Lighters are what separates Modern Man from the Cave Man. (OH! I also own a couple of Fire Steels)
In general, lighters will not work if it is too cold. They also will only last for a finite amount of fires. Should be enough, but... fire steels will work in very cold weather, and will be effective for basically forever. They are more durable and less can go wrong.
All True, I used to love 'survival tins' and wonder/fuss what I'd store/need in mine,.... truth is, unless you carry that thing around 24/7 like it was your wallet in your back pocket, they are useless! I found myself (with 2 others) in a survival situation with only a compass, knife w/ ferro rod in the handle, 3 granola bars in my pocket, life straw around my neck, and 2 beers. after a decision to 'make a new trail', we were doing circles in thick bush. Later after night fell, tongue in cheek comments of 'lost',... '3 campers found dead' started to be made, navigation by stars was useless as they couldn't be seen through the leaves. buddy made comment of 'A compass would be good right now'... removed my sense of denial of not in a survival situation, I then pulled out the compass, and it was what brought us back safely.
Few things are scarier and more humbling than facing real danger in the woods or getting lost. Having gear alone will not save you, its knowing how to use it. We will not rise to our expectations, we will fall back on our training. Even more so, is the psychological reaction of survival. Nothing like that panicking, sinking feeling in your stomach and primal fear of hopelessness...Thanks for the awesome video!
The Boy Scouts are no more thanks to the dumb ass liberal dumbocrats~!! I also learned what you say in The Scouts in the late 50's and still possess those skills~!! RIP Boy Scouts of America~!!
Good point about the word ‘just’. I’ve caught myself saying that in some sketchy spots. Had a close call with a 40-50 foot drop that really got me thinking about the concept. Thanks
All the gear and such isn't worth a damn if you don't know how to use it, PROPERLY. You can almost always spot the guys that will be dropping out and shedding gear within a few minutes. Some of us know how to take 20 pounds of gear and do better than the guy humping in 75 - 80 pounds. Top of the line gear does NOT equate to top of the line skills. Best advice to those top dollar people, get out into the area you are planning on heading to and LEARN. Take all of the gear you plan on having and do a 5 click walk while you carry it. By the time you hit the 5th click you might have a change of heart on what you really need.
One of the biggest misconceptions I hear while teaching SERE is “ it’s ok to take a break” while yes the body needs rest this can quickly lead to a mindset of complacency. When everything is “done” remember do three times as much in order to make sure you are actually done. Yes you are tired sore maybe injured but being able to rest only to find out that XYZ was not prepared for long term success will lead to a negative mindset. It is better to be prepared than to be rested. Survival is not a “chore” it is a decision and you must make sure the things you are prepared to do will become less of a challenge when you accept they are things you need to do. Mindset is everything great video at the end of the day always plan on your plan going wrong.
I've lived homeless & in the woods for decades. U don't need a knife. U need to know how to sleep warmly - same in a survival situation. Most important of all, 100% priority, is the will to live and to improvise - achieve what u need too with what u can find. A survival situation will quickly reveal your priorities, and unless u can satisfy those priorities u will die. Most have no idea how to 'think' in a survival situation - it is very different from how u think in society - so when in a survival situation they are in big trouble: Better than equipment, knowledge, etc., is the experience in knowing how to think, how to survive (no crying, cuz there's no point; know ur priorities & achieve those priorities asap). So, in my opinion, if people want to be prepared for a survival situation, put urself in a survival situation: Go homeless; Get dropped off in the desert, or forest etc. and learn to rely on yourself. Take an emergency radio with you so you can get help if needed. That is the absolute best you can do to prepare yourself for survival.
Fully agree with you on all and the number one is awsome and in relationship with that one and the predators one I may say that sometimes bugs specially the bloodsuckers ones may ruined all the will and the voluntee you have, it can kill all Your patience and/or perseverance and make you take bad decisions and rushed tasks so you put yourself in even worst situations. Ciao from Québec ⚜
The will to survive is definitely important. I think it is right up there with experience. If you get to my age and are still getting out there maybe you'll see me in the Pemigewasset where I go off trail and spend quality time with nature. Oh yeah, I've never had any trouble getting a fire going since the mid sixties or so, no matter the time of year or weather conditions. One match is all we were allowed in scouts. C-4 is the only Firestarter I have ever used that didn't exist in the woods and we had plenty of that in the army. Maybe I'll see you in the woods and say hi!
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
You are perhaps only the third person I've heard say that the Will, Spirit and Determination to survive is the Number One criteria.
Ray Mars and Bear Grylls value this too.... The will to live can be lifted by simple things such as bringing a photo of loved ones with you, making a cup of hot chocolate or bringing some music with you.
@@GBHanny8 Ditto~!! My Dad taught me as a child that "Where there is a Will there is a Way"~!!
Was just talking about that with an old friend who’d finally come around to preparing for the worst.
Like the ending of 127 Hours. Willpower is often the determining factor between accepting death and fighting for life.
for me is stay with your intution
2:30 some advice if you're looking for worms and grubs in Canada you won't find them in the woods. you have to look in our parliament buildings
that could be said of alot of govts. xcellent comment.
@@GizziiusaGizziiusa very true this world is going down the toilet real quick. Thx for the reply
Wow, our worms in the U.S. are found in similar environments. Our biggest one now crawled out from under a rock in Manhattan
Trudeau is a troglodyte.
😂🤣😂
As a hunter and guide years in the mid 70s I learned a whole lot from my customers , that knowledge saved my life one cold winter night in 1985 . It was -35 I was on my way back to civilization from a welding job on a very very remote drilling rig when my old 1982 1 ton welding truck abruptly died in the absolute worst place it could have at 3 o'clock in the morning .
luckily it was a winter bush road so there was lots of fuel wood . The very first thing I did was make a hole in the snow and build a fire and made coffee and something to eat , I had plenty of supplies.
When I was content warm and comfortable , I had a nap till day light ad then went at finding the problem and fixing the truck..
to this day I carry survival gear with me all the time ,and I practice the skills in all weather .
I bet you have some awesome stories man!
@@thataintnomoonsucka
They seem like a lifetime ago.Many others have perished in those same conditions , which are still gong on to this day.
Yup ! I know have a ford extended cargo van ready to go, if I break down im good to go, got er stocked and prepped
Would be a cool if you can make a video on your channel on the survival gear you keep on hand
Wow bro. How old were you when that happened? And do you think you'd have survived if you DIDN'T have all those supplies in the back of the truck available to you that night?
I'm thinking an EMP attack would cause over 80% of Americans to pass within 3 months. What do you think on how long it'd take? This is crazy scary bro.
When I learned survival in the late 80's, up in Lappland, Sweden we were told a few things (in no special order):
1: never get out there without the backpack and an axe (that obviously means we learned to use the stuff first).
2: if lost - allways stop at once, make a fire or light the Trangia. Put the kettle on, take some coffee and time to think. If you see a better place to rest from where you are standing, in the imediate are, you can go there. But do not start to wander around without a plan and a good inkling on where to go. If you have such a plan, take a good while to think it over a few more times.
3: dont hesitate to make camp. It's far more likley that your head will turn straight, if you rest över night.
4: never leave home without telling people where you go.
I learned it as a part of the education to be a forrestry worker. Thats because you will sooner or later get a bit lost, if you are moving about in the wild on a daily basis. And Swedish Lappland is big - really big - with subalpine and alpine enviroments. If you get lost there and just try to walk out without a good plan and a cense of direction, you may very well be lost forever. It's actually even more dangerous today with smartphones and whatnot. Most of those fancy gadgets wont work if you havent a connection. And then your even more stuck, if you dont know what you are doing.
Of all the things you talk about NO. 4 is the most important. In Wyoming if you tell some one where you are going and when you will be back and whom to call if you don't come back, you will be found more then likely with in 36 to 48 hours. And if your are prepared you will survive.
James Hart
I agree.
One thing, that was a serious issue for us, was winter. In the winter, people has used snowmobiles for decades up in Lappland. And its scary how fast you get out of course with a snowmobile. And its really scary how fast you get into hypotermia. Thats when the backpack and the axe is a really, really god thing to have at hand.
#3 probably saved my life ->twice. (Intimately tied to #2 in my book.) I got lost in the Canadian wilderness alone one time (young buck), and another time unwittingly hit by a severe blizzard. In that second instance, the _speed_ with which we struck camp (bivouac) turned out to be vital to our survival, even though we were not far from "civilization". Huge lessons.
The never leave home without telling people where you'll be, and when you should be back, is great for most people, but it simply doesn't work for everyone. For a good part of my life, I had no one to tell, and didn't have a clue where I was going, or when I'd be back. I know a lot of wilderness people in this same situation. The rest of that is wonderful advice, though. The good part of all that was that I stood no chance of getting lost. It's impossible to get lost when you don't care where you're going, and it doesn't matter when you get there. But if you do care, then you should never go into the wild without a compass, and without knowing how to use it. Nor should you go without GPS, if you're really worried. There was no such thing as GPS when I was young, and I very seldom needed a compass because, a sI said, I was almost always just wandering around, having fun, hunting, fishing, trapping, etc. Wherever I went was as good as any other place, and it really is tough getting lost when there is no right or wrong place to be.
I hope you don't really think it's tough to survive without a coat and a poncho. It's easily doable in the dead of winter. In summer you'd have to be pretty, well, weird, to need such things to get through at least a few nights. I've all for carrying a poncho. I usually carry two ponchos and a blanket. But I sure as anything don't need them. I carry them because that's all I carry for shelter and warmth. Seven to eight months of the year, I take no tent, and no sleeping bag. In truth, you should never go into the wilderness without taking everything you need to live for at least ten days, but if you can't get through at least a few nights, and probably a week, without any gear at all, you have no business going near real wilderness.
What it really boils down to is experience. Survival situations mostly occur because mistakes were made.
Experience will make a person:
Less likely to make mistakes.
Know the importance of Being Prepared.
Always carry essentials when leaving camp.
Know that the best survival kit you can carry is a good handful of nails (10cm or longer) wrapped in steel wire.
@Survival Russia - "Know that the best survival kit you can carry is a good handful of nails (10cm or longer) wrapped in steel wire." can u explain in more detail or was that a joke?
What does that mean ?
U can make knife, shelter, etc from nails
I'd rather have a FLINT ROCK.
Nails are worthless to me.
When i went to puerto rico after storm to help my parents rebuild there were no light,gas markets open & pure survival skill had to kick in walking in pure darkness in the country listening to everything going on & gun shots in the distance & people crying & screaming made my heart pound & adrenaline flow heavy but i has to stay calm & very attentive & as a person not known only to family i had to be aware of others trying to rob & or kill me or what ever they thought i may have had that they could use, i had to wear black clothing walk quietly & quickly & all i had was a machete & walking 1 mile felt like hours from 1 family to anothers sleeping was extremely light untill daylight then we had to get water, filter & boil then catch chickens but i made a simple bow & arrow w/bamboo & yes we caught & ate, going there i didn't realize that i was going to live a shtf moment but i did & many who practice will not know the real thing untill you are there experiencing it for first hand..& yes i was scared shit. My parents are fine now i got them a solar kit & water catching/filteration systemdue to speratic power outages... Always practice & if you want to really test yourself go visit where its really bad stay for a while & help, you dont know yourself untill you've pushed yourself is what i believe..peace..
Heartbreaking story bro. Thanks for sharing! God bless you and yours!
wow...
Thanks. Your story is very helpful as it's current therefore more likely what we need to prepare for.
Great video. I wish more people would be honest. I've been lost once. I was in my teens and thought I knew everything. I ended up spending a night in the forest alone. Every time a bug moved a leaf or a twig snapped, I was certain I was about to be eaten. A knife, an axe, water or food doesn't make being lost any better. That feeling of dread that you just might die out there is something that'll wrench your guts to say the least. I always go with another person when I'm out hiking now. Having been in some rather difficult terrain and bad weather makes you really happy to have that other person to watch your back as you watch theirs. You brought up heart and soul and I think that might be the most important tool in a survival toolbox. Loneliness and fear aren't good for anyone's frame of mind. The best quality knife and gear don't guarantee survival. Survival depends on having the skills to remedy the immediate problems you have at hand. For me being lost, I didn't have enough skills at the time to make a primitive fire and didn't have a lighter or matches. I spent the night awake, scared, and in the dark. Tired as hell the next morning, I started walking in a straight line using trees to keep me oriented and luckily found a road and flagged a car down for help. The greatest lesson I learned from that night was that being alone in a survival situation has to be the worst scenario. Having that other person to laugh away the fear would have made all the difference in the world. I can't say for sure if I'd be so afraid now if I were lost as I was those years ago, but I will say that fear was the greatest challenge I faced. More than fatigue or dehydration. I was lucky that I was lost at a time of year that exposure wasn't an issue, but I can only imagine how much worse my situation would have been if that would have been an issue. SO yeah... knowing skills that'll minimize the fear is what I think is most important. Knowing where to find tinder in the area you live or are exploring. Knowing how to make a fire and carrying items with you to accomplish that goal would have minimized my fear some, though I think it would have still been a night wide awake. I think most people confuse a day out in the woods hiking or practicing bushcraft as 'survival'. Let me say, there's a switch that turns on in your mind the moment you're lost. It's entirely different when the sun is going down and you still haven't figured out how to find your way back. It's not camping. It's not a fun outing where you planned on practicing 'survival'. It's a totally different experience and every molecule in your body tells you it's not a game. I just wanted to share this because all too often I think people talk about survival as if it were an episode with Les Stroud or Ray Mears. It's not. In none of those episodes are they lost. None of those episodes are they without help just a call or wave of the hand away. It's not saying you're going into the woods with nothing but a knife to survive for a week while knowing right where you parked your car. Survival isn't survival until you're lost or injured. When that happens, fear and panic are the greatest challenges to overcome.
I was sceard in the forest for 5 month but i lasted it out. i could not return at that time .there was nothing to Return to 6000 mile from home .i am a true woods man from Sherwood fores England i was lost in Indonesia . The rivers all ways helped .i could not evan seek out help from the Indonesian it was indeed a bad 5 months mostly
Hate bit poet.....I know by just what you are saying that you were lost....I was lost also....like you said..the minute you know your lost is a horrible horrible feeling.....when I got lost...all I could think about was to not be lost and to know where I was...yes. shear panic for me...so unbelievable......and later that evening when I found some cowboys having a roundup..I was the happiest man alive.....I dont wish that on anyone.....terrible experience.....
Perfectly said. I've had a couple of lost or broken down episodes where 20+ miles from the nearest highway was a very real, gut punching reality. One time it was getting dark, truck was stuck, and only had the moon above the trees for light to walk. I was on my way to have a pleasant camping trip...but that happened...
..aint fun anymore
Don’t have a response that is longer than the video.
When I was a kid back in the 60's I attended a boy scout jamboree in Arkansas and had a blast. There were various contest one of which was seeing who could start a fire and bring a cup of water to boil the fastest. It was POURING down rain and nobody was having any luck getting a fire going. A scout leader asked what the problem was and we answered with the obvious, “it's pouring down rain and all the wood is wet!” He said, “Good grief! - follow me.” He went to a tree with dead limbs, broke them off and had a fire going in under a minute. The rest of us soon had our fires going. I loved learning little things like that from an experienced person.
Tyler Serafin Hmm -still shows complete on my screen. In any case, here's a repost..hope you receive it all...
When I was a kid back in the 60's I attended a boy scout jamboree in Arkansas and had a blast. There were various contest one of which was seeing who could start a fire and bring a cup of water to boil the fastest. It was POURING down rain and nobody was having any luck getting a fire going. A scout leader asked what the problem was and we answered with the obvious, “it's pouring down rain and all the wood is wet!” He said, “Good grief! - follow me.” He went to a tree with dead limbs, broke them off and had a fire going in under a minute. The rest of us soon had our fires going. I loved learning little things like that from an experienced person.
So you have to say GOOD GRIEF first then! Got it.
Experience is a soft loud voice. It beat bad training. And bad training breeds over confidence. And it could disastrous. Years ago, a group of Commandos went to another county to do training in LRRP (Long Rang Recce Petrol). They would be the best navigators in the army. They got lost in the forest and the Ministry had to ask the local rangers for help. The local rangers are not elite forces. They just know the land. I've spoke to some of them and they told me some tricks.
Water. Don't drink from the stagnant water. Cut a root from a nearby tree and drip it in your mouth. The roots are nature filters.
Food. Don't bother to hunt. Eat what the monkeys eat. It should be safe. (It's SE Asia jungle)
Fire. If you are a REAL man, you should smoke. Therefore always carry a Zippo or a bic lighter. (Never bring up the problems of smoking.)
Gadget yoyo Ah yes, I'm not a real man until I lower my life expectancy and lung capacity. Thanks for the tip.
WaveFM I agree, what kind of advise is that? I smoke and think that is a dumb comment. Why do you have to smoke to carry a lighter?
"Just is not something you just do." Well said. Amen to that. This statement applies to many aspects of life.
I have to say please don't think this is a shot at vets, I love and respect our vets, but I cringe when I hear some dude say, "I was in the Army so I know how to survive." I know people who were military that couldn't survive a night locked in a Walmart.
Perfect example the black guy on the second series of Alone I forget his name, didn't last half a day despite being a vet he was completely overwhelmed by the situation!
Perfect example! That dude really pissed me off. So many people would have killed for that opportunity and he didn't last long enough to take a piss on the island. "if a bear mess with me, somebody better come help the bear!" -- Idiot!!
Just being in the army isn't any qualification for survival..
It's more what you did in the army..
I can only speak for the Swedish army but there a world of difference between a "hunter (Jägare)" in the Arctic Rangers and a pencil-pusher that served in the rear with the gear from a survival point of view.
Both in the army and both have important jobs to do to keep the team going but they don't share the same competence..
SuperUncleRyan oh I agree I was in the military and I'm one of those in the rear with the gear types and believe me I got a long way to go before I'm ready to survive
I am one of those paperpushers, i've asked around for bushcraft/survival training, but all that is gone (budget reasons and refocusing on international operations) and has been focused on driving and escaping training for troops like Afghanistan. Some of my colleges haven't even read "Handbok överlevnad" (Swedish armed forces survival book).
So, here i am on youtube gathering information for myself, reading on the net, buying kit, going out into nature and sleeping out overnight to learn the craft for myself. If something bad happens, i'll probably survive longer than most others.
I went three days without water, to see what it would be like. I timed it exactly. I was not overly exerting myself, I was just doing normal things around the house and going to work. The first two days
were not bad and then I began to feel the effects. First a dry mouth and then something I had not expected. My muscles began to ache and it got worse over time. I began to really want water and my thought processes began to fade. I could not mentally stay focused. The last hour or so was bad. I really ached, had a hard time moving along with a fear that I passed out I might die, but I was determined to go the full three days. As a precaution, I set an alarm clock and put next to my bed then laid down. My mouth and throat were totally dry. My tongue had swollen and I could not produce any saliva. Speaking was also difficult. At exactly three days and I mean exactly, I got up, went into my bathroom, filled a glass up with water and started drinking. What took place next took me by surprise. I immediately felt so much better. It was like what I had just done, never took place. It was an immediate hydration of my entire body.
I was hiking in high elevation exposed mountain terrain once and didn't recognize I was dehydrated so I kept pushing on. I finally had to stop when my entire left arm went started to tingle and I got dizzy. I was hurting for water and had to lay in some shade and begged a stranger for water. Felt hungover the next day and weak. Crazy how easy it is to not prioritize something as simple as water.
Controlling your emotions when you realize that you are in a survival situation
Your mind is your best survival tool and it can be your worst enemy if you don't keep control of it.
Nice video, I completely agree. One thing I'd add is that Bushcraft and Survival are not the same thing. Now I've never heard someone say it straight up, but when reviewing something, they might say, "This would be a good bushcraft or survival...." whatever. Bushcraft is going into the wild with all the gear you'll need, and making stuff out of the branches and stuff around you. Survival is getting lost and keeping yourself alive. It's just something that kind of annoys me, because they're completely different things.
You meant to say bushcraft and survival are NOT the same thing.
Prepared Survivalist Oh, yes yes. I'll edit that now
bushcraft knowledge can help in a survival situation. Don't completely discount it.
Steven Johnson yep!!
One man's stroll is another person survival march.
I understand where you are coming from with the gear
I got dehydrated in about 4 hours once. Total accident and I wasn’t even outside. I’d run an errand for work in the late afternoon, it was hot and I had been working hard (indoors) beforehand so I hadn’t had enough water I started to feel awful. It wasn’t until I’d gone home that I worked out what it had been. Within a short time of drinking I started to feel better. It stunned me and really opened my eyes about how fast it came on. Now I’m a lot more vigilant.
This guy makes a lot of sense, simple, concise, to the point. I can see why some people vote thumbs down. Its not what they want to hear.
Some People is natural haters
The thumbs down are from snowflakes. Could you just imagine watching a snowflake panic in the woods far away from civilization, I'd pay good money to see that.
I think the the #1 lie is priorities are the same everywhere. I live in El Paso at 3800 ft in the desert. Here important is water, sun shelter, water, water, water. When I lived in Austin and Seattle it was completely different.
Your 100% correct there. I live in pa i feel comfortable in the woods.. put me in the desert and im vulture bait..
But in old El Paso anything goes
I GREW UP IN EL PASO. ONE YEAR WE HAD A MAJOR SNOW STORM I DECIDED TO TAKE A WALK OUT IN THE DESERT WITH ABOUT SIX INCES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, THE SUN WAS VERY BRIGHT THAT DAY AND I WENT SNOW BLIND,IT WAS A VERY SCAREY FEELING , ALMOST DIDNT MAKE IT HOME. I THINK IF YOUR GOING IN AN AREA WHERE YOU KNOW IT MIGHT SNOW, BRING SOME SUN GLASSES.
WHY DO OLD PEOPLE USE CAPS
Dan Wilder I totally agree. Survival is being conditionally aware and prepared. The weather here in N.Al can go from 100F+ to well below zero; torrential rain to butt deep snow. Although most survival remain a constant, the purpose and application change. And, of course I switch items based on seasonal changes, ie, I trade out(more accurately, eat)my Snickers bars for granola-like bars in the summer, etc...
#1 --- Hope (Heart/Soul/Spirit): Without this, you cannot survive; once you give up, you are doomed to die.
What we now call bushcrafting is what we called playing in the woods...
Who called it that?
Only difference is typically you were playing and not surviving.
We called it playing daniel boone
Lmao. Bushcrafting is just a daily life in third world countries. No need for special super steel what so ever just to survive day to day life there😂
@@WorldSurvivalist v
It is simple really... take your ideal gear for a hike; set up and stay overnight (even in your own back yard)... get rid of anything you did not use and add the things you really missed... work on that until it becomes comfortable and transportable...
Next, increase you number of nights out... in the end, you'll get what works for you...
Exactly! I've said to myself and others multiple times that if you haven't tested your kit for a minimum of 3 days and nights, you don't know if you'll survive with it. Most survival situations are done with in less than a week. So if your kit cannot support you for three days, the days you need to get set up for the long haul, than you don't need to carry it. Test your kits. Test them because one day, they might be what's keeping you alive.
Well said.
I don't use my first aid kit... but I am still going to carry it just in case.
Where I'm at (desert), set it up in the morning and stay out there until the next morning. You'll get a rude awakening when the inside of your tent is 130°F at 4pm ;)
Thanks Tim, for a very sensible video.
While I don't think carrying a knife alone is an ideal strategy, the belt knife is the most important tool we can carry. It will do a lot of tasks fairly well in a survival situation. if my canoe tips over in a river and I lose my pack because I was too busy saving my ass from drowning, I would be stuck with the clothes on my back and whatever gear is firmly attached to my body, or secured in the pockets of my clothing. Having a belt knife in a secure sheath is a whole lot better than having to resort to napping out a rock axe, or having to find a deer or elk tine with which to shape a bone knife.
Maybe the most dangerous myth is the dangerous notion that if someone out in the woods gets lost but are carrying a cellphone, they can always call for rescue. That first assumes the survivor knows their exact position. Also cellphones are "line of sight" devices broadcasting in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range. Anything directly in the way of the , like a hillside, mountain or even tall trees can impede the signal. But all might be lost, since one might still create an effective ignition device using the phone's wires and battery.
A common survival myth is that if you have a firearm, that will be the most efficient way of obtaining protein and fat in a survival situation. The truth is that it may, or may not, keep you fed or help you survive. It is a good tool for creating ignition. And you may burn up more calories and lose more hydration and body heat in the process of hunting than it returns in calories ingested and body heat. Every hunter or fisherman has been 'skunked' a one time or another.
Another common myth is that setting snares will catch food for long periods of time. After one use, snares are typically all-but-destroyed by the animals they catch. So they are only useful one time. If you have a dozen snares that means you'll probably eventually get a dozen meals. I'd rather carry a fishing kit and half a dozen mechanical traps or even metal rat traps that can keep on producing and will never wear out if maintained properly. Even improvised traps can be used multiple times and are relatively easy to make. A metal frog gig lashed to a lance or walking stick is a another good way of spearing fish, frogs or reptiles and pinning down caught game in traps.
Another myth is that you need to bring in dry tinder in a waterproof bag or tin. While that's never a terrible idea, nature will usually provide plenty of readily ignitable substances: birch or poplar bark; cat tail fluff; chagga aka tinder fungus; thistle seed; red cedar bark; pine or other conifer cones; punk wood; dried grass or fine carved wood shavings. Even a few bits of a cotton sock rolled inside one edge of a piece of tissue or toilet paper (called a prison match) will ignite from a spark from a ferro rod or even from the flint sparker of a spent BIC lighter.
For the really rain-soaked conditions you mentioned, where fire making is always really difficult and sustaining it is just as difficult, a good carry item is a 20-minute road flare. But the experienced survivor can create the equivalent of a long lasting flare if there are coniferous trees nearby, by collecting a wad of sap, aka pitch. Now you just need a way of igniting it. In rainy conditions any wood on the ground will be impossible to keep lit. Instead look for branches st eye or shoulder level that are at least partly protected below other foliage. If it snaps when you break it off, its dry enough to burn although it still may be hard to ignite. If you have a bucksaw and axe a strenuous method of obtaining dry wood is to buck it into rounds and split away the damp outer wood to get to the dry heartwood.
Another great trick in rainy areas like coastal British Columbia, ,Washington, Oregon, the Yukon or Alaska is to look for areas where conifers have been damaged or had limbs chopped off. You should find fat wood in that area, wood with an orange tint which smells like turpentine and has a very high sap content. This material is best used as small sticks from which fine shavings of readily ignitable fat wood will ignite with a smart from flint and steel, a ferro rod with a magnifying glass using solar energy. A resource that never wears out.
Yes people have mistaken me for a "survival expert" because I carry knives, gear and hike and camp. I simply reply that I am no expert and am prepared enough to survive most basic bad situations but I just try to avoid having to "survive" at all LOL!
Yeah, the best way to survive a bad situation is to never put yourself in that situation to begin with.
well, you can't survive something without surviving it...
Stary Traper Something like that :)
a little preparation goes a long ways . i'm no expert ether but i try to learn all i can .
MrLeonidas0001 Tactical Adventures I think the more people really get out in the woods they realise what you just said. I like to be prepared for things I encounter every day. and I love to go out and go camping, I even practice some trapping and shelter building as well as other emergency techniques. but the more i go out, the more I want to avoid actually being in a wilderness survival situation! I think people get to into TV and movies, like the end of civilization stuff people think it would be fun, which is just plain wrong.
Something for you to think about, the biggest killer in the civil war was dysentery and disease.
546 cowboy Indeed. No antibiotics or antidiahhreals. And no IV fluids for rehydration. It's amazing that the infection rate, along with the death from disease drastically decreased when a Nurse by the name of CLARA BARTON suggested that Surgeons merely 'washed their hands' between patients.
and probably the second is the fact that they were using rifled muskets with conical bullets (not musket balls) at the range you would a smooth bores
@@Daniel-ve5oj ,
The massive wound channels left by those conical rounds contributed to even higher risks for infection, not to mention traumatic amputations and more massive internal bleeding.
Survival tip #6: Always go around civil wars. They can be dangerous!
546 cowboy in other words bad hygiene
Incredibly real life and factual! One of the things I stress to folks heading into the wilderness is learn to start fire in a downpour, because that's very well likely what it will be like. When everything around you is soggy and you are cold that is when your gonna need that fire the most. Also, do not multi-task. Nurse that fire till you've got it going good, then you can do the other things.
True, i have been in situation where only "dry" wood was green birch, if enough is split fine enough, stacked carefully it burns, true, with loads of smoke, but it gives heat, after you build a pile of coals you can start puttong larger and larger until fire is big enough.
Sadly, slow and labour intensive, but uf you must...
Like the author of the article said.......survival is more important than eating. Survive first, then worry about finding some tasty worms to eat.
As silly as this may sound to some, two of the items that always go into the woods with me are water-proof matches, and a few of those little "tea light" candles. They weigh next to nothing, and in an emergency, can greatly help to start a fire if you can only find wet wood. Light the little candle, put it in a small depression in the ground, then put your kindling above it. Sometimes, it takes a short while to catch properly, but that system has yet to fail me. Those candles burn for 3 - 4 hours, so that should dry out a big enough place in the wood to allow it to catch fire.
I've done this in a real life survival situation. It's absolutely amazing even if the wood is dry around you. Theres no replacement for having a quick fire when you're cold and alone.
Lip balm and some plant matter can work in a pinch. I Always Always have some sort of lip balm. Many people do but may not consider this option.
@@sexyshalisa If your hungry enough, lip balm is mighty tasty as well.
And the wax itself is pretty useful as well.
I use bigger candles that are thick. But I also use the birthday candles that can't be blown out, for fire starting!
I just finished reading SSG Travis Mills book "As tough as they come". He was a Sargent of the 82nd Airborne stationed in Afghanistan when he was severely injured by an IED & lost all four limbs. He is only one of 5 soldiers to survive this type of injury. In the last part of his book, he states: "We all have our unique challenges to go through. The point is that you can keep going. You can choose to never give up. You can choose to never quit." I believe that THIS is the key in any type of "survival" situation. Maybe I will never be stranded or be forced to "bug out". But I will have to face being short on money and or food, watching friends & family members die, loosing a job, all those types of problems that rear their ugly head from time to time. I will ALWAYS have a choice to make.
I can survive anything anywhere because I survived a divorce from my loud mouth ex wife and her evil ways.
Military Shmilitary. Get to know some homeless folks in the parts of the U.S. where it gets really cold. Necessity is a wonderful teacher.
why get to know them ? so they can teach me how to shoot up drugs in my veins ? or the best way to booze it up ?
@@Gizziiusa wow. Who raised you to be such a toxic, uneducated, and judgemental person? You do know most homeless dont drink or do drugs. But thats typical for ignorance.
@@courtniewesterfield9079 BS. most homeless are/were druggies or drunkards. They are homeless b/c they were so toxic that their families tossed them out. A person out of options is either homeless, or commits suicide.
@@Gizziiusa so you work with them?
@@courtniewesterfield9079 do you mean the ones that were given one way tickets to Honolulu from various states, so that its not their problem anymore ? or the ones in Manila, inwhich a family member gambled all of their assets away, forcing the whole family on the streets ? ahhh, you got me, i forgot about gambling being a factor too. you so clever...
I absolutely agree, right now I live in a major (52 years) but I'll be moving to Virginia in an area where I'll be 10 minutes from mountains, forest and camping. I have only been camping once in my life so, I've been watching RUclips and amassing a lot of knowledge, in the last year I have probably accumulated enough gear to completely outfit three people with everything from shelter, fire, medical (including major trauma) and of course water (MSR filters ect). But, outside of some fire making skills and medical skills (major bleed, wound closing, ect) I still need to learn the rest.
Knowledge in and of its self is worthless, I do have other family that will be with me in the beginning (just camping)
I make no mistake, realistically right now today if I were plunged into a wilderness survival situation for more than a day, I would be likely be screwed.
But not to fear, this is why I will learn what I need to before going out alone.
Good that you are going to get out and give it a go. I would suggest you do some car camping in state parks at first just to test gear and build skills. Add on increasing distance. Things that work or don't work will reveal themselves with practice.
Thank you for the encouragement, i do have a brother that is military whom knows quite a bit about it(compared to me anyway) so i do also have a mentor so to speak. I also wont be going out away from my vehicle more than a few feet until i learn how to navigate the woods, believe it or not it isn't common sense when it was never learned earlier LOL; a compass would be great to start with but, if it got lost, i would be absolutely -------.
flysubcompact
Hey thank you for the suggestion, my brother here in Virginia also has about 4 acres of property that is not heavily wooded so i can car camp there to start with the added security of knowing the house is only a few hundred feet away LOL; he also heats the house with wood so i can learn fire tending and building, carving and so on. I won't be doing any winter camping though, i left Minnesota partly because of the weather, and cold temps are one of the reasons God created houses LOL.
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I agree, i have practiced some fire starting with lint stuffed toilet paper rolls, other fire starters such as zip, but also wood shavings using a 5 inch rod and i must say, there is a vast difference when lighting natural material as a posed to vaseline on anything. I will always have a rod with me but, it won't be my primary simply because i'm not a survivalist, i just want to be able to camp and enjoy it along with some hiking.
I am however prepared medically with an emergency pack in my vehicle everyday that covers everything from tiny splinters to the loss of a limb, also to include stuff for poison ivy, oak and sumac, and quite a bit of other stuff that i stay in practice with. I use family as my subjects to so, they learn it as well.
Gregory M Your kit is more than most campers have with them, so you're ahead of the game. Especially for driving to camp, which is what I tend to do. I backpack sometimes, but I prefer to just go far offroad in a good vehicle and that helps escape all the other people (or I don't feel like I'm camping). Really glad to hear you have a good med kit, it is very surprising how many 'expert woodsman' type folk either don't have one or don't know how to use it. Dollar Store Maxi pads are surprisingly versatile and super cheap. Anyways, I don't think you'll have any trouble at all with your brand of initial camping. Have some great times and enjoy the stars and fun of sitting around the camp fire telling stories or whittling sticks.
For as long as i can remember, I have taught my kids and now my Grandkids an important survival Motto. " You can live 3 weeks without Food, 3 days without water. But not even 3 seconds without hope" So, Yes... Your will to survive is everything! My little Grandies (7 & 9) are showing fantastic potential in being able to create hope, in ANY situation, by inventive ways of looking at things! Makes me Super Proud.
SIR. You deserve my like and subscription. And i have a survival story to share if you guys have the time. About fire starting. I was camping at the Cotopaxi park in the ecuadorian highland. The weather was terrible and it had been pouring rain or in the best chance fog and mist. My GF got sick from the altitude and she was having a hard time. Temperture drops down to 10 C or even 7 at night so that fire had to be set, for cooking and so i could fix her a tea and she could get trough the night. I had everything man, i have water prove starting kits, dry coal i brouught my self. Nothing worked. The lack of oxigen in the ambiance due altitude in combination to the constant mist and fog woulod put out my fire before i could even get braces to cook anything. So I put my head to work. I had some tin foil, only few braces that had gotten lit, and all that ocured to me was to make a tin foil furnace. Blowing trough one side pumping enough oxigen to keep the fire hot enough to cook 2 sausages and warm a cup of tea. With that I got her trough the night and had to find other ways to keep her warm. In the morning i got some help and got her out of the park. So like he said, you may have skills, you may have gear, still shit happens, you will face situations that escape your control, when you are sick and tired and beated up, and you still have to get trough it. That is what surviving means.
Are we crazy for loving it and putting ourselves to those extremes just for the feel of fighting vs nature and wining... maybe. But you know what my gf said to the mountain on our way out. "You won today I will conquer you next time. "
EZO1988 I would have thought it was the mini ball.
UH RAH
This is the most accurate and realistic video on "survival" I've seen on RUclips. My kudos to the author. Please, forget "fantasy" scenarios. survival is tough!!!
The kid who got lost on a mountain in Maine came to my school and talked to all of us about how roughy it was how hard he had to fight to survive.
one thing i see in modern day bug out bags is the lack of a change of clothing,underware especially is important and socks. Everyone knows one sooner or later will have to wash their clothing in the woods and are they just going to run around butt naked for two or 3 days wile their clothing drys hanging on a line or tree branches and then there is winter to consider as well. hanging freshly washed clothing outside isnt a real option as it will just turn into a block of dam ice so clothing thats been washed will need to be hung inside of ones shelter with a fire going to dry out the clothing and lastly you wont survive an hour out in the cold without your most important shelter item, your clothing. Remember to pack 1 extra shirt, pants and sox and underware in your survival bag.
some extra underwear is a real good suggestion. if i had not any in wintertime, i'd probably wash the stuff i wear step by step. better to conserve body temperature during the washing process and easier/faster to dry. but if you ain't got a fire, your stinking clothes are one of your least problems. on the other hand if you got a decent fire going on, drying stuff is not such a time consuming thing. even during winter. you can easily build some sort of drying rack out of wooden sticks or use stones. both placed close enough to the fireplace will do the job in half an hour or less.
but then again, extra clothes can be a blessing in extreme situations.
Thanks for the reply, i think your idea works except in one situation, Diarea accident in ones pants and isnt likely to happen wile awake but when asleep who knows. Both your underware and pants could get soiled in that situation.
in a survival situation doing laundry isn't a big priority for me . as for bug out bags the goal is to get from point A to point B and sustain you for 72 hours unless it's an INCH bag than the goal is surviving long term , if i knew i was never coming home and i had to survive indefinitely the i would pack clothes and be more concerned about hygiene .
jay thompson
good point indeed.
therandomdot Like the idea, but who has $200 to leave just sitting in a bag. I think I'd be grabbing it in less than a week.
One thing people seem to forget is being comfortable with discomfort. What I mean by this is that the best training one can do is to gain experience is in uncomfortable conditions. You are in a totally different frame of mind when out there and uncomfortable. If you can practice
Skills and thinking in these situations, when crap is actually hitting the fan you can better avoid panic. You will already know that that feeling doesn't mean death. Things are just moving that much faster, and you need to concentrate on acting logically.
Zen Quote: "Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
HINT: It's not the Hokey-Pokey.
If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never know what hit you. Everything man has thought, felt and experienced is gone, and nothing is put in its place.
Tim, this is a 5 star video. You hit the nail on the head and Thank you for it. Ive been there before... you had a bic lighter,,, why didnt you JUST start a fire? I remember reading a story about man froze to death and he had a pipe and lighter in his pocket. And folks Said,,,why didnt he JUST start a fire? I say Try it when your nearly froze to death, no feeling in your hands and your mental state is about like my Cat. Anyway Tim,, Keep up these kind of vids.
Thanks Dale - I appreciate your kind words.
Dale James Reminds me of The story "To Build A Fire" by Jack London.
My biggest problem with the entire "survival" community is that people don't define their premises well (or sometimes not at all). Regardless of how one feels about Les Stroud, I always appreciated that he started his shows with a description of how someone could get into the situation he would be simulating and what the overall objectives were. In his show, "survival" was always about getting out of the situation and going back to live a regular life in a week or two. Many people talk about survival in terms of living in the woods for an extended period of time. Having the skills to live that way is nice, but the situation that drives someone to live that way will have a huge impact on what the needs would really be.
To me, those distinctions are important. We can't carry every piece of equipment with us every time we take a hike or go hunting. If survival is about the Les Stroud model of a normal outdoors situation turning bad and me just needing to get home, I don't need to learn about hundreds of neat pieces of gear. I'm not going to carry hundreds of pieces of gear on every trip outside. If I have to "bug out" into the woods never to return to civilization, I probably won't bother to take a tent. Tents are nice, but they eventually rip and break. For the weight and bulk of a tent, I'm better served by something that will last "forever." On the other hand, if I have to "bug out" for only a few weeks of intense activity, a tent is a great tool because I have shelter that doesn't require me to build anything. Even something as simple as a signal mirror is good survival gear if I'm hoping to be rescued but useless weight if I need to "bug out" from human civilization forever.
Agreed. And, I like Les, too. He's tied for first in my top 5.
I agree with the thought that everything is based on the situation. Not everything is survival. Some things are merely simpler camping.
When I was in the Explorers in the the early 60's, our advisor (20 to 30 years older than us), told us that when he took survival training in the military, the only thing he learned that he had not previously learned in the Boy Scouts was to rotate his socks 180 degrees to better conserve body heat! Aren't you glad you asked? 🙂 Stay warm!
I have been living outdoors most of my life and when I was younger I got myself into some trouble while thinking that I could do anything since I KNEW everything! NOT!!!!! At 20 I joined the Navy to become a UDT diver which later turned into the SEALS. So, again when I was young I just knew I knew everything there was to know about the outdoors and being able to survive. There was one thing that I did not have and that was the MENTAL Aptitude to survive under actual stress! The Mental attitude to say "I will not quit", "I will not give up"! That is learned not just a given. I learned this in my SEALS training and until then, I only knew the skill and knowledge. Tim, you said it the best and I applaud you for this. This might be the best survival video I have seen! Yes learn the skills, yes, gain the knowledge, Yes get the correct gear, but most of all, put yourself into a situation where you might be alone in the woods for a period of time to when you think you cannot take anymore and have a way to call someone to get yourself out of that situation. THEN do it again and force yourself to go longer! Just like the TV series "ALONE" they don't know what will make them TAP out! Usually, it's "I MISS MY Family too much" another is when they get too much out of their comfort norm. If you haven't seen the show, watch the past shows and study them. Tim is absolutely correct when he says that "Mental Attitude is by far the most important part of your gear you can possess! Great post, Tim!
The navy is the women's version of the marine corps......
I think I agree with 100% of what you said the last part for sure. I have prepper friends who have $50,000 worth of bug out gear that do not even understand how to find north without a compass or the skill to make a fire without a lighter. Keep spreading the truth you are helping people more than most know.
weho1233 I have an axe that cost $13
Survival is really about the ability to step out of your comfort zone and get down to business.You really need to know your environment and have some basic skills,gear is a combo of comfort and ease.
The one that triggers me the most and is usually promulgated by people who sell them, is that unless your knife cost $300 or more it just ain't a knife. because, the argument goes, your knife should be able to chop stones and stay sharp and be used as an ice ax so you can scale that crevasse that you fell down and still be able to strip the hide off the bear you killed with it. It has to be the most exotic alloy and heat treated with the special deluxe proprietary process that makes that 50$ knife worth the 300$ that they want to sell it to you for. Just a pet peeve.
I have 4 knives ... None stainless and none over $100 ... 3 out of 4 under $60. One case jr sodbuster , one opinel #8, one condor bushlore , one condor village parang ... All razor sharp and easy to resharpen and together i can't think of any chore they cant handle... And i could probably do without the case but i like it as my EDC pocket knife on the street
A super great knife is great if you're at it every weekend, but if you're just looking to have enough to get by a week or so (or less), things just need to be good enough to get you through.
I used an Old Hickory kitchen knife for my hunting knife for a long time. Then I made one out of an old file, Had it for 30 years now.
High tech, low tech be damned. Appropriate tech is correct.
I have lost many knives in my life but never broken one. I see know point in having a knife that costs as much as a gun. You are better off with two or three cheap knives.
@Paul Johnston Condor makes a great knife! I have a Bushlore myself. Price is very reasonable. $300 for a knife is just silly. In my opinion there are three categories of knives. The $5-$10 knife you lose and don't care about, goes dull and gets thrown in a drawer. The $40-$50 knife you use most that is durable, holds an edge well but maybe requires a little care (like it's high carbon so needs an oiling occasionally), and then the $80-$100 knife, which needs no extra care, holds an edge FOREVER, and you have for SHTF situations or was a gift and don't use much. Anything beyond that and you're paying for the brand imo.
Misconception: I'm only going for a day hike I don't need much planning or equipment.
One of the most important things is trip planning. If you plan your trip and leave all your pertinent info with a trusted friend or relative you will be less likely to stay out in the wild without someone finding you. You have to stick to the plan and not change it without updating the info to your trusted contacts.
Knowing people are expecting you and will be looking for you will give you more drive and confidence to keep going and not panic.
Off the hop #10, You can have all the '' Wilderness survival'' training in the world. It doesn't mean it will save you if you don't have a good mental attitude . There's been stories of people that were just average Joes in the woods and bang survival situation, they survived not because of any training but because they wanted to...
Hi Tim, thank you for driving home some VERY critical thoughts on surviving under any conditions. I would also add this. What you take in with you is only meant to last a few days maybe a week. Most people will not be able to carry more weight with them for a longer survival. So I try to get people to think of everything from ammo to food to fire starting what ever it is you are packing as transition material. Hope everything will return to normal in a few days but prepare as if you are going to be gone for 30 days or more. In that time as materials are depleted or fail. You are finding things around you that will pick up where store bought leaves off. If you can build a fire with natural materials you can find in your present environment (desert, forest or mountain) you will always have fire. If you learn to use a dead fall, making an atlatl and arrow or other small game catching tools you will have a good chance of having food. If you are knowledgeable on finding or preparing water catchments systems and how to purify you will stand a far better chance of survival. The key as you have said in this video as I am also trying to say is Knowledge, practiced knowledge and skills supported by those things you bring with you or can find will give you the best chance to survive. There is only one more thing that is critical and that is your faith. If you believe in God you will have hope. If you are not so much into God but you have a high positive mental attitude and know how to motivate yourself you will increase your odds of survival tremendously. Maybe also known as a will to live/survive. As this is the night before elections. I wish ALL Real Americans God speed, For those who live in America who have no clue what that really means, well, you get what you pay for.
Sam, in that I live in the country, I am already bugged out. Therefore, I have a camping bag. And one of the items in it is a King James Bible. I am not a Christian, but if I am to have one luxury, this book is it.
Johnny Lackland
Hi Johnny, I am impressed. I don't hear to many people even believers admit to carrying a bible with them. I have one that i keep in my back pack as well. I like the King James version also. It just seems to read better to me. I also like to think this is how God would sound when talking to Him. Thats just me though. The Bible is a good source of thought provoking verses. I believe that ANYONE can find what they are in need of by reading it. It should be read in the right frame of mind though. To read it like you would a dictionary, a biography, fiction or a romance novel will not yield you the same results if you first prepare your mind. It is not just for when you are scared, worried or in danger. Personally i believe the Bible can provide you with encouragement for physical strength, Mental strength as well as spiritual strength. It is a VERY flexible book, but you already know this. Sorry to ramble like that. Have a Great week. May God Bless America.
True to heart. As an ex big city Firefighter/Paramedic and current professional mix gas diver I always tell people that the most important weapon/survival equipment you can possibly have in any survival situation, assault/ emergency, is a calm clear head. Anything you are holding in your hand is nothing more than a helpful tool. Although some are EXTREMELY helpful, the real game changer is the ability to control fear and despair so that you can think clearly in any situation. Without that, knowledge and skills are thrown right out the window. The will to live and a fighting spirit is certainly right up there as a close tie however, haha. The 2 kind of work hand in hand as neither works without the other. Just a simple mans opinion. Keep up the good work.
Very well thought out and presented. I used to teach wilderness survival back in the 80s to Boy Scouts, and every thing you talked about is very well thought out. One thing though. When you find that you are lost, or cant make it back to your car for what ever reason, Sit Down and Stay Put! If you are truly lost trying to find your way will more then likely end up getting you even more lost. Now there are exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between. Oh, and last but not least, never trust your Cell Phone in a wilderness area, no towers equal no signal.
James Hart dont need cell tower for gps. you only need a skyview. always have downloaded maps on the phone of where you will be before you leave reception. the very best survival skill you can have is to not need to use any at all.
gps is ground based, so you need towers. don't believe the satellite bullshit, its ground based trust me.
Then why does my hand held Garmin gps unit need 5-6 satellite reading to accurately locate me? Hmm?
James Hart Before I was even a Cub Scout, I was reading my Dad's BSA Handbook(circa 1940's). I picked one in the 90's, and was amazed that the info hadn't been revised that much, some of the instruction was exactly the same. Tried and true experience. That's what REALLY MATTERS.
@@mikehoward8201 Because it is a dedicated GPS unit. Cell phones are not satellite based, they are tower based.
You didn't seem to touch on be physically fit. These tacticool wannabe's can't even run a mile much less lug gear into the wilderness.
ur right about that. because, most people that might get caught out in the woods are not fit. can't run a mile or even walk a mile. we hunt deer here and neither my boyfriend or I are in shape. he can't run 100yards let alone a mile. it helps to be fit and in shape. in most cases the people that get in trouble, will not be.
You should be fit, but carrying your gear shouldn't be described as lugging it. If that's how you would describe it, you're packing too much.
Maybe because, while this would definitely help. Many have survived without being physically fit, so it is better if you are but not a necessity. Nor is it a guarantee.
I am not physically fit ...i have ashma , a leg missing but drop me in the middle of nowhere with my Pack and i will allways make it home .
Been into bushcraft 25 years and love it ...you dont necessarily need to be fit.
The number one problem about wilderness survival is the other wilderness survivalists :) especially during an Zombie apocalypse.
Coming from the desert, top thing for me has to be "You HAVE to ration your water". No, no you don't; you have to ration your *sweat* . They find bodies of people who died of dehydration with nearly full canteens out here. Don't go looking for resources at 5pm when the desert is at it's peak temperature. Well light nights? They're common; construct your shelter after the sun starts setting. If you're in the flatlands, explore at night (if you're in the mountains, don't do that without a light source). Dawn? Dawn and pre-dawn are the coolest parts of the day; do your strenuous activity in the early morning before the sun starts beating down your back.
Second favorite? The desert is *always* hot. Yeah, we get below 15°F out here on occasion; it's not -30°F, but you can and will get hypothermia if you're in a survival situation and you're in a t-shirt and jeans.
I live in the desert as well and I agree with your tips.
Agree, John Lofty Wiseman ex SAS endorses this philosophy.
Finally. Its always driven me bonkers when i see survival shows and the guys are working their butts off in the heat of the day and sleeping at night. I'm from Canada and even I knew it made no sense so Why do so many others get it wrong!
Working with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse I can attest to that very thing - people dying with a partial or full water container in their possession! It's the water in your body, not in your canteen, that will save your life! Drink the water and do as it prescribed by Rory - ration the sweat. In the desert you can realize a 30 degree difference in temperature between being on the ground and being 1 foot above it and your work needs to be done just before daylight or just after dark.
Good info !!
Extreme temperatures affect "clarity of mind". I learned, after having been in the freezing cold for three days, that the brain simply stops processing information. A simple thing, like counting to ten, gets very difficult when the brain is on the brink of shutting down. It's like falling asleep while staying awake. Your eyes see, your ears hear, but you fail to retrieve information from your senses. Then it gets really dangerous, because you fail to assess the situation you're in, up to the point that you do not care anymore. Therefore, number one of your list, the will to survive, is correct, but it is far from easy if the gray cells stop working.
The good news is if that happens you can have an excellent political career.
@@ronhammar1154
Oh snap! :)
@@ronhammar1154 from I would like you to go look up the person that sits in Antarctic water 4 hours and hours on end without nobody shutting down Brian still functioning I would like to also add that the reality in which we live in is Mind Over Matter so what you went through the side effects of a weak mind
So on the counter you trying to sound smart you sound stupid
@@lucastillery1685 But my BRIAN is functioning and working just fine.
I think the number 1 lie is that you need the contents of an entire survival suppliers store to even spend a weekend in the woods.
If we're talking about someone who has never spent time in the woods, that lie has some truth to it. As Tim said, skills are more important than gear. The more skills you have the less gear you need
Great video. I used to hunt a lot in Wyoming and Colorado. I always carried a day bag with a complete change of clothing to include an extra jacket, several bags of tea and coffee, a small pan, a couple of packets of soup mix, a quart of water, some cord, two of the ultralight space blankets, and several fire starters. The whole bag weighed about six pounds. One of the guys I went out with always laughed about the extra weight I was carrying even though most times we were only going out a few miles from camp. One day while hunting in weather that was 10 degrees below zero Rick fell into a bog up to his waist. We were only about three miles from camp, but he would not have been able to make it back before suffering frost bite at the least. I have been in a couple of other situations where that little bag allowed me to hunker down and be relatively comfortable overnight rather than take a chance of an injury or even death moving at night..
Gorilla tape some tabs in 6 or 8 places on your space blankets. You'll have a survival tent. Take some cord and practice set up until you can do it in the dark.
#1 lie in the south west, You can find water! It's called a desert for a reason folks. These claims you can find water in washes after it rains, A day after it rains you would have to dig a long ways to get any water if it was possible. You need to carry three or four canteens, each. You ain't caring it , your not going to find much!
Great advice. One observation that I have made for myself is that is any emergency situation, you can have a big adrenalin dump, which can tire you out in the long term, so trying to stay as calm as possible in adverse situations is something I am trying to practice.
Absolutely outstanding Tim! Probably the best take on this topic i have seen the whole year! Words of wisdom! Thank you! With all the cool awesome stuff, knives. books and survival guides, gear and gadgets people too often forget or ignore what really matters. Or don´t even have a clue. Biiig thumbs up Tim! You rock! Have a wonderful weekend!
wow - thanks Jani - I appreciate that.
People don't respect temperature, you can die from exposure in temps that are way higher than you would expect.
Absolutely. I was once in the early stages of hypothermia with the air temperature in the low 70's Fahrenheit. Of course I was soaking wet, the wind was blowing at a constant 12-15 knots, and I had no way to get dry or out of the wind.
I am getting
Back into camping ⛺️ and got my ferro rod Monday late morning I went out in my back yard in Alabama to build a quick fire just to get ready for next weekends camping trip I have 5” of pine needles and all kinds of wood on the ground we got a 1/2” of rain yesterday and I’ll be darned if I can even get the pine sap to burn… great lesson from the back yard!!!
I like my kukri knife. I hear a lot about people thinking they can survive just cause they saw an episode of Dual Survival, they think they can mimic what they saw and survive. If they are lucky they get found if unlucky....well sometimes they die. Always tell people where your going to be or expect to be and a time frame so search and rescue has a better idea of where you may be and how long they have to find you. I wish more people would include first aid in their survival kits and have their medication as part of that kit. Oh blisters are bad too, you need your hands so avoid that as much as possible. Yes a good combination of knowledge, skills, gear along with common sense, instinct as well as the will to survive.
fuck you, lmao nice name...
Another thing with kukris is to buy from a shop that has heratage, and stays in napal. I see too many people buying commercial kukris then complaining about them being to heavy... these shops make them perfectly balanced and wieghted that i could use mime for 12 hours a day and not even get sore.
I spent 3 years living in the Mountains; i had the skills but after about 30 days, my mind started playing trick on me, i never got lonely but i did miss people...
For me it was all mental; would i do it again.... NO
tim berg -did you do it for a special reason?
When are you writing your book?
Hi not only did I like in Kentucky and Oklahoma and Tennessee and Texas and Arkansas and Alabama and Alaska and Washington state both in the city and county but alone on the streets and backwoods and never messed people at all. I'm a Disabled vet as well and no book plans but will tell you even as a boy was alone so you got to be comfortable in your own skine or you want survive
Top lie: The deathcap mushroom tastes bad. Wrong, it is delicious, right up until it kills you.
the easiest way to avoid those is don't eat any fungi you can't identify 100%... and although it rules out a few edible mushrooms, don't eat anything with white gills.
Player Review someone ate one to tell someone else it was delicious and then they died..?
Jason Elder It was just a joke, but I did hear that they taste good. Mainly Chinese people come over to the USA and accidentally eat them from the wild. Deep Look did a video about it.
Amanita virosa, 72 hours of the most horrific death imaginable. As an experienced fungi hunter I can assure you that there is almost no nutritional value to mushrooms and not worth the risk during survival situations.
That's complete nonsense. If you were as experienced as you like to think, you wouldn't there's any risk at all in picking mushrooms. There are a dozen types of mushrooms in my area alone that simply cannot be mistaken for anything other than what they are.
And if you say the risk isn't worth it in the wild, then it isn't worth it anywhere else, either, so why are you a mushroom hunter?
Mushrooms are low in calories, but very high in minerals and vitamins, both of which you need to survive. They also make many unpalatable foods taste a heck of a lot better.
Talk of the death cap is silly. It isn't hard to identify, but if you're worried, only pick the unmistakably safe kind, and you'll still have more than you can eat.
just wondering.. do you think that a good dog is helpful with wilderness survival? as far as i can see it - on the downside, it needs to be fed and it needs water. on the upside - it can help with foraging, it can help you keep warm and it can alert!! it might just be able to find a food source before you. a good dog might possibly save your life. i guess that the main thing would be keeping it fed and hydrated .? really good vid btw!!
scott helstrom you need a dog that doesn't bark, but growls and is silent when you tell it to. One who stays when told one who can catch rabbits is a big plus. If trained they are more than worth the trouble to water and feed.
scott helstrom now this week sea of what training a dog should have to be a survival partner would be a fantastic video!
thanks Kenny! yeah, after i posted this i was thinking the same thing.. barking could be a problem! it would have to be a well trained dog.
best walking MRE...
Any dog, no matter the breed or training level will bring a few benefits. Heat source and alerting, like you mentioned. Also morale, which is something a LOT of people forget about but is extremely important. Foraging would really depend on the dog. I wouldn't count on my black lab/ridgeback mix helping out there. She loves the chase but never catches those squirrels.
I've thought about this a lot and overall I believe she'll be a detriment if ever in that scenario. She barks and will give up my position for sure. She'll constantly be chasing after wildlife and probably get lost day 1. She is another mouth to feed. But she's my good girl, and I'll take the good with the bad. And anyone that tries to eat her is getting a .357 hot load in the forehead!
I saw a official military video from one of the recent SERE schools, and every participant was overweight, wandered around aimlessly despite the instructors giving explicit instructions not one of them could use a ferro rod or a water filter or
could set up a shelter. They were complete babes in the woods and did I mentioned they were all hideously overweight ?
every one of them Was in the military so be careful when you say that since you were in the military, you know how to survive
#1 for all emergency situations... Being able to keep a level head while assessing the situation and making logical decisions as a result of critical thought.
Boiled down to the most simple of terms.... *Don't Panic*
Not really a lie but it drives me crazy to see people baton thick wood (thicker than your wrist) with a knife when there is no real reason to do it; then if it fails, they say the knife isn't worth having. Knives are NOT meant to be hatchets or mauls. If you absolutely must baton with a knife, learn to do it correctly. No need in batoning a log in half when you can splinter it.
I've notice that wood burns even when it isn't split... :)
100% Agree!
Alabama Woodsman
Its a new youtube trend to say batoning is unnecessary.
You can baton to:
- get dry firewood when you have no other options
- craft stuff
- fell small trees
Batoning is no problem if you use a big enough kife out of the right steel (and I dont mean you have to use a expensive knife, dont baton with a vg10 fällkniven f1 that stays sharp lonh but has a brittle tip, but do baton with a böker magnum survivor that has only 440 stainless stell.)
Its also always funny to see people saying: uhh I will always find smaller twigs in the forest.
Yes because a forest is literally filled with wood. But in other places you have to work with what you get...
And yes to start a fire you have to sometimes baton wood and make feathersticks...
I want to see you lighting a thick wood log with a ferro rod...god luck
I see your point and it is well taken. I saw a video of a guy beating the hell out of a "survival knife" (what ever that means) and in the process of trying to split a hardwood log down the middle. The knife's tip fractured off due to the impact on the blade. This was not a fair test of any knife. A knife is a cutting tool, not a hacking or splitting tool. When I saw the video, I asked myself, "Why not fracture pieces off instead of trying a 50-50 split?" That is my point. Batoning pieces larger than my wrist (in a 50-50 split) is not necessary. I have other tools for that. I also don't think a "batoning test" is a fair test for a knife. I also don't believe a knife is of lower quality only because it isn't full tang. Its like guns and cars; which is the best? ANSWER: the one you can hit with and drive in. People who want to beat the hell out of their $300.00 crafting knife.... go ahead, I chose to split logs with a Tomahawk or hatchet, not my favorite bush craft blade. As far as the twig comment, unless you are in a community park where everyone has gotten to them before you, if there are trees, I bet you can find twigs. I never EVER depend on just a "ferro" for fire. For something as important as fire, I go redundancy three levels deep. "Feather stick"? Why not just shaved pieces? Why an actual feather stick? Is it because someone with a RUclips channel told us we have to do sticks? This is the mentality of repeating the same ole stuff someone else told us was, "The way it needs to be done." Lastly, its not a "trend" to say batoning is unnecessary. It may be that people who leave the pack of technique repeaters and seek out better ways to do things just realize repeating the "standard practices" of "survival" may not currently be the best way to do it. It is an evolving skill set as technology gives us better choices and trailblazers in the discipline discover better ways to do things. To each his own, do what works for you, live and let live.
Alabama Woodsman
It is a trend.
1. Some people showed in youtube what batoning is.
2. People now though they should always baton and didnt consider what kind of knife they used
-> destroyed knifes
3. Other youtubers now made videos that batoning is always useless (the worst was this one youtuber that said you can always use a wooden wedge instead and he didnt consider that you would have to make the wedge first and you can never use it against the grain and only use it when you got a saw...)
4. People without thinking just repeat what these youtubers tell them.
The truth is that batoning is a useful technique, but you have to know what you can baton without ruining your knife. And when its better not to baton....
I like the videos where they show the limits of products until they break. Nothing you would do in a normal situation but interesting to watch
Twigs can be too wet to start fires or when it snowed they can be buried deep under the ice. + there are many trees that dont produce a lot of twigs
I live in MA. The biggest lie for survival I run into falls in line with the fishing gear myth for food. They think that if they have a gun or bow they can live off the land and hunt for their foid. People be smart , bring food in your bag. Put extra in your vehicle and make dawn sure your water bottles are full. Like your content keep it going.
steven fournier thanks for watching Steven. And I agree, living off the land is harder than a lot of people realize
Wrong is people think when there is something happen in my region, I will go into the next forrest make campfire and set up a tent and survive it there and having a nice adventure.
Of couse not you wanna get away to savety ASAP and this is in not in most cases the forrest still in the impactzone.
Even if it is a minor Problem you do not know how long it will last and how fast it can intense or lead to and as longer you stay the more problems you will have to get away.
- A War
- Civil war
- Crime
- Black out
- Nuclear disaster
- Economical collapse
- Water and Food crises
- Flood
- Wildfire
- Tsunami
- Tornado
- Drought
- Hurricane
- Blizzard
In all these situation you will not go out and make a happy campfire you need to flee and go go go, then you need a passport,
a lot of money hidden on the body, a car, a ship, a plane, a smartphone and power banks, medicin and 1st Aid Kit, good clothes, good shoes, a backpack locked onto body locked too
and a bit stuff and maybe someone somewhere will take you for a while.
Survivers are the one who leaves not the one who stay in most cases, if you love to fight, play a fight video game on PC but in savtey, if you are too scare to move you will never move again.
And no mostly a lot of things do develop very slow in respect to natural disasters, its not like in a movie that on one sec. to another everyone is dying and trying to survive,
and you will not be able to buy food anymore or the streets are stucked with cars and people or whatsoever.
And yes people in such a region do mostly get not the right information did Chernobyl ? No, Did Fukushima and Sendai ? No, You will have on a Hurrican like Cathrina? No, Did Venezuela? No. Did Syria? No, Did East-Africa? No. Noneone of then did really know whats up, if they are save or how it will end up until the point it was too late to leave.
I know all I need to survive...
...um, how do you know?
pride kills
I heard a guy claim he was in the military for eight years and still never figured out how to use his canteen cup canteen, stove, and fuel tablet so be careful when you say you were in the military, so you know how to survive
Words of wisdom. Heart to survive is more important than skills, knowledge, and gear.
But if you dont have water....you WILL die.....water is survival...plain and simple.....
Actually this is the honest video I have seen yet, nice vid!
This might be the most important survival video someone could watch, because sometimes you get fooled into thinking you are prepared for something when you really aren't... Similar to how people think because they've hunted or played paintball or Airsoft that they would be able to function effectively in combat............
Thanks for those comments. That’s exactly my hope. This will help all of us really think about our abilities and work on improving our skills
Best survival tip: CAMP NEAR WALMART!
Get away from them they have no respect to copy rights, maybe it is built with hackers from china money.
The the Morlocks from the FEMA tunnels rush out at night and kidnap you.
David Stanley and you can stay parked in the lot out front for as long as you like
The things you mentioned are very important and I have heard some say things which I knew wasn't true and believe in being prepared before going into the forest, or when in an urban area being aware of my surroundings while checking out those coming in and going out. By being in the military I know so much about how to survive and is still learning even more after my retirement from both the military, and my state job. My backpack is half full of the items I will need and use while out camping and the other items I need will be purchased soon. I have an EDC bag which I recently put together and is still getting items to put in it also.
I worked for the U.S. Forest service fighting wild fires years ago. We were told if you ever get lost, light a tree on fire. (Try not doing this during fire season.)
The tree fire will make alot of smoke, to signal the searchers looking for you.
I go no where without a knife. Do underestimate the value of a knife
Randell Darcky ☆ I took the next to worthless survival "gear" out of the hollow handle of my COLD STEEL survival edge. Wrapped cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly with wax paper. Sheath has an included fire steel. Was able to wrap sheath with 9 feet of 7 strand 550 test parachute suspension cord. If I have my knife (always) I also have fire and cordage. If I cannot stay alive until found, then I deserve to die. BTW: I have standing orders that whoever finds my corpse, gets to split up my gear.
None What state??
Where are you??!!
None Sorry. Didn't think 3, single syllable words would confuse you. But you DID say. "NEW JERSEY" didn't you?🤔🙄
None Sorry, but I won't debate anyone who writes/posts under an alias.
"Someone will come by sooner or later"
"Just find a highway and hitch-hike"
"I'll learn on the fly"
"You don't need all that"
I say the ONE most important thing is knowledge AND experience. As I learn I build a better kit, as practice my kit changes drastically. Great video.
It's also time for "survivalists" to start mentioning that there is only like a dozen or so places left in the continental US where you are more than 5 miles away from a road, a stream or a parking lot. Look at any decent county map of your state. Best advise now days is to walk downhill till you hit a road, stream or parking lot.
#1- Don't become separated from your kit
I carry a bic in my poket and a four pak of bics and a ferro rod as well but only for emergecy
Don't forget the map compass skills. And the difference between road map and topic graphical map? Would be a good video.
I always think it is funny when looking at people's survival kits. I think they are great, but people waste so much space and money on the wrong things. Light is nice, but not really needed, but I see packs with 3+ flashlights and extra batteries. Fire is great, but do you need 5 ferrite rods, 3 lighters, fatwood, tinder boxes, fuel tablets, magnifying glass... Or the ninja cutlery set. They have a machete, 5 knives, 3 sharpeners, a hatchet, a saw, and a shovel. Don't forget the chain saw while you are at it. Many complain about the idea of a simple gun, but they want a bow or slingshot that take up much more space and are much less effective. The other thing that bugs me is the bags, and dividers, and pouches and boxes. When 25% of your space and weight is the storage, something is wrong. And last is the idea you need to spend a lot of money for the basics. Most of the things you need to the most are $5 or less. Things like a dollar store rain poncho and emergency blanket are great. Simple food storage bags work great. Simple medicine like Ibuprofen, benadryl, and Imodium along with some triple antibacterial cream and some band-aids already in you medicine cabinet are fine. Some dental floss and a few needs, 50 feet of paracord, a $2 plastic drop cloth, a simple small lighter or some matches and maybe a backup small ferrite rod, one small flashlight, a nice folding blade,, 100' of fishing line, some hood, and a few small bobbers, some bandanas, a small pack of facial tissue and baby wipes, chapstick, bug repellent wipes, alcohol wipes. The only special and expensive things might be a hatchet (I always like them better than a big knife and saw or a machete) a water filter straw and some water pills. Those three things might cost $50 and all the rest likely cost less combined (or you already have. For food I would not bother with expensive survival food or even worse survival tablets... just throw some granola bars and beef jerky into a pack... maybe even some instant oatmeal and cup of noodle packs. They are very light, small, and cheap.
Maybe you're thinking of wilderness bugout.
This video is more about getting lost on a day hike, atv broke down in the desert, or your horse broke its leg in the back country.
Todd Abbott you forgot a hand crank radio with solar charging option. Tent states, maps that search and rescue use, pencil/pen and waterproof paper, container to store and boil water, foil, duct tape, and a survival list of first aid, and instructions on what to do in case of different emergencies along with a list of important phone numbers and addresses, a whistle, signaling supplies, and 2 small compasses
Todd Abbott You absaloutely need a great medical bag, not kit. you need to make an Ifak that accomadates you with things like quick clotand tounicates. you can cut an artery in your own home or in the city, knowledge of first aid and stitching techniques, plus the gear to put it into action is absaloutely essential in any situation.
Forsaken Xennial qq
Need some Marijuana for those freekie nights, so get stoned as well.
I always take a Sasqautch friend. They are great at survival and stealth camping.
Reigning Hide-N-Seek champions.
WELL-played.
REALITY CHURCH 😂😂😂😂😂
That is actually the most sound advice. They are masters of nature but finding one on purpose is nearly impossible.
Yeah but my sasquatch friend is kinda rapie.
"Just" a great way of expressing this concept. Too many people are unprepared physically, mentally, and spiritually. None of us know how we will react to a survival situation until we are thrust into it. The best we can do is to have quality gear that we train with and keep a positive, tenacious mindset.
Real Quick -- Fire Steel? What is the deal?
If you can carry a Fire Steel, you can carry a damn LIGHTER.
I don't smoke anymore but I carry a lighter.
They are 3/$1 at Dollar Tree.
Fire is what separates Humans from the Great Apes, and Lighters are what separates Modern Man from the Cave Man.
(OH! I also own a couple of Fire Steels)
One is none and 2 is one. If you didn't have your Flint with you your lighter and you would be soaked if you fell in the river by accident.
I use to think that about lighters too. Not a bad thing to have, but not a great thing for survival. Keep that steel with you!
Lighters, when wet, can malfunction, they can run out of fluid, be broken, etc.
I take both with me. But my BIC Lighter never failed. I found one in the River, dried it for 1-2 minutes and it worked again.
In general, lighters will not work if it is too cold. They also will only last for a finite amount of fires. Should be enough, but... fire steels will work in very cold weather, and will be effective for basically forever. They are more durable and less can go wrong.
All True,
I used to love 'survival tins' and wonder/fuss what I'd store/need in mine,.... truth is, unless you carry that thing around 24/7 like it was your wallet in your back pocket, they are useless!
I found myself (with 2 others) in a survival situation with only a compass, knife w/ ferro rod in the handle, 3 granola bars in my pocket, life straw around my neck, and 2 beers.
after a decision to 'make a new trail', we were doing circles in thick bush. Later after night fell, tongue in cheek comments of 'lost',... '3 campers found dead' started to be made, navigation by stars was useless as they couldn't be seen through the leaves. buddy made comment of 'A compass would be good right now'... removed my sense of denial of not in a survival situation, I then pulled out the compass, and it was what brought us back safely.
Bummer you had to kill one of the other guys so you would have one beer each !
First thing to do: admit to yourself that you're lost or in trouble, early, and plan accordingly.
That fishing hook is MASSIVE!
Are you trying to catch a shark?
LoL
I was thinking the same thing. Hope there's some salmon or sturgeon or fucking barracuda where you get lost. Lol. Ok, ok largemouth could take it
hahaha...yep you can tell he's a real expert by those snap swivels directly on the large hook. "Your gonna need a bigger boat!!"
Few things are scarier and more humbling than facing real danger in the woods or getting lost. Having gear alone will not save you, its knowing how to use it. We will not rise to our expectations, we will fall back on our training. Even more so, is the psychological reaction of survival. Nothing like that panicking, sinking feeling in your stomach and primal fear of hopelessness...Thanks for the awesome video!
If there's no water around you have to catch land fish.
Fuzzy Johnson there is more chance of stabbing a rabbit than finding water with fish in it.
Land fish squirrels rats and rabbits?
Fuzzy Johnson someone once told me they lived on hill billies for almost a month..
LOL! Long pig the other other white meat.
Fuzzy Johnson n
Being in Boy Scouts is a great start, as it can give you the confidence and attitude to survive, which to me, is one of the BIGGIES-John in Texas
The Boy Scouts are no more thanks to the dumb ass liberal dumbocrats~!! I also learned what you say in The Scouts in the late 50's and still possess those skills~!! RIP Boy Scouts of America~!!
Good point about the word ‘just’. I’ve caught myself saying that in some sketchy spots. Had a close call with a 40-50 foot drop that really got me thinking about the concept. Thanks
the best knife is as the best gun, its the one you have with you.
Big Racer
Very true.
All the gear and such isn't worth a damn if you don't know how to use it, PROPERLY.
You can almost always spot the guys that will be dropping out and shedding gear within a few minutes. Some of us know how to take 20 pounds of gear and do better than the guy humping in 75 - 80 pounds. Top of the line gear does NOT equate to top of the line skills.
Best advice to those top dollar people, get out into the area you are planning on heading to and LEARN. Take all of the gear you plan on having and do a 5 click walk while you carry it. By the time you hit the 5th click you might have a change of heart on what you really need.
One of the biggest misconceptions I hear while teaching SERE is “ it’s ok to take a break” while yes the body needs rest this can quickly lead to a mindset of complacency. When everything is “done” remember do three times as much in order to make sure you are actually done. Yes you are tired sore maybe injured but being able to rest only to find out that XYZ was not prepared for long term success will lead to a negative mindset. It is better to be prepared than to be rested. Survival is not a “chore” it is a decision and you must make sure the things you are prepared to do will become less of a challenge when you accept they are things you need to do. Mindset is everything great video at the end of the day always plan on your plan going wrong.
I have a knife. Should I get married?
Victor Da Silva lol - well played
Should you be married - get a knife
Damn right,maybe she has a gun.
Victor...lmao....but your not listening
quercus Then ... why the knife?
top 3 must have items (too me).
1) Will Power
2) Skill
3) "good" Gear (Bic lighter, Multi-tool)
I've lived homeless & in the woods for decades. U don't need a knife. U need to know how to sleep warmly - same in a survival situation. Most important of all, 100% priority, is the will to live and to improvise - achieve what u need too with what u can find. A survival situation will quickly reveal your priorities, and unless u can satisfy those priorities u will die. Most have no idea how to 'think' in a survival situation - it is very different from how u think in society - so when in a survival situation they are in big trouble: Better than equipment, knowledge, etc., is the experience in knowing how to think, how to survive (no crying, cuz there's no point; know ur priorities & achieve those priorities asap). So, in my opinion, if people want to be prepared for a survival situation, put urself in a survival situation: Go homeless; Get dropped off in the desert, or forest etc. and learn to rely on yourself. Take an emergency radio with you so you can get help if needed. That is the absolute best you can do to prepare yourself for survival.
Fully agree with you on all and the number one is awsome and in relationship with that one and the predators one I may say that sometimes bugs specially the bloodsuckers ones may ruined all the will and the voluntee you have, it can kill all Your patience and/or perseverance and make you take bad decisions and rushed tasks so you put yourself in even worst situations.
Ciao from Québec ⚜
In my experience is Nr 1: Lack of Respect for the nature and weather! That makes you underestimate all of the other 9 reasons. :)
Teachable by nature's examples vs. Unteachable
The will to survive is definitely important. I think it is right up there with experience. If you get to my age and are still getting out there maybe you'll see me in the Pemigewasset where I go off trail and spend quality time with nature. Oh yeah, I've never had any trouble getting a fire going since the mid sixties or so, no matter the time of year or weather conditions. One match is all we were allowed in scouts. C-4 is the only Firestarter I have ever used that didn't exist in the woods and we had plenty of that in the army. Maybe I'll see you in the woods and say hi!