Preparedness is survival. When disaster strikes, you might find yourself stuck out in the wilderness, which can be treacherous and quite unforgiving, so knowing exactly what to do when venturing out can up your chances of making it out alive. (h/t to RealitySurvival.com)

How to survive out in the wilderness

Wilderness survival skills are an important part of any prepper’s arsenal, and will be especially useful for those who live in an urban area and have absolutely no experience with the wilderness at all. Here are a few things to take note of to keep yourself alive out in the wild.

Keep calm and use your head

When out in the wild, you should anticipate that things can go bad in no time and prepare accordingly. However, 0ne thing you should not do when out in the wilderness is panic. Panic can influence your mindset and decision-making, and can cause you to make irrational choices. Instead, you should collect yourself and start thinking of the best course of action to get you out of your current predicament.

For example, you shouldn’t waste daylight standing around feeling anxious, yet accomplishing nothing. If you want to get help, think about where the closest settlement is and start moving in the general direction before it gets dark.

Build a shelter

Bad weather is something difficult to avoid when trying to survive out in the wilderness. In this case, knowledge on building a shelter is vital to protect yourself from exposure to the harmful elements. Getting wet even in mild temperatures can be a death sentence if you aren’t prepared.

Your shelter will depend on the resources available around you. Build your shelter as small as possible to be inconspicuous to the other denizens of the wilderness. An example shelter is to use branches and leaves and arrange them against a sturdy structure as a makeshift “roof.”

Find water

In any survival situation, finding water should be one of your priorities. An average person can survive about three days without drinking water, which decreases if he’s in a hotter climate. Even a few hours of dehydration can affect physical and mental capacity.

However, you can’t just drink any water you find. Many water sources are contaminated with bacteria and other pollutants that can be harmful to health. A conventional way to purify water is by using a water filter or purifier. You can also boil the water over a fire as an alternative.

Keep a knife on you

A knife is a versatile survival tool and can be used for a variety of purposes. From making shelters, hunting for food, to starting a fire, a knife will definitely come in handy when surviving out in the wilderness. However, a simple pocket knife wouldn’t last long. There are dedicated survival knives you can choose from that are much more durable.

Learn how to start a fire

If you must hunker down for the night, knowing how to make a fire can make life significantly easier. Not only can fire keep you warm and prevent problems like hypothermia, you can also use it to light up your immediate surroundings and cook food.

One of the easiest ways of having a fire ready at all times is by keeping some fire starter like matches or a lighter on your person. However, do not use flammable liquids like gasoline and lighter fluid, if you want to avoid unintentionally starting a forest fire.

Learn more about living out in the wilderness at Survival.news.

Sources include:

RealitySurvival.com

PrepperBits.com

OutdoorLife.com

MedicalNewsToday.com