12 Outdoor Survival Skills Every Guy Should Master

Survival Skill #1
Locating a Suitable Campsite
You want to stay high and dry, Stewart says. Avoid valleys and paths where water may flow
toward you (flash floods get their name for a reasonthey can deluge a low-lying area in
minutes). Choose a campsite free from natural dangers like insect nests and widow-makers
dead branches that may crash down in the middle of the nightas well as falling rocks. Ideally,
you want to be close to resources like running water, dry wood (from which you can assemble
your shelter and build a fire) and rocky walls or formations that can shield you from the
elements.
Survival Skill #2
Building a Shelter
Not surprisingly, hypothermia is the number one outdoor killer in cold weather. That means a
well-insulated shelter should be your top priority in a prolonged survival situation. To make a
simple lean-to, find a downed tree resting at an angle, or set a large branch securely against a
standing tree, and stack smaller branches close together on one side. Layer debris, like leaves
and moss, across the angled wall. Lastly, insulate yourself from the cold ground--which will
draw heat from your warm body--by layering four to six inches of debris to lie on.
Survival Skill #3
Starting a Fire With a Battery
Any battery will do, says Stewart. Its about short-circuiting the battery. Connect the negative
and positive terminals with a wire, foil (like a gum wrapper), or steel wool to create a spark to
drive onto your tinder bundle. Have your firewood ready.
Survival Skill #4
Building Your Fire
Stewart views fire building in terms of four key ingredients: tinder bundle of dry, fibrous
material (cotton balls covered in Vaseline or lip balm are an excellent choice, if youve got
them) and wood in three sizestoothpick, Q-tip, and pencil. Use a forearm-sized log as a base
and windscreen for your tinder. When the tinder is lit, stack the smaller kindling against the
larger log, like a lean-to, to allow oxygen to pass through and feed the flames. Add larger
kindling as the flame grows, until the fire is hot enough for bigger logs.
Survival Skill #5
Finding clean water
Youll come across two kinds of water in the wild, Stewart says. Potable water thats already
purified, and water that can kill you. When it comes to questionable wateressentially
anything thats been on the ground long-term, like puddles and streamsyour best option is
boiling water, which is 100 percent effective in killing pathogens. But sometimes boiling isnt an
option.
Rain, snow, and dew are reliable sources of clean water you can collect with surprising ease,
and they dont need to be purified. With a couple of bandanas, Stewart has collected two
gallons of water in an hour by soaking up dew and ringing out the bandanas. You can also
squeeze water from vines, thistles, and certain cacti. Are there any maple trees around? Cut a
hole in the bark and let the watery syrup flownatures energy drink.
Survival Skill #6
Collecting Water With a Transpiration Bag
Like humans, plants sweat throughout the dayits a process called transpiration. To take
advantage of this clean, pure source of water, put a clear plastic bag over a leafy branch and
tie it tightly closed. When you return later in the day, water will have condensed on the inside
of the bag, ready to drink.
Survival Skill #7
Identifying Edible Plants
Theres no need to go after big game in a survival situation, and chances are youll waste
energy in a fruitless attempt to bring them down. Make your living on the smalls, Stewart
says. That means eating edible plants (as well as small critters like fish, frogs, and lizards).

Separating the plants you can eat from those that will kill you is a matter of study and
memorization. Buy a book to familiarize yourself with plants in different environments. And
dont take any chances if youre uncertain (remember how Chris McCandles died in the end
of Into the Wild). A few common edible plants include cattail, lambsquarter (also called wild
spinach), and dandelions. Find these and eat up.
Survival Skill #8
Using a Split-tip Gig to Catch Critters
Gigging (hunting with a multi-pronged spear) is the simplest way to catch anything from snakes
to fish. Cut down a sapling of about an inch in diameter, and then split the fat end with a knife
(or sharp rock) into four equal sections ten inches down. Push a stick between the tines to
spread them apart, then sharpen the points. Youve got an easy-to-use four-pronged spear.
Much easier for catching critters than a single sharp point.
Survival Skill #9
Navigating By Day
If you ever find yourself without a GPS tool (or a simple map and compass) you can still use the
sky to find your way. The most obvious method to get a general bearing by day is to look at the
sun, which rises approximately in the east and sets approximately in the west anywhere in the
world. But you can also use an analog watch to find the north-south line. Just hold the watch
horizontally and point the hour hand at the sun. Imagine a line running exactly midway
between the hour hand and 12 oclock. This is the north-south line. On daylight savings? Draw
the line between the hour hand and one oclock.
Survival Skill #10
Navigating By Night
Find Polaris, or the North Star, which is the end of the Little Dippers handle. If you can find the
Big Dipper, draw a line between the two stars at the outer edge of the constellations dipper
portion. Extend this line toward the Little Dipper, and it will line up with Polaris. Face Polaris,
and youre facing true north. If there is a crescent moon in the sky, connect the horns of the
crescent with an imaginary line. Extend this line to the horizon to indicate a southerly bearing.
Once you determine your direction, pick a landmark nearby or in the distance to follow by
daylight.
Survival Skill #11
Tying a Bowline
Knots come in handy for a slew of survival scenariostying snares, securing shelters, lowering
equipment or yourself down a cliff face. Ideally, you should have an arsenal of knots, from
hitches to bends to loops, in your repertoire. But if you learn only one, learn the bowline.
Its your number one, go-to rescue knot, Stewart, who uses a mnemonic for every knot, says.
Its foolproof for fastening rope to an object via a loop, particularly when the rope will be loaded
with weight: the harder you pull, the tighter the knot gets. Stewarts mnemonic for tying the
bowline from any angle is the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back in the
hole. Use this mnemonic, says Stewart, and it doesnt matter if you tie it spinning on your
head. Its going to come out right.
Survival Skill #12
Sending Up a Survival Signal
At timeslike when you have a debilitating injuryyour only hope for getting saved is to
maximize your visibility so rescuers can find you. Two methods, if used properly, will guarantee
that, if someones looking, theyll see you.
The first is a signal fireand the first rule is to put it out in the open for visibility. That means
hilltops or clearings in a forest where nothing, like a cliff face or trees, will disperse the smoke.
Create a platform to raise the base of the fire off the ground so moisture doesnt saturate the
wood. Save your absolute best combustible material for your signal fire to guarantee a quick
light. Once the fire is lit, pile on green branches, like pine boughs in winter, to produce thick
smoke. Its not about warmth, its about 15 seconds of smoke, Stewart notes. Thats about
all youve got when you hear a plane before its out of sight.

The second is a mirror signal. A flash from signal mirroreven at night, by moonlightcan be
seen for miles, much farther than any flashlight. You dont need a store-bought signal mirror to
be effective. Improvise with any reflective surface youve got, from rearview mirrors or
headlights to a cell phone screen. Aiming the reflection is the key, and its simple. Hold out a
peace sign and place your target--be it plane or boat--between your fingers. Then flash the
reflection back and forth across your fingers.