Survival skills are essential for anyone who spends time outdoors, whether you're an adventurer, camper, hiker, or just someone who wants to be prepared for emergencies.

Knowing how to survive in the wilderness—or even in an urban crisis—can mean the difference between life and death. In this article, we’ll cover 21 survival skills everyone should know to stay safe in any situation.

 

1. Finding and Purifying Water

Water is the most critical survival resource. Learn how to find water from streams, lakes, rainwater, and even plants. Always purify water by boiling, using a filter, or using purification tablets to avoid diseases.

2. Building a Fire Without Matches

Fire provides warmth, protection, and a way to cook food. Learn multiple fire-starting methods, such as using a ferro rod, flint and steel, or even creating a friction fire with a bow drill.

How to Build Fire Without Matches

Fire is one of the most critical survival elements, providing warmth, protection, a way to cook food, and even a means to signal for rescue. While matches and lighters are the most convenient ways to start a fire, relying on them in survival situations is risky. If they get wet, lost, or run out of fuel, you’ll need alternative methods to create fire. Knowing how to build a fire without matches is a crucial skill that can make the difference between life and death.

One of the most reliable methods for fire-starting is using a ferrocerium rod, often called a fire steel. This tool creates a shower of sparks when scraped with a knife or metal striker. To successfully use a ferro rod, you need a dry and highly flammable tinder source, such as dry grass, fine wood shavings, or cotton balls. Position the rod close to the tinder, scrape it firmly, and let the sparks ignite the material. Once the tinder catches fire, carefully add small sticks and gradually build up to larger pieces of wood.

Another traditional fire-starting technique is flint and steel, which functions similarly to a ferro rod but requires a piece of natural flint rock and a high-carbon steel striker. When struck together, small sparks land on the tinder, igniting it. This method requires patience, but with practice, it can be very effective.

If you don’t have modern tools, the bow drill method is an ancient yet challenging fire-starting technique. This friction-based method requires a spindle, a fireboard, a bow, and a socket. By quickly rotating the spindle against the fireboard using the bow, heat is generated through friction, eventually producing a small ember. Once the ember forms, it should be carefully transferred to a nest of dry tinder and blown on gently to ignite a flame. This method demands skill and persistence, but it’s a valuable survival technique.

Another effective friction-based method is the hand drill, which works similarly to the bow drill but requires only a spindle and fireboard. By rapidly rolling the spindle between your palms, friction generates enough heat to create an ember. This method is physically demanding and best practiced in dry conditions where wood and tinder are highly combustible.

If you have access to a clear sky, using a magnifying glass or a convex lens can focus the sun’s rays to ignite dry tinder. A lens from eyeglasses, a camera, or even a transparent water bottle filled with liquid can concentrate sunlight onto a fine piece of dry material. This method is dependent on bright sunlight, making it ineffective at night or in cloudy weather.

In some survival situations, batteries and steel wool can serve as an alternative fire-starting technique. By touching fine steel wool to the terminals of a battery, an electrical current rapidly heats the fibers, causing them to ignite. This method is particularly useful in urban survival scenarios where batteries may be more accessible.

Regardless of the method you use, preparing your fire properly is crucial. Start by gathering three essential components: tinder, kindling, and fuelwood. Tinder consists of fine, dry materials like dry grass, bark shavings, or cotton, which ignite easily. Kindling includes small sticks that help sustain the flame, while larger logs or branches serve as fuelwood to keep the fire burning longer. Proper fire structure, such as a teepee, lean-to, or log cabin setup, helps the fire burn efficiently and stay lit even in windy conditions.

3. Constructing a Shelter

Exposure to harsh weather can be deadly. Knowing how to build a simple lean-to, debris hut, or tarp shelter will protect you from rain, wind, and cold temperatures.

4. Navigation Without a GPS

If you get lost, knowing how to navigate using the sun, stars, and natural landmarks can help you find your way back. Learn how to read a map and use a compass properly.

5. Foraging for Edible Plants

In a survival situation, food sources may be scarce. Learn how to identify safe, edible plants while avoiding poisonous ones. Some common edible plants include dandelions, cattails, and wild berries.

6. Hunting and Trapping for Food

If you need to hunt for food, understanding how to set simple traps, fish, and track animals can be lifesaving. Learn how to make basic snares and fish using natural materials.

7. First Aid and Medical Skills

Knowing how to treat injuries, burns, bites, and fractures is crucial in emergencies. Learn basic wound care, CPR, and how to stop severe bleeding with pressure and tourniquets.

8. Signaling for Rescue

If you’re lost or stranded, knowing how to signal for help can save your life. Learn to use smoke signals, whistles, mirrors, and SOS signals to attract attention.

9. Making a Weapon for Defense

In extreme situations, you may need to protect yourself from wild animals or threats. Learn how to make simple weapons like spears, bows, and clubs using natural materials.

10. Identifying Dangerous Animals and Avoiding Attacks

Knowing how to react to bears, wolves, snakes, and other wildlife can prevent dangerous encounters. For example, never run from a bear—stand your ground and make yourself look bigger.

11. Improvising Tools from Natural Materials

Nature provides many materials that can be turned into tools. Learn how to make knives from stone, ropes from plant fibers, and containers from tree bark.

12. Tying Essential Knots

Knot-tying is crucial for building shelters, setting traps, and securing items. Learn knots like the bowline, square knot, and clove hitch for survival situations.

13. Finding Your Way Out of the Woods

If you’re lost in a forest, always follow water sources downstream—they often lead to civilization. Use natural markers like mountain ridges and rivers for orientation.

14. Staying Warm in Cold Conditions

Hypothermia is a serious risk in cold environments. Learn how to layer clothing, create insulated shelters, and make a fire to stay warm.

15. Avoiding and Treating Hypothermia & Heatstroke

Extreme temperatures can be deadly. In the cold, keep dry and insulated. In hot weather, avoid overheating by staying in the shade and drinking water frequently.

16. Understanding Survival Psychology

Your mindset is your most powerful survival tool. Staying calm, thinking logically, and focusing on your goals will help you overcome fear and panic.

17. Building a Survival Kit

A well-packed survival kit should include a knife, fire starter, water filter, first aid supplies, cordage, and a flashlight. Carry these items whenever you go into the wild.

18. Self-Defense Techniques

In an emergency, knowing how to defend yourself against attackers or aggressive animals can be crucial. Basic self-defense techniques using your hands or simple weapons can make a difference.

19. Making a Signal Fire

If stranded, creating a large smoke signal fire using green leaves or rubber can attract rescuers from miles away.

20. Understanding Weather Patterns

Recognizing cloud formations, wind changes, and animal behaviors can help you predict storms, find shelter, and avoid dangerous weather.

21. Staying Calm and Making Smart Decisions

Panic can lead to fatal mistakes. Always assess the situation, make a plan, and take action with confidence. Survival is about making the right choices at the right time.

 

Final Thoughts

Learning these 21 survival skills can prepare you for unexpected emergencies in the wild or even in urban settings. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in handling survival situations.

If you're serious about learning survival skills, wilderness survival, and bushcraft, consider joining a survival academy where you can receive professional training. Invest in your safety today and gain the confidence to survive anywhere, anytime!