Top Ten Survival Skills

Recently we were asked, "If you had to choose the top 5-10 survival skills everyone should know, what would they be?"  So here is our list of Top Ten Survival Skills.

1.            Positive Mental Attitude:  You aren’t dead yet!  For a majority of the untold volumes of self-help books sold every year, its all about cultivating a mindset.  You are unstoppable.  Your goals may not happen today, but they will happen if you keep moving forward.  Victories are compounded by more victories.  Skills compound skills.  Along the road you will be rewarded with more tools for your success.  It will come together.  Keep going.  Keep a going.

2.            Efficiency:  Nature abhors waste and your inefficiencies will be compounded by lack of calories.  To combat fatigue, it is essential to stack as many functions as possible in your movements.  For example, if you know you are going to have a fire, pick up some sticks as you are heading to the fire pit.  Pass a grape vine, maybe its time to top off on water.  Dog-bane patch, gather some cordage materials.  In other words, take advantage and hoard resources as you find them, so you don’t have to go out of your way when if need them in the future.

 

3.            Reading:  Stories and knowledge transferred through written word are how humanity has efficiently compiled and preserved all of its knowledge for future generations.  Just like trying to learn anything, research and gentle direction from a trusted mentor will remove decades from the time it would take to figure it out on your own.

4.            Fire:  Friction fire particularly is a skill that must be mastered for true confidence in the wilderness.  And, it is hard!  Even more so when marginal materials are the only thing available.  At the Sustainable Homestead Institute, we require our advanced students to create fresh fires from the landscape in under and hour because this skill is so essential.  Fire quickly fills gaps in your situation.  Fire can greatly boost the effectiveness of a less than adequate shelter.  Fire is half the equation to completely purify water for drinking.  Fire cooks your food, calls for help, dries your socks, keeps you company; the list could go on.

5.            Plants:  Understanding plants is the key to understanding the resources around you.  Natural medicine, seasonal nutrients, fiber, and construction materials are available often in your own back yard, and an intimate knowledge of plant patterns and families will help you quickly identify how a plant can be used to help your survival situation.

 

6.            Water:  Water is so important.  It is the motor oil to our car engine, with out it, our bodies would seize and refuse to go any further.  On a hot day in the summer, it is going to be difficult to build a proper shelter without water.  Mastering water purification is essential to being part of the landscape.

7.            Shelter:  Even in 55-degree weather, hypothermia is only a good rainstorm away if you are exposed.  Shelter is an essential survival skill that when mastered, builds unshakeable confidence that you can do anything.

 

8.            Cordage:  Lashings are an integral part of survival, and you got to have rope for lashings.  Rope is a got to have for some friction fire methods, mending clothing, fishing, taking prisoners, pretty much all the things in a survival situation.  You are going to need some rope.  Sitting by the fire in a native village it would be the norm to see people either making cordage or mending moccasins, both were a never-ending task. 

 

9.            Trapping and Game Processing:  While not essential in the average survival situation (72 hours), eventually you are going to need calories.  Animal consumption is the most efficient method to deliver nutrient dense calories year-round.  Learning a few basic traps, funneling, and the tenants of game processing will keep your group content while meeting the calorie demands of an initial survival situation.

 

10.         Fishing:  Where there are healthy waterways, there is usually something to eat.  Knowing how to catch and clean fish will open another door to more calories available on the landscape.  This goes hand in hand with #9 survival skill on our list.

This is our list.  Thanks for checking it out.  What are your top ten survival skills?  Disagree?  Let us know.  If you want to see what it takes to meet your needs from the landscape first hand, our 5 day Survival Essentials class is a great introduction to living with the land long term.  Want to just dip your toes in the water, check out our full calendar of classes at SustainableHomestead.com.