Wilderness-Survival-Skills Blog

New Urban Survival Site

2010-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

New Urban Survival Site Because survival is not always in the wilderness and because survival is a passion of mine and certain topics don't necessarily fit on this site, I decided to create a sister site called Urban-Survival-Skills.org Here's the link: http://www.urban-survival-skills.org/ See you on the trail, --Greg 1000+ Military Survival ManualsClick Here! "Please notify me of any new

Igloo Building

2010-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

What's An Igloo? The igloo was developed by The Inuit Indians or Eskimos and was a semi-permanent shelter that was often built on the edge of the pack ice to shelter hunters for the hunting season (anywhere from 3 to 6 months out of the year). It was usually built with ice blocks using a saw. Therefore, it's not the most practical survival shelter and is the hardest to build and you definitely

Knowledge Is Power

2009-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Knowledge Is PowerAs I wrote in an earlier post, studies show that survival is 80% mental. If this is true then the most important thing you can have with a survival kit is your knowledge. The more knowledge you have the better. So to help with this I've included an incredible find that I think anyone would want:The Most Complete Collection of Military Manuals Available ANYWHERE! Over 1000+

Tarp Shelters

2009-12-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

Tarp SheltersTarp Shelters are the quickest and easiest way to make a shelter. Which means savings of energy and/or calories, which we all know are key factors in any survival situation. If you can carry one with you, you can't beat the convenience.Now what's the key to these shelters? Well, you should still follow the shelter criteria principles, along with the bedding, etc... But as for the

Do Your Research on Survival Sites Before You Head Out

2009-09-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

By Steve ThibeaultIf you are in a position where you are worrying about how you are going to survive, you are very unlikely to have Internet access and to be able to look for information on survival. As such, it is very important for you to be searching for survival sites online before you set out into a potentially dangerous situation. Always be prepared and conduct a lot of research so that you

Call on Your Resources For Survival

2009-09-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

By Steve ThibeaultIf you like to get it away for a weekend, or if you are a hunter, an outdoorsmen or a trekker, for example you should never leave things to chance and make sure that you have all your skills available if something should go wrong. Whilst we never like to think that it could happen, you never know when you will need to draw on all your resources for survival if you get lost or

5 Outdoor Survival Questions To Ask Your Fellow Wilderness Adventurers

2009-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

By Stephen HobbsIt goes without saying there are more than 5 important survival skills to know and apply. Given the many outdoor-related television shows and YOU Tube videos available, everybody is offering up what they think is important for surviving the wilderness.While all these presentations help, it is still the time you take to answer the following 5 questions that can make or break your

Accessorize For Life With A Pocket Survival Kit

2009-09-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

By Steve ThibeaultMany people have nightmares about being stranded in the wilderness, lost or possibly injured or incapacitated. Many of the largest cities in the United States are very close to wilderness areas. This does not mean that they are in very remote areas, such as the Rocky Mountains, as you can find a wilderness area in a large variety of different environments, and in the majority of

Wilderness Survival Tips Help You To Get Through

2009-09-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

By Steve ThibeaultAlways be prepared, especially if you are planning a trip into the great unknown. In the case of a prepared trip into the wilderness, most people undertake a great deal of preliminary work, but sometimes an innocent traveler can take the wrong turn, during bad weather for example, become disorientated and end up lost. In these cases, they could end up in need of some wilderness

Don't Leave Home Without Your Outdoor Survival Gear

2009-09-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

By Steve ThibeaultIf you come across a life-threatening situation, you will want to provide life-saving and life sustaining support until rescue, and this is where outdoor survival gear will come into its own. A situation could arise anywhere -- being injured or lost during an outdoor adventure, affected by a natural disaster, or simply being stranded on the roadside. Load yourself with the

Doctors vs Gun Owners

2009-09-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Doctors vs Gun OwnersI got a good laugh at this one, so I thought I would share it.Doctors(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.(C) Accidental deaths per physicianis 0.171.(Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.)>>>>>>>>>>>Now think about this:Guns(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is

Downed Log Wilderness Survival Shelter

2009-09-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Downed Log Wilderness Survival ShelterHere's a dubree hut that was built over a downed log. What a great wilderness survival shelter using what you find (i.e a downed log).Step 1 - Lay a couple of long poles across the downed log. Then start laying branches across the poles like an A-Frame.Step 2 - Finsh laying branches along the A-Frame and a few to close up the doorway. Look at that header for

Water Purification

2009-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Image by dbarronoss via FlickrWater is essential to life and all living things contain it. On an average, people lose 2-3 liters of water every day and can only survive for approximately three days without water.The concern for the wilderness traveler comes from the quality of the water available in the backcountry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that 90% of the world’s

Examples of Dubree Huts in 2 Different Climates

2009-08-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

Examples of Dubree Huts in 2 Different ClimatesExample 1 - Here's a dubree hut in an area of Ponderosa Pine and grass (a little more dry of an area). This student was a technical guy, I think a computer programmer. Look at the precision of his frame work (it doesn't have to look that nice).In this area there wasn't alot of pine bows so he used bark mostly for the roofing. Usually in an area

Lean-to Dubree Hut 2

2009-08-28T07:50:00.001-07:00

Lean-to Dubree Hut 2What if you don't have something to lean against? Here's a good dubree hut using the lean-to design while making your own wall to lean against.Step 1 - Find a good spot with plenty of material and them take a rock and pound in some stakes to hold the logs. Step 2 - Lay thick branches or lean them up against the wall you made between the stakes. Step 3 - Cover the logs with

If you’re lost in the outdoors - Part 3 (Night Travel)

2009-07-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you’re lost in the outdoors - Part 3 (Night Travel)　So if you don’t have a compass, how do you figure out direction of travel during the nighttime? Here’s 4 different methods for you to try:　Cresent Moon: Draw a line from tip to tip in a straight line and where the line hits the horizon is roughly South.Image via Wikipedia　Big Dipper Method: Draw a straight line through the two stars that make

If you’re lost in the outdoors - Part 2 (Direction of Travel)

2009-07-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

If you’re lost in the outdoors - Part 2 (Direction of Travel)　So if you don’t have a compass, how do you figure out direction of travel during the daytime? Here’s 3 different methods for you to try:　Shadowless Stick Method: Place a stick in the ground and then move or adjust it until the shadow disappears completely, soon it will reappear with the shadow running roughly East/West.　Shadow Stick

If You're Lost In the Outdoors - Part 1

2009-07-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

If You're Lost In the Outdoors - Part 1If you’ve ever been lost or turned around in the outdoors then you know what I mean about panic. And, if you haven’t been turned around and you spend any significant amount of time in the outdoors, then it’s only a matter of time before you do know whImage via Wikipediaat I mean.Psychologists have studied this mental state and found that in a survival

Lean-to Dubree Hut

2009-06-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Lean-to Dubree HutHere's a good dubree hut using the lean-to design.Step 1 - Find a good spot with plenty of material. Notice how there's a nice natural "V" shape notch between these trees to pile some logs for the backside of the lean-to. Step 2 - Lay logs or lean them up against the wall you made. Step 3 - Cover the logs with bark to make water tight. Remember to build from the bottom up just

Dubree Hut Step-by-Step Construction 2

2009-05-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Dubree Hut Step-by-Step Construction 21. Step One - Locate a good spot. Seeing how there wasn't very many trees around, here's a spot that has logs and a few sticks to use as a frame and bark for the roofing. 2. Step Two - Build the frame. Logs make a good main frame and the sticks fill in the rest. It's hard to see but there's a good slope to the left for the roof to allow rain to run off. 3.

Can You Deal With Panic? Your Personal Survival Depends On it.

2009-05-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

By G. E. RouseThe first time I was put in a survival situation, I remember it was like my mind began to spin like a rolodex trying to find a familiar point.In modern society we can almost always find help. Landmarks are everywhere and getting permanently lost or turned around is rare.So what do we do in an emergency, when there's no help around the corner or just a phone call away? Research shows

Step-by-Step Construction of Dubree Huts - 1

2009-05-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Step-by-Step Construction of Dubree Huts -1Note: Remember to take a look at the posts on "wilderness survival shelter criteria" and "3 components of a dubree hut" to see all the steps and check if this student followed them.1. Step One - Find a good location and build the frame. This student found a great spot that had losts of material readily available, along with the main frame already there

Basic Survival Kit

2009-05-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Basic Survival Kit　Here’s a list for a basic survival kit that you can build on your own. The biggest problem is what to carry it in, you want something small that can hold water. That brings up a key point, make sure your survival kit is not to big or you won’t carry it with you. The smaller and lighter it is the higher the probability that you will take it with you.　Big and heavy survival kits

Survival Shelter Roofing

2009-05-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

People always ask what you cover a dubree hut with and my answer is always the same, “whatever is available“. I've used everything from an old piece of tin I found to pine bows and even sod, if you layer it, you would be amazed at how waterproof they are. Here's a few examples of different survival shelter coverings.You can use pine bows.You can use grass.You can use barkMake sure you lay it like

3 Components of a Dubree Hut

2009-05-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Dubree huts are basically where you pile dubree (branches, sticks, rocks, etc...) into a pile to make a shelter. You use what's available in your immediate environment and make a shelter out of what nature provides.The benefit is that you don't have to have any gear to do it and so if you learn this method, no matter where you find yourself or what you have, you can always build a shelter. That