10 Survival Tips That Can Really Save Your Life

STOP (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan) — an acronym that stands for Stop, Think, Observe and Plan — is the technique professionals like Mark Jenkins use when they get lost in the wild without a GPS or cell phone. This technique can help you get clean water, avoid injury, and find a way back to civilization; very important tips for when you find yourself in a dangerous situation that can last longer than expected.

That’s why today, in the awesome.clubwe’ve put together some practical tips that might come in handy if you get lost in the wild.

Finding a source of fresh drinking water is a priority when you are lost. How long humans can survive without water depends on conditions. As a reference: an athlete who exercises intensely, in a very hot environment, can become dehydrated, have their body temperature rise very quickly and die in a period of just a few hours. Fortunately, using condensation to get fresh, potable water is quite easy. By wrapping a plastic bag around a leafy branch that is exposed to the sun, you can get an unlimited supply of fresh water.

This may seem like an impractical tip, but taking bubble wrap when camping in cold places is extremely important. As the material maintains a layer of air as a buffer, it acts as a great insulator. It can even be used to insulate windows during winter. If you forgot to bring bubble wrap, you can always use dry leaves. Research has shown that dried apple tree leaves, for example, improve thermal insulation.

This technique is commonly used by Australian aborigines who were able to walk long distances without carrying water. They molded a ball of dry grass and wrapped it around their ankles as they walked before sunrise to collect water from the dew.

Once you’ve managed to find water, and since it’s always better not to walk in the dark to avoid accidents, try to find shelter if you need to spend the night in an inhospitable place. If you can’t find a cave or any other way to protect yourself from the rain, make sure you don’t lay your body on the cold ground, and sleep on an elevated surface to avoid hypothermia.

While no natural mosquito remedy works as effectively as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), you can use natural remedies to ward off these potentially dangerous insects. Pine oil, for example, can act as a repellent for mosquitoes and certain types of ticks because of its smell. Burning leaves like citronella can also repel insects.

When encountering a bear, the best thing to do is slowly back away from it, as most of the time, the bear is more afraid of you than you are of it. On the other hand, during a black bear attack, fighting back is a good idea; if it’s a grizzly bear, which is much bigger and more powerful, the best chance of survival is to curl up and play dead.

Crossing a river may seem easy, but you really need to do it with utmost care. The safest places to cross are usually straight sections between river bends. The faster the current, the shallower it needs to be for you to cross safely. Throw a stick to see how fast the current is, but if in doubt, remember that it’s best to cross where it’s less shallow and the current is slower. If you cross, always face the current of the river, with the water flowing towards you, and lean forward slightly, keeping your feet approximately shoulder-width apart. Bending your knees to lower your center of gravity and having a third point of contact can ensure your safety if you’re crossing a river alone.

A block of clear ice, about two inches thick, can be turned into a lens to create a spark, using the same technique you would use with a magnifying glass. The trick is to create a convex lens (thinner at the edges and thicker in the middle).

Once you’ve found water, shelter, and a fire, your priority should be to reduce the time you spend there. Using a smoke signal can save your life. After starting the fire, you must create as much smoke as possible. This can be done using damp leaves. Then use a wet blanket or large sheets to section the smoke column into three clouds (or tufts). If a plane or boat sees your smoke signal, they won’t mistake it for a regular fire or bonfire. The triple column of smoke is an emergency code widely used by Boy Scouts and Native Americans.

Hygiene might seem like the least of your worries when you’re lost in the wild. However, it may happen that you need to disinfect your hands to apply a bandage or perform minor interventions. Ash, for a long time, was not accepted as an alternative to soap, however, according to this study, they are just as efficient. So when you’re lost, you can use the ashes from the fires to clean your hands.

Drinking your own urine or using mosses as a guide when you’re lost are some myths popularized by movies. Unfortunately, both are wrong. Although urine is normally free of bacteria—if the kidneys are healthy—the whole point of urinating is for the body to filter excess salts and minerals from the blood. Drinking it again can make your kidneys have to work harder and make you thirstier because of its sodium content. As for the moss that only grows on the north side, it is just looking to survive, so it grows wherever it is damp and not sunny. In some places in the Northern Hemisphere, this happens in the North, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. In the Southern Hemisphere, moss grows south.

Tips may vary depending on the climate of your destination. Do you have any tips that might be useful to our readers? What other survival myths should be debunked? Tell us in the comments section.