Fundamental Survival Skills

There are some fundamental survival skills everyone should know how to do but which many of us have never tried or even cared about.

Every prepper should know how to:

• Build a fire (without using an entire newspaper for kindling)
• Purify water
• Tie functional knots
• Read a map
• Cook basic meals over a fire
• Sew or mend small or large tears
• Pack your car/truck with all your gear
• Get out of town without using highways
• Check the air pressure of your vehicles tires
• Check the fluid levels of your vehicle
• Treat basic medical needs
• Use a two-way radio
• Catch or forage for food in the wild

The list can go on and on. Its a lot to think about, we know. Don't let it stress you out though. Learn as much as you can, at your own pace. The likelihood of something happening that would force you to use these tools in the short-term is probably very slim. But Mother Nature can throw a few surprises at us so we need to be on top of our game.

Survival Schools

Consider finding a class near where you live that teaches Bushcrafting or Wilderness Training. We went to Byron Kern's Survival School for a long weekend and it was a real eye opener (it was fun too).

We've created a list of 14 awesome survival schools, see if you can find one near you.

As we work more on this site, and build out our tutorials we will be able to give you more information about these topics. For the time being, do your own research and see what the internet can show you. Then put your new survival skills to use as often as you can. Its really easy to forget knots for example!

For now you should join the discussion on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group - Bug Out Bag Builder: 72-Hour Emergency Kit Support Group. There you will see daily tutorials on survival topics, and you can connect with a community of like minded folks who can help you get started or answer any questions you have.

The most important thing to remember is to have your emergency kit prepared ahead of time. Maybe you don't know how to use that new Baofeng radio yet but someone who does can give you a quick lesson during an emergency. At least you got one...right?