The internet can be a great source to learn new skills and better prepare yourself for any situation in the outdoors. For the Reddit page focused on survival, it’s all they talk about.
While it’s important to consider many “facts” on social media more of an opinion, there are usually at least some informed ideas that you can use to start researching a subject.
Here are some of the questions and popular responses on the r/Survival sub-Reddit:
Best Tips For Those New to Learning Survival Tactics?
This is a great place for beginners to start on the basics needed to increase your survival skills. Here are some responses.
“Be sure to tell someone you’ll be out in the woods and for how long. Also, cordage making, shelter building, fire making, making pine needle tea, pottery, etc. It’s almost all good for beginners. Most outdoors skills are one of those things that take a few minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.”
“Build a fire.
Build a fire at night.
Build a fire after a rain.
Start a fire without a lighter or matches.
Build a fire that will last overnight.
Build a covert fire.
That’s about 4 full days of training right there.”
“Survival Skills are often best learned with a smart friend and at home.
- Land nav is king: Take a friend and GPS, go hiking learn to navigate without a GPS. That alone is a great skill to learn without all of the other skills. You need a compass, learn your pace count and map reading skills. Once you have that, create small challenges to test your skills near safety. And with a cell phone.
- While you are out there, grab fire-making stuff, moss, sticks, small logs, etc. and learn to make a fire in your backyard or campground.”
What Are the Best Offline Apps to Have On Your Phone?
While over-reliance on your phone can cause trouble, there are still plenty of ways to use modern technology to help you navigate and even call for help. However, what do you do when you’re out of service? Here are a few recommended apps that will work wherever you are.
“Maybe not exactly what you’re looking for, but there are tons of free books in the Kindle store about all different aspects of survival/off-grid living and bushcraft. The nice thing is that you don’t need a Kindle. You can download the books into the app, and they should work just fine without any kind of service.”
“First aid app, survival manual.
The big one for me is a drawing app map to which I can import and draw over QGIS maps I’ve made and exported to my phone to plot routes and examine the terrains over where I’m going.”
A phone can be a versatile tool when you install and use the right apps. Make sure you check that the apps work offline since you probably won’t have an internet connection.
- MAPS & NAVIGATION: Have a mapping and navigation solution that can work offline like OsmAnd. Download the data for your area and any other areas that you may need. Try it out offline (enable airplane mode). It may take a little longer to acquire a GPS signal, but you want to make sure it works now, in advance of the need for it to work later.
- OFFLINE DICTIONARY AND TRANSLATION: Install an offline working dictionary and the languages you are most likely to face.
- RECORDER: In survival situations, you will get yourself in a stable situation more easily by keeping the willpower to fight on. To keep going, many people in a survival situation write diaries to combat loneliness and keep track of their life and their unexpected events.
- TRAILSENSE: The compass can be used to determine the direction to north, and when combined with the GPS, it can be used to navigate to predefined locations. The predefined locations, known as beacons, can be created while at a location and at any point, you can use the compass to navigate back to where the beacon was placed.
- MUSIC: Have a Music app that is not a streaming solution and some uplifting music.
- SOURCE: Ligi’s Survival Manual
What Are the Best Survival Items to Add to a Lifejacket?
If you’re a big-time kayaker or it’s your first time camping your way down a river, there are certain items you’ll want to keep handy. This is especially true with a personal floatation device, or PFD, that hopefully you’re wearing.
These are the additional items that may be worth connecting to your lifejacket:
“In a real situation, your best friend would be a PLB or satellite messenger like a Garmin. They can be rented fairly cheaply for specific trips. It’s especially important if you’re alone and in danger of being injured out of radio range.
“Former guide here. Ditch the tablets and pick up a Life Straw. In an uh-oh scenario, you won’t want to worry about finding a container and waiting for the tab to do its thing.”
“In my opinion, shelter is more important than fire. You need a tarp or Emergency blankets. Paracord is great if you practice taking it apart and using it. If you are really concerned about survival, get a GPS transponder they come with a strobe light. Being found fast is better than trying to survive for even one day.”
You can find some of the recommended items in the Outdoors.com store. Including:
