There’s a chance that something will happen to humans that will throw us back into the dark ages, like nuclear war or a super-virus. Most of us wouldn’t know what to do when this happens, we’ll survive by working things out as they go along. However, if you know just a few tips you will have a much higher chance of surviving. These tips are also really useful for people who just like to go out and be with nature for a few days/weeks or camping. Here’s 10 of the best and most useful wilderness survival tips!

There are so many useful and helpful tips out there so check back frequently for more!

10. Pencil Sharpener

Pencil sharpeners are really useful tools, imagine one day you and your family are freezing, it’s raining and you really need a fire but all you have is a bunch of wet sticks. You can use the pencil sharper to cut off the wet outside and expose the dry wood on the inside which you can use to start the fire. Depending on the size of the pencil sharpener, it can be a really easy way of sharpening sticks for tools or weapons.

9. Leaves

Leaves have a lot of insulation uses, they can be used as an extra layer by stuffing them in between your shirt and your jacket/coat. The only downside to this is some insects will be inside said leaves, like ticks. You can also fill big bags with them and use them as pillows or if you have enough, a mattress of sorts.

8. Water filter

It is surprisingly common for people to drink, wash or even clean cuts with any water they find. Water from ponds, rivers, lakes etc should always be properly cleaned and purified before consumption. The best way of doing this is by getting a piece of cloth (socks work amazing for this) and filling it with charcoal, then add a layer of sand and then a layer of grass. The charcoal will soak up any contaminants. The sand will stop any fine granules and the grass is what picks up the larger bits and pieces. After this you simply add a water purification tablet or boil the water and it’s ready!

7. Firestarting and Tinder

Nope, not the app. Tinder is one of the most important tools in a firestarter’s toolbox, it’s used to get a fire going. You ignite tinder and it starts to smolder and burn, you then blow it to speed up the burning process. Once it has smoldered enough you should put it with things that easily ignite like dry grass/leaves, which will quickly grow into flames and burn the big fire you have built. There’s a bunch of ways you can light tinder, the best way being drowning it in sparks from a flint & steel. You can also use a magnifying glass if the sun is strong enough, simply get a good angle and focus the light onto the tinder. So what can be used as tinder? Here’s a small list below.

Pinecones – These are found everywhere so pick them up as much as you can!

Coal Fungus – Doesn’t sound or look appealing but this fungus is a really good tinder. It can be found on dead or fallen trees, best way to ignite it is to break it open and light the inside.

Birch bark –  Great for starting or maintaining a fire, simply strip it off birch trees.

6. Intestinal Infections And How To Cure Them

As we discussed before, drinking un-treated water can have some very negative effects, these include intestinal infections like Cholera and Dysentery. However, it won’t always be possible to purify your water so you need to know what to do to sort out said infections. The first way is to brew blackberry leaves in water, this will produce a tea that is both pleasant to taste and very good for your system, it will reduce the effects of such infections. The same goes for acorns and oak bark so it’s worth always keeping at least one of the 3 on you.

5. Stinging Nettles

These plants are some of the most annoying plants out there, coming into contact with one of these produces a stinging/itchy/painful sensation in the affected area. This obviously isn’t a huge survival tip but if you’re struggling to survive, it can make surviving a little bit easier. If you’ve been stung the quickest method of obtaining relief is to spit on the area and rub it with clothing. You can also chew Dock Leaves and then rub it on the area. Mercifully, dock leaves are found quite close to Stinging Nettles.

4. Drinking Urine

This is one of the most commonly believed myth out of all of the survival tips. It is believed that if you’re dehydrated, you can simply drink your own urine. This is incorrect, drinking your own dehydrated urine will only make you more dehydrated and if you drink enough it can be fatal.

3. Sleep

Getting a good nights sleep is really important for preparing your body for the next day. You need to make sure your bed is warm and comfortable so here is how to do exactly that!

The first thing you need to be aware of is that you should sleep at least 2 feet off the ground as it absorbs the heat from your body. This can cause restlessness but also causes your body to burn more calories to keep up with the heat production. Hammocks are really good for this but if you don’t have access to one then you can form a makeshift bed out of logs and leaves. Pile the logs on top of each other until its a decent size and then put leaves on it for comfort. You should also sleep far away from any water sources as the insects that live around their will eat you alive.

2. First Aid Kit

It’s really easy for you to suffer some cuts, lacerations, wounds and infections while in the wilderness. It’s imperative that you at least have the right equipment on your hands so if you’re in a post-apocalypse scenario then make sure to pick up these items that I will list below, these are what you really need to survive:

Anti-septic wipes – Anti-septic items are for cleaning open wounds/cuts

TCP anti-septic liquid

Crepe Bandages

Band-aids/plasters

Steri-strips

Signal Mirror

Tweezers

Needle & Thread

20m of Duct Tape

Oxytetracycline – antibiotic

Silva Field Compass

This is courtesy of AlfieAesthetics (not an ad, he’s just awesome and deserves the credit). I would personally recommend basic medicines too.

1. Tent Pegs

Tent pegs will form the basis of all your cooking and water boiling. As you can see in the image above, you put tent pegs in a square shape (one peg per corner) and place some steel wire mesh onto it. This forms a grill which you can use to cook and boil water etc. If you have no wire mesh you can place 2 logs close to each other and arrange the pegs so they balance on both of the logs, place enough of them and you have a grill!