How to Survive in the Wild

Whether you are planning on going on a wilderness walk, or whether you are worried about your ability to survive if you were forced to spend time away from your home comforts, it can be good to develop a basic understanding of how to survive in the wild. Here are some tips to help you if you find yourself in a situation where you are a long way from civilisation.

Understanding Your Position

If you have intentionally taken yourself out into the wild, then you may feel as though this point does not apply to you, but it is still important to know and understand where you are. Understanding where you are will help you to make the logical and rational which will help you to survive in the wild. Without your bearings, you could end up just walking around in a huge circle. Try to determine the cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) by using outdoor skills. There are a lot of things that can help you out here, but the easiest way to do this is by looking at the sun. Where ever you are in the world, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, you can normally work out North and South by looking for patterns in the foliage. Trees and plants tend to be fuller on the Southern side, whilst you will normally only find moss growing on the Northern side of trees and walls. This is because moss prefers darker, shadier conditions. Depending on where you are, you may also want to get yourself to higher ground, as this may give you a much better idea about what is around you.

Shelter

If you are forced to spend the night in the wild it is important that you either manage to find shelter or know how to make a shelter from what is around you. Shelter will help to keep you warmer and drier, by protecting you from the wind and rain. Alternatively, if you are in the wild in a warm climate, it can help to protect you from the sun and give you shade. Before building a shelter, think about where to site it. Ideally it should be close to both food and water sources, although you should avoid building a shelter right on the banks of a river or stream, in case the river floods. Make sure that you build shelter before nightfall, as you will struggle to find the best materials once it gets dark.  If you know that you are going out into the wild, you should always take a real tent, or a line and tarp, which can be used in various different ways to make a shelter.

Water

Finding water is even more important than finding food. Whilst food is essential to maintain your energy levels, you will actually die more quickly if you are deprived of water than you would if you were to be deprived of food. To prevent excessive water loss, stay out of the midday sun and try to keep cool in hot weather. If you are going out into the wilderness intentionally, then you should always carry water purification tablets. These will help you to avoid becoming sick from pollutants in the water. Rivers flow downhill, so your best bet for finding water is to move to low-lying areas. Lush foliage signals that an area is well hydrated. You can also follow animal tracks or bird flight paths in the morning or evening, as these tend to lead to water. However, you should also be aware that you may encounter these animals at the watering hole, so be careful if the animal that you are tracking is a large one.

Feeding Yourself

If you are near a river, fishing for food is easy, as long as you can make equipment for yourself. Hunting for meat is inadvisable, as you will likely expend more energy than you gain. Only eat fruit and berries that you recognise, and avoid eating anything with a cloudy or milky sap, as these plants are most likely to be poisonous. As a rule, most plants with yellow or white berries are poisonous.

How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
SAS Survival Guide 2E (Collins Gem): For any climate, for any situation
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides)