Home > 5. Learning
“The more you know, the less you need.”
Building essential survival knowledge and core skills — and mastering them over time — will help you to escape some disasters or pull through after a disaster has hit you.
Staying away from trouble / abstaining from risky behavior. “Don’t do stupid things, with stupid people, at stupid places, at stupid times, with stupid gear.”
Applying a rigorous Health & Safety analysis before doing anything: "What can go wrong? What other people did wrong in that very same situation?"
Reducing risks in potentially dangerous situations, e.g. always wear a seat belt or a life jacket. Check more risk reduction tips below.
Being aware of your surroundings at all times, i.e. maintain constant situational risk awareness, 'keep your head on a swivel', 'watch your six'
Making a mental note of all entrances, hiding places, exit and escape routes, as well as obstacles and dead ends, wherever the location you visit or stay.
Additional risk reduction tips when in the urban jungle, particularly for women *:
- Avoid walking or jogging alone.
- Do not wear headsets or earbuds while on the streets.
- Use GPS tracking and let someone know where you are and when you are expected back.
- Stay in populated areas.
- Try not to be out at night, or hang out outside pubs or fast food joints late at night.
- Don't drink alcohol or take drugs to the point of being incapacitated, unless in a 100% safe location
- Don't be afraid to ask for help (club bouncers, shop assistants, neighbors).
- Don't meet any stranger for the first time but in a crowded, public place.
- Ask the barman to keep your drink in the fridge if you need to get away from your table for a while.
* not victim blaming: until men really start to change, women will always be more at risk.
administer first aid and wounds care to yourself and to others
find, collect, purify, and store water
start a fire
pick a campsite and build a shelter
signal for help and communicate using hand signals, Morse code, radios, smoke, etc.
become proficient in the use of all your gear, especially sharp edge tools
use hand tools and power tools to repair and build stuff, i.e. learn the basic craft of a carpenter, locksmith, cobbler, clothes maker, plumber, electrician, mason, welder, computer and phone tech, HVAC and appliances repairer, auto mechanic, boat builder, aircraft engineer, etc.
scavenge and upcycle useful items found around
manage fear, pain, exhaustion, stress, depression, reverse of fortune
follow your exit plan while remaining flexible in case of roadblocks or new opportunities (visit the planning page).
navigate the wilderness (sandy or rocky terrain, swamps and marsh lands, swollen rivers, snowy mountains, icy lakes, hot deserts, tropical jungles, raging oceans) and urban environments (parkour), day and night
find your way when lost (orientation) with or without GPS assistance, day and night
read and predict the weather
pick locks and break into vehicles or buildings (for emergency purposes)
escape from upturned or submerged vehicles
drive various types of vehicles (bikes, cars, trucks, boats, planes, helicopters, etc.) in different conditions (defensive driving).
handle pets, farm animals and wildlife
make friends and become part of a community, including speaking foreign languages
motivate yourself and others to keep the will to survive and to not lose hope.
blend in or hide in order to avoid unwanted attention: become "The grey [gray] man", apply camouflage, use covert, concealment and misdirection methods
negotiate with others
use correct courtesies, avoid causing offence, respect customs of people around you (including religions, political opinions and social rituals)
treat people with respect and empathy, you do your job, you do not break promises or make ones you can't keep. You're honest, you act with integrity, you build rapport. The humour start with them.
keep yourself, family and friends safe using:
. constant risk awareness
. avoidance ('leaving tactically' such as Running Away For Self-Defense)
. levels-of-force analysis (Should I try to defuse the situation, restrain others, use violence?)
. conflicts de-escalation methods
. violence when necessary: fight with your body (martial arts) and/or weapons (batons, knives, firearms, improvised weapons).
locate, identify and collect wild edibles (foraging)
capture animals using tracking, traps, snares, nets, fishing lines, sling, harpoons and spears, bows and arrows, firearms
grow vegetables and raise small livestock (chickens, rabbits)
cook food already processed or edibles collected in the wild
preserve raw and cooked food.
Unfortunately, none of the above skills are taught to kids at school – and rarely by their parents at home – nowadays. The Boy (Girl ) Scouts, or the military, seem to be the only places still delivering this type of knowledge.
Become familiar with the challenges faced by survivors of disasters, the mistakes they've made, and the ways they succeeded in beating the odds.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Goodbye Sarajevo: A True Story of Courage, Love and Survival by Atka Reid and Hana Schofield
SHTF Survival Stories: Memories from the Balkan War by Selco Begovic (also on archive.org)
Hotel Rwanda, based on the life of Paul Rusesabagina
Survival in the Killing Fields by Haing S Ngor
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Greitens
Survival books, paper maps, and printed material are bulky and heavy, but they don't require any electricity or electronic device to be accessed. Unlike YouTube videos or digital PDFs stored on a computer that might break down or run out of battery.
Example of manuals and technical library:
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury.