Have you ever wondered what exactly you would do if you were stranded in a wilderness setting? There are many wonderful resources out there (and some not so wonderful) to teach you about the basics of wilderness survival. However, most go into levels of detail about arcane situations that most people would never find themselves in. My intent here is to provide a basic overview of survival based on the “Rules of 3.”
All you have to do is commit to memory these Survival Rules of 3, and if the situation ever arises, you will know what you have to deal with first. In a nutshell, the Rules of 3 are:
3 Minutes without Air
3 Hours without Shelter
3 Days without Water
3 Weeks without Food
For all intents and purposes, unless you have found yourself (or more likely, someone else has found you) in a medical situation, you do not have to worry about the first rule. Common sense, and physical urges, would tell us if we were under water, we have less than 3 minutes to get to air.
So, in a wilderness survival setting, our first priority is shelter. In extreme conditions, the average person needs to find shelter from the elements within 3 hours. Obviously, cold conditions are the main target of this rule. Keep in mind that being wet or hot would also apply here. When you find yourself in a survival situation, the first thing you must do is find shelter from the elements. If you have a tent, put it up. If not, you can construct a lean to from the natural resources you find in the area. If you need shelter immediately, you can find a natural rock overhang or something similar to get out of the snow, rain, and/or wind. Remember, you have to protect yourself from hypothermia. After you have built a shelter, make a fire. A fire will keep you warm and also lift your spirits.
Once you have secured a good shelter and fire, your next thoughts should turn to water. Human beings can not live beyond 3 days without water. Unless you are on a backpacking trip, you probably do not have iodine tablets or some other method of clearing water of bacteria. You should look for immediate water sources. If you find them, you can boil the water for safety. Otherwise, you may to use other resources, such as making a solar still or using the evaporation method. More on these methods can be found elsewhere.
The final Rule of 3 is 3 weeks without food. Many survival shows on TV or survival websites trump up methods of find food or the priority of finding food. The truth is most people who are lost are found within 3 days. Food should be your last priority. And also remember, you don’t want to spend more energy finding good than you will get from the food. You want to conserve energy, you want to stay in one spot, and you want to stay safe. However, let’s say you are in a survival situation long enough to need food. Your thoughts can then turn to finding something to eat. Unless you are an expert on local plants, do not eat berries, leaves, or mushrooms that you think might be edible. You could easily die. You also do not want to spend time and energy hunting animals far off from your campsite. Considering that you want to conserve energy, the ideal method is to create snares to catch small animals such as squirrels or rabbits. While the chances of catching one is slim, remember that you will not expend much energy using this method, and you don’t need much food to stay alive.
One final note about wilderness survival: always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. This is the best guarantee that you will survive if you found yourself in a survival situation. If no one knows that you are missing, then no one will be looking for you.
