How to build a Three-Pit Snow Shelter.
Tree-Pit Snow Shelter If you are in a cold, deep, snow-covered area where evergreen trees grow and you have a digging tool, you can make a tree-pit snow shelter. Follow these steps to build a Tree-Pit Snow Shelter. Find a tree with bushy branches that provides overhead cover. Dig out…
How to build a Debris Hut Shelter.
Debris Hut For warmth and ease of construction, the debris hut is one of the best. When shelter is essential to survival, and time is of the essence, build this shelter. Follow these steps to build a Debris Hut shelter. Make a tripod with two short stakes and a long…
How to make an above-ground “Swamp Bed” for sleeping in marshy, wet areas
Swamp Bed In a marsh or swamp, or any area with standing water or continually wet ground, the swamp bed keeps you out of the water. When selecting such a site, consider the weather, wind, tides, and available materials. To make a swamp bed, you should: Look for four trees…
Lean-To Shelter – how to build a lean-to shelter
Survival Lean-To Shelter If you are in a wooded area and have enough natural materials available, you can make a field-expedient lean-to shelter without the aid of tools or with only a knife. It takes longer to make this type of shelter than it does to make other types, but…
One-Man Shelter – how to build a one-man shelter in a survival situation
One-Man Shelter A one-man shelter you can easily make using material, a tree and three poles. One pole should be about meters (15 feet) long and the other two about 3 meters (10 feet) long. To make this shelter, you should: Secure the (15-foot) pole to the tree at about…
How to build a No-Pole Tarp Tepee Shelter.
No-Pole Parachute Tepee Except for the center pole, you use the same materials for a no-pole parachute tepee, as for the one-pole parachute tepee. To make this tepee, you should: Tie a line to the top of parachute material with a previously cut line. Throw the line over a tree…
How to build a One-Pole Tarp Tepee.
One-Pole Parachute Tepee You need material for a canopy, stakes, a stout center pole, paracord rope, and an inner core and needle to construct this tepee. To make this tepee: Select a shelter site and scribe a circle about 4 meters (13 feet) in diameter on the ground. Attach lines…
How to build a Three-Pole Tarp Tepee Shelter.
Three-Pole Parachute Tepee If you have a tarp, parachute, or other large, round material, and three poles, you can make a parachute tepee. It is easy and takes very little time to make this tepee. It provides protection from the elements and can act as a signaling device by enhancing…
How to build a Poncho Tent Shelter.
Poncho Tent This tent provides a low silhouette. Unlike a poncho lean-to shelter, the Poncho Tent Shelter protects you from the elements on two sides. It has, however, less usable space and observation area than a lean-to, decreasing your reaction time to detection. To make this tent, you need a…
How to build a Poncho Lean-To Shelter.
Poncho Lean-To It takes only a short time and minimal equipment to build this lean-to shelter. You will need a poncho or tarp, 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) of rope or parachute suspension line, three stakes about 30 centimeters (1 foot) long, and two trees or two…
Cleaning, cooking, and storing (preserving) wild game in a wilderness survival situation
You must know how to prepare fish and game for cooking, storage, and preservation in a survival situation. Improper cleaning or storage of wild game can result in inedible, or possibly worse, wasted fish or game. The following explains the process of preparing and preserving the animal for cooking and how…
Don’t have a fishing pole handy? Here’s how to make items you can use to catch fish in the wild
Introduction If water is nearby, fishing can be a very productive means to acquiring meat for your survival diet. If you do not have fishing tools available, you can still make your own fishhooks, nets, fish traps, and even fish poison to capture fish for food. Making Fishhooks You can…
All about animal hunting devices, including a few you can build in the wilderness in a pinch.
There are several killing devices that you can construct to help you obtain small game to help you survive. The rabbit stick, the spear, the bow and arrow, and the sling are such devices. Rabbit Stick One of the simplest and most effective killing devices is a stout stick as…
Traps and snares – how to build, bait, and place traps to acquire food in the wild
Introduction You can typically acquire more animal food using traps than shooting – and trapping requires much less time and energy than stalking and hunting. The time saved by trapping can be allocated to foraging for additional food sources. To be effective with any type of trap or snare, you…
You can do a lot more with plants than just eating them. Here are a collection of miscellaneous uses for plants.
Plants can be your ally as long as you use them cautiously. Be sure that you know the plant and how to use it. Some additional uses of plants are as follows: Make dyes from various plants to color clothing or to camouflage your skin. Usually, you will have to…
Medicinal use of plants in the wild – sedatives, antihistamines, antiseptics, anti-fungal washes and more
When using wild plants for medical treatment, positive identification of the plants involved is as critical as when using them for food. Proper use of these plants is equally important. Many plants have the ability to synthesize chemical compounds that help them defend against attack from a wide variety of…
Water Filtration – all about filtering water in a wilderness survival situation.
If the water you find is also muddy, stagnant, and foul-smelling, you can clear the water before purifying it. Filtration removes the large, undesirable particles such as dirt and plant particles. You can filter water by: By placing it in a container and letting it stand for 12 hours to…
Water Purification – dangers and how to purify water in the wilderness
Rainwater collected in clean containers or from plants is usually safe for drinking. However, water gathered from lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, or swamps should be purified, especially if the water source is near human settlements or in tropical environments. When possible, purify all water you get from vegetation or from…
Water stills – how to build a water still to collect water in the wild
Above Ground Stills You can utilize water stills in various environments. Even hot, arid desert habitats can yield water to a parched survivalist. Stills draw moisture from the ground or from plant material through the processes of evaporation and condensation. Various materials are required to build a still. Some can…
Water sources – how to find water in just about any circumstance
Introduction You are in the wilderness and you need water – finding water is critical. You can only live three days without it. What do you do? Almost any environment has water present to some degree. You just have to know where to look. How to look for water First,…
Yam bean – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) The yam bean, commonly known as Jicama (and also known as Mexican Turnip or Mexican Potato), is a climbing plant of the bean family, with alternate, three-parted leaves and a large root. They can reach a height of a few feet given suitable support and grow…
Yam – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Yam (Dioscorea species) These plants are twining, tuberous vines that creep along the ground or occasionally climb trees and other structures. The woody rootstock, or tubers, is pale brown, knotty, and cylindrical in shape. Stems are reddish-brown and can grow to over 30 feet in length. They have broad, alternate,…
Wood sorrel – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wood sorrel (Oxalis species) There are over 800 species in the Oxalis family. Wood sorrel (also known as Woodsorrels, Yellow Sorrels, or Pink Sorrels) resembles shamrock or four-leaf clover, with a bell-shaped pink, yellow, or white flower. The plants can grow up to 15 inches tall. The leaves are divided…
Wild rose – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild rose (Rosa species) The Wild Rose shrub grows 60 centimeters to meters (24 inches to 8 feet) high. Larger stems are usually densely covered with straight prickles. It has alternate, sharply serrated edged leaves with 3-7 oval or slightly spear-head shaped leaflets per leaf. Its oval to pear-shaped flowers…
Wild rice – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) Wild rice (also known as Canada Rice, Indian Rice, Marsh Oats, and Water Oats) is an tall, erect, aquatic grass that typically is 1 to meters (3 to 4 feet) in height, but may reach meters (15 feet). The leaves are flat, strap-like, about 3-4 feet…
