Lesser known survival tips that could save the day

Fires need oxygen
Fires need oxygen

Staying alive in extreme weather conditions is a real art and requires skills and knowledge. No matter if you find yourself in severe cold or unbearably hot conditions, no magic tricks will help save your life.

Instead, always be well prepared for possibilities that can occur on your next adventure. The Outdoor Revival team has used all of these, well, other than the cloth soaked urine one! They’re all tips that can help make life bearable and maybe even save your life. Although some of them sound weird, as long as you survive, nothing else matters.

 

Modern flint and steel
Modern flint and steel

Treat your blisters with a duct tape

Blisters can be very painful and inconvenience your hike or even incapacitate you and when in the wilderness they happen all the time. If it’s a formed blister poke it with a needle and let it dry and dress it if you can.

 

If you feel like it’s going to form and your foot is bothered, take a piece of duct tape and cover the area. This way the blister should stop forming because they’re a layer of protection.

 

 

Duct tape Photo Credit
Duct tape Photo Credit

Sleep off the ground

Sleeping on the ground will lower your body tempreture very quickly as the ground draws away your heat, making your body with a cold which’s the last thing you want. Blankets are not much help on the ground, you need insulation. Stack up lots of leaves to make an elevated bed pad, you might need to get some logs to contain them like a bed surround. Pine branches can also work well.

Use dead animals to make tools

Finding pieces of dead animal can be of great use if you’re in a survival situation. There are things you can use for fishing baits, make weapons or tools out of the bones, use skin and pelt to make small pouches. When your life depends on it, don’t throw things away, reuse them.

 

Bone tools Photo Credit
Bone tools Photo Credit

 

Always carry water purifying tablets 

You are not always able to make a fire and boil water to get it clean. If you are injured and need clean water and you can’t make a fire you need is a water purifying tablet. Never use dirty water to wash out wounds or drink.

Rocks around campfire are very useful 

Even when the fire is out, the rocks stay hot and can be used in a number of ways. Put a hot stones in a pot of water can and watch how it boils. This water is completely drinkable. Or, bury the hot stones underground and put a sleeping bag on top of it, this can keep you warm all night.

 

Be cautious though as rocks can break and even explode when they’re being heated up and handle them with care.

 

Make sure the rocks are dry
Make sure the rocks are dry

Relieve bug bites with a toothpaste

Your toothpaste will relieve pain or itchiness and help prevent bites from swelling. Just put a little bit of toothpaste on the bite.

 

 

 
 

Start a fire with a hand sanitizer

These smelly liquids seem to be just a hand cleaner, but actually, they are perfect for starting a fire. They contain alcohol, which makes them a useful flammable ignition source. Use a little bit on dry leaves or twigs to start a fire. Always keep a small bottle in your pocket along with matches and a lighter.

 

Hand sanitizer Photo Credit
Hand sanitizer Photo Credit

Keep your head cool in the desert 

It may not be your favorite solution in a hot desert, but it can help prevent heart stroke. Soak a piece of cloth in urine and wrap it around your head, it will keep it cool as it evaporates. It’s not the best-smelling thing, but when you’re stuck in a desert you do what you must.

 

 

These tips will help you when you get caught out or stuck in the wilderness. Be careful and try not to get lost but in case you do, remember this list. Stay safe out there!

 

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We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.

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stef-zisovska

stef-zisovska is one of the authors writing for Outdoor Revival