Quick answer
- Water, warmth and shelter, fire, first aid and signaling
- Navigation, food basics, knots, staying calm and trip planning
- You learn them by practicing, not by reading. Each section below ends with one short drill.
This page is the overview. Each skill gets a short section and one drill you can do this month. For the deeper “what to do if you’re lost” steps, read Essential Wilderness Survival Skills.
1. Getting safe water
You can carry water, but on a long trip or in a disaster you may need to treat it. The CDC says boiling is the most reliable way to kill germs. Bring water to a boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes at elevations above 6,500 feet.
Filters help, but they have limits. The CDC notes that filters do not stop viruses. A filter rated 0.3 micron or smaller works against bacteria.
Drill: At home, boil a pot of water and time a full minute at a rolling boil. Then read the label on your filter or tablets and note the wait time it lists.
2. Staying warm and dry (shelter)
Cold and wet weather can hurt you faster than hunger. The CDC advises several loose layers, a wind-resistant outer layer, and inner layers of wool, silk or polypropylene instead of cotton. It also warns that wet clothing chills the body fast.
The National Park Service (NPS) lists emergency shelter as one of the Ten Essentials. Light options include a tarp, a bivy sack or an emergency space blanket.
Drill: Pick a dry evening and set up your tarp or space blanket in your yard. Time yourself. Then do it again wearing gloves.
3. Making fire
Fire gives heat, light and a way to signal. You need three sizes of material: tinder, kindling and fuel. Smokey Bear’s guide from the U.S. Forest Service says kindling should be sticks less than 1 inch around.
Always have water and a shovel ready. Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
Drill: At a legal fire ring, light a fire with one match. Then put it out completely with water and stirring, until the ashes are cool to the back of your hand.
Full steps are in Essential Fire Starting Techniques.
4. Basic first aid
Most outdoor injuries are small: blisters, cuts, sprains. The NPS advises starting with a premade first aid kit and adapting it to your trip. Check expiration dates and add any personal medicines you take.
Hands-on training beats any article. Take a first aid and CPR class from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.
Drill: Open your first aid kit today. Replace anything expired, and add one item you know you would need.
5. Signaling for help
If you’re lost, you want rescuers to find you fast. The NPS advises blowing a whistle three times, pausing, and repeating. With a flashlight, flash SOS: three quick, three slow, three quick.
A mirror can flash sunlight at aircraft. Bright clothing makes you easier to spot.
Drill: In an open field, practice aiming a signal mirror at a fixed target, like a sign 100 yards away. Keep a whistle on your pack strap or keychain.
6. Navigation
Your phone helps, but the NPS says your cell phone is not a substitute for any of the Ten Essentials. It advises learning to read a topographic map and compass before you go and carrying a paper map as a backup.
Drill: Take a paper map and compass to a local park. Turn the map so north on the map points north. Then find two landmarks on the map and on the ground.
7. Food basics
In a short emergency, food is not your first problem. Warmth, water and getting found come first. The NPS advises packing at least one extra day of food that needs no cooking, like trail mix, nuts or granola bars.
Do not eat wild plants or mushrooms unless you are completely sure what they are. Foraging takes local training and years of practice.
Drill: Pack an extra day of no-cook food in your day pack. Eat it at home before it expires, then replace it.
8. Useful knots
A few knots let you hang a tarp, tie down gear and make a clothesline. Four cover most needs:
| Knot | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bowline | Makes a fixed loop that does not slip |
| Clove hitch | Ties a line to a pole or tree quickly |
| Taut-line hitch | Makes an adjustable loop for tent and tarp lines |
| Square knot | Joins two ends of the same rope, like on a bandage |
These knots are for camp tasks. Do not use them for climbing or to hold a person’s weight without proper training.
Drill: Tie each knot 10 times. Then tie each one with your eyes closed, the way you might have to in the dark.
9. Staying calm and aware
The U.S. Forest Service says, “Panic is your greatest enemy.” Its rule is STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. Stop moving, think about how you got there, observe your surroundings, and plan before you act.
Awareness also prevents trouble. Watch the weather, the time and your energy. Notice landmarks as you walk, and look back at the trail so you know what it looks like on the return.
Drill: On your next walk, stop at every trail junction. Say out loud which way you came from and which way is back.
10. Planning and telling someone your route
A trip plan is the cheapest rescue tool there is. The NPS advises filling out a trip plan and leaving it with a trusted contact who is not on the trip. Include where you’re going, what you’ll do and when you’ll be back.
Tell your contact if your plans change, and check in when you’re done. Searchers lose time when people change routes without telling anyone.
Drill: Write a one-page trip plan for your next outing. Send it to a friend and agree on a “call for help” time.
Beginner planning steps are in Top Wilderness Survival Tips for Beginners.
Practice checklist
The same skills apply in town too. For city emergencies, read Urban Survival: How to Stay Safe in the City.
Related guides
Sources
- Water treatment while hiking, camping, and traveling (PDF) — CDC
- Winter Weather: Outdoor Safety (archived) — CDC
- Ten Essentials — National Park Service
- Trip Planning Guide (PDF) — National Park Service
- Outdoor Emergency Plan (PDF) — National Park Service
- If You Get Lost — U.S. Forest Service
- Campfire Safety — Smokey Bear (U.S. Forest Service)