Before embarking on any kind of wilderness adventure, it's important to know common do's and don'ts when living in the wild. Although it might be obvious, never forget the main elements for survival: food, fire, shelter, water, navigation and medicine. Without them, survival will be near impossible.

The SAS Survival Handbook offers a handy acronym for prioritizing these main elements (pg. 15): PLAN

  • P - for Protection
  • L - for Location
  • A - for Acquisition
  • N - for Navigation


Another good idea is to put together a basic survival kit that can fit into a small, portable container. "Make a habit of always having it with you," (pg. 28). The SAS Survival Handbook recommends it to contain the following items:

  1. Matches
  2. Candle
  3. Flint
  4. Magnifying Glass
  5. Needles and Thread
  6. Fish hooks and line
  7. Compass
  8. Beta light
  9. Snare wire
  10. Flexible saw
  11. Medical kit
  12. Surgical blades
  13. Butterfly sutures
  14. Plasters
  15. Condom

 

"Is that plant safe to eat?"

Consider the following identification aids when determining plant edibility (pg. 117):