7 Life Saving Survival Skills for a Bug Out Situation

It’s here… you suddenly find yourself thrust out of your routine day and smack in the middle of a bug out situation. Are you prepared? Do you have the know how and the skills that you need in order to survive?

These survival skills are ones that you’ll want to master in advance so that when the time comes to put them into practice, you’re ready.

1. Foraging

You need to learn foraging. This can help you find food in times of chaos that’s freely available in nature. It’s not as simple as going out into the woods and picking stuff up.

2. Plant Identification

You have to know what you’re doing because there are poisonous plants that look almost the same as nonpoisonous ones. For example, pokeberries look like grapes to people who aren’t trained in foraging. They don’t come out like grapes though.

The last thing you want in a bug out situation is one of  the many “benefits” that come from eating a poisonous plant. That’s right…pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Buy a good plant identification book and study up on the poisonous plants in your area long before a bug out situation catches you by surprise. Learn to identify what you can and cannot eat. Don’t just read about it…go out and practice!

3. Basic Self Defense

Self defense is another skill that you should have developed for a bug out situation. You have to know how to protect yourself against people who mean to harm you. When everything falls to chaos, law and order go out the window.

You need to learn basic hand to hand combat skills as well as how to protect yourself using pepper spray and weapons like a knife or a gun.

4. Know How to Build a Shelter in a Bug Out Situation

In a bug out situation, you need to know how to build a shelter. While the best case scenario is to have a place for shelter that’s already established, you could face a time when you have to build one.

You need this skill to protect yourself from the environment. Many shelters are quick and easy to build with a tarp and some rope. You can also build a dugout type shelter or one using the debris that you find in nature such as logs and leaves.

5. Concealment

Knowing the art of camouflage is a necessity for a bug out situation. You’ll need to know how to blend into the environment. Concealment can protect you from the enemy as well as keep you from view when you’re hunting game.

You can use gear that is colored and shaped like the environment to help keep you stay hidden. Learn how to use natural foliage and debris to camouflage yourself.

The same goes for your supply cache as well as your shelter. The object is to be invisible to anyone looking for others.

6. Fire Building

You need to know how to build a fire. This is a must have skill when it comes to a bug out event. You need to know how to build a fire – not just for warmth, safety and preparing food.

A fire can also ward off insects and predators as well as act as a signal. You need to know how to build a fire for things like drying your clothes and to use for sterilizing things.

7. Water Purification

Regardless of how well you plan your bug out, if you don’t know how to purify water, you’re not going to survive long. Having safe water to drink is one of the keys to your survival.

You can purify it using the boiling method, using a filter or filter straws, chloride and other means that are used to kill off potentially harmful bacteria.

You need to know ahead of time how you’re going to prepare to have clean water because, while you can last a little while without food, you can’t survive long without water.

So the question is…are you ready? If you find that you’re lacking skills in any of these areas, get out there and practice! It would seriously suck to being carrying around that plant identification book if the SHTF…