These are the five skills that everyone should learn before SHTF. Also, a few bonus skills at the end!
Purify Water When SHTF
When SHTF, it’s crucial to have access to clean drinking water is essential. If you do not have clean water, your survival will be dramatically decreased. There are several ways to purify water so that it is safe for drinking and cooking. Boiling water is one of the most effective ways to kill bacteria and viruses. However, if you do not have access to clean drinking water, you can also use bleach to purify water. . You can also buy water purifiers that can purify large quantities of water at once. Water purifiers are an essential piece of survival gear and can help you to purify large quantities of water quickly and easily.
You have to be caution when drinking water, even if it looks clean!
In a crisis, natural disaster or apocalyptic even, one of the best ways to ensure the safety of your drinking supply is to boil your water. By bringing the temperature up over 100 degrees Celsius for at least ten minutes, all bacteria and viruses will be destroyed and rendered harmless. However, this can take a lot of time and energy – but it’s worth doing if you have no other options available (such as disinfecting tablets from an emergency kit). Boiling your water is one of the most effective ways to kill pathogens, and it’s also very inexpensive.
So, if you’re ever in a situation where you’re not sure about the safety of your drinking water, remember to boil it, it could save your life. I have personally drank water from what I thought was a clean source and got very sick as a result of not treating the water.
What You Can’t See Will Kill You In Survival
There are always two sides to every disaster that has happened in history: the seen and the unseen. The seen is the boiling water, the disaster or crisis itself. It’s what we can see with our own eyes. What’s lurking in the water, waiting to strike is the unseen. The unseen is often more dangerous than the seen. That’s why it’s so important to clean the water before you purify it.
By using a container or plastic bottle to fill it in layers, you can remove pollutants and contaminants that you can’t see with the naked eye. In a disaster or crisis, when tap water is no longer safe to drink, one easy way to clean it before you purify it with a water purifier, boiling, or chemicals is to fill a container or plastic bottle in layers like a cake.
One layer can be sand, another gravel, and soil. This will help clean the water further before you purify it. It’s an easy way to get water cleaner before you make it drinkable. This will help reduce the risk of illness and disease, and ensure that you have clean, safe water to drink in an emergency situation. So next time you’re faced with a disaster or crisis, remember to take a moment to clean the water before you purify it.
Find Food When SHTF
When SHTF, you’re going to want to know how to find food.
Hunting is an important skill that everyone should learn before SHTF. There are many ways you can hunt for food, including with a knife and traps. As you might expect, hunting is a popular go-to method for finding food when SHTF.
What could be more natural than going out and killing an animal for its meat?
But before you run out and start hunting “willy nilly”, there are a few things you should know. First, make sure you have the proper weapons. If you’re going after something big, like deer then you’ll need a rifle. Second, learn how to make traps. This way, you can set them up in advance and wait for the game to come to you. Do not don’t forget about fishing. If there are bodies of water nearby, then chances are there are also fish to be had. So, whatever method you choose, remember to be safe and smart about it. After all, SHTF is no time to take unnecessary risks.
Why I am a big fan of fishing
There are many ways you can go about fishing. I love fish because of the healthy fats that are needed to survive long periods of time out in the wild. In a survival situation, the best kind way of getting much-needed calories is through passive hunting. This is done through trapping and fishing. You may think fishing is a very active form of getting food when in actuality it doesn’t have to me.
I always have a gill net ready to go. It’s an easy way to put out a net and check it the next day. Do I catch something every day? No, but over a month’s time if I catch something every two days on average that’s pretty good. It then becomes a food resource that requires very little energy on my part.
The less energy you, have to use the better when finding food. If you are hunting then you are taking a risk in using a lot of calories and energy to take down a big game animal. The payoff can be huge. The reality is you are not always going to have a successful hunt which is why having different ways of collecting food is so key.
I also put out four fishing poles in addition to my gill net to increase my chances. In survival, it is all about increasing your odds of success. If you only put out one fishing pole your chances are tied to one pole. Whereas if you had a few then you might get yourself a fish.
Trapping
The same can be said when it comes to another form of passive hunting in regards to trapping. There have been many traps I have over the years and love it. I know when I put out a trap that it is a great start, to finding food. That being said, I know I need to have multiple to increase my chances. Some traps may not catch anything for weeks/months and then in one day, you can catch three animals. That’s the reality when it comes to trapping. It is a great way to gain calories without having to expend a large number of calories.
When I trap for survival, I always put at least ten traps out when I go into a new place in the wild. I look for game trails (footprints) or areas that have been created by animal activity. For example, I was out in the woods and saw boar footprints. The animals had created a path in the high grass which was easy to see. I placed the trap where the high grass ended and three days later I found myself with a live boar.
My point is that I would focus on learning a way of passive hunting first. I would also say you should have a gill net especially if you don’t have other skills yet when it comes to finding food. If you are not near water then learn how to create traps. The best thing I think you could learn when it comes to food finding is learning how to hunt. It’s something that takes time but can be an invaluable skill to have when SHTF.
Build Shelter When SHTF
If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation like the kind that could lead to an SHTF scenario, it’s good to know how to build a shelter for yourself. In an emergency situation, shelter is paramount. It can provide comfort and safety from predators, keep you warm during cold weather, cool during hot weather, protect you from bad weather elements like rain and snow, discourage looters from finding your location, and more.
Location Matters
There are many different types of shelter that can be used depending on the climate and the resources available. In a cold climate, an igloo or snow cave could be built, while in a hot climate, a tarp shelter or shade shelter might be more appropriate. No matter what type of shelter you build, the most important thing is that it meets your needs and keeps you safe. The lean-to type of structure or the A-frame are two that I would recommend.
Now, before we get started building our SHTF shelter, let’s take a moment to consider some things. What kind of materials do we have available to us? What is the best way to use those materials in order to create a shelter that will protect us from the elements?
Once we’ve taken all of these factors into consideration, we can start building our SHTF shelter with confidence!
The best shelter will depend on the specific situation, but there are some general principles that can guide your decision-making. If possible, it is best to choose a shelter that is up off the ground, out of the reach of flooding or other natural disasters. You also want to consider the climate; in a hot desert, for example, you will want a shelter that will keep you cool, while in a cold mountain region, you will need a shelter that will provide warmth. Access to resources is also an important consideration. In a rainforest, for instance, you will want to be off the ground. In order to avoid water which would not be a concern in a more arid environment. In the end, the best shelter will depend on your specific needs and circumstances.
Start a Fire When SHTF
We all know the importance that fire brings. It goes beyond the protection from animals but always us to gain morale when times are tough. It also provides warmth, purifies water, and cooks our food. This is why knowing how to start a fire when SHTF is so important.
You should buy a fire striker which will allow you to learn to start a fire in any environment you find yourself in. You can also use batteries to start a fire as well. The bow drill is another option you could look into, it takes time to master but will allow you to make a fire with nothing but your effort and your hands. This is something you should learn how to do sooner rather than later.
Navigate Without a Map when SHTF
If you don’t have a map, you can still navigate.
Navigating without a map when SHTF is about knowing the lay of the land around you. If you’re in an urban setting, there are many things that can help you orient yourself: street signs, benches, and other landmarks.
I personally would buy a compass if you do not have one already. This way you will know the direction you are going without needing to know anything else, in my opinion.
If it’s dark out, use a watch to orient yourself by finding north by following your arm as it points towards your shoulder then up at 45 degrees until it is pointing directly northward. You’ll be able to tell which way is due east (or west) because of shadows cast by objects on your left or right respectively during daylight hours (it won’t work during nighttime). You can also look at reflections from windows to determine directionality if need be.
Bonus Skill To Learn For A SHTF
Treat Injuries When SHTF
You should know how to deal with basic first aid. It is key, to learn how to treat injuries. This is a skill that has such importance, that can not be put into words. A small injury or even cut can become life-threatening if not taken care of properly. If you get hurt and don’t have access to medical supplies or a hospital, it’s a good idea to learn how to use first aid techniques that don’t require any supplies.
Luckily, there are many resources available online for learning basic first aid skills. Here are some examples of the types of injuries you can treat with just your hands:
Minor cuts on fingers and toes (apply pressure with a clean cloth or paper towel)
Cuts on the face (the clean area around the wound with sterile water before applying bandage)
Essentials For First Aid
I always carry some kind of antiseptic and antibiotic. This will enable you to sterilize and kill any infection that could possibly form. Then apply the antibiotic to reduce the risk of an injury getting infected. These are two things you should always have, along with bandages, scissors, and paper tape(medical tape). If you buy a good first aid kit then you will already have these things within it. If not then create your own first aid, which will end up being far better than anything you can buy.
One Last Skill To Learn
I would invest in learning different types of edible plants, and nuts (as well as the poisonous ones to look out for) that you can eat in the wild for survival. This one takes a lot of time and caution as you never want to end up eating something that could kill you. If you are ever unsure of a plant, nut, or mushroom, do not eat it. If you do, it could easily cost you, your life.
These are essential survival skills you should have when SHTF. The survival skills mentioned are the foundation that you can build off of. Without these survival skills, you are in a much more vulnerable position when it comes to survival. You do not need to learn all of these survival skills at once but can be learned over time. These are basic survival skills that require time and practice. If you can put in the time to learn these survival skills you will be far more ready than 99% of people.
