My Survival List

The first step is to stop. Stop moving, stop attempting to locate that path - because, unfortunately, it is not just beyond that group of trees ahead of you. The impulse to go on walking, searching, will be overpowering. Almost like you're running away from the prospect of being lost. But in all likelihood, the more you proceed, the farther you will get from the comfort and security of the path you used to be on. And the farther you are from the trail, the more difficult it is going to be for emergency crews to locate you. So just stop. Seriously. Stop.

Now it's time to get busy surviving. Time is of the essence, so begin by assessing the situation. Mentally review the environment you are in and take stock of what you see. Are you in dense forest. Is there an opening not far away, a field? Are you in the vicinity of water that could be used for drinking? And so forth.

After that, make a mental list of any items you may have brought with you. Wallet, keys, glasses. Anything you have might be important. Making a list of your items will be useful for you to set up a plan for fire and shelter, which are almost certainly the most important things to procure (even above drinking water and food). Shelter and fire give you warmth (fire also offers signal to emergency crews). Considering the fact that there are only a small number of locations that don't come with the chance to get severely cold at night, even in the warm, summer months, warmth is absolutely essential. You can focus on drinking water and food later.

As soon as you have taken inventory it's time to get busy building your campfire, which shouldn't be very hard using the waterproof fire piston you have packed away in your hiking pack next to multiple other sources of making a fire. You are carrying a backpack filled with basic survival tools, right? Right?

At this point, it should be completely obvious why a survival list can make the key difference in a wilderness survival situation. Imagine attempting to start a fire by hand by, say, rubbing sticks against each other. Do you have any inkling how to do this? Do you know anyone who does? Neither do I.

Although you could plan and pack ad infinitum for every conceivable scenario, a survival list that is sufficient in most situations need cover only just a few of the most primary requirements. Those are:

Fire - You should have numerous waterproof sources of making a fire, such as waterproof lighters, waterproof matches, a flint, or fire piston. A few fire starting sticks or pre-bundled tinder are also a good idea.

Shelter - You can spend several hours building a flimsy, leaky shelter out of branches stacked against one another, and if you have no other choice, by all means, do it. However, it would be much easier to simply use an ultralight tent which is waterproof, windproof and pretty much ensures just enough warmth to survive a very cold night. Better still to also have an ultralight sleeping bag to boot.

Water - If you've truly managed to get yourself into a jam, you might need to spend several days and nights alone in the woods. If that is the case, you're going to need water. Pack at least one means of making potable water, such as a portable ceramic water filter and/or iodine-based water disinfection tabs. Also pack a way to transport and store it, such as a canteen. Don't wait until all of your water is gone to acquire more. Even if it means moving your camp.

Food - Food can be addressed in a couple of ways. The most basic of which is to pack a number of nutrition-, fat-, and carbohydrate-rich energy bars (Clif bars or similar), these alone will provide enough nutrition to last a number of days if rationed properly. Other alternatives include hunting, fishing, and trapping animals and also foraging for plants and berries. Having said that, to successfully make use of the latter options, previous experience will be needed. Hunting is an acquired skill, as is edible plant identification. You should never feed yourself with any vegetation unless you are totally certain what it is.

Tools - Finally, any tools you include in your pack will be sure to make woodland survival much less difficult, most notably, a superior quality multi-tool; followers of Les Stroud's Survivorman cable-television show are quite familiar with this. Other materials to give some thought to packing might include rope, a machete, or dedicated knife and sharpener.

Almost all of these items can be readily procured and packed in a compact, easy to carry backpack that is quite easy to bring with you in any situation. In fact, your survival pack should be brought along with you in every situation where you are not able to see pavement or some other observable marker of civilization. From the smallest trail hikes to overnight hiking expeditions, one missed step, and your survival list could very well save your life.

You can build your own custom survival list for free by going to www.mysurvivallist.net.