Learn essential emergency and survival skills for Scouts and outdoor adventures, including first aid, signalling, getting lost, shelters, emergency planning and calling for help.
When someone is injured or becomes unwell outdoors, your first instinct may be to rush straight over and help. That is understandable, but the first thing you need to do is stop and check that the situation is safe. A casualty who needs help is already in a difficult situation, but rushing into danger can…
Snow can look like one of the least useful materials for building a shelter, but when it is deep enough and properly packed, it can provide surprisingly good insulation. A well-built snow shelter can block wind and trap warmth far more effectively than you might expect for something so cold. There are several types of…
A bivvy bag and an emergency blanket are both useful pieces of outdoor equipment, but they have different important jobs. A bivvy bag is designed to go around you and your sleeping system, while an emergency blanket is much more flexible and can be used to reflect heat, provide some protection from wind and rain,…
A debris shelter is a simple woodland shelter made mainly from natural materials such as branches, leaves, moss and other fallen vegetation. It is one of the more interesting shelter-building skills to practise because the materials are all around you, but making a shelter that actually keeps you warm and reasonably dry takes more than…
Outdoor skills can seem like a huge subject when you first start learning. There are maps and compasses, fires, shelters, knots, navigation, cooking, first aid, weather, water and plenty more besides. You don’t need to learn everything at once. In fact, trying to do so can make it harder to remember what you’ve learned. A…
Before heading out for a walk, hike or other outdoor trip, it is worth making sure someone knows where you are going. It doesn’t need to be a complicated itinerary. A few clear details can make a big difference if your plans change, you are delayed or someone needs to work out where you might…
A lot of outdoor problems start out as small inconveniences. You take the wrong turn, the weather changes, something breaks or the route takes longer than expected. The problem is often not the original mistake, but what happens next. Staying calm gives you a much better chance of thinking clearly and dealing with whatever has…
A short hike does not require a huge backpack full of specialist equipment. But “short” does not necessarily mean “risk-free”. A two-hour walk can still involve rain, cold weather, muddy ground, navigation problems, a twisted ankle or simply taking longer than expected. The right things to take on a short hike depend on the length,…
You have planned your route, checked the weather, packed your bag and set off for a good day’s walking. Then you reach a footpath and discover that you cannot continue. It might be a fallen tree, flooding, a damaged bridge, a locked gate, a landslip, fallen branches or a temporary closure. The important thing is…
Knowing some basic first aid can make a big difference when someone is injured or becomes ill outdoors. However, knowing what not to do is just as important. In an emergency, people can panic, rush in without thinking or try something they have seen in a film or online. This can sometimes make the situation…
