Learn essential survival skills including shelter building, fire lighting, navigation, first aid, outdoor safety and practical skills to survive in the wilderness.
What you wear outdoors can make a surprisingly big difference to how much you enjoy yourself. A sunny morning can turn into a cold, wet afternoon, and a pair of shoes that feel fine on a pavement might not be so comfortable after a few hours on a muddy woodland path. Choosing outdoor clothing isn’t…
A thunderstorm can turn an enjoyable camping trip into a serious situation surprisingly quickly. The rain itself might not be the biggest problem. Lightning, sudden gusts of wind, falling branches and rapidly changing conditions can all make being outdoors hazardous. The good news is that you don’t need to be able to predict exactly where…
If someone injures their leg while you’re outdoors, getting them back to safety can become a real problem, particularly if you’re some distance from a road or other help. In a minor injury, a temporary walking aid can sometimes make moving around easier. If the injury could be a fracture or is otherwise serious, however,…
Making your own tent pegs is a simple campcraft skill that is surprisingly satisfying. You don’t need much equipment, and once you know what makes a good peg, you can make one to suit the ground and the shelter you’re putting up. A homemade wooden peg doesn’t need to look perfect. In fact, a roughly…
Batoning is one of those bushcraft skills that looks fairly simple when you first see it. You put a knife into a piece of wood and use another piece of wood to tap the knife through it. In practice, there is a little more to it than that. The choice of wood, the knife you…
A sharp knife is generally easier and more controlled to use than a blunt one, but sharpening is a skill in its own right. A blunt blade often encourages people to use more force, which can make slips more likely and makes simple camp tasks harder than they need to be. You don’t need complicated…
A column of smoke can be visible from much further away than a person, particularly in open countryside where there are few other sources of smoke. In an emergency, a controlled smoke signal can therefore be useful for attracting the attention of rescuers or other people who may be able to help. Smoke signalling is…
If you need to be found outdoors, making yourself easy to see can make a huge difference. Bright colours can stand out against grass, woodland, rocks, snow and other natural backgrounds, giving rescuers another clue to your location. This is one of the simplest signalling techniques because you may already be wearing or carrying something…
If you are somewhere with a mobile signal but cannot make a voice call to the emergency services, the UK’s Emergency SMS service can provide another way to contact 999. It can be particularly useful for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, but it can also provide an alternative…
An improvised splint can be useful when someone has suffered a serious limb injury and you need to support the injured area while waiting for medical help. Outdoors, you may not have a proper splint available, but you can often find suitable materials in a rucksack or around your camp. The purpose is not to…
