Think you know everything about wilderness survival? Save yourself from making a deadly mistake as you read on.
Protect Yourself from These Wilderness Survival Myths
Common Survival Myths to Correct
We debunk 5 common survival myths that can contribute to your wilderness survival training, skills, as well as the difference between life and death. As survival experts, we think we have what it takes to make it in the most extreme situations, but how much of what we know is actually true?
Myth #1: Your Priority Should Be Looking for Food
The truth: Your first priority should NOT be looking for food – you can survive many days without food. Focus instead on finding water and shelter. Even with all your survival gear, the harsh environment and the cold in the wilderness will be too much to bear without shelter. The human body is also in constant need of hydration.
Stock up on survival food here!
Myth #2: A Shelter Means a Roof Over Your Head
The truth: A shelter isn't just covering your head with a roof – it means a bed you can survive the night in. Use dry vegetation to make a safe place to sleep. The key is to make a shelter that's warm enough to protect you from the cold of the night.
RELATED: 8 Deadly Survival Myths To Avoid At All Costs
Myth #3: Conserve Your Water for Later
The truth: Drink water when you're thirsty. You need water sooner rather than later. It's a great thing to learn how to locate water sources in the wild. These are valuable outdoor survival skills to help a person survive longer when lost outdoors.
Myth #4: You Should Drink Your Urine in an Emergency Situation
The truth: If it's scorching hot and you're severely overheated, drinking your urine can cause your body's cooling systems to malfunction. It's only going to do more bad than good so erase this belief once and for all.
Check out my favorite wilderness survival gear, the Aquastiq, the compact “weird” little blue tube that filters water.
Myth #5: You Should Suck the Venom out of a Snake Bite
The truth: A lot of times the movies tend to influence how we're supposed to view things. Sure enough, you've seen these done in the movies many times. Don't try to suck out the venom! Sucking a wound does not prevent the venom from affecting the body. Don't panic – seek immediate medical help.
Note: Make sure to always carry a first aid kit with you when you're out in the wilderness.
Check out the video below to learn more about these wilderness survival myths:
A lot of these myths still dwell in people's minds. What we see and hear greatly influences our knowledge. Unfortunately, not all of these sources are giving correct information, so it's really important to be well-informed for the sake of everyone's safety. One single mistake can lead to a life and death situation.
Which of these myths did you believe once in your life or still do? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Up Next: Finding Water When Lost In The Wilderness
For awesome survival gear to take with you in the wilderness, check out the Survival Life Store!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 10, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
In survival situation, advising “seek medical advice” may very well be meaningless. Far too many of the “End of the World” advice books that have first aid advice all end with that catchall phrase. If no motor transportation is available and you don’t have a horse and buggy handy, saying “seek medical assistance’ is tantamount to saying, “you are screwed, buddy.”
Far more comprehensive advice on how to treat various snake bites and what symptoms to expect and expected sequellae from the bite would be a lot better advice than the advice, “try to convince somebody to drag you on a travois 25 miles to a hospital that may or may not be open and when if you get there probably will not have anti-snake bite serum anyway as not every hospital stocks it.”
What part of don’t panic and seek medical attention is practical in a survival situation? How is this helpful at all, seriously? your best bet is to minimize movement so as to not circulate the venom in your body more than necessary…good luck getting to medical attention if you should not move and the world has gone to sh*t.
This site sucks bats toes, which are covered in guano ! ( No, the ears are ? ) I knew more about survival after a year at camp in Wyoming 50 years ago than these preening ….millenials ?? Aging hippies…naw, not gonna diminish them…Wanna be survilaists ?? Yeah ! That’s it…than they do . Gonna mark this click bait site as SPAM , ya know !
If I remember correctly, if bitten by a poisonous snake you should cut over the bite mark and let it bleed for a short amount of time to get the poison out. Then use alcohol to sterilize and bandage. There are some poisons that this may not work on as they work too quickly but this would be your best bet if unable to make it to medical help.
Ah, yes . . . “Wilderness” and “Medical attention” go hand in hand. I’m certain I read SOMEWHERE (on the internet, of course) that “Medical attention/facilities” are ALWAYS less than a 15 minute hike from your current location in the WILDERNESS. They call it “wilderness” because of all the “wild times” you have there hanging around the entrance to the ER, right?