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Wilderness Survival Tips

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Wilderness survival tips help people survive in the outdoors, weather the aftermath of natural disasters, and build greater connections with the natural world.

In this section of the website you'll find an ever-expanding library of information on wilderness survival tips and outdoor skills. Topics range from friction fires to shelter building, primitive cooking, flintknapping, and much more.

Articles often include references to helpful books, materials, and courses. We hope you enjoy these resources.

You can peruse the wilderness survival tips articles below and/or sign up to the Alderleaf eNewsletter to get updates on new articles.


Wilderness Survival Tips Articles:

Basics of Wilderness Survival Shelters
Understanding how to create effective wilderness survival shelters is one of the most important outdoor skills. From keeping you protected from the elements to providing... (read more)

Making Fire with Bow and Drill
There is nothing quite like making your very own fire completely from scratch, using a bow and drill! Of the many ways to make primitive-style friction fires... (read more)

Primitive Fire Making with Flint and Steel
Primitive fire making with flint and steel can be a very powerful experience. Once you have mastered the process you have become one of the few people... (read more)

Making Arrowheads: The Art of Flint Knapping: A Basic Overview
Flint knapping is the age-old art of making arrowheads and other edged stone tools. Hunter-gatherers relied upon this key wilderness survival skill to create important tools and hunting implements. (read more)

Wilderness Survival Foods
Knowing core survival foods is a key to wilderness survival. Most natural environments are filled with a variety of items that can meet our nutritional needs. (read more)

How to Build a Debris Hut
The debris hut is an extremely versatile wilderness survival shelter. It can be built in almost any habitat and does not require tools or special equipment. (read more)

Choosing the Best Survival Knife
Choosing the best survival knife for your needs can be a difficult task. Many retailers offer a huge variety of knives with many different features, shapes, and sizes... (read more)

Wilderness Survival Kits: Top Ten Items
Wilderness survival kits can provide you with just the right amount of tools and supplies to make it through a challenging outdoor experience. The items you choose to carry... (read more)

Wilderness Survival Concepts
Having a thorough knowledge base of both modern and Native American survival skills is key to solving difficult outdoor challenges. Oftentimes being in a wilderness survival situation... (read more)

Building a Fire Pit
Understanding how to build a fire pit with safety and utility in mind is an important wilderness skill. From keeping warm in cold weather to cooking food and providing light... (read more)

Creating Primitive Stone Tools
One of the most important implements in a survival situation is a good cutting tool. If you were to find yourself without a knife, a stone cutting tool can be created from... (read more)

Camping Knots for Wilderness Survival
Knowing how to tie good camping knots is an invaluable skill in wilderness survival situations. Its also a great asset when having fun in the outdoors. There are a wealth of different... (read more)

Wilderness Survival School Classes at Alderleaf
Alderleaf Wilderness College offers a variety of wilderness survival classes as part of its nature skills curriculum. Current wilderness survival courses and programs include... (read more)

How to Read a Compass
Understanding how to read a compass properly is a vital outdoor skill. Using a compass is a fundamental way to help you determine your location and direction of travel... (read more)

Basic Survival Skills
You might be asking, “What is the best way to approach basic survival skills?” Here are six primary wilderness survival tips to help you thrive in any situation... (read more)

Causes of Hypothermia, Hypothermia Symptoms & Preventing Hypothermia When considering the causes of hypothermia, hypothermia symptoms and preventing hypothermia, the first place to start is in understanding the... (read more)

Primitive Survival Weapons for Acquiring Food
Primitive survival weapons can be valuable tools for acquiring food in extended wilderness survival situations. They can often be made from common natural materials... (read more)

Giardia Symptoms and Treatment
Giardia is an infamous waterborne pathogen and giardia symptoms include diarrhea, bloating, cramps, weight loss and nausea. Found in wild and not-so-wild waters throughout the... (read more)

Pemmican Recipes
Are you looking for some excellent pemmican recipes? Here are some great recipes you can try out... (read more)

Survival Bow Making Instructions
Learn how to construct an effective bow in a relatively short amount of time. A quickie bow is a fast-made bow for survival situations. (read more)

Survival Essentials: What Matters Most
What are the most important wilderness survival tips and essentials? Here are some great key items to consider having among your own survival gear...(read more)

How to Read a Map: Topographical Maps
Learn how to read a topographical map and use it for outdoor navigation. (read more)

Flint Knapping Tools
Learn about flint knapping tools needed to make arrowheads, knives, and other flaked implements. (read more)

Outdoor Survival Techniques
Every survival scenario that one might encounter is really unique unto itself and requires different wilderness survival tips and techniques. (read more)

Northwest Coast Native Americans
For many generations, Northwest coast Native Americans have practiced skills of survival and wilderness living that was deeply connected with the rhythms of the land around them. (read more)

Snares and Traps for Survival Trapping
Knowing how to use snares and traps for survival trapping purposes can help you deal with one of the most challenging pursuits in a longer term survival situation: the ability to obtain protein. (read more)

How to Shoot a Bow
This article will focus on a method of shooting based on the principals of how to shoot a bow instinctively as developed and taught by G. Fred Asbell in his book Instinctive Shooting. (read more)

Bug Out Bag: Being Prepared for Emergencies
What essentials should you have in your bug out bag? Here are some of the best things to include in your bag to help you be prepared for emergencies. (read more)

The Bowline Knot
The bowline knot is one of the few essential knots to know for wilderness survival, rescue, and maritime applications. (read more)

Outdoor Survival Training
Learn key wilderness survival tips to successful outdoor survival training! (read more)

Pacific Northwest Weather
Learn how to survive and thrive in the Pacific Northwest weather.(read more)

Bow Hunting Games
Bow hunting games are a ton of fun! The best way to practice a skill, in my opinion, is to make a game out of it.(read more)

Wilderness Evasion
Wilderness Evasion is simply: how to remain undetected in the wilderness.(read more)

Native American Basket Weaving
Native American basket weaving was practiced by many different tribes for various uses.(read more)

Make a Water Filter
Learning to make a water filter is a valuable survival skill and could be a life save.(read more)

Building a Quinzee
Quinzees are great group shelters to build for fun. More importantly, they can be built in two shakes of a muskox tail to keep winter backpackers from freezing to death.(read more)

Wilderness First Aid Kit
A Wilderness First Aid Kit can greatly improve your chances of survival if or when disaster strikes.(read more)

Survival Snares: Construction and Use
Survival snares can be an effective way to harvest meat in an emergency survival situation. (read more)

Handdrill: Parts and Technique
The handdrill friction fire method is very old, and was likely used by many different cultures for millennia. (read more)

Primitive Fishing Techniques
Primitive fishing techniques are very useful skills to know, If you find yourself in a survival situation.(read more)

Wilderness Survival Quiz
Take our short wilderness survival quiz then view the answers below as a fun way to boost your survival know-how. (read more)

Cordage: Making Natural Rope
Making cordage is a fundamental survival skill that should not be overlooked.(read more)

Build a Survival Stove
A survival stove is a great tool to include in an emergency bag or kit.
(read more)

Top 5 Survival Books
Check out this review of some of our favorite wilderness survival tips books available. (read more)

Survival Gear List: The Survival Essentials
Not sure what to include on your survival gear list? Well, here are some helpful wilderness survival tips to making it more manageable.(read more)

Survival Shows: Entertainment vs Reality
There's often a discrepancy between how a survival situation is portrayed by survival shows and how a real survival situation actually unfolds...(read more)

Survival Water Purification
Survival water purification is one of the most important wilderness skills that we teach at Alderleaf...(read more)

Wilderness Survival Plants
Survival plants are found everywhere! Getting to know your local plants can help spice up your lunch and literally save your life! Wild plants can fulfill a wide variety of survival needs including...(read more)

Bow Drill Fire in the Pacific Northwest
They say that if you can succeed with a bow drill fire in the winter months in the Pacific Northwest, then you can succeed at it almost anywhere else in the world...(read more)

Winter Survival Trip
A winter survival trip is a challenging endeavor. I went out into the winter weather for two days and two nights of furthering survival skills knowledge...(read more)

Deer Hide Tanning
Taking the time to learn deer hide tanning brings with it many benefits.
You are preserving a skill that brings independence & restores a connection to our resources...(read more)

Survival Fire Starters
Survival fire starters can be an incredibly important tool out in the wilderness, which is why it is vital that you include several of them in any emergency kit you plan to use in the outdoors...(read more)

The Dakota Fire Hole
The Dakota fire hole is an ancient technique for building efficient, clean burning, and easily concealable fires.  There are a number of advantages over a more conventional fire...(read more)

How to Sharpen a Knife
A knife is an important tool in a survival situation and knowing how to keep it sharp is essential...(read more)

How to Make a Fire
Learn the key elements of how to make a fire successfully in the wilderness, including site selection, preparation, materials, design, mental attitude, safety & ethics, and how to practice...(read more)

Survival Clothing
One of the most vital pieces of life-saving outdoor gear is survival clothing - clothing that performs well in the wilderness. Learn about specific types and principles of effective outdoor clothing...(read more)

Hand Drill Fire
Making a hand drill fire is a traditional method used to start fires in dry, low humidity climates. It can be a challenging and rewarding experience that takes practice and patience... (read more)

The Mora Knife
The Mora Knife, such as the Companion or Bushcraft models, is an excellent tool for survival and bushcraft. Learn about the qualities to consider in choosing good outdoor knives... (read more)

How to Make an Atlatl
The atlatl is an ancient survival projectile weapon for hunting and sport that pre-dates the bow & arrow. Learn about the history of the atlatl and how to make your own... (read more)

Survival Gear Checklist
The classic survival gear list has long been known as the ten essentials, with a newer version focusing instead on the ten survival systems you should always have in your pack when venturing...(read more)

Paracord
Most folks who have an interest in wilderness survival or outdoor recreation have probably heard of paracord. Paracord, or parachute cord, is one of the most useful pieces of survival gear...(read more)

Finding the Best Bushcraft Knife
A knife can be the most important survival tool in your kit. Learn how to choose the best bushcraft knife for your needs...(read more)

How to Tie a Clove Hitch
Knowing how to tie knots is an essential skill for those who choose to spend time outdoors. A simple and useful knot to begin your journey is the clove hitch...(read more)

Building a Survival Shelter
Exposure is the most common danger in survival situations and building a survival shelter is one of the primary tools used to mitigate that threat...(read more)

Survival Fish Trap
This trap is a very old method for catching fish. In this article we go over the different steps to make this survival fish trap, and the how-to of actively using the trap to collect fish...(read more)

Survival Fire Fungus: Birch Polypore
The birch polypore fungus is an incredibly useful survival resource! It is most well known by its moniker "tinder fungus"...(read more)

Fire Pit Construction for Survival
Wilderness survival fires have different requirements. Learn fire pit construction tips for surviving a cold night...(read more)

Flint Knapping Arrowheads: Beyond the Basics with Step-by-Step Photos
Learn how to turn a stone into an arrow point. Flint knapping arrowheads is a connection to the past and a practical wilderness survival skill...(read more)



Additional Wilderness Survival Tips & Resources:

Wilderness Survival Tips in the PaleoPlanet Forums

Learn about Wilderness Survival Courses at Alderleaf



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