Survival Guide
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The Weyland Outdoors SURVIVAL GUIDE By Weyland Outdoors This book is a Direct Companion Survival Guide that was written specifically for the Weyland Outdoors Survival Kit. It will go over step by step on how to survive in the wilderness for 72 hours, possibly even longer, using only the tools in this kit. Not only will it show you how to use each piece, but it will also cover a wide range of general survival tactics. 1 The Weyland Outdoors Survival Guide [First Edition] by Weyland Outdoors © 2019 by Weyland. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. Printed Soft Cover Books can be purchased through Amazon.com Cover & Interior Design: Ryan MacRae Publisher: Weyland Editor: Ryan MacRae Content Contributor: Mason McCartney ISBN: 9781713217657 2 In this world, there are always going to be circumstances that are out of our control. Many people believe it will never happen to them until it does… and by then it is too late. Shout out to Mason McCartney @ McCartney Survival for all his contributions to this project. 3 4 CHAPTERS 1. Introduction______________________________P.6 2. The Beginning____________________________P.9 3. Finding Your Camp________________________P.17 4. Fire-craft________________________________P.25 5. Water Collection & Purification._____________P.39 6. Your First Night___________________________P.43 7. Morning Prep____________________________P.48 8. Finding Food_____________________________P.50 9. Navigation & Self-Rescue___________________P.66 10. Conclusion_______________________________P.72 Appendix: The Weyland Outdoors Survival Kit Contents & Reference Guide ___________P.77 5 INTRODUCTION In this guide, you will find a way to use the tools which are provided in The Weyland Outdoors Survival Kit. These tools will not only help you survive in any situation but to thrive in your new environment. Throughout this guide, we will show you what tools are included in the Survival Kit, how to prepare you for a survival situation, steps that you need to take once in that situation and how to signal for help and/or self-rescue if need be. Going into any outdoors-related event such as hiking, fishing, boating, camping or even a simple walk in a new area can take a turn for the worst if you are not prepared. The first and most crucial step is this: ALWAYS tell someone where you’re going and what time you plan on being back. For example: “I'm heading out on the Appellation Trail from the Lee, MA trailhead heading west. By Sunday at noon, I will call you to make sure I am on track and to give any other new location updates." By doing this, any potential search and 6 rescue operations will know where to begin searching. The second step is crucial because telling them the WHEN is just as important as the WHERE. Doing this will give anyone a timeline of probable arrival/departure from the location you gave them. These two steps are by far the most important when it comes to any outing and that includes secluded car trips as well, not just outdoor activities. By following these steps, you can prevent or drastically decrease the possibility of being stranded in a survival situation - at least for a long period. Now, SHOULD you get into a survival situation, many factors come into play: the environment, the time of year, what put you into the situation to start with (hiking the wrong path, car stuck, etc.) all of these factors come into play when making the best decisions. Once you realize you are unexpectedly in an unknown location or situation, (off-trail or stranded in the mountains with a broken down vehicle, etc.), the first thing you need to do is sit down, close your eyes and take a mental pause before you start to do anything. Doing this calms yourself and gets your nerves and senses in check. This way you are less likely to make mistakes and will have clearer thoughts for continuing from there. This is a vital step in figuring out your next move - whether it be staying where you are or needing to 7 move away from your current location to a more survivable location. 8 THE BEGINNING Once you have taken a few minutes to calm your mind and body, slowly take the time to asses everything you can. Start with your own body; make sure you check yourself over for any bumps, bruises or lacerations which you may not have felt when your adrenaline was heightened. Check every limb carefully. Make sure you visually and physically check your arms and legs by rolling up any sleeves or pant legs and using slight pressure to make sure everything is intact. Make sure there are no wounds that go unattended which will end up causing more stress on the body and mind. It is always a good idea to have basic first aid training before heading out on any journey. If you have any cuts or broken bones they need to be tended to immediately, as ignoring them could mean the difference between being rescued or perishing at the hands of Mother Nature. To truly begin, you MUST know the four main survival needs. These most vital needs are: WATER, FIRE, SHELTER and FOOD. 9 Knowing what these needs are and being able to prioritize them is something entirely different. Everyone is always different as far as their body's reaction to the struggles of survival. For example, a person who lives in the Arctic Circle will be more climatized to a cold-weather environment than a person who is from a hot dry area and vice versa. Similarly, someone who has just eaten a full meal before getting stranded will prioritize food differently than someone who hasn’t eaten the entire day. Knowing your own body is a very important aspect of survival because it will allow you to gauge how you’re feeling while lacking food or knowing how far to push your body on a physical level (putting up a shelter, hiking to get water, etc.) There is an important rule when it comes to survival called The Rule of Three, which says: A person can survive THREE MINUTES without air, THREE HOURS without shelter, THREE DAYS without water and THREE WEEKS without food. 10 These simple rules are NOT a definite - they are simply a guide to base your decisions from. These rules are here to help you discern what the most important need is at the moment. As mentioned before, every situation will be different depending on the circumstances that got you there. Now that you understand the Rule of Three, you can start to come up with a plan. It would be amazing to cover every single possible scenario in this guide, however, that just isn’t possible. So, this will be more of a general guide and a basic “how-to” for survival. For now, let’s start assessing your new environment. You’ve already taken the initial step of calming down your nervous system, gathering your thoughts and emotions and now have better control over your actions - you can begin to assess your surroundings and start to make a game plan of what your next move is going to be. In order to make the correct move, many things will come into play and you should be asking yourself a multitude of questions. 11 Being able to answer these questions will help you prioritize your survival needs for the immediate future. • What’s my environment (Am I in mountains or a forest, etc.)? • Is it cold or hot, raining or dry? • What’s the terrain like (is it easy or difficult to mobilize)? • What equipment do I have to help me in this situation? • What kind of plants and trees do I have growing around me? • Are there any signs of animals or any kind of wildlife? • Do I see or hear any freshwater (creeks, rivers, lakes, or puddles)? • Are there any identifiable land features that I can see? • Can I get to higher ground (hilltop, high mountain top, etc.) to scout out the land further? 12 Once you have taken in the lay of the land, depending on the time of day, you’ll want to begin building a shelter for the night, as this would be your top priority according to “The Rule of Three”. You always want to make sure you have a shelter to start with if possible. Having a shelter will provide you with a place to go to be protected from the rain, wind, snow, sun, etc. If you are stranded with a disabled vehicle then you are in a really good position. If the vehicle still runs and is merely stuck, then it will have heat when started and you can use that as your shelter AND heat source (at least until you run out of gas). If you were wise and had told someone where you were going and when you would check-in - then the likelihood of you being stranded for more than 72 hours now is slim and Search and Rescue teams will have a good idea of where to begin their search.