12 Survival Skills Every Prepper Should Learn
The difference between someone who is prepared for any emergency and someone who isn’t, comes down to just one thing – skills. Are you skillful enough to handle the crisis in front of you?
Skills goes beyond knowledge. Someone who has read a first aid book will know that a tourniquet can be used to stanch the bleeding of a severe wound by restricting the arterial/venous blood flow. That’s knowledge.
Skill is knowing how to tie that tourniquet… and here’s where the rubber meets the road. Skill comes from practice and actual hands-on experience. Reading alone will not make you survival ready. You must practice till you’re ‘crisis ready’.
In this article, you’ll learn about 12 survival skills that are of paramount importance for every prepper. These are the basic skills. Some are easier to master while others such as self-defense will require consistent practice.
Your effort and time investment in mastering these skills will pay off when you can proficiently execute them in an emergency while everyone else around you are panicking and losing their mind. That’s what being a survivalist is all about.
Let’s look at these survival skills.
First aid
This is without a doubt the most important of all skills. In most emergency situations, there will usually be casualties. In a worst-case scenario, it might even be you who is injured.
Knowing how to treat the casualty/yourself could make the difference between life and death. If you stopped to think about it, you’d realize that first aid is survival in its purest form.
The ability to prevent injuries and wounds from taking the life of someone is a skill that cannot be neglected. You may wish to sign up for a first aid course that’s conducted by a trained professional.
The basic skills such as stopping bleeding, CPR, treating fractures, managing shock, etc. should be covered in the course you take. Make sure you go for refresher courses once every two years just so that you don’t forget what you’ve learned. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Food storage/Water storage/Cooking
Knowing how to store food supplies and water is a skill too. You’ll need to store rations and water for future use. When there is a disaster, the supermarket shelves will be empty as people grab whatever they can.
Having your own supplies squirreled away for such an emergency will give you peace of mind. It’s important that you know how to plan for such emergencies.
The amount of food you store must be sufficient for your family, you and even your pets. Knowledge of food rotation is also important. As your supplies reach expiry date, you’ll need to consume them and replace them with new supplies. This will prevent wastage. Keeping good records is crucial.
As for water storage, you’ll need to know how to store the water, how to access more water should your supplies run out… and how to purify water. The importance of this skill cannot be overstated. Water is life.
Survival cooking skills will allow you to prepare simple meals. Eating baked beans out of a can while you ponder your fate can be a depressing experience. However, whipping up a quick dish by cooking some rice mixed with beans and canned sausages can lift your spirits during trying times. It’s the little things that matter.
Self-Defense/Firearm training
During times of crisis, crimes such as rape, theft, housebreaking, etc. will go up because law enforcement is busy managing the effects of the disaster which could range from a hurricane to a terrorist attack.
Due to manpower limitations, their focus will be on ground zero or wherever is worst affected. Like the saying goes, ‘When the cat is away, the mice will play.’
In this case, the mice will be criminals who look for crimes of opportunity that they can quickly get away with. That’s exactly why you need to be extra alert.
But being alert is not enough. What if you’re about to get raped or mugged?
Can you defend yourself? Do you have pepper spray on you? What about a firearm? Do you even know to use one?
You must be ready for anything. This is not paranoia. It’s reality. Every prepper should not only learn unarmed self-defense, but also carry items such as pepper spray, a stun gun, etc. Your life may depend on them, especially if you’re a woman.
If you’re allowed to carry firearms where you live, do get proper training and practice so that you can discharge the firearm in a proficient manner when in a dangerous situation. While this should always be the last resort, sometimes it may be the only resort you have.
Knot tying
Tying survival knots is a skill that many preppers don’t even think about, but it’s very important. Knowing how to tie knots will come in handy in many situations ranging from tying a sling with a bandage to securing your items with paracord. This is a versatile skill that’s easy to learn and can be mastered with practice.
Starting a fire
Starting a fire in the wild like they do on the TV show ‘Survivor’ is very different from fire starting as a prepper. You don’t want to be in a situation where you’re striking rocks or rubbing sticks to start a fire. You’re not a Neanderthal man.
As a prepper, you should have a lighter or a box of waterproof matches stored and ready to use. You should also have a flint fire starter kit on standby. You can get one of these magnesium fire starter kits on Amazon at a very affordable price.
Building a shelter
Building a shelter refers to setting up a survival tent outdoors. It’s not about building some tree house or log cabin with twigs and logs that you find in the wilderness. You’re a prepper, not Tarzan.
You need to know how to set up the tent. Many people buy a tent, put it in the garage or attic and forget about it.
When they do need it, they have no idea how to set it up quickly and easily. During stressful situations, tasks like these should be executed efficiently without much thought. You don’t want to stress yourself further by struggling to set up a tent.
Practice beforehand a few times so that setting up the tent is second nature to you. Should the event arise when you need to grab your bug out bag and put up a shelter outdoors, you’ll easily be able to set up shelter for your family and you.
Prepper fitness
Every prepper needs to focus on fitness. Having stamina will allow you to handle tough situations better. Carrying a heavy bug out bag and walking will be much easier if you’re strong and fit.
Your self-defense skills will also be better. When the electricity goes out due to a power failure because of an earthquake or some other disaster, a lot of the tasks that we rely on technology for will be gone. Everything becomes manual labor.
Sweeping the floor, washing the clothes, etc. are all physical chores that can become tiring after a while. Being fit will make these tasks easier. Imagine being overweight and panting and wheezing as you lug your bug out bag to your secondary location. In many crises, roads end up blocked and you’ll have no choice but to walk.
Stay fit. Exercise daily. Focus on strength and endurance activities. Pack your bug out bag and go on walks with it just so that your body gets accustomed to the load. People may look at you like you’re crazy… but as a prepper, you must have a certain level of ‘crazy’ in you.
Handyman skills
Handyman skills refer to skills such as fixing a tire, basic plumbing skills, and other skills related to fixing items around the house. If your car breaks down, you may need to know how to change the oil.
If the roof leaks, handyman skills will help you remedy the problem until you can get someone to look at it. These skills will make your life much easier when problems crop up.
Problem solving mindset
An analytical mind is an advantage during an emergency. The common response from most people is to panic and run around like Chicken Littles. Either that or they talk too much and do too little.
As a prepper, you should strive to keep a calm mind and approach any problem with a mindset of how to overcome it. You shouldn’t be overly-anxious, negative or feel like all hope is lost. There may be a problem, but you will solve it. That’s the mindset you want to have.
Outdoor skills
Generally, outdoor skills are a last resort. Hunting, fishing, living off the land, etc. are scenarios that many preppers dream about. In reality, civilization has to really collapse for you to need to hunt or fish to survive. Usually, relief aid will arrive in a few days to a week or two.
Most well-prepared survivalists will have enough supplies to last through this period. So, it will usually not come down to surviving in the wild.
However, if you live near a lake or places away from the city that’s close to wildlife, you should learn to fish, hunt, and camp outside. These outdoor skills may come in very useful should a situation arise where you need to evacuate your home and your supplies are left behind.
Interpersonal skills
People skills become even more important when you’re in a crisis. Your interpersonal skills will help you when it comes to bartering your supplies for items that other people may have.
It will help you to build a support network with your neighbors so that everyone looks out for each other. There is strength in numbers. Always get to know your neighbors well and be on good terms with them. People are much more likely to help people whom they like. So, you don’t want to be a stranger.
That said, do NOT broadcast the fact that your basement is full of food supplies that will last you for 2 months. Should there be an emergency, and the rest of them are not prepared, guess who they’re going to think of when they need food?
Things can get very ugly, if you don’t share. So, silence is golden.
Situational awareness
Being situationally aware can save your life. The woman who is situationally aware will realize that the man at the mall’s parking lot is slowly making his way towards her.
The man who is situationally aware will realize that the 2 men who have walked past his house twice are trying to establish if anyone is at home before they break into it.
Situational awareness is being on alert and being aware of what’s happening around you. You can’t do that if your eyes are glued to your mobile phone and Facebook notifications.
Look up, walk with confidence, ascertain your surroundings and be alert. That’s how you prevent sudden nasty surprises from getting the better of you.
These 12 skills will take time to learn and develop, but you’ll benefit greatly from them. Do take time daily to practice and hone your skills. Repetition is the mother of skill.