Active Survival Training Posts
How To: Make a Fire Using the Hand Drill Method
Here's a great video that shows how make make a hand drill fire from scratch using Stone Age tools...
How To: Start a fire with a "flint on marcasite" method
In this Disaster Preparation video tutorial you will learn how to start a fire with a "flint on marcasite" method. Mal Stephens, head instructor of Maine Primitive Skill School presents this video. Marcasite is a form of iron pyrite and you can get friction fire from fine grained iron pyrites. For the flint, you can use any hard stone. For the burning material, find some tinder fungus. Now hold the marcasite immediately above the tinder fungus and strike it with the flint. The sparks from the...
How To: Make a coiled basket to carry water in
Making a coiled basket can have be used for a variety or reasons, including the ability to carry much needed water. This four part tutorial teaches you how to make a coiled basket using the wilderness around you.
How To: Make sparks without matches or a lighter
How to make sparks without matches or a lighter
How To: Make fire with just steel wool and a battery
This video tutorial will show you a detailed way to make fire with steel wool and a battery. This is a great way to start fires on camping trips or for emergency situations. Just makes sure you carry some steel wool and a 9V battery on you at all times, or maybe just in your rucksack or glove compartment box in your vehicle, just in case. You never know when you're going to have to start an emergency fire with steel wool and a 9-volt battery!
How To: Make fire with steel wool and a battery
Build a fire without matches or a lighter so you wont freeze to death or attract predators in the wild. The finer the steel wool, the better. Most batteries will work but 9 volt batteries are the easiest.
How To: Call for Help in Case You Wake Up in a Foreign Country
In most countries, there is one single emergency telephone number that allows you to contact local emergency services when in need of assistance. In the United States, that number is 911, which most of us know by the time we're able to speak, unless you're Buckwheat and Porky.
How To: Use water vines to get water in the wild
This video tutorial will show you how to use water vines to get water in the wild, if you fancy yourself the next Bear Grylls. There are different kinds of vines and not all vines are made equally. If you open them up they all contain water. Some vines produce bitter water and some are sweet.
How To: Build an Emergency Rucksack with a Poncho & Rope (The Horseshoe Pack)
There’s a good chance that you’ll be alone in life one day, and no... I’m not talking about a couch-bound, dateless loser with a pocket pussy and a bag of potato chips. I’m talking about alone. In the wilderness. Hungry. Cold. Lost. You can’t stay in one place too long, so it would be nice to have something to carry your belongings in. Maybe it’s post-apocalyptic land where you’re the sole survivor, and all the backpacks and rucksacks in the world are but mere ash. Either way, knowing this si...
How To: Escape a car accident if sinking in deep water
It can happen in an instant: Your car ends up in the water, and it’s sinking fast. Here’s how to get out if you are in an unfortunate accident. You will need self composure and a glass breaking tool. Hardware stores sell tools specifically designed to break car windows in an emergency. Just remember to stay calm! Learn how to escape a car sinking in deep water if you are in a car accident.
How To: Make a quick bow in the wilderness
John Campbell, from azbushman, demonstrates how to make a quick bow and arrow in the wilderness by collecting natural materials and constructing them with cord. He starts by finding seep willow (also called coyote willow) that grows in clumps near rivers. He cuts ten willow sticks and ranges their lengths from about five feet down to about one foot, each a couple of inches shorter than the next.
How To: Make solid fuel for starting fires in the wilderness with cotton balls and wax
Tinder is difficult to come by in the best of conditions, but in a damp wilderness survival situation finding it can be downright impossible. Enter this video. It will teach you how to make solid fuel fire starters out of cotton balls and candle wax, which you can use to start a fire even in wet conditions.
How To: Make a tin can survival cook stove
This is a how-to on how to make a survival cook stove instead of spending $25 to buy one online. It is a simple projecting that requires an old can, a pair of scissors, and a knife. Be careful and pay attention to his excellent instructions! Watch this video survival training tutorial and learn how to build a cook stove out of a tin can.
How To: Make a teepee from an inexpensive tarp
Ever wanted to build a backyard teepee? Here's your chance! In this two-part tutorial, learn how to contruct an inexpensive teepee out of a tarp. Easy to set-up, this teepee is roomy and fun to play in no matter what age you are! If in the wilderness, use this teepee for reliable shelter from cold or warm weather.
How To: Escape from the trunk of a car
Kidnapped? Playing around? Well no matter why you have been trapped in the trunk of a car, you'll need to get out. Escaping new cars is easy as they come with a lever, but chances are if you're being captured the captors won't be using that kind of vehicle. So you will need to be more creative.
How To: Escape from Dual Zip Tie Handcuffs
You are not having a good day. You've been abducted by sinister folks, and your hands are tied by a pair of zip ties bound together. How will you escape? In this tutorial, the guys at ITS Tactical show you how to escape from these bound cable ties, which are frequently used as makeshift handcuffs by police and military personnel, along with mischievous kidnappers. To break free, believe it or not, all you need is a little force.
Campfire Secrets: How to Start a Fire Using a Pencil, Jumper Cables, & Car Battery
What happens when you need to build a fire, but you forgot your matches and lighter? What if you don't know the fire-plow method, the bow and drill method, or even the flint and steel method (not that you would have flint, because you forgot your lighter)?
Body Hack: How to Stop an Emotional Freakout by Inducing Your Body's Natural Survival Instincts
Many of us experience highly emotional "freakouts", so to speak, more often than we'd like. Weather you experience them personally, or via your loved ones, it can be very difficult to think rationally during an episode, and for some people it can take quite a while to calm down.
How To: Make a survival fishing float bobber from a plastic soda straw
Okay, so you're fishing and you forget the basic essentials… you're fishing pole and your bobber. How are you going to catch a fish with just some fishing line? The answer? Plastic straw.
How To: Tie the 11x7 turks head knot
Learn how to tie the 11x7 Turks Head knot with this knot tying instructional video. Here are the knot tying directions:
How To: Build a cob shelter
Build a cob shelter. Use water, sand, clay rich soil, and straw. Watch to learn more!
How To: World's Best Survivalism HowTo's
You're alone in the wilderness. Stranded. Hungry. Cold. What do you do? Naivety could be your downfall, but you don't need to be an Army Ranger to survive.
How To: Make Fire-Starting Char Cloth from a T-Shirt Using a Tuna Can
For this project, I sacrificed some of my kids' clothes and a can of tuna to make some high-quality fire starter! Here's how to make a great batch of char cloth to add to your emergency survival kit.
How To: Make an Emergency Blanket from Recycled Chip Bags
What You Need: 6-9 empty chip bags
How To: Suture a wound in an emergency
This two part tutorial will teach you exactly how to close a wound like a doctor would. This is a good skill to master for emergency situations where medical help may not be immediately available. Watch this video for step by step instructions on how to suture.
How To: The End of the World Survival Guide: Staying Alive During a Massive Worldwide Earthquake
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive.
How To: The End of the World Survival Guide: Staying Alive During a Global Cyber War
Will the predicted apocalyptic date—December 21st, 2012—really be the end of the world? In this ongoing five-part series, we examine what would happen if zombies, nuclear weapons, cyber wars, earthquakes, or aliens actually destroyed our planet—and how you might survive.
How To: Cook bacon and eggs in a paper bag
It is very simple to cook. First you take one paper bag and bacon and eggs. Then keep the bacon in the bag and keep eggs in a normal water bottle to freeze it. After that you can keep both the bacon and eggs in the paper bag. Then put the bag onto a stick. The bag should stay over the heat with the help of the stick. This process should continue for 7-8 minutes. Then you are ready to eat bacon and eggs.
How To: Build an emergency portable car heater for emergency situations
If you've ever gotten your car stuck in a blizzard or been lost on a wilderness drive in winter, you know that keeping that car warm is vital to your comfort and even survival. Using the heater means keeping the car on though, and that means consuming precious fuel. And what if the car breaks down? Watch this video for instructions on how to make a portable emergency heater for your car that will keep it between 60-70 degrees for about 24 hours burning only rubbing alcohol. It could save your...
How To: Tie a perfect round crown sinnet
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a round crown sinnet. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying round crown knots yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Escape from zip ties using shims
The odds are that you'll never find yourself being held prisoner with your hands bound together with zip ties. But if you ever are, you'll be very grateful for the info you learned from this video. In this tutorial from the folks at ITS Tactical, you'll learn how to escape from zip ties using shims. You can use all sorts of things for shimming, from professional equipment to your own fingernails.
How To: Make a Hobo Stove
In every wilderness adventure, there needs to be some form of stove, even if it's only a fire. To prepare and heat canned or caught food, the stove is a must! In this two-part video tutorial, learn how to build your very own hobo stove with the help of a few tools: A number 10 tin can, knife, 2 tent sticks, a church key can opener, and a coat hanger.
How To: Recognize heart attacks and perform CPR as a Boy Scout
As a Boy Scout, when the First Class rank is attained, a scout has learned all the basic camping and outdoors skills of a scout. He can fend for himself in the wild, lead others on a hike or campout, set up a camp site, plan and properly prepare meals, and provide first aid for most situations he may encounter. A First Class scout is prepared.
How To: Make a soda can stove
With tips from this video, make a soda can stove. First, cut the bottom off. Poke holes with a knife into the side of the lid. Make a piece for the inside of the stove.
How To: Use a compass and map
This video tutorial is in the Disaster Preparation category which will show you how to use a map style compass. The first thing is to get your bearings by sight without a map. The arrow on the compass represents the direction of travel, the N on the compass dial is the compass North and the red needle points to the magnetic North. First align the compass N with the magnetic North. Now say you want to go 90 degrees East. Next you align 90 degrees with your direction of travel arrow. Rotate the...
How To: Make your own water filter
This video shows you how to make your very own water filter. 1. 20mm PVC pipe for upper section larger debris.
How To: Make a primitive fishing hook from wood or thorn
Learn how to make a primitive fishing hook / fishing gouge from completely natural materials in a wilderness survival situation. Learn how to survive in the wild. You never know when you'll be stranded on a desert island, lost in the deep woods, or be a contender for Survival, the TV show. This series of videos, by Hedgehog Leatherworks, brings you the basics in outdoor survival. Wilderness survival skills include fire starting, deadfall traps, primitive fishing, making jerky, rope & cordage ...
How To: Tie the sheet bend Boy Scouts knot
Watch this knot tying animation to learn how to tie a sheet bend knot for your boy scouts requirements. Use a sheet bend to tie together two lengths of rope of dissimilar weights. The sheet bend knot will come in handy, so pay attention. Tie the sheet bend Boy Scouts knot.
How To: Make a figure four deadfall trap for wilderness skills
Learn how to make a Figure Four Deadfall trap- Wilderness Survival Skills, demonstrated by Paul Scheiter of Hedgehog Leatheworks. Learn how to survive in the wild. You never know when you'll be stranded on a desert island, lost in the deep woods, or be a contender for Survival, the TV show. This series of videos, by Hedgehog Leatherworks, brings you the basics in outdoor survival. Wilderness survival skills include fire starting, deadfall traps, primitive fishing, making jerky, rope & cordage...
How To: Use rose hip recipes
The how to video contains rose recipes, such as making herbal vinegar and honey. This rose recipe makes use of rosehip. Learn some of these rose recipes by watching this video. Rose hip honey can heal a sore throat.