Hot Survival Training Posts
How To: Make charcloth for easy fire starting with a t-shirt and a metal tin
Charcloth is basically charred cloth (surprisingly enough) that doubles an an excellent tinder source for starting fires. This video will show you how to easily make charcloth out of an old t-shirt, a metal tin, and a fire. Now you'll be able to start fires much more easily at home and in the bush.
How To: Start a fire in the wilderness by using a Fresnel lens to magnify sunlight
The more ways you know to start a fire in the bush, the greater your chances of survival. This video will show you how to use a Fresnel lens, a specialized magnifying glass, to magnify sunlight and start a fire. A more refined application of the magnifying-glass-melting-ants-on-the-sidewalk principle.
How To: Make a wilderness shelter out of USGI poncho
The USGI poncho is a vital part of nearly every US soldiers gear, and can be used for more than just protecting you from the rain as clothing. It can also be fashioned into a shelter for wilderness camping, and this video will teach you how to do it.
How To: Light a fire with a piece of quartz and steel
Come on baby light my fire! If you're going to be a survivalist, the first thing you'll need to know is how to start a fire. This simply video shows how to use a piece of quartz and a piece of steel to build yourself a fire and stay alive! In addition, the video shows how to pack it all together in a nifty little Altoids tin.
How To: Make a durable piece of cord with a roll of duct tape
You're in the wild, without rope or string and you need something to tie down your tent. What do you do? Well, if you have that ever handy roll of duct tape you're in luck. This survival tip shows how to turn a piece of duct tape into a handy length of cord to use however you please.
How To: Use a ferro rod and steel wool to start a fire
Spark it up and learn how to light a fire with steel wool and a ferro rod. This is another method of fire starting which is simple, easy and effective. With your ferrocerium rod, some dry brush, leaves and a gentle breath you'll be on your way to heat, warmth and survival.
How To: Make and set an Asian monitor trap to catch small animals
If you're going to survive in the wild you're going to need something to eat. This video shows how to build what's called an Asian monitor trap, ideal for catching small animals. With a few tree branches, some cord and bait, you could be dining on squirrel tonight!
How To: Make a bandana into a sling for wilderness hunting
You're out of ammunition, you've lost your knife and you need something to hunt with. If you've got a bandana you're still in luck. This short video shows you how to turn your bandanna into an improvised sling for hunting in the wild.
How To: Identify Flint and Other Types of Sparking Rocks to Light a Fire
If you're going to start a fire in the wild, you will need the right kind of rock. This great little video helps you identify the type of rock you'll need to light a fire in the wild successfully. You'll need some high-carbon steel for striking your sparking rock; then you'll be ready to make sparks.
How To: Make a charcloth for lighting fires in the wild
Lighting a fire in the wilderness can be tricky, but having a piece of charcloth can make the task easier. Charcloth is carbonized cotton fiber, which lights easily when exposed to a spark, making your task of lighting a fire in the wild, much, much easier. You'll need a fire, a metal container with a lid and a piece of cotton fabric. Voila, charcloth!
How To: Use cotton wood bark to light a fire with a ferro rod
When building a fire in the wild you'll need some hard steel, a sparking tool, such as a ferrocerium rod and something to actually light on fire. If you have access to it, cotton wood is a great choice. It's dry fibers light easy when exposed to a ferro rod spark and this video shows you how it's done.
How To: Ignite a piece of charcloth with a knife and flint
Building a fire in the wild is key to survival. A simple way to get the job done is with a piece of charcloth (carbonized cotton fiber). Charcloth makes for a highly effective piece of tinder to ensure you'll have a warm fire tonight. You'll need your hardened steel, your sparking stone, dry leaves or sticks and of course your piece of charcloth. Get cooking!
How To: Construct and set an Asian bird trap from Laos
Here is a clear, step-by-step guide for building and setting a an Asian bird trap from Laos. This simple and effective trap requires some seeds, a small piece of bamboo, 4ft of cordage, and a young sapling. This trap can catch everything from small birds up to a jungle chicken.
How To: Construct and set up an Asian trail spring trap
When you're surviving in the wild there's no running to 7-11 to grab some snacks. It's all up to you. This excellent instructional video teaches you how to build and set an Asian trail spring trap. Primarily, this trap would be used for medium sides animals as they make their way along a forest trail. The trap requires a heavy object near the trail (ideally a rock, or fallen log), a length of fine, strong cordage, a 4ft piece of sapling and several small branches for this device's triggering ...
How To: Use your flashlight's parabolic lens to start a fire in the wild
OK, your flashlight just died, but wait, don't throw it out! In this quick and simple video, you can learn how to use the parabolic lens from that dead flashlight to start a fire in the wild. You'll need a parabolic lens, some dry ignition material for kindling and you'll need a bright, sunny day.
How To: Make and set an Asian bird trap snare
All North American birds are edible and therefore a good source of meat if you're trying to survive in the wild. This detailed video shows how to construct and bait an Asian bird trap snare. You'll need some 150lb test bankline, some twigs, an available young sapling and something to bait your trap, such as wild berries.
How To: Put together a 10-piece emergency survival kit
Wilderness survival requires smarts, know how and a well equiped emergecy kit to make sure you stay dry, warm and fed. This excellent video tells you what you need to know to put together the essential items of your personal emergency/survival kit. The items include:
How To: Use the dog-bone trigger system for setting various traps
There are a multitude of traps you can set when hunting in the wild, but you've got to understand proper trigger theory or you won't be bringing home the bacon, or the grouse. This informative how to introduces you to the dog-bone trigger, which can be used in ten or more different traps. You'll need a sapling, some bankline cordage, a t-bone stick and a handful of twigs. Learn it up your chances of survival.
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: Prepare a bug out bag for escaping a disaster
A bug out bag, or BOB, is a prepared bag, usually a backpack, designed to sustain you for up to 72 hours while your escape wherever you are in case of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other catastrophe. This video will teach you everything you need to know to prepare an effective BOB that will help ensure your survival.
News: Rule #1 for Surviving Somali Pirates: Lay Off the Doobie
Though it's unlikely you'll ever have a need for hostage survival skills, it never hurts to take in a few tips on what to do in the event of being accosted by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. Wired has tracked down a HowTo guide that addresses such a scenario. Though most of the advice is fairly general, one important point addresses the dangers of lighting up with the enemy:
How To: Save your life by sawing your trapped arm off à la Danny Boyle's 127 Hours
How far would you go to save your life? For James Franco, who plays real-life hiker Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours", staying alive means cutting off your own arm with a dull pocketknife. If you've seen the movie (or even heard about all the people who fainted and threw up after watching it), you know that it presents one of the most grueling self-amputation and bone breaking scenes in movie history.
How To: Tie an emperor's hat knot with paracord
For all of you who are knot fans, here comes a video tutorial showing step by step and in detail how to tie an Emperor's hat knot that realistically resembles one of the hats worn by Chinese emperors in the old days. In this video, a white piece of rope hanging from a hook is used against a black background. You will see each one of the twists and turns in slow speed (not in slow motion) so that you can easily follow what is being shown. The final result is a complex knot done in less than fi...
How To: Tie an elastic Solomon bar bracelet with paracord
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie an elastic Solomon bar bracelt with parcord. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying round stitched switchback yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie bush bar and belt (alternating KBK bar) knots with parcord
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie bush bar belt and belt knots with parcord. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying these knots yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie a perfect "good luck" knot
In this knot-tying tutorial, we learn how to fasten a perfect "good luck" knot—a knot so named because it is said one requires quite a lot of luck to tie it properly. Not so, says video creator TyingItAllTogether. For all of the relevant details, and to get started tying this knot yourself, take a look.
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: Tie a knarr viking merchant ship knot
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a knarr knot. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying perfect knarr knots yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie a KBK bar fusion knot
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a KBK bar fusion knot. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying KBR bar knots yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie a perfect double plafond knot
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a double plafond knot. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying double plafond yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie a stitched switchback strap
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a stitched switchback strap. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying round stitched switchback yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Tie a round brocade or six-flower knot
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a round brocade or "six-petal" knot. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying round brocade knots yourself, watch this video guide.
How To: Make dogbane cordage or Indian hemp
In this tutorial, we learn how to make dogbane cordage. Dogbane is also known as Indian hemp, which is a plant which is used to make cordage. Once you identify the plant outside, you can process it into a raw and finished product. First, you will simply peel the bark off of a branch of the dogbane. After this, you will squeeze along the inside of it and start to peel the layers back. You will then get a bushy type of wood that looks like it's hair. After this, you can tie these together or br...
How To: Modify your machete for the bush
In this video, we learn how to modify your machete for the bush. First, you can sharpen your blade on a piece of wood. You will produce wood shavings that will produce fire as well. Push down on the sides of the knife as well as base and on the tip and middle. Make sure you slightly sharpen the back as well so you can use it to open up coconuts. Once you do this, you will have five useful edges on your machete that you can use for many different purposes while you are out traveling. You can a...
How To: Prepare your vehicle for winter weather
When winter rolls around, you get some pretty unpredictable weather: hail, snow, rain, ice, black ice, nasty stuff. Being properly prepared is extremely important because you never know what can happen to you while you're on the road. In this video you will learn how to prepare your vehicle for winter driving.
How To: Preserve tracks properly during your expedition
Whether it's research, a school project or term paper, going on an expedition, what have you, having to preserve animal tracks should be a part of your bag of tricks that you can do. But don't just grab some random plaster of paris and just start pouring. Check out this video first and learn how to properly preserve the animal tracks that you find in the wild.
HowTo: Survive a Plane Crash (Demonstrated by Flight Attendant Hotties)
HowTo go viral or HowTo survive a plane crash... take your pick. A bunch of Philippines flight attendant cuties demonstrate flight safety procedures to the tune of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The company later stated:
News: Boob Support = Life Support
Dr. Elena Bodnar proposes a silly idea. Why not wear a bra that double as a gas mask? No point in being ill equipped (in the event of fires, terrorist attacks, dust storms or a swine flu outbreak). The instructions are simple: In the event of an emergency, remove bra.
How To: Tie a snake belly bar knot
The snake belly bar, in essence, is a product of multiple snake belly knots, tied together in series. This great bar makes a great bracelet or strap and is easy to make if you know the right pattern. In this video you will get an up close look at how to tie this knot from start to finish.
How To: Tie a genoese zipper sinnet knot easily
The Genoese Zipper Sinnet is actually a fusion of both the single Genoese Bar and the Zipper Sinnet, obvious reasons for the name. This knot can be great for making a strap, bracelet, or necklace. In this video you will learn how to tie the knot up close and personal, giving the video great detail and insight into the knot tying process.