Home Emergency Outdoor Safety Terrorism & Warfare Natural Disasters Disaster Preparation WonderHowTo

Hot Survival Training How-Tos

iOS 14 Tips, Tricks, How-Tos & News

How To: Build & Hide a Campfire from Your Enemies — The Dakota Fire Pit

Fire.  It’s everywhere— always has been.  From the Ordovician Period where the first fossil record of fire appears to the present day everyday uses of the Holocene.  Today, we abundantly create flames (intentionally or unintentionally) in power plants, extractive metallurgy, incendiary bombs, combustion engines, controlled burns, wildfires, fireplaces, campfires, grills, candles, gas stoves and ovens, matches, cigarettes, and the list goes on... Yet with our societies' prodigal use of fire, t...

How To: Purify Urine for Drinking with an Emergency Solar Still

It’s called Urophagia—the art of consuming urine. There could be any number of reasons for having the desire to drink your own urine (or somebody else’s). There’s the so-called term “urine therapy,” which uses human urine as an alternative medicine. In urine therapy, or uropathy, it’s used therapeutically for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes. There’s also those people who drink urine as sexual stimulation, where they want to share every part of each other. And then there’s the o...

How To: Start a fire with quartz

Making a fire is important in order to stay warm and more importantly stay alive. In this video tutorial you'll find out how to use a quartz, old file, and the back end of your knife to help start a fire. And again, remember that fire can be dangerous and cause major damage to not only you but to the environment. So be careful!

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: Do a line rescue in the water 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 natural long burning torches in the forest

In this tutorial, we learn how to make natural long burning torches in the forest. First, use a dead tree limb and rip off all the bark that is on it. Next, gather up the bark from the tree and tie it together with wire you carry with you. Also, gather up a dead stick and connect this to the dead bark as well. Use a multi-tool to cut the wire if you are in a hurry. Once finished, light the bark on fire and you will have a natural torch that will burn in the forest! Be sure to use a dead tree ...

How To: Eat & extract water from a cactus

John Campbell demonstrates how to eat and extract water from a cactus. You can eat a cactus from the hedgehog plant family. First, cut off the top of the cactus and skin down the sides, cutting off the cactus spines. Cutting the cactus will not hurt it because it can heal itself. The cactus meat will be like a sticky cucumber. Try to avoid the central core because it is stringy but you can eat the cactus meat. Wrap the meat in a bandana, squish it and wring it out to extract the water from th...

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: Discuss constitutional rights 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: Tie a great hangman's noose (or hangman's knot)

The hangman's noose is infamous for its use in hanging prisoners during executions. It supposedly was invented in Britain, but eventually spread throughout the world, going beyond the prisons, even into our own homes. But the hangman's knot isn't all doom and gloom. There are plenty of useful (and non-lethal) applications for the hangman's knot, like as a fishing or boating knot. Everyone should know this roped knot, and this tutorial will show you the knot-tying process. Just remember, to be...

How To: Start a fire with a battery and a staple

This young fellow demonstrates how to start a fire using a battery and a staple. He suggest you begin with a staple or any thin wire, a AA battery and a knife. On the negative terminal of the battery, he cuts off a piece of the insulation by following the small ring on the battery. Pay attention to the small ring between the top of the terminal and the casing. Look for the gap that has some paper material and pry that up. Insert the staple below the paper into the gap. As you move the staple,...

How To: Make a survival fire from a battery and staple

Check out this how-to video to start a fire using an AA battery and a staple. You can do this while listening to the classical guitar piece, "Malaguena" if you feel like it. It could save your life! With your battery: start by cutting the plastic away from the negative terminal. Watch the video survival training tutorial for more tips on starting an emergency fire!

How To: Create a grip with paracord

When is a knot not a knot? When it's a grip. The knot outlined in this video isn't a knot per se but a way to wrap objects to increase their grip and also to store extra paracord. Specifically, this video demonstrates how to County Comm Micro Widgy Bar, which is a miniature pry bar. It’s made from hardened D9 steel and is around 3? in overall length.

How To: Convert any pack into an avalung avalanche safety pack

Before this ski season, I decided to add one more avalanche mitigation tool to my arsenal: the Avalung. This breathing device has been proven for several years to increase chances of survival if buried in an avalanche. To be effective, the Avalung must be worn over all clothing so that the intake and exhale portions are in contact with the snow. For most backcountry skiers, this can be a true pain. I already have a beacon strapped to my chest along with a pack, and if I'm patrolling, a radio ...

How To: Make a shirt out of a wool blanket

In this video, we learn how to make a shirt out of a wool blanket. This is great if you need something really warm to sleep in or wear out around. First, design the shirt so it's longer on the back than it is in the front. That way, when you sit down you will have extra wool to help keep you warm. You don't need to sew a collar on it,, because it will just take too much work. Make the arms extra long, depending on how large your blanket is. If it's too long, you can fold the ends over, or cov...

How To: Tie the Celtic heart knot

In this video, we learn how to tie the Celtic heart knot. Start off with your rope and make a loop in the middle of it. Now, bring the working en on the right side into the loop so you have a circle. Now, bring that end back into the knot and braid it through the other loop. Next, push this through the bottom loop, then braid it through the lines that are on the shape. After this, you will see a heart shape start to form. Pull gently on the heart with both sides of the rope and shape the midd...

Prev Page