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How to survive in the woods/jungle

How to survive in the woods/jungle
This Instructable will be teaching you how to survive in the wilderness, but you must remember the single most important rule of any true survivalist:

"be prepared for anything mother nature may throw at you"

now that we have that out the way you have to decide now whether it is worth you carrying on reading this and the way you are going to decide is to ask yourself this.

"do you have the will to survive?"

if the answer is no. then clear off. if the answer is yes then congratulations, you have completed the first step of survival school. will power.
 
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Step 1The basics of survival!

the basics of survival!
Always make sure that someone knows where you are going and when you're planning to come back. If something goes wrong, they will know when to get help.

Most valuable - before you trek anywhere unassisted check local knowledge. Find out about the basic geography of the area. Familiarize yourself with edible plants and animals and local seasonal dangers like floods and animal migrations.

Be prepared for the environment you're heading into - bring the right tools and supplies.

Use common sense. If you are lost, try to get your bearings before moving on. If you're tired, rest. If you're hungry, try to find food.

And always push yourself, the only way the people like bear grylls and ray mears survive is by pushing themselves beyond what the think they can do.
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122 comments
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Apr 1, 2012. 8:16 PMhotchocdrop says:
okay guys, listen up:
bear grylls may be trained in the sas, and so is the camera guy, les.
but always remember that it is a television show, and they will often do things that any survivalist will know is the exact wrong thing to do.
take drinking urine for example. urine has no benefit left for the body whatsoever. it has all been filtered out, plus there are many harmful bacteria in urine, that can prove fatal. if you feel the sudden urge to drink urine, distill it first.
Mar 21, 2012. 1:45 PMblingblingdog says:
i like fire more than you
Mar 19, 2012. 3:29 PMWoodbuffalo says:
I enjoyed the reading, most points were "put through to the reader". A couple of extras, if you get rained on or fall in a creek (etc) keep moving. Your movement will keep your body warm and dry your clothes...don't overexert though as you may not know how long you will need to keep the energy stored in your body. Always always be carefull not to hurt yourself when building your Bivi or fire; compounds the situation if not just the wound. When camping/hiking don't sleep in the same clothing you've worn all day (the sweat will cool, leaving you to shiver all night, using precious energy and valuable rest for mind and body) use a dry change of clothes or butt naked if you happen to have a good sleeping bag.
If you think you'll be stuck for a couple of days, try adding a thick layer of dirt/sod to the roof of your Bivi for the extra insulation.
When baiting your "deadfall", if you aren't using parts of an already dead animal...you could have used that bait for yourself. (besides, do you really want to eat a Fox/coyote even if you were starving?) Fishing and snares are the way to go. Snares should be on an already made path by the animal you are after. That reminds me, a hook and 3-4 feet of fishing line would fit in your survival tin.
If you want to burn green wood, use ALOT OF the smaller branches of pine/fir as the needles will burn bright hot and fast with lots of smoke.....used best if you hear a LOW LEVEL plane or helicopter.
I've had my share of "adventures" self inflicted or not. I can say i've nevre been lost but definately been "stuck" a few times, from hot dry days to freezing temps. It's never "fun" but you do what you can to survive...I still have all my fingers and toes too.
Mar 1, 2009. 5:15 AMtrapshooter says:
i did it and a caught a fox THX
May 15, 2009. 9:25 PMharley_rly says:
arent foxes a protected species?
Nov 27, 2011. 11:34 AMZappa021 says:
depends on the species and location
May 15, 2011. 8:39 PMplznothanks says:
Bear Grylls is the champ at this http://howtohacklife101.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-build-fire.html
Oct 14, 2008. 5:59 PMgoeon says:
Bear Grylls doesent count he has a crew Les Stroud!!!
Aug 2, 2009. 12:42 AMalbylovesscience says:
bear grylls does count he may have a crew but they dont help him or interact with him only when in dangerous situations
Jan 25, 2011. 9:12 PMHANKS965 says:
yeah they do in one of his jungle episodes they build a latter for him
Nov 1, 2010. 1:05 AMmikesm1234 says:
did you know bear has a survival expert with him behind the camera, youtube "man vs wild outtakes" and you will see the guy giving bear pointers on how to do things. Its really funny.
Oct 28, 2010. 7:39 AMFujo says:
Ha. I presume your being sarcastic?
Aug 2, 2009. 9:52 AMgoeon says:
exactly les could die and no one would know
Jan 12, 2011. 12:40 AMWolf Seril says:
Les had a support group less than half a mile away from him at all times. One episode where he is in Alaska he calls them on day three.

Besides, Bear was in the SAS. They have extensive survival training. Yes, parts of the show are staged, but the point of the show is to get information across. If he acted exactly how he would in real life, there would be no show because he would be rescued within the day.

Both of them are very knowledgeable and experienced survivalists. You don't have to pick one or the other.
Jul 26, 2009. 8:36 AMtemp says:
Yes, but Les knows where he is going by the end of the week. He knows where he'll be picked up. Bear doesn't. But he does have a crew so they both have their weeknesses.
Jun 2, 2011. 10:30 AMetw says:
Bear does not know where he is going????
I saw an episode once where he got in from see, up a creek, into a small indian village in the middle of nowehere and there just happened to be a helicopter that he could jump in with his camera crew, without asking questions.

No, he certainly does not know where he is going ;-)
Jul 26, 2009. 8:43 AMgoeon says:
ok
Mar 3, 2009. 2:44 PMbubba j says:
les rocks
Mar 3, 2009. 3:00 PMgoeon says:
YES!!!
Jul 21, 2009. 4:06 PMorangewolf22 says:
WOOT!
Jul 21, 2009. 7:13 PMgoeon says:
Ok than now what
Jul 22, 2009. 6:55 AMorangewolf22 says:
no idea
Jul 22, 2009. 11:02 AMgoeon says:
ok
Jul 22, 2009. 5:59 PMorangewolf22 says:
yep...
Oct 25, 2008. 10:23 AMTrogdor_The_Burninator says:
i like bear grylls better... but survivorman is more realistic because not all of us were formerly in the military and are like total beasts.
Oct 25, 2008. 12:09 PMgoeon says:
i'll agree with that
Nov 1, 2010. 1:01 AMmikesm1234 says:
Bear is a presenter/host the guy is a hack he kills little furry animals just for the shows rating, disgraceful. Les knows his stuff, the guy quit the survivorman show because is was too much for him to film and survive at the same time. No crew for Les so props to him.
But the guy pictured above to the right of Bear is the man. His name is Ray Mears and he is the top survival expert in my opinion. Humble does not so off, he is a matter of fact kind of guy. I respects this guys opinion, and if anyone wants to learn anything at all about survival skills in any environment he's you man.
Aug 18, 2008. 8:22 PMSuperninjacamper941 says:
Hey bear gryls is better no one knows what les stroud has in that back pack of his he is out there alone no one would know what he has. at least with bear more people would know what he does.
Oct 28, 2010. 7:44 AMFujo says:
Your not serious?? Your talking about Bear the man who faked a grizzly attack using one of his crew dressed in a bear suit?? Have you ever read the credits for his show?
Oct 4, 2008. 9:07 AMbowmaster says:
You should change the beginning to say "The only way bear grilz survives is eating the food his camera crew brings for him to eat and sleeping in an insulated sleeping bag inside his custom made tent.
Oct 28, 2010. 7:41 AMFujo says:
Exactly. He's a fake/wannabe.
Jul 5, 2009. 8:06 PMcclark13 says:
what about survivor man
Aug 20, 2009. 3:50 PMbenlee1114 says:
ya! wat about survivor man even though bear is awesome :D lol
Oct 28, 2010. 7:38 AMFujo says:
"Bear" is a sham. He's been caught out several times. Check up on it. All he does is use shock factor - nothing useful.

Ray mears on the other hand is an expert in all aspects of survival and he provides useful information and shares his experience and knowledge.
Sep 16, 2009. 6:58 PMplumber4 says:
Bear is entertaining but ridiculous. He has a camera crew and probably some local survival expert. Survivorman is just him...and a harmonica.
Jun 30, 2010. 12:45 AMBlacksmith Spader says:
No pun-gee pit traps?
Aug 19, 2008. 5:48 PMjrsh92 says:
The Opinel knives, as shown in the picture, are wonderful for just about everything. Easy to sharpen, inexpensive, with a good lock, and long lasting if treated correctly. Make sure to dry them out and then oil them or the wood soaks up water, swells, and the knife becomes VERY hard to open-- it's essential to have the knife dried and well oiled before going out in the woods, you'll never get it dry if it's raining and you might not have oil to treat the handle with while you're out there. Always have stuff like that in good condition, sharp, and otherwise well prepared ahead of time.
Jun 9, 2010. 12:59 PMThat Inventor Dude says:
I think those are the old "school trip to France while the teachers not watching" knife very famous, very good, and you can get them pretty much every where with lanes i.e. Brighton, London, some place in France where the teachers weren't paying attention
Oct 13, 2010. 5:04 AMafridave says:
yip ive taken over your instructable im sorry (not really) ,but if i save a life its all good,another serious thing here (south africa is a largly semi to desert country and hot) is sunstroke,heat exhaustion,dehydration,all diffrent but related.A hat is mandatory,moving in temperature of 40c ,45c and above is just not a realistic option,Wake early move in the morning stop under shade from 10 am till 3pm (you can push this envelope depending how hot it is) and move again.always be aware of water,make sure you have it and can get it,dont waste it ,plan your route according to it (manage it).The sun can kill you before you are even aware you have a problem ,heat exhaustion and dehydration can cause irrepairable damage to your body which after it reaches a certain point cannot be treated anyhow and you will die.You can go home and die a week later from damage that was caused while out in the field.
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Author:greenwing hero
I'm Ben, i enjoy the majority of all outdoor extreme sports and i partciuarly enjoy survival camps, hence the new series of instructables; How To Survive (in a certain place). These inbstrucables will...
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