Basic survival: Level 1

What survival skills and tools are most likely to be needed by the average person? If you google survival or lookup survival videos on youtube you will find plenty of information. In truth, you will find more than you will ever need to know short of a TEOTWAWKI-event (The End Of The World As We Know It).
In my opinion, survival can be split into three different levels.

1. You get lost or injured out in nature or your car breaks down.
2. A local emergency or disaster disrupts normal life. This could be a power outage or severe weather like a hurricane. Help is still available from surrounding areas.
3. Zombie apocalypse! I don't believe in an actual zombie apocalypse but there are many different more likely scenarios that can cause TEOTWAWKI!

A lot of information out there deal mostly with the third and most serious scenario, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you know how to survive the apocalypse you are probably also going to survive a twisted ankle on that nice day hike where everything went wrong.
If you are new to survival I strongly recommend starting with the skills you need to manage a level one scenario and then build on that. What you need in a level 1 survival scenario is what I will focus on in the rest of this post.

The best and most helpful survival tool you can have today is ... a Cellphone! I know many might disagree with me on this one but think about it. Most people spend most of their time where there is cell service and a simple phone call to a friend or to 911 can save your life. In fact, I'm convinced that cell phones save lives every day and help avoid serious survival scenarios! This obviously is only true if you have power in the phone and a signal strong enough to make a call. Check a coverage map before you go anywhere thinking the phone is your lifeline and make sure you don't use up all the power taking pictures or playing games. It might be a good idea to bring a battery pack so that you can charge the phone if needed.
Ok, but what if you can't make a phone call? There are only 2 (yes two!) things that should concern you in a level 1 scenario: Signaling or finding help and staying warm (but not too warm).

Signaling

If you can signal and get help there will be no need for other skills so it is very important to carry something to help you signal for help. Here are some ways to signal for help:

• You always have your voice and don't hesitate to yell for help if you need it.
• Better then your voice is if you carry a whistle. Whistles can be heard over great distances and it will keep on making sound long after your voice would have given up completely.
• Other loud sounds like banging rocks or sticks together can work but make sure you make a pattern so the sound sticks out among all the natural sounds.
• Brightely colored clothes can be a signal even if you are sleeping or otherwise not able to be active.
• A signal mirror to reflect the sun during the day, a flashlight or fire at night

How you signal depends on what you have and where you are. I recommend that you carry at least a whistle and a flashlight for signaling. The flashlight will also come in handy after dark, but only use it when you have to so that you don't use up all the power.

Staying warm

You might say what about food and water! Well, you will not starve to death for at least a couple of weeks so you do not need to worry about what plants are edible or how to trap animals (That becomes important skills for a level 3 scenario). Water you do need but for the first few days, the main reason you need water is to help control body temperature. Most level one scenarios are over long before you would die from dehydration. You can on the other hand freeze to death within hours if you get wet and don't have a way to get warm. Most people who freeze to death do so in temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees Farenheit (-1 to 10 C).
So how do you stay warm?

• Your clothes are your first line of defense against exposure.
  • Bring a warm shirt and a rain jacket. You really should even if it is warm and not likely to rain. The rain jacket can act as a wind barrier and be an indispensable help staying warm.
  • If you can avoid cotton - if it gets wet it is better to take it off then to wear it if you are getting cold. Cotton can be a help if you are trying to stay cool in a warm invironment. A wet t-shirt will help you stay cool.
  • A hat is good for both warm and cold climates. We loose a lot of heat through our head so a hat can keep you warm. It also keeps the sun off your head if to much heat is the problem.
• A space blanket is small and light but can make a significant differense if you are cold and can also give shade if needed. Wearing a space blanket under your clothes will make a very big difference, and help you stay warm even if you have to move around.
• A way to make fire and tinder to help.
  • For level 1 survival I recommend a simple lighter. It's very easy to use and will usually work even after it gets wet.
  • Finding dry tinder can be hard so it's a good idea to bring some in a water tight container, like a zip-lock bag. Cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly works very well.
  • A tea light candle is easy to light and will burn for hours and can help you get a fire going. It can also give you a small light that can be very comforting if you can't make a fire.
  • A knife will be helpful when you are preparing a fire. You can cut wood into smaller pieces that will catch fire more easily. You can also split wood to get to the sometimes dry inside.

Wow! This post is getting long. There are so many things that can be helpfull if you ever find yourself in a survival situation.
If you remember anything from this post remember this:

Signal for help and stay warm

This post was inspired by @calendula who expressed an interest in wilderness survival in a comment on my introduction post. Thanks for the inspiration. If anyone is interested in more survival related posts please let me know in a comment.