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Your top 3 survival skills

6K views 45 replies 32 participants last post by  Seamus156 
#1 ·
Hi All,

Fairly new here although been lurking for a while. I have a question....and I do apologize if this has been asked many times before.

What do you think are the top three absolute essential skills that are best to learn right now, before any TEOTWAWKI situation is on the horizon? I have been arguing backwards and forwards with a work colleague today and we came up with a list that seemed ok for our situation:

1. Water purification
2. Food production from scratch (regular soil-based or hydroponics)
3. Basic first aid

Of course this is by no means definitive. I didn't think about personal protection (firearms and such) or alternative power supplies, but just the absolute necessities that you would need regardless of whether you possess guns or generators (my theory was that even if you have firearms, you still need to eat and drink, and you could have the best power supply in the area but if you are bleeding profusely and don't know how to treat it, electricity won't be much help.)

I know I am an absolute beginner to this whole prepping lifestyle, so I hope my lack of basic knowledge isn't too offensive to you experienced preppers! What are your top 3 skills?
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the site, great first post.
I like to think of skills as things out side of basic survival needs which are what you listed above.
Skills that let you enhance your basic living, but are not required by it. Carpentry, I can build a fence, my sheds are square, level, and weatherproof, but I am not a carpenter, they are not pretty but functional, for me to export that I would have to improve greatly. Machine work is another, I can run a milling machine, weld, cut, but here I lack imagination and finish work, and cannot create from scratch end use detail parts, something actual machinists do. The list can go on and on, I am more of a jack of all trades, master of none so they will keep my home going but not bring in a specialized income.
 
#3 ·
Might not be the exact types of detail skills you're looking for, but I think these 10 skill sets will be critical in dealing with a disaster and on into the PAW. It will be completely dependent on the actual situation which will be the top 3, but I do think the first 3 listed will be way up there in any situation.

1. Problem solving techniques and skills
2. JOAT - Jack of all trades & common sense
3. Communications skills, particularly information gathering and analysis, reading people
4. Situational awareness/scouting/resource evaluation
5. Stealth/gray man/role camouflage
6. Water acquisition/carry/storage/purification
7. Food procurement/carry/preservation/storage
8. Personal defense/E&E/un-armed defense/expedient weapons/firearms skills
9. Trade/Barter skills including the ability to evaluate livestock and other goods
10. Weather forecasting and tracking

Just my opinion. 
 
#4 ·
1. Guns
2. Ammunition
3. A steady hand

I'm joking, kind of. If you live in your bug out location and you have the skills and knowledge to care for your clan, guns are the answer. I don't mean for killing people, either.

I know an old farmer, a very dear man, who changed by idiotic ways when I was young. I was once antigun. I didn't agree with killing animals. Then I met this man and watched him farm. He was patient, kind with his animals, and he loves his life. When one was down or injured, he used his gun to quickly and humanely dispatch the animal. He also taught his boys to shoot accurately and kill the animal with a humane demeanor. Then he taught them to butcher the animal instead of removing the backstraps and tossing the rest.

This old farmer is my father-in-law, and half the reason I am pro-gun. There are many other uses for a gun than killing a person. Lefties might not want to admit it, but it's true.
 
#9 ·
In general my 3 would be:

1. water purification, finding, etc.

2. Fire lighting etc.

3. Food foraging etc.


However saying that there are a few a lot of people forget and without them you are pretty much up the creek without a paddle:

1. Survival psychology - the right frame of mind, no matter how much experience, training and preps you have, if that isn't there then you are scuppered. For instance rescuers often forget to save themselves, while others fall just within sight of the finishing line. You don't survive until you make it through to the very end and make it home safe and sound.

2. Being able to cope no matter what - this is a major lesson, a lot of people just can't mentally go through things that repeatedly push them out of their comfort zone.

3. To change their decisions, actions etc when their plan doesn't work. A lot of people will see a plan through to the end when it will never work just because that's how they tick instead of changing it slightly to one that would see the outcome they wanted.
 
#11 ·
Yep, you came to the right place.

I guess mine would be in no particular order:

1. Foraging (food and other items)
2. Shooting
3. Navigation/ Orienteering
4. Weather forecasting
5. Farming
6. Situational awareness/Judgement calls
7. First Aid
8. Teaching

Welcome Alison!
 
#13 · (Edited)
Foraging...of course! Didn't think of that, I was just looking at growing food given enough time. But if there's an immediate need for food and little or none on hand (which is likely) then foraging is a matter of life and death.

Thank you to all who suggested this (and the other amazing replies so far). I now know what I will be learning for the next few weeks!

And psychological mindset is vital too....but I was thinking more on the lines of practical skills. But thanks to all who suggested that, all very useful info!
 
#16 ·
Alison, there's a lot of wisdom here. I'm glad you're embracing it.

BTW, as for foraging, knowing edible plants and the like is essential but
, I forage at the Dollar Store, flea markets, garage sales, etc. Always looking for what I can use.

MacGyver would be proud. :D:

As for the psychological mindset. Adapt and overcome. A "can do" spirit is what made this great nation.

Cheers,
 
#15 ·
Being strong mechanically and organically will cover just about every situation to some degree except dealing with people.

For that third part you can rely on Smith and Wesson. :D:
 
#17 ·
I'm kind of with Jerry on this--I don't have a "top 3" that would stand head and shoulders above the rest. Things I believe I'm fairly good at doing in no particular order:

  • Reloading ammo
  • Water (purify, filter)
  • Problem Solving
  • Can handle stress and respond
  • Quantitative Analysis (math, baby!)
  • People organizing
  • Barter items, trading
  • Reading people
  • Finding a way or making one
 
#18 ·
I would say, essential practical skills will add up to more than three. For example:

Skills I have the highest proficiency with are:

Building shelters, security, making fire, obtaining food (Hunting, fishing and foraging), obtaining and purifying water. I'm good at all these, but (not trying to brag, although I feel like I am). I go fishing, hunting and foraging nearly on a daily basis and between the three, two will be very successful. I NEVER come home empty handed and always with enough to feed four people every time.

Since I moved to Texas, I have had the time to finely hone ALL my skills. I built a bamboo shelter that would last quite some time. I make fire EVERY day, either with a firesteel, or a more primitive method and I'm pretty decent at fabricating primitive tools and weapons. I can weaponize damned near anything.

Skills I am proficient with, but could use more work:

Medical. (As applies to outdoor survival). I know the basics. Adjusting them to using herbs and primitive techniques is something I'm still learning.Hopefully, I'll get better with time.

Tracking. I'm pretty good at it, but stand for a lot more improvement. I rely mostly on instinct, and that seems to work pretty well for me......for now.

Navigation: Once again, I'm good enough at it that I don't really need a watch, or a compass, and have never found myself "lost", but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Skills I need a LOT of improvement on:

People skills.... I don't play well with others, but I'm working on it. I have serious trouble trusting the judgement of others. Especially when it comes to involving the well-being of my family.

Being more sensitive to the plight of sheeple. I don't trust most of them and tend to avoid them rather than educate them, although, I'd like to change that at least some, but I don't know where to really start or even if I want to.

Making alcohol. I feel this will be essential, and I need improvement here. I now wish I would've listened to my uncles and grandparents who wanted to teach me when I was younger (They all made wine and moonshine), but wasn't interested at the time. This I regret. I can do it, but I'm not real good at it.

ALISON: When it comes to foraging,just keep in mind that you should be looking at food sources that you may have never considered before and get used to eating them now.

Bugs.
Fresh roadkill.
Plants that you normally walk on and wouldn't normally give a second thought to.
NEVER eat wild game INCLUDING insects raw!
ALWAYS sterilize your water no matter how clean you think it is!

LEARN THIS NOW, DO IT OFTEN! Best place to start is the safety of your back yard, where if you fail, it won't cost you your life!


Jus' sayin'
 
#20 ·
I have to grudgingly admit that the OP makes a very good point. I say 'grudgingly' because it forces me to acknowledge that my survival skills are pretty abysmal .
Yeah, I did a stint as Marine grunt, and have always been into the outdoors, hiking/orienteering, fished alot as a kid, etc. but I surely ain't no truly self-sufficient outdoorsman.
I'm not totally inept, or the dullest knife in the drawer, but if I had to grab my BOB and head off into the woods and "live off the land", I ain't gonna lie, I'd probably be one hurtin' unit :D:
But, I think the 3 most important skills can vary and depend on the environment: what are you surviving? A jungle? A desert? Stranded in the ocean on a raft? Urban rioting? Prison? A Mylie Cyrus concert?
Anyway, from the most commonly assumed scenario, lost/hiding in the woods, I'd say what I'd consider the 3 most important skills would be:
-ability to hunt,clean and preserve meat.
-ability to start a fire.
-ability to recognize safe, wild edibles in your area.
 
#21 ·
Brother, I think you're selling yourself short.

I've enjoyed your posts for awhile now and can honestly say I've learned from you.

A Mylie Cyrus concert.....LMFAO!

LMFAO!
 
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#26 ·
Just putting out some unusual ones, that however get brought up a lot in form of forum questions.

1) Governing your family.
By this I don't mean being a tyrant, but a lot of posts are made asking for help about ones partner who thinks the member is silly for prepping, or totally against it. Even after SHTF, there's going to be a considerable percentage of us who will have a spouse or other family member who will **** and moan, and be a contrarian at the most inopportune times. Even if acid rain is pouring through holes in the ceiling, chicom troops are marching down your street, or fallout is floating around, there'll still be some people hummng and hawing like bloody fools.

The ability to keep family/group members on board and all rowing in the same direction is a valuable skill.
BTW, I personally don't have this skill, and frequently falling into loosing my nut at the best of times, so kudos to those who do have it.

2) Reading yours and others' skills.
I still remember one of my earliest leadership courses, just after basic, when a female officer, for a lark, put me in charge of selecting the best team from our squad, then tasking them with completing a rather lengthy group of obstacles, the goal being to beat other squads. I selected the team at first based on group dynamics and politics, including friendship and gender issues. Then I said 'you know what, scratch that', and I re-selected the team that I thought would win. We dominated the competition, but all through it one of those not selected, a very polemic female, was hollering at me for selecting all men, until finally the female officer told her to shut the f up, and that I'd chosen excellently. I should add that I didn't select myself for the team, even though I wanted to go. I selected those most suitable for the requirements.
Knowing when to supress one's ego, and how to allot tasks to those most suited is, I think, a very, very important factor in SHTF.

3)Secreting items.
Be it a shiv in your sleeve, or food you don't want others to get at. Let's say the level of S on the fan is pretty bad, but not bad enough that media hasn't stopped trying to BS us and The Man want's us all tagged and standing in soup line ups. Let's say poaching is a more viable option than your family subsisting on 400 calories/day. Field dressing that deer quickly, then getting all that product, including your kit, back to your home discretely is also an important skill to have. But that's just one example. Being able to conceal all matter of things on one's self and property is pretty handy too.
 
#27 ·
I would think, first and foremost, the WILL TO SURVIVE. If you've a mind to prep then you've got (for some reason) a will to survive. I actually have friends (sorry liberals) who are just that and say if TEOTWAWKI comes, they don't want to survive. They're too lazy with their heads in the sand. God forbid they lose their cable or reality TV!
They WILL BE the first to go. For me it's:
Know my environment/surroundings and be in the best possible location I can be.
WATER supply because if it's winter (I'm in the Rockies), bugging OUT not easy.
Foods stock and ammo.
Of course I have other supplies, but that's major for me.
 
#28 ·
I have given this serious consideration. I hope it shows. LOL.

First I think we have to determine survival; short term bugging out on the run survival. No amount of skills will help me in that situation.

For me then survival is long term in a group or cooperative effort. Then I thought long and hard; what is a skill? For this thought exercise, a skill is applied knowledge. This is where I think multipliers are useful to think about using. Effective multipliers.

In my case that is knowledge, knowledge passed to someone that can effectively apply that knowledge and develop skills.

So my top three in no order are :

1. Knowledge or Skills

2. Effective Multipliers

3. Knowing my strengths and my weakness (limits).

While these are broad terms I do feel you can break down any area and using these three criteria effectively multiply your efforts. I will probably be better at storing food and using creative recipes than at planting it.
 
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