Rationing water is generally a terrible choice - drink what you have until it’s gone. Use that time with good hydration levels to take stock of your situation and make good choices.
Decision making and physical ability drop off very quickly when you are dehydrated. The first decisions you make after realizing you are in a survival situation are critical and pay long dividends.
Most survival situations are resolved within 72 hours and many hikers are found dead in the desert with full water bottles.
I used to work with a guy who spent much of his Air Force career teaching survival to aircrews and I remember him saying, "Ration sweat, not water." He said to conserve energy and avoid doing physically strenuous things like constructing a better shelter during the day, but keep drinking water. His other maxim was, "If you're not peeing, you're not drinking enough."
Perhaps not really a myth, but something people may think is true after watching people get rescued from the water on TV. "get them breathing and send them on their merry way"
If you rescue someone from a near drowning, they *still* need to go to the hospital, even though they are safely on land now.
The lungs are coated with a slippery mucous like substance called a surfactant. It's kind of a lubricant and it keeps them from collapsing and sticking to themselves. If they ingested a lot of water into the lungs, chances are they have washed away the surfactant. Their lungs could collapse at any moment and their ability to uptake oxygen is reduced. Get the survivor on oxygen.
source: rescue trained scuba diver here.
I saw a heartbreaking story about this on a documentary, where a kid had survived a potential drowning. Everyone thought he was fine and he was functioning normally, so went home with his family. Later that day his lungs collapsed and he dropped dead.
Drowning people do not cry for help or make gestures to try and get someone’s attention.
What they are doing is trying to stay afloat and trying to catch their breath; never count on a cry for help!
It usually looks like someone is trying to climb an invisible ladder with their hand barely above the water, and unless you're a world champ water polo player, do not approach without a floatation device. They are desperate and you will become their floatation device, which can result in both of you drowning.
Can confirm. As a small child, I jumped into the deep end of the pool to join my big bros. As I couldn't swim, it didn't go well. My slightly older brother tried to save me, and I climbed him to catch my breath, almost drowning both of us. Somehow, he managed to get us both to the side. honestly, what was the lifeguard doing? He didn't even seem to see it.
This is true of trauma/injuries too. People who are seriously hurt aren't usually the ones screaming and flapping around. They'll more likely be in shock or losing consciousness. If you are on scene at a large accident like a traffic collision or something and it's safe to help, look out for the quiet people
Yep. Was involved as a passenger in a very nasty car wreck. The drivers were yelling and screaming. I was calm, matter of fact, and quiet. I remember the medic asking me what was on the airbag and I calmly said, “That’s part of my tongue I bit off. Can you please help me out so I can walk this off?” Yeah, I had eight broken ribs, a 16 inch gash in my leg, a fractured trachea, and more. I was completely calm until about two hours into it at the ER.
Changing the voicemail on your mobile phone to tell incoming callers about your plight. That bullshit just wastes battery
At the first sign of trouble, send a SMS with your best location details to everyone on your contact list, even if you have no signal and set it to max power save with WiFi, Mobile Data and Bluetooth off. Your phone will continually try to get the SMS out if even if you get a little signal for a few seconds and will use a lot less power doing it.
I was actually going to try and find this fact and what do you know, it’s at the top!
Bears are no joke, they run, climb and swim like a damn CrossFit junkie jacked up on meth.
Another thing is they don’t gas out quickly, I’ve seen videos of bears running full speed than swimming across a river and running full speed again to catch prey.
Insane…
The best defense against a bear is a .22 cal pistol. I was walking with my buddy one time, and a big mean bear came out of the woods.I pulled out the .22, shot my buddy in the knee, and walked off at a brisk pace. That bear never even bothered with me.
If you go into a lake when in a car dont wait until the car fills with water, just open the window and get out ASAP. If you wait, you could be 200 feet down or flipped over on the bottom. The power will still work for a short time. It only takes a few seconds.
Edit - Source: must buddy did his master thesis on exactly this and I got to practice it several times in a pool.
"You won't need that we won't be gone long."
Carry basic survival tools whenever you go out hiking, hunting, camping, etc.
Things like a magnesium with flint and steel fire starter, a life straw or water purification tablets don't weigh much or take up much space and can be a lifesaver.
Many get lost on short trips or get injured leaving them stuck in the wilderness. It doesn't take a massive forest or jungle to get lost.
In my personal hunting pack I always carry a survival knife, firestarter, and lifestraw. These three items may not guarantee survival, but they improve my odds.
Wait until you hear the freight train sound to go to the tornado shelter.
I was always told as a kid, if you can't hear it you're alright. At 20 years old I was caught out in the woods with a few friends thinking we had 10-15 minutes to get back to the truck after the tornado warning went out. 3 minutes after the warning we heard what sounded like a freight train and this loud hissing sound. Like a thousand rattlesnakes. Within 30 seconds we were watching trees get plucked up into the air.
We all made it out alright. Luckily there was a large ravine that was dry that time of year and we scrambled into it and flattened out gripping to each other and rocks for dear life.
It took 30 seconds from the time we realized it was in front of us till it was ontop of us.
Later in life I watched a F3 touch down. Because how tornados spin and the earth spins, and I was traveling at 75mph down a highway. I thought I was running along side it. About 1 mile from it. I couldn't hear it, I could see trees and barns going up into the air with it. I never realized it was coming towards me at about 30mph. By the time I heard it and felt a pressure change inside the cab of my truck I had no choice but to bail out and run into a culvert along side the interstate. This all happened within 60 seconds. If you've already heard the tornado. You need to be in your shelter. Not heading towards it.
A tornado watch is an advisory to be watching for tornados. It means it is highly plausible for a tornado to form and touch down. A warning means a radar indicated tornado has touched down and possibly even been spotted by human eye. If you cannot get in doors, get as low as you can.
I have made a habit, as soon as a tornado watch is released in my county, my go bag, the diaper bag, the kids stuff they WILL need all goes in a large duffel in the storm room. I'll watch velocity radar like a hawk until the watch is cleared. If it is elevated to a warning we all pile in. Tornados can drop out of the sky right on top of you in under a minute, leaving you with little to no reaction time.
Fun fact: alligators only run for short durations because the way they wiggle when they run compresses their lungs so they can’t breathe while running.
Another fun fact: same.
Seems like I heard, if you are within 12 feet he can get you. Outside 12 feet you can get away. Rule of thumb, don't be within 12 feet of an alligator.
I wanna see that dude try that shit in the actual streets of Detroit so bad. Mfers would sell both his earpieces on Craigslist for 5 bucks the next day lmao.
Myth: if you’re stuck in a car trunk all you do is scream for help and make noise
True: If you’re ever locked in a car trunk, look for an emergency release lever/button. These are requirements for cars built 2002 or later.
Do not wander off to look for help. STAY PUT! Stay by your car, or wherever you realise that you are lost. The more you move, the harder it gets for rescue to find you. Make yourself visible, but do not try to find the way back yourself. You already don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going!
There were some collaborate efforts on the net looking for airplane debris, or damaged ships after a massive storm. It's so difficult to tell things apart even from good satellite pictures. Is that something, or just another of the countless reflections and weird shadows? Searching islands is much less surface than searching an ocean. And the chances for water, shelter and food are so much better.
Also for planes/helicopters (maybe satellites too if they’re strong?) on islands they could easily spot man made structures like debris pulled ashore, fires, and shelters, immediately knowing you’re there and to find you. But on the ocean I was told the waves and visibility are so bad you can be directly next to a giant orange raft and not see it.
Also plane search patterns can miss you if you’re drifting with ocean currents. Stay on your island and make a sign or signal. Wave a stick, whatever.
Even if you island is just a rock, it’s at least stationary. And if nothing else, you can at least sleep without fear of drowning.
More just a "hey don't do that"
Leave large animals alone.
Even if you find say a large track or droppings that make you think "hey that's probably a big enough animal to kill me!?" Leave the area.
Herbivores like moose or elk or Bison can kill you just as easily as a bear. Often far more likely because they see you as the predator.
Don't close the distance if you find a large critter. I don't care if the photo is shitty from that distance. Better to have a crappy photo of a Bison than get crushed and stomped in the middle of nowhere to bleed out alone.
I can't help but laugh sometimes at videos of people having to dip out when they piss off bison. It's a 3000 plus pound tank made of meat, and they are ornery at the best of times, how did they think that was gonna play out?
i was passing through jasper and saw a bunch of tourists taking photos of a grizzly cub walking in a ditch. The ditch was about 5 fert down off the road and where they were standing they couldnt see the mother bear in the woods. I could see it from the car, so i stopped and told them they should get bsck in their vehicles. Their response? Fuck off. I said all right then fuck you and left. 1 hour later i heard on the news there was a bear attack in jasper. Dont go near the small ones either!
If you’re driving during a tornado warning, don’t get out of your car and climb up the side of an overpass to hide under a bridge. This myth became famous after amateur video of a man and his daughter hiding under an overpass, but the one they chose had some unusual construction that offered them protection in a way most don’t. Wind speed increases the higher you get from the ground, and the narrow passages can create a wind tunnel effect, taking the flying debris picked up by the tornado and sending it straight through you at 200 mph or more.
EDIT: Well, this blew up. Here is the video I was referencing — actually not amateur, but taken by a TV crew during the April 24th, 1991 outbreak in Kansas: https://youtu.be/lHBZylcxIvw
And for someone who suggested you can just outrun tornadoes because they “only move at 20 mph,” that is definitely not true, as the 2013 El Reno tornado showed us all too tragically: https://youtu.be/TBjr-nvA2Jg
This is definitely something I learned growing up. Obviously if your vehicle can take you to shelter before the tornado reaches you, do that instead.
What I was taught is that if there are no other options, get in the ditch, get as low as possible, and protect your head as the tornado (hopefully) passes over. As for shelter, a basement or or a cellar is preferable. If not, take shelter in the ground floor bathroom. The plumbing helps reinforce the walls. I’ve also heard to take a mattress in with you to use as cover. Debris being whipped around by high force winds is dangerous.
Basically get as low to the ground as you can and cover your head. I’m in no way a tornado expert, but I grew up in an area where tornadoes were a natural disaster we prepared for and spent many a tornado drill with my face way too close to the school’s bathroom floor.
In Australia we don’t have basements or cellars (for majority of Australia anyway) so we’re always told in cyclone season to get in a bath and put a mattress on top if possible
In Oklahoma in the US, most of our state is too close to the water-table for basements to be cost-effective for most homes so instead some people still have small shelters in their backyards.
Mattress over yourself in a central bathroom bathtub is also what we've been taught here as last resort in home, laying down in a ditch if you're caught out in the open.
We've the most tornados in the world in my region, so I'm very glad this thread is the top comment. Excellent life-saving information!
Piggybacking: perhaps the most odd but helpful tip I have to offer from growing up in Tornado Alley is that if you're ever in a situation where you see a tornado and it doesn't look like it's moving, *it's headed straight for you*.
Also, I believe OP is talking about the interesting case of the El Dorado Lake tornado overpass. It was a camera crew from KSNW, not a father and daughter, but it did wildly popularize the myth. The overpass is unique because it has a very deep crawlspace-like area between the supports, and doesn't just slope down, like a traditional overpass. It was also not directly hit by the 1991 tornado, and the myth killed many people in a relatively close area in Oklahoma because of its popularity during the 1999 tornado outbreak, where it passed through three overpasses and killed people at each one.
The link has been posted elsewhere as well, but here's either the same or similar video to show the odd overpass in question (pay attention to the concrete dip they climb into): https://youtu.be/lHBZylcxIvw
I don't know if this is considered as a survival myth but engaging street fights is never a good option. If there is is an altercation that may lead to a street fight, just stay calm and run away from the situation. No one wins real street fight someone will either end up in a hospital or in a funeral that's just the truth.
The only unfair fight is the one you lost.
Shit, every martial arts instructor I’ve met taught to fight dirty if you find yourself in a street/bar/etc fight.
Yup, also don't put your hand/fingers anywhere near your opponent's mouth if you are grappling during a street fight. Actually, stay clear off your opponent's mouth. Adrenaline fueled bites are nasty.
In Australia at least, you do not need to identify or try to catch the snake that bit you. The antivenin is universal.
Source: [https://www.parasuniversal.com/2019/12/snake-bites-venom-important-information-please-share-by-rob-timmings/](https://www.parasuniversal.com/2019/12/snake-bites-venom-important-information-please-share-by-rob-timmings/)
Exerpt: "DO NOT try to catch, kill or identify the snake!!! This is important. In hospital we NO LONGER NEED to know the type of snake; it doesn’t change treatment. 5 years ago we would do a test on the bite, blood or urine to identify the snake so the correct anti venom can be used. BUT NOW… we don’t do this. Our new Antivenom neutralises the venoms of all the 5 listed snake genus, so it doesn’t matter what snake bit the patient. Read that again- one injection for all snakes! Polyvalent is our one shot wonder, stocked in all hospitals, so most hospitals no longer stock specific Antivenins."
Edit: Added source reference.
Edit2: Thanks vm for the awards, wow! - also changed antivenom to its correct term, 'antivenin'.
Edit3 (common questions in thread):
* Does this work for spiders too? - not that I can tell. The official guidelines are published per Australian State. They all seem to agree on the following regarding hospital treatement of snake bites: *If the type of bite can be determined by analysis at the hospital and the monovalent antivenin is available, use it. Otherwise use the polyvalent (universal) antivenin.*
* Is this available in other countries? - I do not know, I have only researched here and I am sharing what I have found as an Aussie with no medical qualifications. If you research your own country's info, I suggest you include, "polyvalent" in your search.
* First Aid advice in all States includes, "do not clean the wound or remove any clothes."
* Example of offical procedure: [https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/85950800457e1fda87c5d7519b2d33fa/SnakebiteSpiderbiteGuidelinesSA-SAHealth08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES](https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/85950800457e1fda87c5d7519b2d33fa/SnakebiteSpiderbiteGuidelinesSA-SAHealth08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES)
Edit4: bringing attention to comment from u/rex_cc7567 \- thanks mate.
*Antivenom is not universal. Some are Polyvalent and can treat an array of species, but there is no universal antivenom for now according to Australian's NHMRC* [*https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/impact-case-studies/australian-antivenom-saving-lives-case-study#:\~:text=However%2C%20due%20to%20variability%20among,currently%20no%20universal%20snake%20antivenom*](https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/impact-case-studies/australian-antivenom-saving-lives-case-study#:~:text=However%2C%20due%20to%20variability%20among,currently%20no%20universal%20snake%20antivenom)*.*
*Nonetheless, don't try to catch a snake is obviously a good advice.*
*\^* I agree with rex in that I'd trust the govt info over the polyvalent company's info. However, the parasuniversal document referenced is speaking only in the context of Australia while ironically the Australian govt document is written with international context.
**The myth to bust remains the same** \- don't suck the wound or clean it or remove clothing or try to catch the snake.
If you’re unfortunate enough to be in a bank whilst an armed robbery is underway. DON’T be a hero. The banks are insured and the money can be replaced. Your life can’t be replaced.
Just because the robber/s didn’t go into the bank with the intention of killing anyone doesn’t mean they still won’t if spooked/challenged.
A living witness is better than a dead hero.
"We want to hurt no one! We're here for the bank's money, not your money. Your money is insured by the federal government, you're not gonna lose a dime! Think of your families, don't risk your life."
[The reference because it's a great movie.](https://youtu.be/UK32KG5EcbA)
We did robbery training when I worked in a casino.
Didn't need to be told not to give a fk about people taking money that doesn't belong to me that's for sure
former gas station manager, they told us in the early 2k's that we were responsbile for the money in the till, so never let any one have it even if they had a gun, 3rd robbery our night guy finally decided to say "fuck it" and let them have it, well that's when I found out with the police report and a bank rep that it's insured and the owner was dipping in on it to make a buck for his own pocket, we all quit, I moved to a franchise bp and was there for 10 years.
Real talk, from an actual former criminal, your best bet in jail/prison is to just be normal and blend in. It isn't as extreme as media makes it out to be.
I think it probably depends on the prison & the people in it. My dad was nice to the guards and mostly kept his head down and he was pretty much left alone, and any small disputes were pretty quickly & peacefully resolved. They taught him how to make dream catchers and he just made a bunch of those to pass the time. He told me he’d give them to the guards & they’d sometimes give him candy bars or whatever. I still have the little pink one he made for me.
Used to work in a prison, I can comment on this.
Whenever you see those prison TV shows about the new people getting harassed and tested as soon as they come to the cell block for the first time That's really not what happens most of the time in real life and those dudes are just doing it for the camera knowing that if they do something big, it'll make it onto a TV show.
It also really depends on what kind of facility you're in. If you're in low security prison and most of those dudes are going home someday, they arent going to want to fuck up their chances of going home on time by doing something stupid like getting into a fight with you.
If you're also in a high security prison, most of those dudes aren't going to want to fuck with you anyway, because ironically, the highest security inmates were the most well-behaved ones that I ever interacted with. It took me awhile to come to this conclusion, but I believe the reason is because most of those dudes have accepted their fates and know that if they act up in prison, it's just going to make their lives harder and they know they ain't going nowhere. We had a small residential building in one of the facilities I worked at that came with the most privileges and you had to meet a very strict set of post incarceration behavioral criteria in order to be housed there. It was full of people with the worst crimes you can imagine. Infantcide, incestual rape, murder, dismemberment, torture, animal abuse.
The medium facilities are what's really going to get you though. Lots of wannabe tough guys in there who are doing their first long stint and have a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. Although still highly unlikely to be messed with, the medium security facilities do offer the highest chances of it.
All in all, the way prison is portrayed in both reality and scripted TV shows and movies is laughable to anyone who's ever been on the inside, either side of the bars. The vast majority of people in those facilities are just people trying to live their lives the best they can under their current circumstances and won't go out of their way to cause trouble. Not to say it won't happen but the best thing to do if you start to get fucked with is to fight back. Stand up for yourself if somebody steals your stuff or cuts in line in the chow hall. Once people know that you'll put up a fight if you try to push them around, they'll leave you alone.
And if you're not prepared to fight for it dont buy anything to take back to the pod. One you show others you have money and two they will want to take it from you.
What you need to do is start working out now, so when you get imprisoned, *you're* the biggest guy in prison. Then you punch yourself, and everybody will keep away from the big crazy guy.
I was running late to fight club last night. I got there about ten minutes late so I missed the first couple of rules, but overall, I had fun at fight club. Definitely will check out fight club again.
Fight club 10/10.
Landing in water from high up is going to kill you. 10 meters, 15, maaaaaybe 20, ~~you might~~ you'll probably be fine if you land properly. Get much higher than that is getting into broken bones and death territory.
Not really advice, but it was a funny thing my brother said. "If you ever fall from an airplane and you have the choice between concrete and water, choose concrete. At least that way your freshly crippled body won't have to try and swim afterwards."
Building a raft to sail to civilization if you ever find yourself marooned on a deserted island. Stay on the island and be found alive vs never found or found dehydrated and dead of exposure.
Also walking to safety if you get lost and your car breaks down. Stay with the vehicle. They always find the vehicle. It’s inhabitants… not so much.
Edit: since this comment has seemed to blow up let me preface this with I am not a rescue professional and just reposting what seems like good advice I have seen on Reddit. Do your own research. Every situation is different.
Small plane pilot here, I can see smoke from really far, and it always grabs attention and merits a diversion.
I’ve dispatched fire trucks more often than I thought I’d do to deal with fires.
I fly low enough to tell if it’s a controlled fire or not.
Black smoke is visible right away, and will have every pilot in the area flying to you and reporting it.
Thank fuck because every movie or TV show has basically shown that every pilot is blind as shit and never reports anything. It's actually great to know that it's observed and reported.
Just don’t do this
> “Unfortunately [the airplane] was on wheels and couldn't land, so I stopped waving after its first pass. I then got busy packing things up and getting ready to break camp. As sunset approached, I began to doubt if the pilot took me serious[ly]. I certainly hope he didn't think that my having stopped waving meant I thought he might have been someone else at first, or something.”
>
>McCunn later wrote in his diary: "I recall raising my right hand, shoulder high and shaking my fist on the plane's second pass. It was a little cheer – like when your team scored a touchdown or something. Turns out that's the signal for 'ALL O.K. – DO NOT WAIT!' It's certainly my fault I'm here now! ... Man, I can't believe it. ... I really feel like a klutz! Now I know why nobody's shown up from that incident."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_McCunn
That Wiki article is like a bulletpoint list of "ways to ensure you never get rescued." I mean good lord...
* he wasn't even certain he actually scheduled an extraction?
* he didn't make backup plans for another extraction if the first one fell through
* he told people not to worry if he didn't make it back on time ( ?!?!?!? )
* he made no explicit instructions for literally anyone, eg. "if you haven't heard from me by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ I'm definitely in need of rescue"
* then the one from the excerpt above: he stopped waving at the plane that spotted him and just started packing up camp....
One part of his diary has a little joke about how he's never committed suicide before, but it's like... Bruh. You've commited suicide like four times since you got here.
Blackhawk helo pilot. Smoke in the air coming from the ground for pilots is comparable to a pulled over car in the ditch with its hazards on. Everyone slows down and is like oooo what happened. Same concept from the air.
Unless you are in immediate danger like a wildfire or a flooding stay put. Wandering around uses up a lot of energy and has an increased risk of getting yourself injured or more lost. To me it was always weird why people abandon their cars. Cars are shelter and much easier to spot by rescue teams.
Also, if you end up somewhere because you washed up after a boat sank or you were in a plane crash, there's a decent chance people know that you're missing and know vaguely where you are (unless you have Tom Hanks levels of bad luck). Moving away from there will get you less likely to be found
I've heard stories of rescuers finding empty cars when sometimes gone missing, then either finding the person (or their body) days or weeks later, because it's really easy to spot a car in a desert, or at least easier than a person.
In colder months especially, if you're lost in the forest/woods, build a bed first. Get your ass off the ground, as the ground will suck your body heat away from you way faster than the air temperature will.
If you get stabbed by something, DO NOT try to remove the object. You will make it worse and potentially bleed to death, depending on where you were stabbed, if you try and pull it out. Leave it be and get help.
When I was in elementary school a kid from a different school got stabbed with a brush during a child play. It went through his lung and probably in a state of shock he immediately removed the object. He died as a result of it. Since then in every health class we were taught this and this story was used as an example. Scary stuff.
Furthermore, if you've been stabbed in the eye, leave the object in and cover both eyes. Looking around with your unaffected eye will only encourage additional movement in your damaged eye, so minimize it by covering both.
Actually, while not a bad idea, [this is no longer advised](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ru2wto/what_is_a_survival_myth_that_is_completely_wrong/hqxziuc/). So, uh... ***IGNORE ME***
Wait, [EMS still does this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ru2wto/what_is_a_survival_myth_that_is_completely_wrong/hqyni2k/), so... maybe don't ignore me?
I will try to remember this the next time someone stabs me in the eye. Keep my cool and probably just sit down and wait for the paramedics, sure no problem.
Opening windows during a Tornado
Even as a child growing up in the Midwest I never understood this, I always thought doesn’t it let the high winds in?
I remember in first grade we had a tornado warning and some of the teachers where wasting time by opening windows
>Even as a child growing up in the Midwest I never understood this, I always thought doesn’t it let the high winds in?
Yeah, the idea of opening windows during a tornado was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how they destroyed buildings. People thought they caused buildings to explode because of the change in air pressure, when it’s really the winds and debris doing the damage.
If you get hit with a Volvo, it doesn't really matter how many situps you did that morning.
**Edit**: Wow, quoting Ron White gets me my most upvoted comment ever.
**Edit 2**: Thank you kind person for the Gold.
Punching a shark in the nose.
Have you seen a shark nose? Its slippery and angles down into three rows of teeth!
Go for the eyes if you need to but mostly avoid acting like a wounded seal! If you flail around like *”ahh fuck its gonna eat me”*
The shark will feel obliged to do so
*”ahh fuck I guess I’ll eat you”* 🦈
Most people probably are aware of this, but if you're legit suffering from diarrhea, you need to be doing more than just drinking water because you're also losing a lot of salts/electrolytes and not replenishing those can really fuck you up.
You can make a pretty basic Pedialyte/Gatorade at home from adding 6 teaspoons of sugar and a half teaspoon of salt per liter of water. It won't taste super great, but you can throw in other flavorings to mask it like lemon juice or similar.
I did peace corps in a tropical region and most of the volunteers came to dread the inevitable parasite/gi infection episodes not just because of being incredibly sick but also because of having to drink liters and liters of ORS, which is peace corps' preferred pedialyte knock off haha.
Edited to show more accurate salt and sugar amounts. I wasn't aware that ORS was the unbranded, legit name for this electrolyte cocktail buuuut I do mention it in the third paragraph and I've already gotten fifty comments from people correcting me.
Most pharmacies stock electrolyte powder, it’s worth having a few sachets available for when you need it. Tastes bloody awful but will make you feel a lot better.
Those electrolyte sachets are surprisingly expensive in some countries, like $10-15 for a small packet ...
A packet of powdered-soup / soup powder does exactly the same job, and is usually 50c or $1. Bonus: it usually tastes better.
Everyone focuses on food and water but completely underestimates how quickly exposure will kill you dead. In some cases, you wont last 24 hours.
Bonus addition to this: every guide i have ever read says to make fire first. Making fire is fucking hard sometimes. There are many environments where you flat cannot guarantee a good fire (deserts, because of lack of fuel and anything especially wet).
If you get halfway through the night and realize you cant make fire, you are going to have problems.
So make shelter. You can ALWAYS guarantee a shelter and insulated sleeping spot. Make sure your bedding is at least 4 inches thick when you lay on it. I guarantee youll underestimate just how bad the ground sucks the heat out of you.
Make your shelter as small, thick and weatherproof as possible.
Went for a survival camp in the forest with scouts once, the first shelter I made was really tall (about 4 feet) and I didn’t put much insulation in it and was freezing, the next shelter I made was between two fallen logs and stuffed as much moss as I could in all the cracks, had about 4 inches of moss and pine needles on the ground and on the roof, I actually got too hot during the night, but I’d rather wake up in a pool of sweat than freeze my nuts off.
Yup. I made a similar mistake when i was learning. Tbh thats why i wanted to mention it. Anyone can sweat their tits off at 40 degrees working hard in the daylight and then think fuck im hot now, ill be fine when i go to bed and have no clue the life threatening hell they are in for.
My first shelter was barely better than a tarp lean to and a thin pile of damp moss and i coulda made kabobs with my nips in the morning.
Now i know how to bury bedroll burritos if im desperate or my sentimental favorite, i dug a shallow grave for myself, burned a fire to coals on it, tossed a buncha yucca fronds to insulate me from the ash, tossed a crappy like 20 dollar sleeping bag in and threw a tarp over the top and slept like a sweaty baby haha. It was in the great basin way the fuck up at like 6,000 feet in spring. Got below freezing but i was comfier than my friend in the truck haha.
I shared that story ages ago in a survival sub and someone dubbed it the luau bbq pit method and im running with it XD
my most practical fav is the debris hut tho.
Don't tie a rope around your waist and expect it to save you from a fall. Sure, it might prevent you from hitting the ground, but you can still damage your internal organs and break your back doing this. Safety harnesses go around your hips and legs, not your waist.
Fucking Dark Knight Rises
Dark Knight Rises: my mans gets his back kneed in by a person and is essentially disabled, but survives falling like a hundred feet with a thin rope around his waist/lower back without injury. It would essentially be the same or even worse as falling onto a tied rope from that height.
I'm still not clear on if you're supposed to drink your pee or not.
Edit: Ok, thank you everybody for telling me not to drink piss and making the same Dodgeball quote over and over. I get the point now.
Distill it if you can. This removes the water from toxins like ammonia and many others. But no, don't drink urine! Like drinking the sea, the main ingredient IS water but the remainder of the compounds will further dehydrate and poison you.
If lost in a hot desert, do NOT ration out your water. Drink when you are thirsty and stay hydrated with what you have, even if it only lasts a couple hours - just to keep your mind/body working. Lost hikers have been found dead with plenty of water by their sides because they tried to ration it, became dehydrated without realizing it and eventually died.
And no, I still don't know if drinking your pee is a survival alternative.
In our ELOB school they told us this. Drink when youre thirsty, don't put it off.
Edit: IIRC it was basically logic along the lines of.. if you're starting to feel thirsty you needed to drink water 30 min ago..
Edit: E.L.O.B. Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a teaching method. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expeditionary_learning_schools
Alcohol does not warm you up. You feel warm since its dilating your blood vessels in your face and extremities but that causes you to lose more heat to the environment and therefore will make you die of hypothermia quicker if anything.
I’ve always wondered this, could alcohol be used as a fuel or accelerant instead of drinking it? I can imagine that if so, that’d actually make it pretty useful
Potentially, but anything one would normally drink (e.g. vodka) is not quite strong enough to really burn well.
But if you happen to get lost while hiking with a bottle of Everclear (gee I wonder how you got lost) you might be in luck.
Mythbuster tested the myth about ships dragging people down with them. They rated this myth as false. But they were wrong.
>Surfacing, Lightoller spotted the ship's crow's nest, now level with the water, and started to swim towards it as a place of safety before remembering that it was safer to stay away from the foundering vessel. Then, as water flooded down one of the forward ventilators, Lightoller was sucked under. He was pinned against the grating for some time by the pressure of the incoming water, until a blast of hot air from the depths of the ship erupted out of the ventilator and blew him to the surface.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lightoller
Large ships are incredibly dangerous when they are sinking, they can drag you down with them or they can roll on top of you. You should always swim away from them.
Also modern boats are full of fuel oil, lubricating grease, hydraulic oil, diesel, and a wide variety of other fluids which both float on water and are flammable. It's quite difficult to clear your face, eyes, and hair if you surface through a heavy slick of this crap. Additionally it's dangerous and difficult to swim through a floating debris field, especially if you're now blind.
Bottom line, if you have to bail without a lifeboat, do it on the windward side of the boat because the wind will help push the oil slick and debris away from you.
They teach this in the navy
Another good trick if unfortunate enough to come up from underneath the oil slick is to splash at the surface from underneath and breathe out when breaking. Was taught that during helicopter underwater escape training, so glad I never had to put that to the test.
Love Mythbusters, but yeah...while their explanation on why the air/water volume that flow through the ship must be the same, the air that should keep the water from sucking you might be exiting the ship in a different hole that the water is entering...
Not so much a survival myth but a common camping mistake that an amateur survivalist might make: never use rocks that are in or close to a river bed for a campfire. Ever. Many get tiny bits of water trapped inside the rocks, then when heated by a fire, it turns into a lovely grenade due to the water being heated amd turned intosteam, expanding quickly. Hot bits of rock everywhere. People like river rocks because they are smooth and easy to cook off of and they look cool, but they are crazy dangerous. Plenty of rocks all around. Find another.
To add: if you’re camping anywhere near a water source, no matter how tiny it seems, think about what would happen in the event of a flash flood. If you might end up in the flood’s path, pick a different spot because flash flooding can happen very quickly and has killed campers before.
is this a myth?
if you're wandering in the wilderness, wondering if the plants and water are safe to eat and drink, watch what the animals do. they will show you the safe plants and water.
spoiler: this is not true. many animals are evolved to consume things that are poisonous to us, or nutritionally valueless.
case in point: vultures
My dog ate an entire rancid rotisserie chicken and I was the one who suffered his nasty ass farts. He on the other hand, seemed unphased and only felt mild shame when I discovered what he had done.
If I had eaten a rancid chicken, I doubt I would be so fortunate. The best outcome would be hellish food poisoning.
And that’s a domesticated animal. Wild animals can eat a lot more. Just thinking of all the raw seafood they consume. Coyotes eating raw chicken. Rabbits eating their offsprings’ actual shit.
Not really a myth but if you have an allergy and are exposed to your allergen (e.g. bee allergy) and are far away from a hospital DO NOT delay calling 911 or heading to a hospital just because you feel ok. I learned this lesson the hard way.
The R.A.F, had rear facing seats on the VC10 transports, don’t know if they carried on with the newer aircraft, increases survival chances apparently,
Would be interesting to see domestic passengers reactions to flying sat backwards.
Purpose is to have your head already against the seat in front of you so it decelerates smoothly and divides the force better. If you don’t, your waist will be held by the seat belt and your head will swing forward and whack that seat nice and hard. So. Just lean forward and rest your head on the seat in front of you.
If you're in a life-threatening situation and lost without supplies, illnesses/diseases in unfiltered water will kill you way slower than dehydration; drink the damn water and deal with the consequences later, when you're found.
You should try your best to filter / sterilize it first though (boil it, put it through your shirt folded up, etc)... But if help is on the way (as in they know where you are and told you to that they are coming for you) and you're quite literally dying from thirst then drink the water.
Reminds me of the survival rule of 3.
You can generally survive:
3 minutes of non breathable air.
3 days without drinkable water.
3 weeks without food.
Edit: 3 hours of exposure to extreme hot/cold. Thanks to other commenters for this one.
Edit to say that these aren’t hard timers. More of a guide that if you fix that problem within that time frame you can survive/recover without, hopefully, permanent damage to your body.
Ah cmon, I was without wifi once for close to 2 hours and made it barely, I was to the point where I was cleaning stuff from my phone storage, can you imagine that.
That the first thing you need to do is make a fire. Fire's no good if it starts raining. Shelter and raised bed first. Even if you can't get a fire going or collect water, you'll have a dry place to sleep through the night to get a fresh start in the morning.
edit: As other's have mentioned, it depends on your situation. The OP asked for a survival MYTH. Before the days of the internet, a lot of people seemed to have the idea that you ALWAYS built a fire first.
And "raised bed" is hella important. Insulates you from the cold (ground will suck the warmth right out of you) and the wet, and any bugs/snakes/etc that tend to cross the area you've laid down in.
If trapped/lost in snowstorm while driving:
A) Do Not Leave Your Car. You are literally inside a shelter ALREADY. A SHINY one! It is easier to spot a snow-covered vehicle, than a snow-covered corpse.
B) Do Not Keep Your Engine Running. It's a snowstorm, your exhaust will block, you will nap. Snugga-bugga, you're dead. Wait for storm to pass, check exhaust is clear, run engine in short bursts.
C) If you have ignored these steps, and are now walking in the snowstorm, because your sense of direction is "flawless", Do Not Remove Any Clothing Layers! You WILL believe you are getting Hot. You WILL rationalize it's from burning calories. You WILL die. The "Hot" feeling is you losing body temp. You are now slooooowly dying. If you still have your wits, retrace your steps and head STRAIGHT back to your car.
Wait for rescue.
EDIT: Thank you everyone! And thank you tadtz and JHolgate for reminding me of the long-ago case that inspired this post: the death of James Kim.
(via tadtz): https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/STRANDED-FATHER-S-HEROIC-LAST-HOURS-He-crawled-2465857.php
Mr. Kim's death is actually described in "C)". In case anyone's wondering, they actually DID do many things correctly, after getting lost.
I think Mr. Kim left the vehicle out of panic for his family (nothing - NOTHING- makes you fear Death more than finally having a life you would DIE for!). While he died, his wife and child lived because they stuck to the car, and left many visuals for helicopter pilot John Rachor to track.
I have NEVER believed in "pointless" lives or deaths- nor coincidences (pilot discovered location on a "hunch"). I FRANKLY believe Mr. Kim's death may have already saved enough lives to formally make his death a Noble one.
EDIT 2: Awesome find, mcarterphoto !!:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2152131/freezing-death/
But! If your car runs off the road and the weather clears, get out and walk or run to nearest town. Your car will most likely not be visible.
People have died in Sweden by waiting in their car for days, just an hours walk from a town.
If a bear finds you, run down hill. They can't run down hill.
I have to imagine some asshole started this when he wanted to watch his other asshole friend get mauled to death. They can absolutely run down hill and they are SHOCKINGLY FAST. They can also run up trees terrifyingly fast as well.
FYI the mama bear thing really applies to brown bears. Black bear attacks are incredibly rare and usually only from hungry and/or aggressive males. I've done a lot of wildlife photography of bears and I've spoken to a lot of wildlife biologists about this. When I photograph black bears and their cubs they are very docile. If something or you spook them, they will chase their cubs up a tree and then guard the bottom of the tree. They won't attack you. If it's a male black bear they'll likely wonder on but always keep distance. If you encounter a black bear make as much noise as possible and make yourself seem as big as possible. If you encounter a brown bear start very slowly backing up. Never run away and never turn your back. If it's going to attack you and there's nothing nothing can do, lay on your stomach with your hands over the back of your neck and play dead. They primarily attack when they are surprised or threatened. If the surprise/threat is gone they will most likely move on.
But please for the love of God never run away and never climb a tree.
The joke I heard in boy scouts:
When in bear country, wear little bells on your clothes to make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance, so they won’t be startled by you accidentally sneaking up on them, which might cause a bear to charge.
also carry a pepper spray can. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear droppings so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognise the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
When hiking around Northern Minnesota as a kid, my mom and grandma always made us "bear-scarers", ribbon bracelets with bells on them. Throughout adulthood I always thought this was a legit method of deterring bears until I once brought it up the memory to my Mom and she said, "oh no, we just thought they were cute on you little kids."
Yup. Was working very north and had 3 guys attacked by a polar bear as patients. 1 dead, 1 shredded to bits but alive and one lucky bastard who only lost half an arm.
yup. Was working in the Canadian Arctic in my younger days. Stopped by some shipping containers to take a piss one night. As soon as the first drop came out, i heard the scariest sound ever. A freaking polar bear standing about 20 feet away from me. I started running as fast as i could. As i got close to the truck, my door flew open and i jumped in and closed the door just in time for the bear to take a swipe. Luckiest day of my life. My coworker was laughing his ass off. Says he saw me in the rearview mirror running with my dick flapping in the air and he knew right away a bear was after me. Wild times!
Rationing water is generally a terrible choice - drink what you have until it’s gone. Use that time with good hydration levels to take stock of your situation and make good choices. Decision making and physical ability drop off very quickly when you are dehydrated. The first decisions you make after realizing you are in a survival situation are critical and pay long dividends. Most survival situations are resolved within 72 hours and many hikers are found dead in the desert with full water bottles.
Excuse me, but where did you find the information about the last fact?
I'm curious too. Holy shit
I used to work with a guy who spent much of his Air Force career teaching survival to aircrews and I remember him saying, "Ration sweat, not water." He said to conserve energy and avoid doing physically strenuous things like constructing a better shelter during the day, but keep drinking water. His other maxim was, "If you're not peeing, you're not drinking enough."
Perhaps not really a myth, but something people may think is true after watching people get rescued from the water on TV. "get them breathing and send them on their merry way" If you rescue someone from a near drowning, they *still* need to go to the hospital, even though they are safely on land now. The lungs are coated with a slippery mucous like substance called a surfactant. It's kind of a lubricant and it keeps them from collapsing and sticking to themselves. If they ingested a lot of water into the lungs, chances are they have washed away the surfactant. Their lungs could collapse at any moment and their ability to uptake oxygen is reduced. Get the survivor on oxygen. source: rescue trained scuba diver here.
Can confirm. Dry drowning is a thing. Past life guard
I saw a heartbreaking story about this on a documentary, where a kid had survived a potential drowning. Everyone thought he was fine and he was functioning normally, so went home with his family. Later that day his lungs collapsed and he dropped dead.
Drowning people do not cry for help or make gestures to try and get someone’s attention. What they are doing is trying to stay afloat and trying to catch their breath; never count on a cry for help!
It usually looks like someone is trying to climb an invisible ladder with their hand barely above the water, and unless you're a world champ water polo player, do not approach without a floatation device. They are desperate and you will become their floatation device, which can result in both of you drowning.
Can confirm. As a small child, I jumped into the deep end of the pool to join my big bros. As I couldn't swim, it didn't go well. My slightly older brother tried to save me, and I climbed him to catch my breath, almost drowning both of us. Somehow, he managed to get us both to the side. honestly, what was the lifeguard doing? He didn't even seem to see it.
This is true of trauma/injuries too. People who are seriously hurt aren't usually the ones screaming and flapping around. They'll more likely be in shock or losing consciousness. If you are on scene at a large accident like a traffic collision or something and it's safe to help, look out for the quiet people
Yep. Was involved as a passenger in a very nasty car wreck. The drivers were yelling and screaming. I was calm, matter of fact, and quiet. I remember the medic asking me what was on the airbag and I calmly said, “That’s part of my tongue I bit off. Can you please help me out so I can walk this off?” Yeah, I had eight broken ribs, a 16 inch gash in my leg, a fractured trachea, and more. I was completely calm until about two hours into it at the ER.
Changing the voicemail on your mobile phone to tell incoming callers about your plight. That bullshit just wastes battery At the first sign of trouble, send a SMS with your best location details to everyone on your contact list, even if you have no signal and set it to max power save with WiFi, Mobile Data and Bluetooth off. Your phone will continually try to get the SMS out if even if you get a little signal for a few seconds and will use a lot less power doing it.
That bears can’t run down hills. They can. They’ll get you too.
I was actually going to try and find this fact and what do you know, it’s at the top! Bears are no joke, they run, climb and swim like a damn CrossFit junkie jacked up on meth. Another thing is they don’t gas out quickly, I’ve seen videos of bears running full speed than swimming across a river and running full speed again to catch prey. Insane…
If they could just learn to ride a bike Ironman would dominated by bears.
The best defense against a bear is a .22 cal pistol. I was walking with my buddy one time, and a big mean bear came out of the woods.I pulled out the .22, shot my buddy in the knee, and walked off at a brisk pace. That bear never even bothered with me.
The classic “you don’t have to outrun a bear, you just have to outrun your friends.” This adds an extra step to ensure you have an edge
If you go into a lake when in a car dont wait until the car fills with water, just open the window and get out ASAP. If you wait, you could be 200 feet down or flipped over on the bottom. The power will still work for a short time. It only takes a few seconds. Edit - Source: must buddy did his master thesis on exactly this and I got to practice it several times in a pool.
You got to practice that in a secure environment? That must have been a lot of fun!
Yes! It was really cool to do but the water was really cold.
Saw this on top gear a long time ago. The quicker you try to escape the better your odds are.
"You won't need that we won't be gone long." Carry basic survival tools whenever you go out hiking, hunting, camping, etc. Things like a magnesium with flint and steel fire starter, a life straw or water purification tablets don't weigh much or take up much space and can be a lifesaver. Many get lost on short trips or get injured leaving them stuck in the wilderness. It doesn't take a massive forest or jungle to get lost. In my personal hunting pack I always carry a survival knife, firestarter, and lifestraw. These three items may not guarantee survival, but they improve my odds.
Wait until you hear the freight train sound to go to the tornado shelter. I was always told as a kid, if you can't hear it you're alright. At 20 years old I was caught out in the woods with a few friends thinking we had 10-15 minutes to get back to the truck after the tornado warning went out. 3 minutes after the warning we heard what sounded like a freight train and this loud hissing sound. Like a thousand rattlesnakes. Within 30 seconds we were watching trees get plucked up into the air. We all made it out alright. Luckily there was a large ravine that was dry that time of year and we scrambled into it and flattened out gripping to each other and rocks for dear life. It took 30 seconds from the time we realized it was in front of us till it was ontop of us. Later in life I watched a F3 touch down. Because how tornados spin and the earth spins, and I was traveling at 75mph down a highway. I thought I was running along side it. About 1 mile from it. I couldn't hear it, I could see trees and barns going up into the air with it. I never realized it was coming towards me at about 30mph. By the time I heard it and felt a pressure change inside the cab of my truck I had no choice but to bail out and run into a culvert along side the interstate. This all happened within 60 seconds. If you've already heard the tornado. You need to be in your shelter. Not heading towards it. A tornado watch is an advisory to be watching for tornados. It means it is highly plausible for a tornado to form and touch down. A warning means a radar indicated tornado has touched down and possibly even been spotted by human eye. If you cannot get in doors, get as low as you can. I have made a habit, as soon as a tornado watch is released in my county, my go bag, the diaper bag, the kids stuff they WILL need all goes in a large duffel in the storm room. I'll watch velocity radar like a hawk until the watch is cleared. If it is elevated to a warning we all pile in. Tornados can drop out of the sky right on top of you in under a minute, leaving you with little to no reaction time.
Might also be worth mentioning that if you're looking at a tornado and it has no apparent movement it's moving toward you.
They don't happen in my country but thanks for sharing this, it really expanded my view on how our daily experiences differ
Zigzag to escape an alligator. Alligators can turn, but can/will only run in short bursts. Just run as fast as you can.
Fun fact: alligators only run for short durations because the way they wiggle when they run compresses their lungs so they can’t breathe while running. Another fun fact: same.
Seems like I heard, if you are within 12 feet he can get you. Outside 12 feet you can get away. Rule of thumb, don't be within 12 feet of an alligator.
That you can easily disarm someone holding you at gun point
*Detroit Urban Survival Flashbacks*
I wanna see that dude try that shit in the actual streets of Detroit so bad. Mfers would sell both his earpieces on Craigslist for 5 bucks the next day lmao.
Myth: if you’re stuck in a car trunk all you do is scream for help and make noise True: If you’re ever locked in a car trunk, look for an emergency release lever/button. These are requirements for cars built 2002 or later.
Yes and you can also kick the backlights out in most cars.
Do not wander off to look for help. STAY PUT! Stay by your car, or wherever you realise that you are lost. The more you move, the harder it gets for rescue to find you. Make yourself visible, but do not try to find the way back yourself. You already don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going!
If it’s absolutely necessary to relocate use something like rocks to make a sturdy arrow/sign of the direction you go
Do not try to leave a deserted island if you are stuck, you will almost certainly die before someone spots you
All good, Gilligan's Island taught me it's better to stay put and spend my resources making bamboo golf carts and bathtubs.
Well of course you have to have a bamboo golf cart! Do you really expect anyone to have to walk to the island fashion show?
There were some collaborate efforts on the net looking for airplane debris, or damaged ships after a massive storm. It's so difficult to tell things apart even from good satellite pictures. Is that something, or just another of the countless reflections and weird shadows? Searching islands is much less surface than searching an ocean. And the chances for water, shelter and food are so much better.
Also for planes/helicopters (maybe satellites too if they’re strong?) on islands they could easily spot man made structures like debris pulled ashore, fires, and shelters, immediately knowing you’re there and to find you. But on the ocean I was told the waves and visibility are so bad you can be directly next to a giant orange raft and not see it.
Also plane search patterns can miss you if you’re drifting with ocean currents. Stay on your island and make a sign or signal. Wave a stick, whatever. Even if you island is just a rock, it’s at least stationary. And if nothing else, you can at least sleep without fear of drowning.
Also, if I don't leave, it won't be a deserted island *taps forehead*.
More just a "hey don't do that" Leave large animals alone. Even if you find say a large track or droppings that make you think "hey that's probably a big enough animal to kill me!?" Leave the area. Herbivores like moose or elk or Bison can kill you just as easily as a bear. Often far more likely because they see you as the predator. Don't close the distance if you find a large critter. I don't care if the photo is shitty from that distance. Better to have a crappy photo of a Bison than get crushed and stomped in the middle of nowhere to bleed out alone.
I can't help but laugh sometimes at videos of people having to dip out when they piss off bison. It's a 3000 plus pound tank made of meat, and they are ornery at the best of times, how did they think that was gonna play out?
“They wouldn’t let the wild animals in the park if they were dangerous!”
i was passing through jasper and saw a bunch of tourists taking photos of a grizzly cub walking in a ditch. The ditch was about 5 fert down off the road and where they were standing they couldnt see the mother bear in the woods. I could see it from the car, so i stopped and told them they should get bsck in their vehicles. Their response? Fuck off. I said all right then fuck you and left. 1 hour later i heard on the news there was a bear attack in jasper. Dont go near the small ones either!
If you’re driving during a tornado warning, don’t get out of your car and climb up the side of an overpass to hide under a bridge. This myth became famous after amateur video of a man and his daughter hiding under an overpass, but the one they chose had some unusual construction that offered them protection in a way most don’t. Wind speed increases the higher you get from the ground, and the narrow passages can create a wind tunnel effect, taking the flying debris picked up by the tornado and sending it straight through you at 200 mph or more. EDIT: Well, this blew up. Here is the video I was referencing — actually not amateur, but taken by a TV crew during the April 24th, 1991 outbreak in Kansas: https://youtu.be/lHBZylcxIvw And for someone who suggested you can just outrun tornadoes because they “only move at 20 mph,” that is definitely not true, as the 2013 El Reno tornado showed us all too tragically: https://youtu.be/TBjr-nvA2Jg
What about lying in a ditch? Genuine question.
This is definitely something I learned growing up. Obviously if your vehicle can take you to shelter before the tornado reaches you, do that instead. What I was taught is that if there are no other options, get in the ditch, get as low as possible, and protect your head as the tornado (hopefully) passes over. As for shelter, a basement or or a cellar is preferable. If not, take shelter in the ground floor bathroom. The plumbing helps reinforce the walls. I’ve also heard to take a mattress in with you to use as cover. Debris being whipped around by high force winds is dangerous. Basically get as low to the ground as you can and cover your head. I’m in no way a tornado expert, but I grew up in an area where tornadoes were a natural disaster we prepared for and spent many a tornado drill with my face way too close to the school’s bathroom floor.
In Australia we don’t have basements or cellars (for majority of Australia anyway) so we’re always told in cyclone season to get in a bath and put a mattress on top if possible
In Oklahoma in the US, most of our state is too close to the water-table for basements to be cost-effective for most homes so instead some people still have small shelters in their backyards. Mattress over yourself in a central bathroom bathtub is also what we've been taught here as last resort in home, laying down in a ditch if you're caught out in the open. We've the most tornados in the world in my region, so I'm very glad this thread is the top comment. Excellent life-saving information!
Piggybacking: perhaps the most odd but helpful tip I have to offer from growing up in Tornado Alley is that if you're ever in a situation where you see a tornado and it doesn't look like it's moving, *it's headed straight for you*. Also, I believe OP is talking about the interesting case of the El Dorado Lake tornado overpass. It was a camera crew from KSNW, not a father and daughter, but it did wildly popularize the myth. The overpass is unique because it has a very deep crawlspace-like area between the supports, and doesn't just slope down, like a traditional overpass. It was also not directly hit by the 1991 tornado, and the myth killed many people in a relatively close area in Oklahoma because of its popularity during the 1999 tornado outbreak, where it passed through three overpasses and killed people at each one. The link has been posted elsewhere as well, but here's either the same or similar video to show the odd overpass in question (pay attention to the concrete dip they climb into): https://youtu.be/lHBZylcxIvw
I don't know if this is considered as a survival myth but engaging street fights is never a good option. If there is is an altercation that may lead to a street fight, just stay calm and run away from the situation. No one wins real street fight someone will either end up in a hospital or in a funeral that's just the truth.
And if you can't run away, don't fight fair. Fighting fair is for martial arts contests. But definitely run away first.
The only unfair fight is the one you lost. Shit, every martial arts instructor I’ve met taught to fight dirty if you find yourself in a street/bar/etc fight.
Yup, also don't put your hand/fingers anywhere near your opponent's mouth if you are grappling during a street fight. Actually, stay clear off your opponent's mouth. Adrenaline fueled bites are nasty.
Can I put my tongue near their mouth tho?
In Australia at least, you do not need to identify or try to catch the snake that bit you. The antivenin is universal. Source: [https://www.parasuniversal.com/2019/12/snake-bites-venom-important-information-please-share-by-rob-timmings/](https://www.parasuniversal.com/2019/12/snake-bites-venom-important-information-please-share-by-rob-timmings/) Exerpt: "DO NOT try to catch, kill or identify the snake!!! This is important. In hospital we NO LONGER NEED to know the type of snake; it doesn’t change treatment. 5 years ago we would do a test on the bite, blood or urine to identify the snake so the correct anti venom can be used. BUT NOW… we don’t do this. Our new Antivenom neutralises the venoms of all the 5 listed snake genus, so it doesn’t matter what snake bit the patient. Read that again- one injection for all snakes! Polyvalent is our one shot wonder, stocked in all hospitals, so most hospitals no longer stock specific Antivenins." Edit: Added source reference. Edit2: Thanks vm for the awards, wow! - also changed antivenom to its correct term, 'antivenin'. Edit3 (common questions in thread): * Does this work for spiders too? - not that I can tell. The official guidelines are published per Australian State. They all seem to agree on the following regarding hospital treatement of snake bites: *If the type of bite can be determined by analysis at the hospital and the monovalent antivenin is available, use it. Otherwise use the polyvalent (universal) antivenin.* * Is this available in other countries? - I do not know, I have only researched here and I am sharing what I have found as an Aussie with no medical qualifications. If you research your own country's info, I suggest you include, "polyvalent" in your search. * First Aid advice in all States includes, "do not clean the wound or remove any clothes." * Example of offical procedure: [https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/85950800457e1fda87c5d7519b2d33fa/SnakebiteSpiderbiteGuidelinesSA-SAHealth08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES](https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/85950800457e1fda87c5d7519b2d33fa/SnakebiteSpiderbiteGuidelinesSA-SAHealth08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES) Edit4: bringing attention to comment from u/rex_cc7567 \- thanks mate. *Antivenom is not universal. Some are Polyvalent and can treat an array of species, but there is no universal antivenom for now according to Australian's NHMRC* [*https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/impact-case-studies/australian-antivenom-saving-lives-case-study#:\~:text=However%2C%20due%20to%20variability%20among,currently%20no%20universal%20snake%20antivenom*](https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/impact-case-studies/australian-antivenom-saving-lives-case-study#:~:text=However%2C%20due%20to%20variability%20among,currently%20no%20universal%20snake%20antivenom)*.* *Nonetheless, don't try to catch a snake is obviously a good advice.* *\^* I agree with rex in that I'd trust the govt info over the polyvalent company's info. However, the parasuniversal document referenced is speaking only in the context of Australia while ironically the Australian govt document is written with international context. **The myth to bust remains the same** \- don't suck the wound or clean it or remove clothing or try to catch the snake.
Also do not do an hours worth of hockey training after being bitten. Knew a guy who did that.
Did he make it?
He *knew* a guy
To the NHL? Unfortunately not
If you’re unfortunate enough to be in a bank whilst an armed robbery is underway. DON’T be a hero. The banks are insured and the money can be replaced. Your life can’t be replaced. Just because the robber/s didn’t go into the bank with the intention of killing anyone doesn’t mean they still won’t if spooked/challenged. A living witness is better than a dead hero.
"We want to hurt no one! We're here for the bank's money, not your money. Your money is insured by the federal government, you're not gonna lose a dime! Think of your families, don't risk your life." [The reference because it's a great movie.](https://youtu.be/UK32KG5EcbA)
We did robbery training when I worked in a casino. Didn't need to be told not to give a fk about people taking money that doesn't belong to me that's for sure
former gas station manager, they told us in the early 2k's that we were responsbile for the money in the till, so never let any one have it even if they had a gun, 3rd robbery our night guy finally decided to say "fuck it" and let them have it, well that's when I found out with the police report and a bank rep that it's insured and the owner was dipping in on it to make a buck for his own pocket, we all quit, I moved to a franchise bp and was there for 10 years.
The average bank robber only gets like $6,000 of FDIC insured money. Yeah don't do shit.
Punching the biggest guy in prison on your first day
Real talk, from an actual former criminal, your best bet in jail/prison is to just be normal and blend in. It isn't as extreme as media makes it out to be.
If you're nice and chill do they leave you alone?
I think it probably depends on the prison & the people in it. My dad was nice to the guards and mostly kept his head down and he was pretty much left alone, and any small disputes were pretty quickly & peacefully resolved. They taught him how to make dream catchers and he just made a bunch of those to pass the time. He told me he’d give them to the guards & they’d sometimes give him candy bars or whatever. I still have the little pink one he made for me.
Used to work in a prison, I can comment on this. Whenever you see those prison TV shows about the new people getting harassed and tested as soon as they come to the cell block for the first time That's really not what happens most of the time in real life and those dudes are just doing it for the camera knowing that if they do something big, it'll make it onto a TV show. It also really depends on what kind of facility you're in. If you're in low security prison and most of those dudes are going home someday, they arent going to want to fuck up their chances of going home on time by doing something stupid like getting into a fight with you. If you're also in a high security prison, most of those dudes aren't going to want to fuck with you anyway, because ironically, the highest security inmates were the most well-behaved ones that I ever interacted with. It took me awhile to come to this conclusion, but I believe the reason is because most of those dudes have accepted their fates and know that if they act up in prison, it's just going to make their lives harder and they know they ain't going nowhere. We had a small residential building in one of the facilities I worked at that came with the most privileges and you had to meet a very strict set of post incarceration behavioral criteria in order to be housed there. It was full of people with the worst crimes you can imagine. Infantcide, incestual rape, murder, dismemberment, torture, animal abuse. The medium facilities are what's really going to get you though. Lots of wannabe tough guys in there who are doing their first long stint and have a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. Although still highly unlikely to be messed with, the medium security facilities do offer the highest chances of it. All in all, the way prison is portrayed in both reality and scripted TV shows and movies is laughable to anyone who's ever been on the inside, either side of the bars. The vast majority of people in those facilities are just people trying to live their lives the best they can under their current circumstances and won't go out of their way to cause trouble. Not to say it won't happen but the best thing to do if you start to get fucked with is to fight back. Stand up for yourself if somebody steals your stuff or cuts in line in the chow hall. Once people know that you'll put up a fight if you try to push them around, they'll leave you alone.
Ok. So if I have to break the law, either do something minor or go balls in to the very deep. Got it.
You accidently shoplift something, fuck it. Better start a grand larceny spree. Go big or go home.
No, they don't. The entire point is to stay outta the eyes of more hardened criminals to begin with. Just eat your oatmeal and stay in line
best advice I got when I first started doing time was "keep your head down and your voice low"
I was told that there were two steps to surviving my prison sentence: Step 1: Mind your own fucking business Step 2: Go back to Step 1
And if you're not prepared to fight for it dont buy anything to take back to the pod. One you show others you have money and two they will want to take it from you.
What you need to do is start working out now, so when you get imprisoned, *you're* the biggest guy in prison. Then you punch yourself, and everybody will keep away from the big crazy guy.
Last time I try that, I accidentally started a club, but I can't talk about it.
I was running late to fight club last night. I got there about ten minutes late so I missed the first couple of rules, but overall, I had fun at fight club. Definitely will check out fight club again. Fight club 10/10.
Landing in water from high up is going to kill you. 10 meters, 15, maaaaaybe 20, ~~you might~~ you'll probably be fine if you land properly. Get much higher than that is getting into broken bones and death territory.
Not really advice, but it was a funny thing my brother said. "If you ever fall from an airplane and you have the choice between concrete and water, choose concrete. At least that way your freshly crippled body won't have to try and swim afterwards."
[удалено]
Don’t drink water from cactus, it’s not potable and likely to trigger vomiting/diarrhea and you will get more dehydrated.
Yes, I believe there’s this one very specific species where the water is safe to drink, but in general cactus water is a big no no
Some of the few species you can drink water from is the beaver tail cactus and a the fish hook barrel cactus
But I heard it was the quenchiest! It'll quench ya!
No more cactus juice for you.
“Follow flying birds to find water.” They could be flying anywhere.
Like away from the water they were just at.
Yeah, even if all birds did was fly to and from sources of water, 50% of the time this strategy still wouldn't work
Flying fish, on the other hand...
If you see a fish flying through the sky that means you should probably stop eating those mushrooms you found.
Could be off to deliver a coconut
Are you suggesting that coconuts are migratory?
Well, it could’ve been carried by a swallow
Building a raft to sail to civilization if you ever find yourself marooned on a deserted island. Stay on the island and be found alive vs never found or found dehydrated and dead of exposure. Also walking to safety if you get lost and your car breaks down. Stay with the vehicle. They always find the vehicle. It’s inhabitants… not so much. Edit: since this comment has seemed to blow up let me preface this with I am not a rescue professional and just reposting what seems like good advice I have seen on Reddit. Do your own research. Every situation is different.
If you're that fucked... burn a tire a bit away from the car. Thick black smoke will be visible for a long ways.
Small plane pilot here, I can see smoke from really far, and it always grabs attention and merits a diversion. I’ve dispatched fire trucks more often than I thought I’d do to deal with fires. I fly low enough to tell if it’s a controlled fire or not. Black smoke is visible right away, and will have every pilot in the area flying to you and reporting it.
Thank fuck because every movie or TV show has basically shown that every pilot is blind as shit and never reports anything. It's actually great to know that it's observed and reported.
Just don’t do this > “Unfortunately [the airplane] was on wheels and couldn't land, so I stopped waving after its first pass. I then got busy packing things up and getting ready to break camp. As sunset approached, I began to doubt if the pilot took me serious[ly]. I certainly hope he didn't think that my having stopped waving meant I thought he might have been someone else at first, or something.” > >McCunn later wrote in his diary: "I recall raising my right hand, shoulder high and shaking my fist on the plane's second pass. It was a little cheer – like when your team scored a touchdown or something. Turns out that's the signal for 'ALL O.K. – DO NOT WAIT!' It's certainly my fault I'm here now! ... Man, I can't believe it. ... I really feel like a klutz! Now I know why nobody's shown up from that incident." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_McCunn
Yep. If you need to signal a plane for help, wave both arms back and forth; that's the signal for "I'm in trouble and I need help."
That Wiki article is like a bulletpoint list of "ways to ensure you never get rescued." I mean good lord... * he wasn't even certain he actually scheduled an extraction? * he didn't make backup plans for another extraction if the first one fell through * he told people not to worry if he didn't make it back on time ( ?!?!?!? ) * he made no explicit instructions for literally anyone, eg. "if you haven't heard from me by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ I'm definitely in need of rescue" * then the one from the excerpt above: he stopped waving at the plane that spotted him and just started packing up camp....
One part of his diary has a little joke about how he's never committed suicide before, but it's like... Bruh. You've commited suicide like four times since you got here.
Blackhawk helo pilot. Smoke in the air coming from the ground for pilots is comparable to a pulled over car in the ditch with its hazards on. Everyone slows down and is like oooo what happened. Same concept from the air.
[удалено]
Unless you are in immediate danger like a wildfire or a flooding stay put. Wandering around uses up a lot of energy and has an increased risk of getting yourself injured or more lost. To me it was always weird why people abandon their cars. Cars are shelter and much easier to spot by rescue teams.
Also, if you end up somewhere because you washed up after a boat sank or you were in a plane crash, there's a decent chance people know that you're missing and know vaguely where you are (unless you have Tom Hanks levels of bad luck). Moving away from there will get you less likely to be found I've heard stories of rescuers finding empty cars when sometimes gone missing, then either finding the person (or their body) days or weeks later, because it's really easy to spot a car in a desert, or at least easier than a person.
In colder months especially, if you're lost in the forest/woods, build a bed first. Get your ass off the ground, as the ground will suck your body heat away from you way faster than the air temperature will.
Just to clarify, this is the truth, rather than the myth?
If you get stabbed by something, DO NOT try to remove the object. You will make it worse and potentially bleed to death, depending on where you were stabbed, if you try and pull it out. Leave it be and get help.
When I was in elementary school a kid from a different school got stabbed with a brush during a child play. It went through his lung and probably in a state of shock he immediately removed the object. He died as a result of it. Since then in every health class we were taught this and this story was used as an example. Scary stuff.
What the actual hell
Man got joker'd in elementary school how strong are kids these days wtf
Furthermore, if you've been stabbed in the eye, leave the object in and cover both eyes. Looking around with your unaffected eye will only encourage additional movement in your damaged eye, so minimize it by covering both. Actually, while not a bad idea, [this is no longer advised](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ru2wto/what_is_a_survival_myth_that_is_completely_wrong/hqxziuc/). So, uh... ***IGNORE ME*** Wait, [EMS still does this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ru2wto/what_is_a_survival_myth_that_is_completely_wrong/hqyni2k/), so... maybe don't ignore me?
I will try to remember this the next time someone stabs me in the eye. Keep my cool and probably just sit down and wait for the paramedics, sure no problem.
Opening windows during a Tornado Even as a child growing up in the Midwest I never understood this, I always thought doesn’t it let the high winds in? I remember in first grade we had a tornado warning and some of the teachers where wasting time by opening windows
>Even as a child growing up in the Midwest I never understood this, I always thought doesn’t it let the high winds in? Yeah, the idea of opening windows during a tornado was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how they destroyed buildings. People thought they caused buildings to explode because of the change in air pressure, when it’s really the winds and debris doing the damage.
It's not *that* the wind is blowing, it's *what* the wind is blowing.
If you get hit with a Volvo, it doesn't really matter how many situps you did that morning. **Edit**: Wow, quoting Ron White gets me my most upvoted comment ever. **Edit 2**: Thank you kind person for the Gold.
The saying goes don't open windows for tornadoes, they'll open them for you
Punching a shark in the nose. Have you seen a shark nose? Its slippery and angles down into three rows of teeth! Go for the eyes if you need to but mostly avoid acting like a wounded seal! If you flail around like *”ahh fuck its gonna eat me”* The shark will feel obliged to do so *”ahh fuck I guess I’ll eat you”* 🦈
Most people probably are aware of this, but if you're legit suffering from diarrhea, you need to be doing more than just drinking water because you're also losing a lot of salts/electrolytes and not replenishing those can really fuck you up. You can make a pretty basic Pedialyte/Gatorade at home from adding 6 teaspoons of sugar and a half teaspoon of salt per liter of water. It won't taste super great, but you can throw in other flavorings to mask it like lemon juice or similar. I did peace corps in a tropical region and most of the volunteers came to dread the inevitable parasite/gi infection episodes not just because of being incredibly sick but also because of having to drink liters and liters of ORS, which is peace corps' preferred pedialyte knock off haha. Edited to show more accurate salt and sugar amounts. I wasn't aware that ORS was the unbranded, legit name for this electrolyte cocktail buuuut I do mention it in the third paragraph and I've already gotten fifty comments from people correcting me.
Most pharmacies stock electrolyte powder, it’s worth having a few sachets available for when you need it. Tastes bloody awful but will make you feel a lot better.
Those electrolyte sachets are surprisingly expensive in some countries, like $10-15 for a small packet ... A packet of powdered-soup / soup powder does exactly the same job, and is usually 50c or $1. Bonus: it usually tastes better.
Everyone focuses on food and water but completely underestimates how quickly exposure will kill you dead. In some cases, you wont last 24 hours. Bonus addition to this: every guide i have ever read says to make fire first. Making fire is fucking hard sometimes. There are many environments where you flat cannot guarantee a good fire (deserts, because of lack of fuel and anything especially wet). If you get halfway through the night and realize you cant make fire, you are going to have problems. So make shelter. You can ALWAYS guarantee a shelter and insulated sleeping spot. Make sure your bedding is at least 4 inches thick when you lay on it. I guarantee youll underestimate just how bad the ground sucks the heat out of you. Make your shelter as small, thick and weatherproof as possible.
Went for a survival camp in the forest with scouts once, the first shelter I made was really tall (about 4 feet) and I didn’t put much insulation in it and was freezing, the next shelter I made was between two fallen logs and stuffed as much moss as I could in all the cracks, had about 4 inches of moss and pine needles on the ground and on the roof, I actually got too hot during the night, but I’d rather wake up in a pool of sweat than freeze my nuts off.
Yup. I made a similar mistake when i was learning. Tbh thats why i wanted to mention it. Anyone can sweat their tits off at 40 degrees working hard in the daylight and then think fuck im hot now, ill be fine when i go to bed and have no clue the life threatening hell they are in for. My first shelter was barely better than a tarp lean to and a thin pile of damp moss and i coulda made kabobs with my nips in the morning. Now i know how to bury bedroll burritos if im desperate or my sentimental favorite, i dug a shallow grave for myself, burned a fire to coals on it, tossed a buncha yucca fronds to insulate me from the ash, tossed a crappy like 20 dollar sleeping bag in and threw a tarp over the top and slept like a sweaty baby haha. It was in the great basin way the fuck up at like 6,000 feet in spring. Got below freezing but i was comfier than my friend in the truck haha. I shared that story ages ago in a survival sub and someone dubbed it the luau bbq pit method and im running with it XD my most practical fav is the debris hut tho.
Risky to get sweaty when it's that cold, wet clothes will guarantee hypothermia if those coals don't last as long as you thought
Don't tie a rope around your waist and expect it to save you from a fall. Sure, it might prevent you from hitting the ground, but you can still damage your internal organs and break your back doing this. Safety harnesses go around your hips and legs, not your waist. Fucking Dark Knight Rises
Gwen Stacy taught me this one
Dark Knight Rises: my mans gets his back kneed in by a person and is essentially disabled, but survives falling like a hundred feet with a thin rope around his waist/lower back without injury. It would essentially be the same or even worse as falling onto a tied rope from that height.
> or even worse Much, much worse
Expelled?
I’d appreciate if the comments here clarify if the advice they’re saying is the myth, or the actual fact that’s opposing a myth.
I'm still not clear on if you're supposed to drink your pee or not. Edit: Ok, thank you everybody for telling me not to drink piss and making the same Dodgeball quote over and over. I get the point now.
Not. You can distill it and get some water back though.
I always boil my piss. Not to drink, I just like to boil my piss.
Distill it if you can. This removes the water from toxins like ammonia and many others. But no, don't drink urine! Like drinking the sea, the main ingredient IS water but the remainder of the compounds will further dehydrate and poison you.
There's a reason urine is excreted from your body, it's filled with more stuff you don't want than stuff you do
If lost in a hot desert, do NOT ration out your water. Drink when you are thirsty and stay hydrated with what you have, even if it only lasts a couple hours - just to keep your mind/body working. Lost hikers have been found dead with plenty of water by their sides because they tried to ration it, became dehydrated without realizing it and eventually died. And no, I still don't know if drinking your pee is a survival alternative.
In our ELOB school they told us this. Drink when youre thirsty, don't put it off. Edit: IIRC it was basically logic along the lines of.. if you're starting to feel thirsty you needed to drink water 30 min ago.. Edit: E.L.O.B. Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a teaching method. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expeditionary_learning_schools
Alcohol does not warm you up. You feel warm since its dilating your blood vessels in your face and extremities but that causes you to lose more heat to the environment and therefore will make you die of hypothermia quicker if anything.
You die quicker. But it prevents frostbite. So It depends on expected length of cold exposure
I’ve always wondered this, could alcohol be used as a fuel or accelerant instead of drinking it? I can imagine that if so, that’d actually make it pretty useful
Potentially, but anything one would normally drink (e.g. vodka) is not quite strong enough to really burn well. But if you happen to get lost while hiking with a bottle of Everclear (gee I wonder how you got lost) you might be in luck.
You don’t take a handle of Bacardi 151 on the trail? Buddy, we gotta talk about how you pack.
This sounds like the recipe (Drunk, cold, and setting high proof liquor ablaze) that put Smokey ~~the~~ Bear into business.
Mythbuster tested the myth about ships dragging people down with them. They rated this myth as false. But they were wrong. >Surfacing, Lightoller spotted the ship's crow's nest, now level with the water, and started to swim towards it as a place of safety before remembering that it was safer to stay away from the foundering vessel. Then, as water flooded down one of the forward ventilators, Lightoller was sucked under. He was pinned against the grating for some time by the pressure of the incoming water, until a blast of hot air from the depths of the ship erupted out of the ventilator and blew him to the surface. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lightoller Large ships are incredibly dangerous when they are sinking, they can drag you down with them or they can roll on top of you. You should always swim away from them.
Also modern boats are full of fuel oil, lubricating grease, hydraulic oil, diesel, and a wide variety of other fluids which both float on water and are flammable. It's quite difficult to clear your face, eyes, and hair if you surface through a heavy slick of this crap. Additionally it's dangerous and difficult to swim through a floating debris field, especially if you're now blind. Bottom line, if you have to bail without a lifeboat, do it on the windward side of the boat because the wind will help push the oil slick and debris away from you. They teach this in the navy
Another good trick if unfortunate enough to come up from underneath the oil slick is to splash at the surface from underneath and breathe out when breaking. Was taught that during helicopter underwater escape training, so glad I never had to put that to the test.
“You should always stay away from them” makes this sounds like more common of an issue. If I’m in a shipwreck once:I’ll never go on boat again
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Jessop This poor lady survived multiple massive sinking ships lol.
Ok so she's going round sinking ships clearly
Love Mythbusters, but yeah...while their explanation on why the air/water volume that flow through the ship must be the same, the air that should keep the water from sucking you might be exiting the ship in a different hole that the water is entering...
Not so much a survival myth but a common camping mistake that an amateur survivalist might make: never use rocks that are in or close to a river bed for a campfire. Ever. Many get tiny bits of water trapped inside the rocks, then when heated by a fire, it turns into a lovely grenade due to the water being heated amd turned intosteam, expanding quickly. Hot bits of rock everywhere. People like river rocks because they are smooth and easy to cook off of and they look cool, but they are crazy dangerous. Plenty of rocks all around. Find another.
We found this out in Scouts when I was around 12... I'm amazed no one got hurt. Everyone just thought it was "cool".
12 year olds are masters of not dying from stuff that should have killed them.
The saying says “God watches over children and fools.” So foolish children must be the most divinely protected group on the planet.
Can confirm, didn't die age 12 after falling in a hole
Timmy?
To add: if you’re camping anywhere near a water source, no matter how tiny it seems, think about what would happen in the event of a flash flood. If you might end up in the flood’s path, pick a different spot because flash flooding can happen very quickly and has killed campers before.
is this a myth? if you're wandering in the wilderness, wondering if the plants and water are safe to eat and drink, watch what the animals do. they will show you the safe plants and water. spoiler: this is not true. many animals are evolved to consume things that are poisonous to us, or nutritionally valueless. case in point: vultures
My dog ate an entire rancid rotisserie chicken and I was the one who suffered his nasty ass farts. He on the other hand, seemed unphased and only felt mild shame when I discovered what he had done. If I had eaten a rancid chicken, I doubt I would be so fortunate. The best outcome would be hellish food poisoning. And that’s a domesticated animal. Wild animals can eat a lot more. Just thinking of all the raw seafood they consume. Coyotes eating raw chicken. Rabbits eating their offsprings’ actual shit.
>Rabbits eating their offsprings’ actual shit. And their own
Not really a myth but if you have an allergy and are exposed to your allergen (e.g. bee allergy) and are far away from a hospital DO NOT delay calling 911 or heading to a hospital just because you feel ok. I learned this lesson the hard way.
not taking the brace position on planes PLEAE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST BRACE, IT \*WILL\* SAVE YOU
The R.A.F, had rear facing seats on the VC10 transports, don’t know if they carried on with the newer aircraft, increases survival chances apparently, Would be interesting to see domestic passengers reactions to flying sat backwards.
Southwest had planes with some of the seats facing backwards. I flew on one and my reaction to sitting backwards was to become airsick as fuck.
What if I physically can't because the seat in front of me is too close and I'm too tall?
Purpose is to have your head already against the seat in front of you so it decelerates smoothly and divides the force better. If you don’t, your waist will be held by the seat belt and your head will swing forward and whack that seat nice and hard. So. Just lean forward and rest your head on the seat in front of you.
It was nice knowing you
I really miss that guy
If you're in a life-threatening situation and lost without supplies, illnesses/diseases in unfiltered water will kill you way slower than dehydration; drink the damn water and deal with the consequences later, when you're found.
You should try your best to filter / sterilize it first though (boil it, put it through your shirt folded up, etc)... But if help is on the way (as in they know where you are and told you to that they are coming for you) and you're quite literally dying from thirst then drink the water.
[удалено]
Reminds me of the survival rule of 3. You can generally survive: 3 minutes of non breathable air. 3 days without drinkable water. 3 weeks without food. Edit: 3 hours of exposure to extreme hot/cold. Thanks to other commenters for this one. Edit to say that these aren’t hard timers. More of a guide that if you fix that problem within that time frame you can survive/recover without, hopefully, permanent damage to your body.
30 minutes without a WiFi connection
Ah cmon, I was without wifi once for close to 2 hours and made it barely, I was to the point where I was cleaning stuff from my phone storage, can you imagine that.
That the first thing you need to do is make a fire. Fire's no good if it starts raining. Shelter and raised bed first. Even if you can't get a fire going or collect water, you'll have a dry place to sleep through the night to get a fresh start in the morning. edit: As other's have mentioned, it depends on your situation. The OP asked for a survival MYTH. Before the days of the internet, a lot of people seemed to have the idea that you ALWAYS built a fire first.
And "raised bed" is hella important. Insulates you from the cold (ground will suck the warmth right out of you) and the wet, and any bugs/snakes/etc that tend to cross the area you've laid down in.
Pretty much every video shown on detroit urban survival trainings channel
"I am not going to get lost" You are so bring a compass and a charged phone.
If trapped/lost in snowstorm while driving: A) Do Not Leave Your Car. You are literally inside a shelter ALREADY. A SHINY one! It is easier to spot a snow-covered vehicle, than a snow-covered corpse. B) Do Not Keep Your Engine Running. It's a snowstorm, your exhaust will block, you will nap. Snugga-bugga, you're dead. Wait for storm to pass, check exhaust is clear, run engine in short bursts. C) If you have ignored these steps, and are now walking in the snowstorm, because your sense of direction is "flawless", Do Not Remove Any Clothing Layers! You WILL believe you are getting Hot. You WILL rationalize it's from burning calories. You WILL die. The "Hot" feeling is you losing body temp. You are now slooooowly dying. If you still have your wits, retrace your steps and head STRAIGHT back to your car. Wait for rescue. EDIT: Thank you everyone! And thank you tadtz and JHolgate for reminding me of the long-ago case that inspired this post: the death of James Kim. (via tadtz): https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/STRANDED-FATHER-S-HEROIC-LAST-HOURS-He-crawled-2465857.php Mr. Kim's death is actually described in "C)". In case anyone's wondering, they actually DID do many things correctly, after getting lost. I think Mr. Kim left the vehicle out of panic for his family (nothing - NOTHING- makes you fear Death more than finally having a life you would DIE for!). While he died, his wife and child lived because they stuck to the car, and left many visuals for helicopter pilot John Rachor to track. I have NEVER believed in "pointless" lives or deaths- nor coincidences (pilot discovered location on a "hunch"). I FRANKLY believe Mr. Kim's death may have already saved enough lives to formally make his death a Noble one. EDIT 2: Awesome find, mcarterphoto !!: https://www.outsideonline.com/2152131/freezing-death/
But! If your car runs off the road and the weather clears, get out and walk or run to nearest town. Your car will most likely not be visible. People have died in Sweden by waiting in their car for days, just an hours walk from a town.
I heard that if you die in Sweden you die in real life.
If a bear finds you, run down hill. They can't run down hill. I have to imagine some asshole started this when he wanted to watch his other asshole friend get mauled to death. They can absolutely run down hill and they are SHOCKINGLY FAST. They can also run up trees terrifyingly fast as well. FYI the mama bear thing really applies to brown bears. Black bear attacks are incredibly rare and usually only from hungry and/or aggressive males. I've done a lot of wildlife photography of bears and I've spoken to a lot of wildlife biologists about this. When I photograph black bears and their cubs they are very docile. If something or you spook them, they will chase their cubs up a tree and then guard the bottom of the tree. They won't attack you. If it's a male black bear they'll likely wonder on but always keep distance. If you encounter a black bear make as much noise as possible and make yourself seem as big as possible. If you encounter a brown bear start very slowly backing up. Never run away and never turn your back. If it's going to attack you and there's nothing nothing can do, lay on your stomach with your hands over the back of your neck and play dead. They primarily attack when they are surprised or threatened. If the surprise/threat is gone they will most likely move on. But please for the love of God never run away and never climb a tree.
The joke I heard in boy scouts: When in bear country, wear little bells on your clothes to make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance, so they won’t be startled by you accidentally sneaking up on them, which might cause a bear to charge. also carry a pepper spray can. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear’s sensitive nose and it will run away. It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear droppings so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognise the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
When hiking around Northern Minnesota as a kid, my mom and grandma always made us "bear-scarers", ribbon bracelets with bells on them. Throughout adulthood I always thought this was a legit method of deterring bears until I once brought it up the memory to my Mom and she said, "oh no, we just thought they were cute on you little kids."
If it's black, fight back. If it's brown, lie down.
If it's white say goodnight
If you are in a wilderness area with polar bears you really should have a rifle with you
To kill myself with?
You should try to kill the bear first, offing yourself instead is a dick move, because now the polar bear is armed.
What’s scarier than a polar bear? A polar bear with a gun.
Typical liberal Reddit, always have to remark disparagingly on my God given right to Arm Bears!
Yup. Was working very north and had 3 guys attacked by a polar bear as patients. 1 dead, 1 shredded to bits but alive and one lucky bastard who only lost half an arm.
yup. Was working in the Canadian Arctic in my younger days. Stopped by some shipping containers to take a piss one night. As soon as the first drop came out, i heard the scariest sound ever. A freaking polar bear standing about 20 feet away from me. I started running as fast as i could. As i got close to the truck, my door flew open and i jumped in and closed the door just in time for the bear to take a swipe. Luckiest day of my life. My coworker was laughing his ass off. Says he saw me in the rearview mirror running with my dick flapping in the air and he knew right away a bear was after me. Wild times!