Wilderness Survival Tips from a Former Homeless Person

The definition of “wilderness” varies from person to person. But, whether you are in the city or in the jungle, “wilderness” is where you are alone against whatever surroundings you find yourself stranded in. When I was homeless in England, I lived over three years in the woods outside of Bath, England. Part of the reason I’m still alive is because I took the wilderness survival tips from ex-military personnel.

Conserve Your Resources

The best wilderness survival tip anyone can give you is to conserve your resources as much as possible, because you never know how long they have to last you. Resources do not only mean firewood, food and water. They also mean your personal energy. Know your limits and do not push them. You will need more food and water (or medicines) if you do too much at once.

Keep Dry Whenever Possible

If you get soaked, especially in winter, you are just a cough away from hypothermia or the flu or worse. Your priority is to stay dry as possible in order to survive. Only go out in the wet if you absolutely have no other alternative. This is one of the more overlooked wilderness survival tips, especially if there is any alcohol involved. If you get drunk, you feel a false sense of heat. You could be getting very ill and just not feeling it until you sober up and it’s too late.

Fight By Not Fighting

Try to avoid conflict whenever possible, even if this humiliates you or goes against your personal ethics. This is a wilderness survival tip that goes for fighting the weather or other people. You can’t afford to be beaten up and left for dead. Trust me on this one. Give up whenever possible. Either smile and nod or curl back up in your sleeping bag and not come out until the weather changes. If, however, a person is very insistent on physically attacking you, act as crazy as possible. Froth at the mouth if you have to. This usually scares them off.

Get A Dog

This is another of the most overlooked wilderness survival tips. Dogs are, for the most part, in the same boat as you. They want to find a partner in order to survive the cold cruel world. It is always better to team up with a dog than with another human being if you are in a homeless situation OR you are stuck with a group of people you do not know. So, if your plane winds up crashing on a desert island, screw the others, unless they are dogs. A dog won’t stab you in the back for a crust of bread.