Once you have found shelter, you should begin gathering materials to build a fire. When finding, or building shelter, it’s important to take into consideration your proximity to resources (food, water, firewood), visibility for potential rescue, and the surrounding environmental elements (sun, wind, rain, snow).

This is particularly important in a wet and cold environment where hypothermia may be a risk. Shelter – Believe it or not, finding shelter is higher on the totem pole than food or water. If you’re with a group, make sure they know where it is and how to administer it.Ģ. Note: If you have known allergies that may cause anaphylactic shock, it’s important to keep an epinephrine pen in your pack, or on your person. If you panic, your body will begin to use up oxygen and your survival time will begin to rapidly decrease. If you find yourself in a situation where you are needing to find air, it is absolutely necessary to try to remain calm. Air – Whether you’re trapped underwater, stuck in an avalanche, or experiencing anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction, breathing is your number one survival priority.

You can survive for 3 weeks without Food Prioritizing your survival plan using The Rule of Threesġ. You can survive for 3 days without WaterĤ. You can survive for 3 hours without Shelterģ. You can survive for 3 minutes without AirĢ. The Rule of Threes is a foundation for assessing and prioritizing a survival plan based on a general understanding of your body’s basic physiological needs. If you plan on spending any time in the outdoors, you should probably have a basic understanding of the “Rule of Threes”.

3 rules of survival