The More You Know
Survival, regardless of the environment, demands a realistic understanding of your situation, personal limitations, adaptability, and resourcefulness.
Carrying the right tools and gear can simplify your circumstances and enhance your chances of survival, but it’s unrealistic to expect to carry everything you might need at all times.
Mors Kochanski, a revered figure in the wilderness survival community, once said, “The more you know, the less you have to carry.” This profound statement has inspired numerous survival manuals.
Dressing appropriately is arguably one of the most crucial survival skills you can acquire. Our bodies require a microclimate of approximately 98.6º to sustain life. Selecting clothing that aids in maintaining this temperature significantly increases your survival odds. Your clothes serve as your first line of defense against the elements, and in certain situations, they may be the sole pieces of “survival gear” you possess. Therefore, they should be chosen with deliberate purpose and intention.
In addition to dressing appropriately, knowing how to start a fire is likely your second most important skill. Fire can compensate for inadequate clothing in cold environments. It can dry your clothes, restore their functionality, prevent hypothermia, purify water, cook food, provide psychological support, and signal for assistance.
Apart from specific circumstances, a high-quality knife with the knowledge to use it effectively is arguably one of the most valuable tools you can carry. A good knife acts as a force multiplier, enabling its user to modify their surroundings to better suit their needs. This can lead to the creation of tools, the construction of shelter, the initiation of fires, and the acquisition of food.
With this in mind, let’s revisit the “more you know” aspect of survival. A solid understanding of maintaining core body temperature, locating and purifying water, creating fires, and finding food sources equips you to assess your environment like an educated scavenger.
As I write this, the Lodestone Training and Consulting Austere Environment Urban Survival course is just a few weeks away. Students will be permitted to bring their “72 Hour” bags to sustain themselves for two days in an urban setting in February. These bags would be extremely large and heavy to carry all the comforts of home. This means students must evaluate their surroundings to find suitable resources. Abandoned buildings may not provide heat, but they can offer shelter from the elements. Cardboard and discarded plastic can be used to insulate from the ground or create a small shelter that retains body heat. Pallets or wood scavenged from structures can be used to build fires, raised sleeping platforms, or improvised weapons. Old water bottles can be used to collect and store water or create the dead air space needed to increase insulation from the cold. The possibilities are endless, but I’m sure you grasp the concept.
The scavenger mindset is a fundamental aspect of survival, whether in an urban setting or a remote wilderness. By developing the ability to identify, adapt, and repurpose resources, we significantly enhance our chances of survival. Beyond emergency situations, this mindset fosters a sustainable and resourceful approach to everyday life, emphasizing the principle that true survival lies not in what you possess but in how you utilize what you find.
I encourage you to sign up for our class! There will be no better way to test your gear and yourself and learn how to expand your capabilities.
— Mike