Learn essential survival skills including shelter building, fire lighting, navigation, first aid, outdoor safety and practical skills to survive in the wilderness.
Crossing a stream can look simple until the water becomes deeper, faster or more unpredictable. A shallow stream in calm conditions may present little difficulty, while the same watercourse after heavy rainfall can become a serious hazard. Advanced stream crossing is therefore not about finding…
Water can become contaminated in many different ways. Animals, people, sewage, flooding, agricultural activity and pollution can all affect a water source. Some contamination is obvious, while some cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. For anyone spending significant time outdoors, understanding waterborne contamination means knowing…
Finding water outdoors does not automatically mean finding safe drinking water. A stream can look clean but still contain harmful microorganisms. A lake can appear inviting while being affected by contamination that cannot be seen. Even a water source that you have used before can…
Finding and treating water is only part of staying hydrated outdoors. You also need to be able to carry, transport and protect your water supply. The way you carry water affects how much you can take, how easily you can access it and how much…
Finding water outdoors does not automatically mean you have found drinking water. Natural water can contain bacteria, viruses, parasites, sediment and other contaminants that are not always visible. Even clear, cold, fast-flowing water can carry microorganisms that could make you ill. The skill is not…
Knowing that you should purify outdoor water is important. Knowing how different purification methods work is even more useful. There is no single method that deals with every type of contamination. Boiling, filtration and chemical disinfection each work in different ways, and the most suitable…
Finding water outdoors is only part of the challenge. Water that looks clean can still contain microorganisms that can make you ill, so knowing how to purify it is an essential outdoor skill. The safest approach is to treat collected water before drinking it. Depending…
The Prusik knot is a friction hitch that allows a loop of cord to grip a larger rope when loaded and slide along it when the load is released. It is an important ropework knot because it demonstrates how friction can be used to create…
The double fisherman’s knot is a compact knot used to join two ends of rope or cord. It is particularly useful with cord of similar diameter and is commonly used when a secure, relatively compact join is required. The knot consists of two identical stopper…
The figure eight on a bight is a useful way to create a fixed loop in the middle or at the end of a rope. Unlike a basic figure eight stopper knot, this version creates a loop that can be used for attaching or connecting…
The rolling hitch is a useful knot for attaching one rope to another rope, pole or similar object. Its main advantage is that it can grip against a lengthwise pull, making it useful when you need to take tension from one line with another. It…
The trucker’s hitch is a useful rope system for creating adjustable tension. It is commonly used when securing loads, tightening guy lines and tensioning ropes where a firm pull is needed. Unlike a simple hitch, the trucker’s hitch uses a loop in the rope to…