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50 "Survival Tips" You May Want To Forget If You Want To Get Yourself Out Of Danger
You’ve likely seen or read about “survival tips” when dealing with the threat of an assailant. People would suggest scratching their eyes, kicking their groin, or inflicting some form of damage as much as possible.
Reality, however, paints a grimmer picture. There’s a chance you freeze and get yourself hurt, or worse. This is why most self-defense experts would advise making running away the instinctive reaction during a potential attack.
Today, we’re looking at other well-known “survival tips” that may actually do more harm than good. If any of these have been ingrained in you, now’s the time to start unlearning them.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Not survival in the usual sense, but those whole “Don’t put that you’re an organ donor on your license because then if you get in a wreck and die, the paramedics won’t try to bring you back!”
I’ve been a paramedic for 10 years, and never once have I looked for someone’s license after a traumatic cardiac arrest to check their organ donor status. If a cardiac arrest victim seems viable, they’re going to get worked on regardless. The reality though is that very few people come back from cardiac arrest that occurred due to trauma, because the most common cause is blood loss and that’s not something paramedics can fix in the field (in most areas- some very progressive systems DO carry whole blood on the ambulance.) And if someone is dead on arrival and unworkable, we don’t haul them to the hospital to get their organs harvested. The body stays on scene until coroners get there and do their thing, which could take hours. Organs of people who die outside of hospitals generally have a very limited window in which they’re still considered viable, so it rarely even enters the equation unless they’re transported to the hospital.
Rant over, be an organ donor.
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#3
Not survival tips for the wilderness, but survival in urban surroundings - basically any tips on how to handle a street fight - any of the vigilante rubbish you see on TV.
I have a close friend who was a UK Royal Marine - he was, in effect, a violence professional for a decade or so. He told me that the vast majority of his training regards hand to hand combat involved the following:
- Assume your opponent is armed even if you can’t see a weapon
- Run away as fast as you can
- If they are close enough to touch you, push them as hard as you can - hopefully they’ll fall over - then run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
That was it - just get away from them as fast as you can. Don’t try and engage in a fight with someone you don’t know because you’ll probably get k****d.
#4
The idea of changing your cellphone voicemail message if you are lost in the woods.
If you have enough signal to change your voicemail then you have enough signal to call for help.
#5
Its not exactly a survival tip, but everybody imagines building traps, hunting, building a shelter etc. But the reality for most survival situations is to just focus on water and sitting around until you get found. Nearly every thing you do will burn the small amount of energy/water you have and you likely will not have the skills or be in an abundant enough area to replace it. So its best for most people to just sit in the shade and wait.
#6
A lot of people think that moss only grows on the north side of trees. It'll actually grow wherever it wants to.
#8
Not your typical survival advice but an important falsehood: You have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.
Absolutely untrue, and the longer the wait the worse the outcome for the person missing. If you believe someone is missing report it immediately with all information you have.
Eat snow for water. Waste of energy. There isn't a lot of water in snow by volume (unless packed) but moreover your body will expend energy in the form of heat to melt the snow. Build a fire, find something you can use as a basin, melt the snow then drink.
#9
If you are extremely cold or near hypothermic, do not drink alcohol to warm up. It may make you feel warmer because it pulls your blood to your skin, but that means it's pulling blood away from your vital organs and, therefore, lowering your core temperature.
#10
Do not ever drink your own pee to survive. It'll make you more dehydrated while also likely f*****g up your kidneys. No benefit to be had. Just don't do it.
#11
This is less a bad tip and more of a glaring omission, but I haven't seen a lot of wilderness survival guides say the obvious first step:
Call 911.
"But it's *wilderness* survival! The phone won't work!" People have internalized that idea, especially millennials and older. Coverage is *surprisingly* common in the backwoods these days.
That's doubly true when you're calling 911. Phones get some extra mojo when they're making emergency calls, they can use other networks they usually can't. Even if it looks like you don't have reception, a 911 call might go through.
Point being, when you have that "oh s**t, I'm *lost* lost." moment, give the cell phone a shot before you start dragging branches together for a lean-to. It's not a guarantee but it might save you a whole lot of pain.
#12
That if you see a bird or animal eating a berry it mean’s it’s safe for you to eat, this can get you k****d.
#13
The big one: just because the water is flowing doesn’t mean it’s safe to drink.
Most of the s**t you see in bushcraft videos is a waste of energy and much of it could get you k****d.
STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Exert yourself as little as possible and only do so to find shelter from the elements or to get water.
Your chances of being rescued increase significantly if you STAY PUT.
The real myth though is that survival is easy and anyone can do it.
- You’re better off just making sure you don’t end up in a situation where you need to survive. PLAN. *let people know where you’re going and for how long. *AND FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE IN* **STICK TO THE PLAN.**.
#15
When hiking and it’s hot out, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, attempt to ration your water. Drink whenever your lips or your eyes get dry or you’re generally thirsty. “Rationing” like you’d see in old movies or something hastens heat exhaustion. .
#16
"If you're alone, that is better than being with another person, since it's another mouth to feed."
The buddy system is always more rewarding than the costs, especially since they could go for help or do other things. Twice the output, twice the chance of survival, since you're not likely to get any food while you're out there if you're a 21st century layman like me who doesn't have a gun with them on every outing.
#17
Having s*x to fend off freezing to death is a terrible idea. It will make you wet (sweat/s**y fluids), and use up energy you need to conserve.
It’s not survival advice; it’s a plot device. .
#18
"If it's black fight back, if it's brown lie down" with bears. How you act depends on how the bear is acting, not what species it is.
#19
First day in prison, punching the biggest and toughest looking prisoner in the face will not make your stay easier.
#20
Putting a wooden spoon or your fingers in the mouth of someone having a seizure. Either you’re going to have a person seizing AND choking or a person seizing and choking on your fingers while you’re in agony. Just call 911 and turn them into their side.
#21
For snakes, “red touches black, you’re okay jack; red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow”. While this is true for some specific species in North America, it’s not true for many venomous snakes with similar coloring! So just… don’t grab strange snakes, please.
#22
A lot of people think that when you go camping where bears are you should hang your food supplies up in a tree to keep bears from being able to get them.
This is wrong, because your body is bear food and it's in your tent on the ground. What you really need to do is put your food in your car, put your body in your car, and drive home to sleep where bears are not.
#23
Do not burn yourself to stop the bleeding if wounded, as a medical professional once said: “you’ll just be bleeding AND burned”.
#24
Running in zigzags from an alligator.
While they are surprisingly fast sprinters, running in zigzags is more likely to get you eaten than just running away in a straight line.
That being said, gators rarely try to chase a human other than to defend its nest.
#25
If you think you're going to be robbed at the bank, then put your PIN into the ATM backward, and it'll send some sort of emergency signal.
This isn't true. Plus, some people may have PINs that are the same forwards and backwards in the first place.
#27
Don’t get under an overpass during a tornado. If you’re in a vehicle and can’t go inside something like a gas station or rest stop you’re better off in a ditch and cover your head. But overpasses/bridges are not a good place to be during a tornado.
#29
I’m not sure how the myth started, but do not sleep naked in a sleeping bag. Unless you want to I guess. But it will not keep you warmer by “reflecting the heat” or anything like that. Clothing is another, important, layer of insulation.
#31
People think "survival" and think about hunting, building a 3 story mansion, creating water filters, and woodworking.
Most actual survival situations is basically getting some snacks, water, and signalling until you are found.
Pretty much the most important part is to just stay put when you realize you are lost, wandering around will make things so much worse.
#32
That you can get water by c*****g open a cactus and drinking the liquid inside. Unless you are a botanist who can identify the one or two specific types of cactus that are safe, you're going to have a bad time. The fluid in most cacti is full of acids and alkaloids that will make you violently ill. You'll end up vomiting, which will make you lose way more water than you gained and speed up the dehydration process.
#33
Alcohol warms the blood. They used to have giant st bernards with brandy casks around their neck. The dogs would find lost hikers and the brandy would "help them warm up and stay alive" Such a widespread idea that it is still visible in a lot of older cartoons.
Or so they thought.
In fact, the story of the St Bernards is largely a myth as well. Alcohol lowers body temperature and actually causes harm in these situations.
#34
If you find a water source, remember something else is using it too. Some you can eat some can eat you.
#35
If you have a nosebleed, tilt your head back.
You should really lean forward while pinching the soft part of your nose closed so all the blood doesn’t run down the back of your throat into your stomach and make you vomit. If you have blood in your mouth from this already, spit it out or let it run out.
People love to argue about this and I’ll never understand why.
#36
The idea that you should never move someone if you suspect a spinal injury is overstated.
Now they teach that it’s ok to (gently) move someone if you can make them more comfortable or safer. Especially if it will be a while before rescue .
It’s now thought that the initial trauma was enough to cause that damage, or it wasn’t, and gently moving them won’t leave them worse off.
#39
3 feet of pine boughs compresses down to an amount that will keep u warm in an improvised shelter. At -40 take everything and anything.
#40
*Do not get in a doorway during an earthquake.* Get under a sturdy table ~~or get down next to something sturdy.~~
~~Rescuers often find still-alive people in what’s called the “triangle of life.” Debris will fall onto the sturdy object and create a triangle-shaped safe zone next to it.~~
Edit: this has apparently changed since I took CERT training. The common advice is to “drop cover and hold on.” Thank you to those who commented!
The doorway thing was only true way back in the day for adobe and brick construction.
#44
If you crash your car into a river or lake, let it sink,and the pressure equalise before you try and get out.
#45
Let’s say ur stranded in the desert with only a water bottle, ppl think to take sips every while to preserve it throughout ur time there. But it’s actually better to just drink it all at once.
#46
A lot of the fighting stuff.
"I'd just gouge their eyes, or bite them, or punch them in the throat, or kick him in the nuts", etc. are things spouted by people who don't have any training in a legitimate martial art, let alone had a single schoolyard scuffle when they were younger. It's just plain dangerous advice — doubly so when that kind of c**p is taught in slow motion drills at "self defence" classes, giving people false confidence.
#49
Growing up I feel like I heard “stop, drop, and roll” everywhere. Not 1 viral video or movie have I ever seen anyone do this when on fire. I’m starting to think I was lied to, maybe other people can prevent forest fires too?
What do you think ?
Max PePel 8 months ago
I think we should be much more worried about radicals, terrorist, and stupid little pricks f"cking each other up, so that they can sit back, spend billions of our tax-money on their defence toys and send young humans to clean up the mess they made. Take islam: we can't speak about it because we offend the ones who claim it's a religion of peace. But the ones who claim so, are irrelevant. What is relevant are the ones who want to eliminate anyone who's not like them. What I think is that, having men in charge for thousands of years, this world to them is just a sandpit, and to me religion is a big t**d, with islam being diarrhea. The day I see an elephant folding legs, kneeling down and say a prayer out loud as it's written in a book, I'll change my mind. Till then, I respect their territory by staying out of it/adjusting to their law and order. Same with neighbours: if they want visitors to sit on the floor I either adjust or stay out. Very simple.
Max PePel 8 months ago
I think we should be much more worried about radicals, terrorist, and stupid little pricks f"cking each other up, so that they can sit back, spend billions of our tax-money on their defence toys and send young humans to clean up the mess they made. Take islam: we can't speak about it because we offend the ones who claim it's a religion of peace. But the ones who claim so, are irrelevant. What is relevant are the ones who want to eliminate anyone who's not like them. What I think is that, having men in charge for thousands of years, this world to them is just a sandpit, and to me religion is a big t**d, with islam being diarrhea. The day I see an elephant folding legs, kneeling down and say a prayer out loud as it's written in a book, I'll change my mind. Till then, I respect their territory by staying out of it/adjusting to their law and order. Same with neighbours: if they want visitors to sit on the floor I either adjust or stay out. Very simple.
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