11 Must-Have Survival Skills

September 28th, 2025

6 minute read

Lots of people consider themselves fairly prepared for a natural disaster or other event. They’ve got food stored, a generator, a first aid kit and assorted other things ready to go.

The problem is that preparedness isn’t just about having the best or most gear. It’s a combination of your stuff, your mindset and your skills. Let’s take a look at ten skills you should master to truly be ready.

Wilderness bushcraft scene of a campfire (camp fire) built with textbook fire-lay technique — dry tinder (birch bark, cedar bark, cattail fluff, dryer-lint cotton with petroleum jelly) under pencil-thin kindling and wrist-thick fuelwood, arranged in a teepee/log-cabin hybrid beside a Dakota fire hole windbreak and a reflective rock wall. A ferrocerium firesteel and striker lie next to stormproof matches, a BIC lighter, a magnesium block, and a flint-and-steel kit, illustrating multiple survival fire-starting methods (spark, flame, and shaving/ignition options). A carved feather stick, fine shavings, and fatwood show proper tinder preparation, while a bow-drill spindle, hearth board, and bearing block demonstrate primitive friction fire skills for creating an ember to transfer into a tinder bundle “bird’s nest.” Orange coals and stable embers glow for cooking and warmth, with a billy can/canteen cup heating over the coals, signaling real-world use for boiling water, field cooking, and morale in backcountry, wilderness survival, and emergency preparedness contexts. The area around the fire ring is cleared to mineral soil per Leave No Trace and fire-safety guidelines (no duff, safe spacing, spark control), with water and sand nearby for extinguishing, and a knife plus hatchet used for batoning, processing wood, and managing the fire triangle (heat, fuel, oxygen). Also long fire, Swedish torch, trench fire, smoke for signaling, radiant heat, convection, ember management, wind direction, damp-wood techniques, and “cold-out” douse-stir-douse verification to prevent rekindle.

1. Fire in Wet and Windy Conditions

We all know how to build a fire, but what about when every piece of fuel around you is soaking wet, or the wind is going through your bones? Making a fire in poor conditions requires an understanding of the science and process — and sometimes there are a few tricks you can use, such as using dryer lint, cotton balls soaked in Vaseline, or other tools.

2. Kill and Process a Wild Animal

While the wildlife population won’t last long in a widespread event, you should still have an understanding of how to effectively hunt and process them — without a lot of fancy tools and gear. Maybe you won’t use every bit of the animal including the hide, but you can still make sure to get and have a use for every bit of the meat. If you do ever decide to start tanning your hides as well, you’ll find all sorts of uses for that, too.

Nighttime winter survival scene showing a lone person in a hooded insulated coat (parka) practicing cold-weather survival skills in a snowy backcountry setting under moonlight and a headlamp with a red-light mode. The subject demonstrates bushcraft/wilderness survival by building a wind-sheltered bivouac: a low snow trench/quinzee-style shelter with a reflective mylar space blanket and tarp lean-to oriented away from prevailing wind, with guy lines secured using snow stakes and deadman anchors. An elevated fire lay burns on a split-log platform to keep coals from melting into the snow, kindled with feather sticks and fatwood; a ferrocerium rod, stormproof matches, and a butane lighter sit nearby as redundant fire-starting methods (spark, match, flame). A liquid-fuel camp stove melts snow in a billy can/canteen cup for water purification and hot calories, while a closed-cell foam pad, bivy sack, and -20°F sleeping bag demonstrate ground insulation and heat retention. The person performs frostbite/hypothermia prevention checks, manages the fire triangle (heat, fuel, oxygen), and leverages layered clothing (moisture-wicking base layer, fleece/wool mid layer, waterproof/breathable shell), plus balaclava, gaiters, insulated boots, and mittens with hand warmers, addressing wind chill, whiteout risk, and blizzard conditions. For navigation and signaling, a map and compass, handheld GPS, whistle, signal mirror, and a satellite messenger/PLB (e.g., inReach) are staged with an FRS/GMRS radio; reflective tape and a chem light aid nighttime visibility for SAR (search and rescue). A folding saw, hatchet, and fixed-blade knife support wood processing and campcraft, while avalanche shovel/probe are positioned for snow safety; an ice axe and snowshoes/crampons emphasize mobility on crusted snow/ice and self-arrest on slopes. The organized go-bag/EDC kit highlights redundancy and risk management: spare batteries, headlamp power budget, multi-tool, first-aid pouch, energy-dense rations, and water containers. Overall, the image conveys emergency preparedness, cold-weather fieldcraft, survival mindset, and night operations in winter: shelter building, firecraft, snow travel, land navigation, signaling, and thermal management to prevent hypothermia and frostbite.

3. Recognize a Threat Early

It’s called situational awareness, and we’ve written about it here before. If you don’t recognize a potential threat before it becomes an actual one, then you run the risk of being caught unaware. Learn what the OODA loop is if you don’t already know, and develop that situational awareness. Learning how to fade into your surroundings can also buy you time and allow you to see the threat before it sees you.

4. Keep Your Emotions Under Control

We all know that emotions can cloud our judgment and keep us from making good decisions, but that can be easier said than done — especially in the heat of the moment. Mastering your emotions isn’t a short or even easy task, but it’s one worth practicing. There are several ways to get started with that; meditation, coping mechanisms and simple practice can all be effective. What works for someone else might not work for you, so take the time to try out a few different tactics and see what helps you.

Daylight wilderness survival and bushcraft scene at the forest edge (woods next to an open field/meadow) with core field gear staged for multi-skill use: well-worn hiking boots and a wide-brim outdoors hat/boonie beside a topographic map and a baseplate compass for land navigation, orienteering, route planning, bearings/azimuths, and declination checks. A loaded backpack/rucksack/go-bag sits open, implying layered preparedness and EDC: water bottle and compact filter/purifier for hydration and water treatment; ferrocerium rod, stormproof matches, and a lighter for firecraft and ignition; tinder bundle (birch bark/fatwood/feather sticks) for starting a cooking and warmth fire; emergency bivy/tarp and paracord for shelter building, ridgelines, and knots (taut-line, trucker’s hitch). A whistle and signal mirror support signaling/SAR; a handheld GPS and paper map reinforce redundancy (map-and-compass first, electronics second). First-aid pouch indicates trauma care and wilderness medicine (bandages, gauze, tourniquet, blister kit), while snacks/energy bars show field nutrition and rationing. The setting highlights edge habitat awareness (game trails, foraging opportunities), situational awareness, Leave No Trace practices (cleared ground, organized kit), and core survival skills: navigation, fire making, shelter setup, water procurement, signaling, risk management, and trip planning for backcountry, bushcraft, hiking, trekking, and emergency preparedness.

5. Find Your Way Around

If you’re someone who needs to put every destination into your smartphone’s GPS, you’re at a disadvantage. Find an orienteering class and learn how to get where you’re going — or out of a bad situation — without using fancy tools. You should be able to get from point A to point B even if you left your phone at home. That might mean taking some drives to familiarize yourself better with your local area, or sitting down with a road atlas and Google Earth.

6. Effectively Conceal a Firearm

Arguments about open carry vs. concealed carry aside, you need to know how to have a firearm on your body without advertising. There are all kinds of resources out there to help you carry concealed more effectively. Whether it means finding the right holster, changing up your wardrobe a bit, or even changing the firearm you’re carrying every day, you’ll need to find the right combination for yourself that allows you to carry, consistently, while remaining concealed.

7. Improvise

You don’t need to be MacGyver, but you need to know how to make do in a given situation with what you have. Things like zip ties, wire and duct tape are probably pretty familiar to you, but can you make a pair of shoes if you have to, or repair the boots you’re wearing? Improvise a repair on your vehicle? Being able to fix things isn’t just a skill, it’s a necessity.

8. Ability to Deliver Lifesaving First Aid Under Stress

You don’t rise to the occasion. Instead, you fall to your training. So get training and stay current. Here are a few recommendation:

Take CPR/AED and bleeding-control classes: CPR classes are available in almost every populated area of the United States and are worth every penny. Many are cheap and some are free.

Also consider Stop the Bleed classes. This training is highly recommended as it addresses the #1 cause of preventable death after injury.
Bleeding control: If trained, high-quality tourniquet high and tight, then pressure dressing; pack wounds with hemostatic gauze
Airway/breathing: Follow the ABCs: Airway, Breathing and Circulation. Use recovery position for the unconscious breathing patient.
Build a minimalist trauma kit you know how to use: tourniquet, pressure bandage, hemostatic gauze, chest seals, nitrile gloves, marker, trauma shears, CPR breathing shield.

Training Tip: Once trained with a toruniquet, run quarterly drills to stay proficient with applying a TQ on yourself and another.

Flat lay of a survival first aid kit arranged on a tarp, showing bandages, gauze, adhesive strips, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a CPR face shield, and an AED instruction card alongside a checklist for first aid. A bright-red tourniquet and hemostatic gauze indicate tools for trauma treatment, severe bleeding control, and wound packing, with pictogram guides for cardiac arrest response, CPR cycles, and AED pad placement. Color-coded packets address allergies and anaphylaxis, plus burn gel and non-stick dressings for burns and burn treatment, and sting relief wipes and tweezers for bites and stings. Splints, elastic wraps, and tape are grouped for fractures and sprains, next to a cervical collar reference card covering head injuries, brain injuries, neck injuries, and spinal injuries. Thermal blanket and knit cap support hypothermia and frostbite prevention, while electrolyte packets and a fan card highlight heat exhaustion and heat stroke care. The organized layout emphasizes quick access to every item needed for first aid, CPR, AED use, cardiac arrest management, trauma treatment, control of severe bleeding with a tourniquet and wound packing, and field care for anaphylaxis, burns, bites and stings, fractures, sprains, head/brain/neck/spinal injuries, hypothermia, frostbite, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

9. Triage and Treat (or know when not to)

Triage is one of the most important medical skills you can have. Understanding how to prioritize multiple victims or injuries, what constitutes a life-threatening problem, and being able to assess whether you have the supplies and ability to treat it is critical.

There may come a day when you’re faced with something you can’t treat or help — and you’ll need to be able to recognize that before you spend what resources you have.

10. How to Make Potable Water

Water is everywhere but that doesn’t mean you can drink it wherever you find it. There are several ways you can make water safe to drink; you should know as many as possible. You do not need to carry every method of water purification possible, but the more skills related to making water safe, the greater chance you’ll be able to use water that you find when it’s scarce.

Three parts to water safety: assess, treat, and ration.

Target: at least 1 gallon per person per day for 3–7 days; 2+ gallons/day is better in heat.
Assessment: clear vs. cloudy; surface source vs. municipal. Pre-filter cloudy water (with a clean cloth, coffee filters or even paper towels) before any treatment.
Boil: rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes at high elevation). Let cool covered.
Bleach (only use unscented household): Check label and ensure that the bleach has sodium hypochlorite as the active ingredient. Currently, the CDC recommends the following for concentrations between 5-9%:

1 quart or liter of water: 2 drops of bleach (if you have a dropper). The amount is too small for a measuring spoon.

1 gallon of water: 8 drops of bleach or a little less than 1/8 teaspoon

5 gallons of water: 40 drops of bleach or 1/2 teaspoon

Stir, wait 30 minutes; a slight chlorine smell is normal. Double the dose for cloudy water. If in doubt, boil instead.
Commerically available filters: understand your filter’s flow rate, pore size, and how to backflush. Pair filters with chemical or UV when biologically risky sources are your only option.
Storage: rotate sealed water every 6–12 months; label fill dates. Keep small bottles for grab-and-go and larger containers for shelter-in-place.

Survival Planning Tip: Create a simple reference card with boil times and bleach dosages and tape it inside a cabinet.

11. Fade into the Crowd

People often like to be noticed. If they didn’t, there wouldn’t be such a huge market for T-shirts with various sayings on them. Sometimes, however, not being noticed is the best possible action. Learn how to fade, to be the proverbial gray man. We mentioned this earlier, but you should understand the area you’re in and learn to blend. If you’re going to a part of town known for vegan cafes and yoga, you’re probably not going to fade into the background wearing your Molon Labe shirt and open carrying a 1911. Know your audience and know your surroundings.

Gear is great — but without the skills to use that gear, you can still fail. Take the time to learn skills across a wide variety of disciplines. You never know when you’ll need them.

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Springfield Armory® recommends you seek qualified and competent training from a certified instructor prior to handling any firearm and be sure to read your owner’s manual. These articles and videos are considered to be suggestions and not recommendations from Springfield Armory. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Springfield Armory.

Product prices mentioned in articles and videos are current as of the date of publication.

Kit Perez

Kit Perez is a deception/intelligence analyst, author, and homesteader. Basics of Resistance: The Practical Freedomista, Book 1, her book co-written with Claire Wolfe, is available on Amazon. She lives in the mountains of western Montana where she raises dairy goats and Kune Kune pigs in a constant push toward total self-sufficiency. Kit also serves as an EMT on her local fire department.