If a natural disaster strikes and you’re forced to make do without the luxuries you’ve been accustomed to, would you be able to survive? Disasters of all kinds seem to be more common these days, from major weather events to riots, to financial crisis.
To be prepared to survive, you’ll need to learn survivalist skills. And if you have some survivalist skills already, you’ll want to hone those skills. You want to make sure that you’re prepared to live off the grid if you have to.
Gaining the skills that you need can come from a variety of different sources. Some people prefer to take the do-it-yourself approach to learning survival skills – so they set out to learn from other survivalists.
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Use forums to learn survivalist skills
One of the best ways to learn from those with experience is to join online forums. In these forums (on Facebook, Quora, and Reddit to name a few) you’ll find men and women with different levels of experience.
On the forums, you can learn the best ways to purify the water you’ll need. You can learn what shelter means are necessary. The people involved will discuss the best products to put in your bug-out bag and which products donít pan out. You’ll gain a wealth of knowledge from the sharing of their expertise.
Many of these forums will also allow users to post how-to videos so that you’ll get a visual of how to perform certain survival tasks. While the majority of these forums are free to join, you’ll find a few of them that do have membership fees and some ask for donations.
Go on retreats to learn and use your skills
Retreats are also a great way to learn survival skills. In some states or provinces, you’ll find groups that hold retreats in order to learn survival skills as a group. These retreats are great for teaching the basics – like how to set up a camp – and they use different levels of preparedness in the retreat.
People will learn how to survive for days, weeks and then months. Besides teaching the basics like how to survive for a few days, these retreats teach long-term survival. There are also retreats for homesteading skills for longer-term survival. One of these skills that are of special importance is learning how to plant a garden that will sustain you and your family.
When you’re in an outdoor setting, you’ll learn which items you absolutely must have and how to live completely off the land. You’ll also learn how to handle evacuation scenarios and how to build up your supplies in order to survive. These retreats cater to families, groups, and individuals who want to learn survival skills.
Online courses help you learn survival skills at home
Courses in survival are another method some people like to take. You can find courses online that will teach you survival skills.
Through online courses you’ll get the training you need, but you will need to practice these skills. You can choose to take these courses in various time formats. Many courses on sites like Udemy are on-demand, meaning you can take them at any time.
Books are a great way to learn no matter where you are
I have been collecting survivalist books to learn new skills and improve on those that I already have. I like to have physical books that I can read wherever I am. Another benefit of having books in this format is that you can access them even if there is a grid-down situation or you’re out of power.
Some people choose to prepare their survival skills by using more than one learning approach and end up joining forums as well as going on a retreat before gearing up for a hands-on survival course. The choice you make will depend on the availability of courses or retreats and also on your preferred learning style.
I’m a 40-something writer who enjoys cooking, being outside, travelling, participating in community and cultural events, and learning new things. This website is my journey of discovery – to allow me to learn how to be more self-sufficient in order to be better prepared for the present and the future.