Bear Grylls – Survival in the Wild

Chapter 1: GEAR What the pros use, what you really need, and what you don’t. PROTECTION FROM WIND, RAIN, COLD, HEAT, AND SUN-THE KILLER COMBINATIONS Don’t underestimate the elements. You don’t have to subject yourself to the scorching heat of the Sahara or the biting cold of Antarctica-the weather can kill you anywhere. Respect it, understand it, and then you stand a chance. To understand how the deadly combinations of wind, rain, cold, heat, and sun can affect you, you need to understand how your body regulates its temperature. Humans are warm-blooded. This means we maintain our body temperature at a constant level. We’ve developed all sorts of mechanisms that allow us to do this. For example, when we get hot, we sweat-that’s our body’s way of cooling down. If we’re cold, we start to shiver-a reflexive movement that causes our muscles to contract and generates heat through energy expenditure. Temperature regulation is essential for our survival. Our bodies consist of a hot inner core (home to vital organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs), surrounded by a cooler protective layer (our muscles, skin, and fat). The normal core temperature is 36.8°C. Even in very extreme environments, its temperature should not fluctuate by more than two degrees in either direction. If this happens, we are in danger. …

Chapter 2 CUTTING TOOLS Use and maintenance of life-saving blades. KNIVES Of all the cutting tools you carry, none is more useful than a knife. You can use it to prepare a fire, build a makeshift shelter, and find food. In short, it is one of the most important items in the wilderness. But in the wrong hands, a sharp knife can be extremely dangerous. If you’re going to carry a knife, you must be proficient in all aspects of handling blades. CHOOSING A KNIFE A good all-purpose knife should have a blade approximately as long as the width of your palm. However, many people prefer to carry two knives-a small one and a large one-so they have the right tool for different purposes. Good knives aren’t cheap, but if you can afford two, they’ll likely get you much more work done. The first decision you need to make is what type of blade you want. Generally speaking, you have two choices: stainless steel and carbon steel. Stainless steel knives are cheaper and won’t rust, but they’re harder to sharpen and won’t stay sharp for very long. Carbon steel blades are easy to sharpen, and if they’re high-quality, they’ll stay sharp for a long time. However, they’ll darken over time and will likely rust, so you’ll need to clean your knife regularly and take care of it even after years have passed and it’s developed a protective patina-a dark layer of oxides and carbonates that forms on most metal surfaces. If your knife rusts, clean it with …

Chapter 3 CAMPING Setting up and building a campsite. CHOOSING A CAMPING SITE When you’re out in nature, you’ll most likely spend more time in your tent than anywhere else. You’ll sleep, rest, and take shelter from bad weather there, and depending on the type of tent, you may even prepare your meals there. For this reason, it’s important to set up camp in a suitable location. Taking a few minutes to survey the terrain and surroundings can save you a lot of trouble later on. Few spots are perfect for setting up camp (which is part of the thrill of being in the wilderness), so there will always be some compromise involved, but here are the key factors to consider when choosing a spot. SLOPE It goes without saying that you’ll sleep better on level ground than on a steep slope. However, a very gentle slope will allow rainwater to drain away from your campsite, preventing it from turning into a soggy nightmare. If you have to set up camp on flat ground, look for an area where the soil absorbs rainwater. A good way to test this is by driving a tent stake into the ground: the soil should be soft enough to hold the stake, but not so muddy and wet that it sinks in. If you set up camp in a hollow, you’ll find that the area is foggy and there are lots of bugs around. It’s better to set up camp on higher ground, but not so high that your tent poles attract lightning. (Once in Costa Rica, I met a man who had been struck by lightning, …

Chapter 4 FIRE The art of starting and maintaining a campfire. THE THEORY OF FIRE Why does wood burn? It may sound elementary, but if you’ve ever found yourself standing in the cold, struggling over a few smoldering logs, I bet you’ve asked yourself exactly that question (or rather: Why won’t this thing burn!?). Well, when it comes to starting a fire, a little science goes a long way. The people who know the most about fire are firefighters, and they’ve created a simple model that explains what a fire needs to burn. It’s called the fire triangle, and it illustrates the three components necessary for a fire: fuel, heat, and oxygen. If you remove any one of them, your fire will go out. We’ll take a closer look at each of these elements. FUEL Without it, there is no fire. In nature, trees are the most common source of fuel. Different trees burn under different conditions and at different temperatures. HEAT It is very important to understand that without a certain initial level of heat, a fire cannot ignite. This is because heat converts solid fuel into gas, and then this gas, when combined with oxygen, creates the flame. OXYGEN A fire cannot ignite without oxygen. If access to oxygen is restricted, your fire will turn into smoldering embers. If you restore the oxygen supply (by blowing on the embers or using a bellows), the fire will reignite. That’s why you need to make sure air can circulate freely in and around your fire. Your understanding of the fire triangle will directly improve your skills in…

Chapter 5 COOKING IN THE WILD The ability to prepare and preserve your food. HOW YOUR BODY DIGESTS FOOD Your body breaks down the food you eat into three main components-proteins, carbohydrates, and fats-which are then broken down into energy and waste. These two processes are collectively known as metabolism. For our purposes, we’ll focus on two of the body’s metabolic functions: maintaining body temperature and providing the energy the body needs to perform its vital functions. Active muscles metabolize food faster than inactive ones. This is why athletes need a higher food intake than, say, office workers-their metabolism is faster. And if you walk for kilometers with a heavy backpack or spend a long time outdoors where temperatures are lower, your metabolic rate will also speed up significantly. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats-from which our bodies derive energy-are present in varying amounts in different foods. This also applies to other important components such as vitamins and salt. If you have a basic understanding of the role of each of these different food groups, you’ll have a better grasp of what constitutes a balanced diet. FATS We all know that eating too much fatty food can be harmful. But fats provide nearly twice as much energy as carbohydrates and proteins. Furthermore, your body needs them to…

Chapter 6 HYGIENE AND ORDER The best techniques and practices for living in the field. PERSONAL HYGIENE The word “hygiene” comes from Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health. It’s worth remembering that. Good hygiene isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for good health. If you’re living in a permanent camp and someone gets sick, it will have a negative impact on everyone. And since you’ll be in close proximity to other people, diseases and infections can spread very quickly and have catastrophic consequences. Ask any soldier stationed in a hot climate who’s been struck down by the dreadful combination of diarrhea and vomiting. The moment someone shows symptoms, the entire camp can become infected. It’s not a pleasant experience at all. It’s a widely held belief that outdoor living is, by definition, unhygienic. Sometimes it can be a little muddier than usual (as a kid, I always wanted to get muddy, and to be honest, I still do), but muddy doesn’t mean unsanitary. In fact, life in the great outdoors doesn’t mean worse hygiene than at home; it’s just that the requirements are different. To stay healthy in the wilderness, divide your hygiene habits into three categories: body, feet, and teeth. BODY When it comes to cleanliness, moisture is not your friend. The parts of the body that are prone to getting damp-the armpits, groin, feet, and hair-are more susceptible to infections and diseases. That’s why you should wash these areas thoroughly every day, if possible. …