Hello! Robert Raskin of Las Vegas here again, and today I’d like to share some of the worst survival tips I’ve seen online with you. There are many excellent sources for survival and homesteading advice on the internet, but unfortunately, there are also some very bad tips out there that could end up getting you killed. How do you separate the good from the bad? A combination of research and common sense, along with making sure you have a solid plan in place before you go into the wilderness, can go a long way. If you plan to go out in the wild and you don’t want to make it back, follow this advice:
Throw Your Food to the Bears
We have all seen a certain famous so-called survivalist who is really a television personality use this tactic. It’s easy to survive a bear attack when the cameras are rolling, but in real life, throwing your food supply at a bear may be an appetizer—and you may be the main course! After all, you have just taught the bear that you are an excellent source of food.
Drink Brandy to Warm Up
Another image we are familiar with is that of a trusty St. Bernard with a barrel of brandy fastened around his neck for emergency use. In theory, drinking alcohol will warm you up, but in reality alcohol only moves your blood to the surface of your skin. This actually makes you more susceptible to hypothermia. You would be better off drinking the brandy after you’ve reached safety.
Travel by River
It is a common belief that you can follow the river to find your way to help, but this is only true if you do not actually get in the water. In a true survival situation, the last thing you want to do is get wet if you aren’t in a position to get dry again. If the weather is too cold for you to dry off, getting in that water might kill you.
Suture Your Wounds
Another situation we’ve all seen in movies is the rugged survivalist who is so tough that he sutures his own wounds. In truth, only a trained medical or emergency professional with sterile equipment is qualified to do this. Grabbing a needle and trying to do the job yourself might not stop the bleeding, and it most likely will give you sepsis. If you don’t have a suture kit and know how to use it, leave the job to the pros.
Do you have any terrible survival tips to share? Let me, Robert Raskin, know in the comments!