- [Narrator] The natural
world can be a scary place. And it's easier than you
might think to get lost in the wilderness without any
means of immediate escape. If you do happen to find yourself
in this sticky situation, don't panic, and try
to remember these tips, because they could
literally save your life. (playful music) - Amazing. - [Narrator] Build a shelter. Assuming you've decided to stay put for some time while you await your rescue, one thing you'll need is a decent shelter to protect yourself from the elements. The last thing you want
to do is spend your remaining daylight hours panicking and end up spending the night on the forest floor. Mostly because this will
significantly increase your chances of catching hypothermia. No matter what type of shelter you create, you should ensure that
your body will be elevated from the ground as you sleep. So create a padded bed using
dry leaves or prop yourself up on a platform of sticks or
logs to heighten your chances of survival in the long run. Wear any extra layers you
have and pad your clothes out with dry leaves and
foliage to insulate yourself. And if you happen to have
any bubble wrap on you, grab that too. This is because bubble
wrap has been proven to create an insulating
shield 70% as effective as three cut and blankets, making it a miracle survival tool. If you can resist popping those oh-so-tempting bubbles that is. Finding drinkable water. The human body can go
three weeks without food but can only sustain about three
to four days without water. So finding it is gonna need to be at the very top of your list. Contrary to popular belief,
drinking your own urine is actually not advisable and can
only lead to health problems and further dehydration. Drinking urine is basically
like drinking seawater. The kidneys filter out
5% of by-product waste from the body when we urinate. So reconsuming it forces
your kidneys to work twice as hard, causing gut problems
and even kidney failure. If the next natural water
source you were going to reach for is the fabled oasis
hidden inside a cactus, then you should probably
consider the dangers first, as most cactuses protect
their flesh with acids and potent alkaloids, which
can cause vomiting, diarrhea and you guessed it more dehydration. So where can you find safe drinking water in the absence of a natural pond or river? Think green. One sure-fire method to get
your precious H2O intake involves two simple things:
any kind of plastic bag and the nearest leafy tree. Making sure the tree
receives a decent amount of sunlight throughout
the day, just add the bag over its greenest part and
allow nature to do its thing. The sun will force the water stored inside the leaves to evaporate, trapping the moisture inside the bag which can then be pierced to
provide a clean water source. Another smart way of collecting water without a visible source
simply requires you to tie rags, cloth, or tufts of
fine grass around your ankles and for a stroll before sunrise. Walking through tall or
or dense grassy areas still covered in morning
dew can allow you to collect surprising amounts of water, which can then be rung
out into a container. By repeating this method, native Australians are able to collect up to a liter of water every hour. Finally keep an eye out for any bees or insects heading for
sizable holes in trees, which might indicate a
potential water source. You can simply stuff the hole with a cloth or absorbent material tied to a stick and ring that baby out. Making fire. Fire's one of man's greatest discoveries and it's classed as one of the most high importance materials when you're lost in the wilderness. Assuming you've forgotten to bring matches or a lighter with you, there
are several inventive ways to get a fire going so that you can stay warm
and prepare food and water. Friction based fires
involving bone dry wood such as cedar or willow, a spindle and a dry tender nest are
the most well-known method, but require a lot of patience
and steely determination. Creating fire using a glass
lens, like a magnifying glass or eyewear is a proven
and effective approach which uses sunlight to your advantage. But there are ways to achieve this feat, Even if you aren't a glasses wearer. A balloon or a condom filled
with water and shaped to form of concentrated enough
beam can work just as well. And if you happen to
be in a colder climate, ice can even be carved
into a lens like sphere. If you can't find any natural tender around you to get the flames going once the spark is lit,
you'd be surprised to know how many everyday
items could come in handy. Corn chips like Doritos, lint from socks, alcohol-based hand sanitizer,
or the foam insulation in most backpack straps
are all highly flammable and make great tender. If you don't have any
of this stuff on hand but you do somehow
happen to have a battery and a foil backed gum wrapper,
just place the wrapper at either end of the bed,
battery and voila, you have fire. Signal for help. Now that you have fire, it's time to make an effective signal for help so that you don't
have to spend any more time in the wilderness than truly necessary. First, select a prime location. A visible and elevated area like a hilltop or ridge is ideal. Just make sure it's isolated enough that you won't accidentally
cause any wildfires. The best kind of fire signal requires lots of smoke to attract attention. So you'll want to gather
as much fresh pine, spruce, wet leaves or even
rubber materials as possible, as these create thick or
black smoke when burned. Next, take a damp blanket or a large branch with green
leaves and cover the fire for three to four second
intervals until the smoke ceases. Before removing the
covering to release a cloud of smoke into the air. By repeating this process you can send simple but
effective smoke puff signals. Generally one puff can alert
someone to your location. Two can signal that you're a safe and well while three in quick succession
will indicate an emergency. Staying hydrated. With these essential survival
elements under your belt, You'll now be able to boil and purify your collected water to make
sure it's safe to drink. All you really need for this process is a regular
plastic water bottle cut into two sections, which will act as your own makeshift filter
and boiling container. First pierce a few holes in the cap, then fill the top half with layers of moss, grass and small stones,
or even better fine sand, which will filter out various
unwanted and sediments as it drips into the bottom half below. Now, place your filtered
water in its container over the fire and wait for it to boil. As long as the bottle is full of water it will stay firm enough
to withstand the flames. Just don't rely on this
method as a long-term fix, as chemicals released from
the plastic could be harmful. If you can get hold of any charcoal, this can be crushed and added to the water as it boils to
aid the purification process and it can even make the finished product taste more drinkable. Hey, no one said the water was gonna taste particularly nice. Insect repellent. If you're truly lost in the wilderness, the last thing you want is a hoard of bloodthirsty mosquitoes
preying on you as you sleep. As no one plans to get quite so lost, it's likely the more
absent minded among us would have forgotten to bring
an effective insect repellent along to ward off the annoying bugs. Luckily, there's a simple remedy
for this itchy predicament. All you need to do is
find the nearest pine tree and grab a fistful of
its sharp, green needles. Mosquitoes and other flying insects can't stand the scent of pine. So crushing the needles
up and rubbing the oils on your clothes can provide quick relief. And why not take some back to burn on your campfire for a fly free zone? Foraging for food. With shelter, fire, and
save drinking water, you should be well equipped for survival but it won't be too long until
you start feeling peckish. If creating hunting materials from scratch seems beyond your abilities, and there doesn't seem to be any large game available anyway, there are plenty of easy ways
to satisfy your hunger just by foraging around and
knowing what to look for. It might not occur to you at first, but there's plenty of good grub to be had by flipping over sizable
logs and surveying the ecosystem beneath. Insects like ants,
termites, beetles, and grubs are easy enough to catch and kill and are packed full of
valuable fats and proteins. Those can be raw or
cooked for a few minutes if they have outer shells. Just avoid spiders, ticks
and flies if you're unsure. Not that any of those sound
particularly appealing to begin with. Recognizable wild berries like blackberries, gooseberries, and elderberries are great
too, but any white berries are generally toxic to humans. Searching for edible
mushrooms in damp dark areas can seem like a bit of a minefield, but there's some simple rules to follow. Choose mushrooms with brown or tan gills on their underside and
white tan or brown caps. Never white gills or red
caps as these can be deadly. If you're not sure just don't eat it. Getting your bearings. Okay. You've been lost for a while now. And rescue seems increasingly unlikely. So you're going to have to leave camp and get on the move, but you
have no idea where you are. Assuming you have no compass
and your smartphone is out of battery eliminating any
hope of using its GPS system, there's still a couple of clever ways to figure
out your location. Unfortunately, moss doesn't
always grow on the north side of trees and waiting for the sun to set in the West can be a big
waste of time, but fear not. If you happen to be
wearing an analog watch, you can easily turn it into
a compass using just the sun and a bit of quick thinking ingenuity. First point the watch face horizontally, so the hour hand is in line with the sun. Then figure out the center point between the hour hand and the 12. And there you have your north south line. In the Southern hemisphere the 12 o'clock Mark should
be pointed toward the sun and the line exactly halfway
between the hour hand and this mark will point north. Smartphone hacks. If you don't have a watch, but you do have a dead smartphone, and you're in a desperate situation you can dismantle it to create
your very own survival kit. Besides a mirror you can use for signaling and circuit boards which can be sharpened
into a makeshift knife, there is a tiny magnet behind the speaker system,
which has big potential. You'll need a small metal pin
like a needle, a watch pan or a hair grip, which can
be rubbed against the magnet for several minutes to
magnetize it and a puddle or pond with a still surface. Place the metal pan on a leaf and wait for it to align
itself with the Earth's natural north and south magnetic poles, which will provide you with a directional line
to get your bearings. Generally, the end pointing furthest from the sun is the North
and the closest is the South. Although this is reversed
in the southern hemisphere. Escaping quick sand. Quick sand isn't always
found in barren deserts, as the movies would have you believe. In fact, you could be hiking near a riverbank lake or
marshland, and before you know it you're trapped in the deadly
stuff and sinking fast. It's important to act quickly and to know what to do to escape
your impending, muddy fate. Your first move should be to make yourself as light as possible. So lose any backpacks, shoes or heavy clothing before
sinking any further. The human body is less
dense than quicksand, so it's impossible to drown, but you'll still want to stay calm because frantic movements
can dislodge the sand and suck you further in. Instead, breathe deeply and move slowly. Wiggling your legs slightly
to create pockets of air for liquid to trickle down
and loosen the sand's grip. Now lay back to distribute
your weight evenly across the surface and remember
your basic swimming lessons by replicating the backstroke
and using sweeping arm movements to propel yourself backwards. Once your legs and lower
half are freed, roll away from the quick sand until
you safely reach hard ground and breathe a sigh of relief that though you might be
covered head to toe in mud, you have made a lucky escape to safety. The wilderness can throw all
sorts of challenges your way, but now you should be better
equipped to deal with them. Do you think you'd survive? Do you know any other
useful survival tips? Let me know down in the comments
and thanks for watching. (playful music)
