Wilderness Survival Tips - Understanding the Rule of 3's

In emergency situations, one of the biggest problems is to focus on what matters most. That's why in the field of emergency medicine, we use acronyms and steps like the "ABC's" to help us control panic and remember what we should do first, then second, etc...

I was an EMT and WEMT and I taught First Responders for years. It was always interesting to see how people reacted in emergency situations. And over the years, I grew to really love acronyms because of how they helped people focus when the chips were down.

Well survival is no different, we still need to control panic and prioritise our efforts. This is where the "Rule of 3's" comes in.

The Rule of 3's simply stated is you have:

• 3 minutes without AIR

• 3 hours without SHELTER

• 3 days without WATER

• 3 weeks without FOOD

So what does all this mean? It tells us where our priorities should be in a survival situation.

First, we should focus on all life threatening conditions making sure we'll still be breathing in the near future. Next, we should worry about shelter because more people die of exposure than any other incident in the outdoors. Next is water. And then finally food, which is last, not first. You would be surprised at how long a human can go without food (we're a little spoiled in modern society in the area of food).

Search and rescue statistics show most people are rescued within 72 hours, so if you handle the first 2 priorities, you're most likely going to make it.

If things do go longer, you know what's next - water. And finally, last but not least, food. The "Rule of 3's" (just like the "ABC's") is a tool to help you control panic and remember in any survival situation what your steps are and what matters most.

We've all had a few emergencies in our lives. Find out all you can about survival by visiting the wilderness survival skills blog for step-by-step photos of different survival skills. Plus, visit to discover the most important thing you should know about personal survival

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_Rouse

Survival Kits And Priorities By Rick Shrack

Over the years, I've seen all kinds of survival kits, read all kinds of articles about them, and tested many components on my own. Seems many of these guys use their kits occasionally, if for no more reason than to rotate the items or food out for freshness' sake. But most will only relate their story of when they had to use a kit, or something they had carried with them that saved their lives. Usually, though, I must admit that some writers do give some thought to their kits, but some do not consider various climates, many sizes of people, or the knowledge levels of the user. One author had a three-part kit that would have been too much for any child or a frail person.

What Kind of Kit Do I Need?

First of all, what do you want your survival kit to do? Be an augment to your backpack? Save you from stupidity? Rescue you from Armageddon? Seriously, think about it. If you're going to want something for bugging out when everything goes to the dogs (a NICE way to put it), your kit should be the size of a backpack. If you want something to be an accessory to your backpack, try some of the fanny packs or tourist-sized front or side belt packs. A normal day pack would carry a large survival kit.