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The Survival University offers our community of outdoor adventurers a robust library of training material through our Survival Blog. We believe in passing on our knowledge to empower students with a wealth of information that we find relevant to learning.
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What To Do If You Get Lost While Hiking: The First 10 Minutes That Matter Most
Many wilderness situations begin quietly, with a small moment when something about the terrain no longer feels right. This article explains what to do during the first 10 minutes after realizing you might be lost and how simple decisions during that moment can prevent a small navigation mistake from becoming a much bigger problem. By slowing down, observing the terrain, and making deliberate choices, hikers can often regain control of the situation quickly.
Why Most Internet Survival Hacks Don’t Work
Internet survival hacks are everywhere online, promising clever tricks that supposedly make wilderness living easier. The problem is that many of these ideas are designed for attention, not real world conditions. In this article we take a closer look at several popular hacks and explain why simple, well tested methods almost always work better.
How Survival Skills Build Leadership and Real World Decision Making
Survival skills are not just about building fire or navigating terrain. They reveal how you respond under pressure, how you make decisions when conditions shift, and how you correct mistakes before they compound. In the woods, leadership is tested quietly and honestly.
Why Hiking Groups Fail Long Before Something Goes Wrong
Most group failures in the backcountry do not start with a single bad decision. They begin much earlier, when communication, alignment, and shared responsibility quietly break down. This piece examines why hiking groups fail long before something goes wrong, and how those patterns can be prevented.
The Myth of the “Avid Outdoorsman”
When something goes wrong outdoors, the phrase “avid outdoorsman” is often used as reassurance. But time spent recreating in wild places does not automatically prepare someone to respond when conditions change and plans fail. This piece breaks down the difference between familiarity, confidence, and real readiness under stress.
Solo Adventuring: It Concentrates the Responsibility
Solo adventuring concentrates responsibility onto the individual. This long form piece looks at what the data actually shows about risk, why fear often misses the mark, and how mindset, planning, and experience shape outcomes, with specific guidance for older solo hikers and women.
The Mountain Lion Story Is Loud. The Real Risk Picture Is Quiet.
Hypothermia rarely announces itself as an emergency. It quietly erodes judgment first, long before the body shuts down, turning small decisions into dangerous ones without you realizing it.
How Hypothermia Changes Your Thinking
Hypothermia rarely announces itself as an emergency. It quietly erodes judgment first, long before the body shuts down, turning small decisions into dangerous ones without you realizing it.
Lost Proofing: The Mindset That Brings You Home
Getting lost isn’t random, it’s preventable. Lost proofing teaches awareness, communication, and preparation so you never become a headline. Learn the mindset and habits that bring you home.
Rethinking the 5 C’s of Survival: What Really Keeps You Alive
The 5 C’s of Survival have guided outdoorsmen for years, but gear alone doesn’t save lives. Real survival is about mindset, adaptation, and the decisions you make when everything goes wrong.
Why Modern Comforts Make Us Weak
The government shutdown and SNAP crisis reveal how fragile modern life really is. Comfort kills, but awareness builds resilience and real security.
Lightning, Hunting, and the Harsh Lessons of the Mountains
When two hunters in Colorado, Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, recently lost their lives during a lightning storm, it shook the hunting community. If you don’t know their story, they were archery elk hunting together in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado when they went missing. Search and Rescue teams spent days combing the rugged terrain after their GPS device stopped transmitting. Eventually their bodies were found, with signs of burn damage and melted clothing that pointed to a strike.