With a New Year dawning, it’s good to make plans. With everything that’s going on, setting goals is a great way to focus our attention towards better times. So here comes 2021, and what better time to get your head around all those core outdoor survival skills you’ve been meaning to master these past few years? Whether your penchant is for coastal adventures, or you prefer spending your time amongst the trees, here are our top suggestions for survival skills to learn this coming year.

1. How to build a fire

And that’s not by cheating and using a lighter! We’re talking about how to make a fire from scratch the old-fashioned way. This new-found skill will ensure you’re kept warm, can cook food, drink something hot, keep unwanted predators away and even signal for help. Learn how to find and prepare natural tinder.

Getting it started might be easy enough. But the annoying thing with fires is keeping it burning long enough. We suggest learning how to control and sustain a decent fire, as well as starting one. Guaranteed, you’ll thank us for that tip ;)

2. How to source water

We’ve all heard that well known fact about how we can survive without food for weeks, but we can only last a few days without water. So, it makes sense to learn how to find water, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere and on dry ground.

It’s good to learn how to collect water when there are no rivers or streams nearby, but even better to know how to make it safe to drink. That really is a key skill that could literally save your life. Serious stuff.

3. How to find your way

Not got much of a sense of direction? Now’s the time to learn how to find your way in the wild. Easy enough you say? Then how about ditching the map and compass and learning how to navigate your way out of a possible life-threatening situation using the sun? Or by reading the stars? Now there’s a challenge for you!

4. How to forage for food

If you’re lost in the vast outdoors, that bar of chocolate in your back pocket isn’t going to keep you going for long. So here’s one for you: learn how to forage for food. There are plenty of edible delights out there in nature, all you’ve got to do is make sure you know which are the ones you can eat, and the ones you can’t. And then the fun part: learn how to turn them into culinary masterpieces.

5. How to make shelter

No one wants to be exposed to the elements. So make it your mission to learn how to build a shelter and where to build a shelter. And if you’d rather take your own shelter on your adventure, you could also add in a splash of research into tarps, swags and Landie tents.

The New Year is nearly here. Whilst it might still look a bit uncertain, there is one thing that’s for sure. Learning a few core outdoor skills will mean you’ll be ready and raring to go once we get the green light.