Top Survival Skills | Learn Now, Survive Later

These top survival skills could mean the difference between survival and demise for you and your family so check them all out now!

RELATED: 37 Urban Survival Skills To Master Before SHTF

In this article:

1. Food Production, Search, and Storage
2. Finding Water
3. Building Shelter
4. Protection and Defense Skills
5. Communication and Social Skills

Top Survival Skills Everyone Should Know

1. Food Production, Search, and Storage

This includes finding, preparing, growing, and storing food. Thus, the skill to build a fire comes with your skills in preparing food. According to the Survival Rule of Threes, a person can survive about three weeks without food. But just because you can, don't mean you want to, and going that long without food can be seriously detrimental to your health. To survive, you must be able to procure and store your own food. In the list of survival skills, finding food ranks top.

2. Finding Water

Water is one of the most important things when it comes to survival. Without water, you will only live for three days.

Of the top survival skills, finding water is probably the topmost. But finding water isn't enough, so you also have to make sure it's clean, drinkable, and free of contamination.

There are several ways you can find water. Building water still, a beach well, and through transpiration are only some of these.

Finding water is easy in many areas but procuring yourself safe drinking water takes some tips and tricks. Again, your skills in building fire will help you with water safety, too.

3. Building Shelter

In a survival situation, finding or building shelter must be your first priority. The Survival Rule of Threes says you can only expect to survive three hours without shelter when you're exposed to the elements.

Click here to learn more about building a survival shelter.

Are you able to build shelters on the go? In wilderness survival, building a shelter is one of the things you need to know to survive.

Learn how to build one of many effective primitive shelters, such as round lodges. A primitive shelter may be quickly built and provides shelter from sun, wind, and rain.

RELATED: Bug Out Cabin Tips | How To Build The Ultimate Survival Shelter

4. Protection and Defense Skills

Learn to defend yourself using weapons or firearms. Find a firearm that works for you or try to learn to use several kinds in case you are left with no choice but to pick any firearm.

Besides learning how to use firearms defensively, it's also a survival must to learn how to store and maintain them properly because no one else is going to do it for you in survival situations.

5. Communication and Social Skills

Communication is vital in a survival situation, especially if you get separated from your group. A communication plan should be established beforehand to make sure you know what to do in such a situation.

On the same note, your social skills are also vital. You can only live for so long alone and on your own.

Your ability to connect and communicate with people and identify friends from foe will help you survive along the way.

To better appreciate the aspects of survival, this infographic presents a rundown of the survival skills in each aspect.

For future reference, download, or bookmark this infographic. 

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Being a survivalist is a lifelong learning process that's why survival skills training is taught as early as possible. Yet, a true survivalist never stops honing and improving his survival skills.

Whether you're just starting out as a survivalist or you're a seasoned prepper, the importance of survival skills will never waver. These are the top survival skills you MUST know to survive!

How long do you think you would survive an SHTF scenario with these top survival skills know-how. Let us know in the comments section below!

Up Next: 

• 19 “Old World” Primitive Survival Skills You’ll WISH You Knew Before SHTF
• Native American Survival | What You Can Learn From These Experts
• 25 Obscure Bushcraft Skills For Survival

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 26, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.