I was just wondering what survival skills people have here are mine (keep in mind most of these are unusual for a 15 year old in suburban australia):

Basic Firearms training and maintanence
BASIC first aid
Basic woodcraft (Ive made bookshelves etc)
Basic knowledge of science (just from school some people may lack)

I have more but this was mostly an idea for discussion and comparing each others skills so lets hear em.

Haven't tried it yet but I think I can start a fire and make my own bows and arrows.

I watch a lot of Ray Mears, he showed me.

I can start a fire, hunt rabbit and partridge, know some edible plants and medicinal ones(still studying).Will be learning to use a crossbow to hunt bigger game and properly use a hunting knife for skinning.Always reading and browsing sites to learn more.Good for you at your age to be willing to learn and prepare.I also am looking into cold frame gardening.

10 years of military service. A life time of hunting fishing and camping. Also I study the subject of survival, and my family and I practice If the SHTF on a large scale we are ready. One of the most important survival skills isn't a skill its more important then that. its knowledge. knowledge is why we are at the top'ish of the food chain. Our bodies are not meant to survive they are really designed poorly for survival, but our brains make it possible. You are well on your way please keep it up and don't forget to practice what you are learning. Practice really does make perfect.

Some of my skills are as follows. The bits in brackets are how they suite survival situations.

Trained nurse (Medical aid for self and others)
Sniper class rifle shot (Hunting/self defense)
Decent pistol shot (self defense)
Several years of game hunting and some fishing (Can find, kill, prepare and cook food)
Years of experience living in many different environments (can adapt to different environments and living conditions)
Personal cam and concealment skills (can hide from hunter forces)
Recce skills (can observe hunter forces/potential enemies without detection)
Decent problem solving & leadership skills (can work as a group and adapt to environment)
Navigation instructor (Can identify good spots to go to, and find the most appropriate route to get there)
CBRN instructor (know the effects of various chemicals and biological agents and how to spot symptoms of them in others)

Mostly the basic stuff for me..

How to make shelters, fire, find food and water. Some other random things that I've found on the internet that I will probably never use.

And a good mind, so I can think of ways to survive - which I think is the most important.

Originally posted by wigit
Haven't tried it yet but I think I can start a fire and make my own bows and arrows.

Both are surprisingly more difficult than you think. I would advise you to try and make a fire. Either nothing will happen or it will take you HOURS the first time. I have tried a couple of times, and I've never gotten it to work. At least not with "rubbing sticks together" style of firestarting.

Personally I don't have too much. I have an air gun so I assume I could probably fire a real gun fairly well. I know some First Aid from being a lifeguard, but not enough to be a field medic or anything serious. So basically I just have minimal supplies and strong determination. I know how to fish. I could probably put up an effective shelter. I have a very basic understanding of local edible plants. I THINK I could live in nature with only a knife, but I have never had to actually try it.

I am a master at Bushcraft. I am 1/3 Mohawk and believe in the traditional ways. I also worked at an government Iroquois Indian Village project beside Upper Canada Village. We built the Iroquois Longhouse, Birch Bark Canoes, tanned hides etc.
I practice bushcraft all the time.

I am a master tracker, but I do not hunt, but I could if I needed too.

I grew up this way and my parents and grandparents were also trappers and professional guides.

Be one with nature...we have lost the source.
Sad, most would perish and maybe thats a good thing...there are too many of us on this planet


I often wonder what would it be like to be back in time

Sure we had it tough but it was unspoiled and beautiful as well as rugged and difficult.

[edit on 20-5-2007 by junglelord]

Well as we are all giving our history, I'll jump in too..

USMC Sniper School
USMC Mountain Warfare School
JEST
Long Range Recon and ARS
Cold Weather Training
STA Plt.

Police Sniper School
FBI Firearms Instructor School
DEA Firearms Instructor School
Baltimore Police Sniper School
DC SWAT School

Glock/Beretta and Smith Armorers School

And

17 Years on a Farm in West Virgina, Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, Climbing, Building Fires ETC

You are all welcome at my Survival Camp when it all falls apart. Just remember to mention ATS when you show up at the gate so you wont get shot.. LOL

Semper

Oooh, count me in, Semper. I'll bring my hammock, and kick back while you do all the heavy lifting....

Lived and worked outdoors most of my adult life.

Hit what I aim at with most firearms available to the general public. Reload the spent ammunition, too. Though it has been a while since I've done it.

Starting a fire under most conditions. Accompanied by much swearing...

Can cook, very important for those of us with discriminating tastes...

Able to stay calm in difficult situations and think my way through things. Very important, IMHO.

I'll jump in...

Over 35 years hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, climbing and repelling.
Completed Red Cross First Responders Training
Completed Red Cross Intermediate EMT Course
Completed Red Cross Lifeguard Training
Completed State of Ohio CCW Permit Course
Completed NRA firearms safety training
Able, to hunt, field dress and prepare wild game
Able to catch and prepare fish
Able to identify native plants and determine which are edible versus toxic; also medicinal
Can build a fire with flint and steel or even just two sticks
Can build shelter - many types
And most importantly - I am intelligent, a problem solver and calm in the face of adversity - my brain is my most important tool!

Well here goes...this is what I could contribute

*Urban survival skills gained from living 10yrs in one of the most notorious neighbourhoods in England
*Basic and Advanced 1st Aid
*Structural and architectural skills to fortify houses and build shelters
*Light engineering and fabrication skills
*Lateral inventive skills
*Damn good sense of humour

Sounds like the beginnings of a GREAT community..

OK, now I have around 100 acres that I own and another 300 or so that my family does, so when does everyone want to start? LOL

Wild Wonderful West Virginia and IT IS WAYYYYYY off the beaten path..

Semper

Living in Canada, I always figured that if you-know-what hit the fan, my best bet would probably be going North as far as possible... but maybe South is a good choice after all...

I had the fortune of being in a scout troop that was rather well off due to some pretty well off benifactors.

We got to go to several survival schools including Desert, Winter, and general survival.

navigation (Scout stuff again and I can use a sextant If I can find one )
Hunting experience
Camping and backpacking experience
basic automotive repair (I was an assistant auto shop teacher)
First Aid. (pretty advanced esp. in pediatrics and I have a first aid setup that covers even minor surgery like an appi )

And the dealbreaker: i have watched every episode of survivorman

Well concidering that i'm still in my early twenties i think i'm well off with my skills:

- Expert navigator (15 years of competitive orienteering background)
- Basic knowledge and experience in farming
- Recon training (includes armored recon, force recon, LR-recce, OPs, OPCs and Guerilla operations)
- Sniper training
- Riot control training
- Human intel training
- Basic Infatry training
- Marksman with all types of small arms (Shotguns, Rilfles, Pistols, SMGs, LMGs and AA-MGs).
- IPSC shooter
- Experience in Contruction work
- Mechanical Engineering skills (i've nearly finished my masters degree)
- Knowhow to drive anything with wheels
- Able to communicate with English, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish and Russian
- Basic First aid training
- Decent tracker and knowledge of hunting
- Martial arts training (Krav Maga and Capoeira)

And if some one has doubts how good our recce training is, we did penetrate the security of both Norwegian special forces and USMC during Battle Griffin '05

Ps. Seems like there is a good collection of recce troops reading the survival forum

[edit on 22-5-2007 by northwolf]

[edit on 22-5-2007 by northwolf]

Finding water using a clear plastic sheet:

Dig a hole in a location that receives heavy sunlight. Dig it large enough to that the entire plastic sheet will cover the top of the hole. As the sun traverses the sky during the day water will condense out of the ground and stick to the underside of the plastic sheet. Place a rock in the middle of this sheet so that all the water collects where the rock is, and it will drip down into a cup that you place in the hole.

I'm just throwin something new out there instead of putting down my specific skills.

Let's see here

Cons:
Never military
Never boy scout
Caffeine and nicotine withdrawls will be a pain.
Limited starting supplies.
Only a fair to good shot with gun.

Pros:
20 some years or so of camping
Plenty of weekends of "if I didn't bring it, then I don't need"
Some of those weekends blew chunks ^^^.
Typical roughing it fare (fire building, fishing, cooking, navigation...)
Reading, memorizing, practicing and sometimes teaching suvival skills
Ability to think so far out of the box that it becomes a flask
Have been a machinist and a carpenter and have basic smithing skills
Ability to operate just about any vehicle (some better than others--never drove a tank or flew a jet but have prop plane lessions and operated a bulldozer a few times)
Martial arts trained in swords, knives, blunt weapons and some hand to hand styles.

Used to shoot recurve, no sights, no stabliser and cedar shaft arrows highly accurate at 20-35 yards. Been too many years to trust important shots over 20yds now I would guess. but I have taken long breaks before, doesn't take long to get back accuracy.

With the exception of a few posts, I noticed that most listed more military or strategic capabilities and firearms training as apposed to actual wilderness living skills. It is not a bad thing but I think a combination of the two is essential.

But on with the show, what here's what this simple country girls knows.
-I know how to build a livable shelter without the use of modern tools.
-I can track animals
-I can make my own arrow heads and bows.
-build a fire
-I can sew clothing and make shoes from animal hides
-I know what plants are poisonous and which are not, and have the ability to grow my own crops.
-I know how to hide my tracks and human waste scent from others.
-I am great at training domestic animals. They are essential. They eat your food scraps so that you do not leave much of a trail, plus can be trained to warn of others entering your territory.
-Well versed in military tactics
-I can occupy my time without the benefit of other human contact for long periods of time.
-Well skilled map maker


The list could go on and on.

I spent every summer from the age of 7 living off the land in Northern Maine. My father who never had a male heir taught me everything that was passed down from his father. For generations they where fur traders and lived off the land. My mother comes from a long line of military personal. My grandfather and others taught me a lot about the history of warfare and the value of it in everyday life and how valuable it could be in a end of the world survival capacity.