Not all preppers seek to master skills that help them survive in the wild.

Having a full pantry, a bug out spot and supplies to last for months on end, as well as an emergency plan for when disaster strikes is enough to secure survival for most.

However, knowing your way around in the wild can play a key role when you’re race for survival.

Things like foraging food, assembling a shelter, filtering water or lighting up a campfire are skills that multiply the value of your existing skillset.

Although you might have an emergency kit full of essential supplies, you’ll never know when you’ll end up in the middle of a crisis without it.

And then, how will you be able to light that much-needed fire without a Bic lighter or matches? And how will you know to discern between the edible food and the poisonous kind? Or how will you provide food at all?

You see, the bushcraft and wilderness skills bridge this gap between being “prepared with supplies” and being “nakedly prepared.”

In short, when everything else fails, you’ll have to rely on your own and the bushcraft/outdoor skills you have acquired.  

Of course, these skills don’t seem appealing to everybody. 

Some people who enjoy bushcraft might not even care or understand the need for preparedness.

And this applies the other way around when it comes to preppers. 

However, I believe that every prepper should have at least a slight notion of buschraft and wilderness survival to multiply the value of what they already know and to increase their survival odds.

To garner this knowledge, even on a 101 level, the first thing you can practice with is going out camping. 

This is common ground activity for every outdoor lover, and it’ll teach you how to live life with only the basics.

Why Bushcraft Skills Are Important

If you’re living in an urban environment, the need for outdoor survival skills might seem obsolete.

And it’s understandable, since you never see yourself bugging out in the forest.

However, preppers know how to think ahead. They expect any situation to occur and, probably most important, they steal relevant tips and tricks from any field, be it bushcraft, medicine, energy or military.

If your mind is preventing you from learning new things, know that you don’t have to become an expert bushcraft adventurer. Instead, get a good grasp of the basic skills.

You’ll soon realize how useful, fun, and easy building things like a covert fire pit or spider hole can be.

Where to acquire these bushcraft skills?

It’s pretty easy. If you are not a fan of reading lots of articles on this topic, then two of the best entertaining ways to acquire some bushcraft skills is by watching YouTube or the survival shows on TV (or why not both).

The recent surge in popularity of wilderness survival has brought with it a heap of survival shows spanning from the mildly and pleasant sea weather to the harshest of mountainous environments.

I have to admit, I don’t enjoy Bear Grylls as much as I did. But I never lost interest for the Cody Lundin and Dave Canterburry duo called Duel Survival.

Another thrilling show that will teach you some 101 survival in the wild tactics is History channel’s Alone. 

And with YouTube fast-paced on replacing television entirely, it’s needless to say just how much variety of survival demos are available on the platform.

I personally enjoy Primitive Survival videos and everything derived from that.

Is This Enough Though?

Reading or watching bushcraft videos will surely enhance your prepper’s skills as well as hone the already existing ones.

But the difference between knowing a certain skill and mastering it is made by practicing. 

So, don’t forget to take advantage of what’s left of this summer to practice the basics of wilderness survival – providing food and shelter, lighting up a fire and filtering water.

You’ll never know when life will through you into the woods, alone and afraid…or maybe on a secluded tropical island, alone and semi-naked.

Whatever the case, you’ll have to make a stand and survive, regardless of the situation.

Knowing even the basics of wilderness survival will exponentially increase your odds of surviving a perilous and unforeseen event.R