Prepare for the Worst

As long as there has been the darkness, brave men and women have stood against its depredations. Sometimes they wane as what lurks behind the veil consumes them in place of the innocents they protect. Other times the forces of light wax and push back the darkness to wait in only the deepest shadows. The life of a hunter is a harsh one and many are slain for a myriad of reasons.

However it is the life of those they protect which truly matters. Each and every human life is special and the last thing anyone wants is to see them snuffed out. For this reason the ability of an individual to protect themselves is of paramount importance.

When a hunter is minutes away seconds can matter. In this regards the best thing a person can do is be ready to survive and protect them self in any situation. For this reason this will be the first post in a series on personal survival and proper preparation.

Minimum needed for survival

This is a rather simple issue that goes in the rule of threes. This is the longest average a person can go without something important. Some people can survive for longer times and some for shorter, but the Rule of 3 for survival is a good starting point for an average person.

A person can survive and function:
3 Minutes without breathing
30 minutes in freezing water without protection
3 Hours without shelter
3 Days without water
3 Weeks without food

It is important to note that in each of these cases we mean survive and function relatively normally. This means the ability to move around and perform general tasks as normal.

Similarly those who are in warm or tropical water have survived much longer than 3 hours. However water any colder than ~20°C (~65°F) will result in a survival time that can be measured in hours. Water temperature less than 25°C (~78°F) will eventually prove fatal from hypothermia in no more than 3 days.

For air temperature it depends greatly on the person, what they are wearing, and their body type. However for freezing weather a person can expect to survive a very short time as their external heat is leeched away from them.

There are plenty of cases of individuals surviving for more than 3 days or 3 weeks without water or food. However in each of these cases the person had to reduce their activity level greatly. There are cases of individuals surviving 5 or more weeks without food, but they were generally stranded and remained in a location not moving or expending any extra calories.

In each of these cases this is a single unprepared person. Every step you take can extend your survival time. With the right equipment you can survive hours underwater and for as long as is needed in other situations.

Over the coming posts we will present survival and prepping techniques to increase the odds of a human surviving under any circumstances.