I’ve been doing A LOT of reading lately about wilderness survival.
It’s a great subject to know about (and practice), and it’s just extremely interesting to learn how to use your surroundings to help you survive.
Plus you get a different perspective on how others would handle a situation and compare it to your own existing knowledge.
But I’ve also come across a lot of conflicting advice on the subject.
So I decided to put this post together to set the record straight.
What are the most common wilderness survival myths?
Check out the list below!
Myth #1: You Need To Find Food Right Away
Probably one of the most common myths that I’ve seen, especially on those TV shows (I would double-check any advice they try to give just in case), is that you need to find food right away or you’ll starve to death.
The Truth
While it absolutely sucks to not have food, you can actually survive about 3 weeks without any of it.
Water is much more important than finding a snack in the woods.
Our bodies need a lot of water to function properly, and depriving your body of water for any amount of time can be dangerous.
The numbers vary based on your current health situation and the environment around you, but experts say you’ll have between 2 and 7 days to survive without any water.
That’s a much smaller window than 3 weeks for food.
Here’s the thing though: once you find it you need to make sure it’s filtered.
Drinking unfiltered water can lead to a whole other set of problems if it’s contaminated.
Which are what the next two myths are about.
Myth #2: You Need To Boil Water For X Minutes To Purify
I’ve seen 10, 15, 20, 22.5.
A ton of people out there recommend boiling water for a predetermined amount of time to make sure that it’s purified.
So get out your sundials and make sure that you get the time exactly right.
The Truth
Water only needs to reach its boiling point for about a minute to kill the bacteria potentially found within it.
So having a timer set for 10 minutes after it’s starts boiling isn’t doing much except wasting your water.
If you’re concerned that it won’t work, leaving it to boil for an extra minute or two is fine.
But the majority (if not all) of the bacteria found in water dies at a much lower temperature than boiling.
It’s still recommended to use a second filtration method if you have it to ensure your water is safe to drink.
Myth #3: Fast Moving Water Is Safe To Drink
Standing water is basically a pool for bacteria to grow in.
So you’d likely think the opposite is true for moving water: it’s clean and safe to drink.
However, that’s not always the case.
The Truth
Fast moving water is SOMETIMES safe to drink.
That’s a pretty poor answer, but it’s not like you can tell just by looking at it that’s the water is clean to drink.
While it does mean that it’s a little tougher for bacteria to grow than if it were a standing pool, you just never know what might be upstream from you.
It’s a good rule of thumb to always filter your water before drinking it!
Myth #4: Moss Only Grows On The North Side Of The Tree
I almost didn’t put this one because you can walk pretty much anywhere outside and see that it’s not true, but I figured it’s worth mentioning.
The idea here is that moss doesn’t grow well in direct sunlight.
It does best in shady, cool, and damp places.
Since the sun goes from East to West, it logical would seem that moss wouldn’t want to grow in those directions as it would be exposed to direct sunlight.
And (in the Northern Hemisphere) the Sun is slightly Southward, meaning that it also gets direct sunlight almost all day long.
While there is some justifiable logic in this myth, it’s simply not true.
The Truth
The myth is debunked simply because there are more shady, cool, damp places that moss can grow other than the North side of the tree.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Under the shade of a group of trees.
- On the side of a hill.
- Rock formations.
There are plenty of places that are out of direct sunlight that would allow moss to grow.
While you could say that if all things were equal moss would most likely grow stronger on the North side, it’s just not reliable enough to put stock in it.
Myth #5: Drinking Your Own Urine Will Keep You Alive
This one kind of makes sense, right?
I mean it should be just a bunch of fluids that are safe to drink and only a tiny bit of waste.
The problem is, it isn’t.
The Truth
There is a reason that we expel urine from our bodies: to get rid of waste.
While 95% of our urine is water, that other 5% is full of stuff that you don’t want to be drinking, such as chloride, sodium, urea, and more.
To put it into perspective, salt water (which you should NEVER drink), is made up of 96.5% water and 3.5% of chloride and sodium, aka salt.
So your urine is basically as dangerous to drink as seawater.
Seawater is not safe to drink and causes dehydration.
It takes more effort to expel it than the benefits it provides, speeding up the effects of dehydration.
You should never drink your own urine for this same reason.
Myth #6: Hypothermia Only Occurs In Cold Climates
Hypothermia is when your body is losing heat faster than it produces heat.
It’s often thought to only be a danger if you are out in cold climates.
Events such as falling into freezing cold water or not having shelter during a snowstorm often cross people’s minds.
The problem is that hypothermia can even occur on a rainy day in the summer.
The Truth
It doesn’t take freezing temperatures outside for you to be in danger of hypothermia.
In fact, your body temperature only has to drop below 95 degrees fahrenheit to drop into hypothermia.
This can happen while you’re out on the trail fairly easily in cold weather if you aren’t careful, but also in rainy conditions as well.
Being wet is a really easy way to drop your body temperature, so do your best to stay dry.
The important things to remember during harsh/cold conditions is to:
- Seek shelter.
- Get out of wet clothes (no clothes is better than wet clothes!).
- Create a source of warmth for yourself (fire, hop in your sleeping bag, etc.).
- Drinking hot beverages or inhaling steam from boiling water will help.
- Carbohydrates can help fuel your body and help you get/stay warm.
Myth #7: You Should Always Follow The Water
Following a water source can give you a great chance at always having water, but it may not always be the best choice for survival.
The Truth
I’m not saying to not follow the water.
The problem with this mentality of always having to follow the water is that it can lead you into dangerous situations, such as climbing down places you can’t get back up or vice versa.
And sometimes the best thing to do is stay put and wait for help.
You’ll need to assess the situation and decide on the best solution for YOUR situation.
If you come to the conclusion that the best way is to follow the water, then do it.
It’s not always automatic!
Myth #8: Heading Directly Towards Camp Is The Best Route
Sometimes you’ll be hiking and it’s starting to get dark.
Maybe you’ve overestimated how much time you had or something got in the way.
According to your trail map it would be faster to cut through the woods, off the trail, and head straight towards camp.
Easy peasy, right?
The Truth
Unless you’re someone who is perfectly comfortable with getting lost or if you’re in a place that is fairly safe to get lost in (has roads in every direction, you can hear/see civilization, etc.), it is unsafe to leave the trail.
While it may seem like a good idea and an easy thing to do, plenty can go wrong with leaving the trail.
You could miscalculate where you were on the trail, which will lead you in a different direction of camp.
Or you could run into some obstacles that cause you to go a different direction than you were supposed to.
It’s always best to stay on the trail and try to get to camp in a way you know will lead you in the right direction.
Myth #9: You Can (& Should) Outrun Bears
There’s a ton of wildlife all around you when you’re out in the wilderness.
Go figure.
Some of them are harmless, and some pose a threat.
While it’s very rare you’ll run into anything that actually wants to cause you harm (there’s likely a defensive reason for it), sometimes you could find yourself in a dangerous situation.
That includes bear encounters.
No problem, just sprint away, right?
The Truth
Most of the time bears can’t be bothered with encountering humans.
We’re not on their menu, they usually go for easy meals.
So if you run into a bear that is looking for trouble, it’s often because it’s either curious or protecting their cubs.
Problem is, bears are way faster than you (some can run up to 30 miles per hour).
Instead of turning and running to the hills, you’ll need to stand your ground.
There are plenty of in-depth guides out there on what to do next (like here & here).
Myth #10: You Can Survive On Plants & Berries
Plants and berries have a ton of nutrients, so it seems like you’d be able to survive off of them.
Especially if you know which ones to avoid and which ones are safe to eat.
The Truth
You need a ton of calories at home to survive.
Out in the wilderness you need even more, especially if you’ll be hiking all day.
Plants and berries just don’t cut it.
Even if you know which ones are safe to eat, it will likely require a ton of energy to harvest, and you’ll get very little benefit from them.
And if you don’t know what they are, it’s better to leave them alone than hope they are good.
If you need to survive out in the wilderness for a while, you’ll need some protein in your diet.
Myth #11: Suck Out The Venom Of A Snake Bite To Survive
Makes total sense.
You get bitten by a venomous snake, and the venom remains right on the edge of the wound.
Just suck out the venom and you’re all good!
The Truth
Trying to suck the venom out of a bite will leave you with venom in the wound and venom in your mouth.
Which is no good!
The problem is that venom spreads fast.
You’ll want to do everything you can to keep your heart rate down (it travels in your bloodstream. Higher heart rate = faster traveling venom).
And whatever you do, don’t try to slice the wound open more to bleed out the venom.
It will only boost your heart rate and make things worse.
If you can, raise the bitten area above the wounded person’s heart and keep them calm.
You’ll want to get them to a medical facility as soon as possible, but try to keep them calm and their heart rate down.
What Survival Myths Have You Heard?
There you have it, 11 common survival myths and the truth behind them.
Are there any survival myths you heard that you want to debunk?
Leave them in the comments below to help your fellow adventurers stay safe in the wilderness!