Survival Myths That Could Get You Killed

Here's a survival tip: if you find yourself in a tornado, do NOT take shelter under an overpass or bridge, while it may seem like a good idea to protect yourself from potential debris, in turn you have to deal with the wind tunnel that the overpass/bridge creates which can vastly increase the strength of the already strong winds of the tornado

Fun fact: most people found dead in deserts have a lot of water with them because they were trying to ration it.

Basic survival tip, make sure if you're going somewhere away from civilisation and without easy access to resources, you take basics with you. First aid kit, water, food, there are very few situations where planning for an emergency isn't at all possible. Have a pack with basic stuff in your car if you travel outside of cities, if you're going camping, have a small emergency pack that you can grab if for some reason you have to run. There are so many small, lightweight emergency extras available, mylar blankets, life straws, emergency shelters, compact survival kits... And of course if you're going somewhere remote, tell someone where you're going, when you expect to be back, and if you're in a vehicle that's broken down, stay with it. Its automatic shelter, safety from animal attacks and far easier to spot by people who are searching for you when you don't contact the person you told where you were going.

As a US Navy pilot who is trained for survival situations, the worst thing to do is to drink your water as soon as you are thirsty. You should wait until you eat. Basically, your body uses fluids to digest your food. When your body uses liquids, well, it loses those liquids, obviously, meaning your body needs MORE LIQUIDS. That’s actually why we have drinks with meals, cuz people get thirsty when they eat

My stupid brother hit a bees nest with a stick and they chased him so he jumped in the water. Yes, they hovered above him for a while but eventually left. He just kept coming up for air and going back under. Best bet... Leave them Alone!

No no no, you never pee on a jellyfish sting, that's a common myth. You pee on the jellyfish itself. It won't help with the sting, but it will give you some revenge against that stupid jellyfish!

20:50 Not to mention the more severe issue regarding jumping into water- if you find yourself in a situation you literally have to jump into it from any height that isn't safe, immediately make sure you cross your legs, cover your nose and mouth with one hand tightly, and wrap your arm around your other on the way down. If the fall itself isn't enough to break a bone or something, your biggest issue is going to be the massive splits you're going to do and the water shooting up your nose and mouth on the dive. Your legs will practically bend outward until you're doing the Starbucks mermaid logo on your own, and the excess water shooting up your nose and mouth is enough to make you pass out if it shoots up too quickly.

I had mild frost bite in my fingers when I was a teen. I soaked them in warm water and it was some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Insane. Like thousands of red hot needles piercing my hands.

The reason the dogs were sent out with alcohol and not water is because the water would be frozen by the time it reached the person

Watching Avatar: The Last Airbender was more than enough to dissuade me from drinking cactus juice.

16:47 So true! I once stayed in a cave in norway for a week and made a tiny little fire. My "fridge" was some ice next to the cave, where I kept some food. When I woke up one morning and went to the "fridge", a boulder, the size of a tractor fell right in front of the entrance of the cave, split and two massive boulders rolled down the mountain, exactly where I used to climb it, taking small trees with it and dig a swath down to the lake under my cave. Boy was I lucky, had I woken up 5min later, I could not write any comments here today. The fire had also melted the ice above the cave's ceiling, day by day, which ultimately resulted in collapsing those boulders. 2. If you have really cold hands to the point where they hurt like shit, don't even use warm water once you are home. Drink something hot, but wash your hands with very cold water and very slowly increase the heat. I did the opposite once and also I think I was a though kid, this made me cry and shout for half an hour. You should even warm up your body slowly and not sit in front of a fire right away. My best advice would be: if you lost your way, just go back the way you came. Don't try any shortcuts, because this might make you get even more lost. Take the long, but save way. Because once the shortcut did not work, you have to go back even longer. Try 3 shortcuts and you are fu**ed😮

There was a guy who'd jump from extreme heights into water with a technique where he'd lock his legs together really really hard, landing in the water feet first and the small impact area would break the surface quickly, letting him land safely. In the end though, he tried jumping off of a bridge with his technique, the wind on the way down blew him out of his position, and he ended up smacking the water hard, resulting in serious injuries and eventual death.

I always knew to set up a campfire just outside the cave, but my only theory was the smoke. I had no idea about the rock expansion and cave-ins.

I've always been taught coming across a bear "if it's black fight back, if it's brown lay down"

Alternatively on the "alcohol warms you up if you're freezing," one of the big reasons they used Saint Bernard's could in fact be because if you have a massive pile of warm fur beside or on you, it will make you warm up a LOT faster. Chihuahuas, for instance, might warm the foot you kick it with for maybe two seconds, depending on.... jk jk, don't actually kick Chihuahuas. But seriously, they'd take forever to warm you up. Saints are built for cold climates, so their fur would be better at keeping you (and the doggo!) Warm in that kind of weather. The mead could even potentially make it faster to get to traveling temperature, for the same reason it'd be terrible to drink if you didn't have a warm, woofing furball with you.

Travelling during daytime in the desert is common thing in movies but if you have a tent you should sleep during day time and travel night time that way you wont need as much water and will be easier to spot settlement that have any source of light.

I found a great way to find my way back to civilization if I were to ever get lost, find a creek or river and follow it down stream, eventually you will end up in a populated area

20:15 Camels (all three kinds) stores fat in their hump(s), not water. When needed the fat is broken down into usable water.

I wonder about the "hide in the water to escape the bees" tip. It seems to me that if you are entirely immersed in water, your body is completely protected from their stingers. They may well be loitering overhead, but they have no idea where you might be surfacing. I would think emerging just your face to take a quick gasp of air and resubmerging would be a better survival technique. (By the time they figure out where you surfaced, you would have already taken a breath and be gone from view once more.) I'd imagine one could keep this up for quite awhile until eventually the little nasties get tired and get back to their day job. That certainly sounds better than letting them sting you all over, and you get a nice refreshing swim in the process. Just a thought...

The quicksand advice to lay back and work your legs free is spot on. I've actually been in this situation here in our Florida swamps. 😎👍