Top 9 Survival Skills When Lost in the Forest

To survive in the deep forest when lost, the first thing we need to do is to stay calm to assess the situation and find ways to survive in the wilderness and quickly seek assistance.

Panic will not help you solve the problem you are facing, it will drain your energy, your mind will be unstable, and you may be in more danger when in the deep forest. When realizing that you are lost, the first thing to do is to stop, take a deep breath, and stay calm.

Act according to the STOP acronym principle:
S – Sit down
T – Think
O – Observe your surroundings
P – Prepare for survival by gathering materials

Fire is crucial not only for warmth and cooking but also for warding off some wild animals. Moreover, if you want to signal for help, it's also a way; make sure to prepare plenty of firewood to build a big fire and create dense smoke signals. But remember, you should also prioritize safety to avoid causing forest fires.

If you no longer have a lighter or any matches, then you have to resort to traditional methods to start a fire. There are many ways for you to start a fire such as using a magnifying glass, flint and steel, or hand drilling. Both bow drilling and hand drilling utilize friction to start a fire. To bow drill, use dry grass, leaves, dry moss, straw, or bark to create a nest that can easily catch fire. There are different techniques you can use to start a fire by friction, but most importantly, the type of wood you use as the fireboard and spindle. The spindle is a wooden stick that you will use to rotate to create friction between it and a piece of wood called the fireboard. If you create enough friction between the spindle and fireboard, you can generate enough heat to start a fire.

If you have a compass, everything might be easier in finding your way out of the forest before dark. When using a compass, remember the following: Stay away from metal objects: the compass needle will deflect. Keep it away from fire: the magnetic needle will lose its magnetism. Place it on a level surface: the compass needle will point more accurately. But having a compass or map in hand sometimes becomes useless if you can't determine which direction to go to reach the nearest civilization area. Or worse, you have nothing at all. How can you determine the direction you must go? Climb up the highest tree or rock you can find. Observe carefully everything you can see: towers, fields, smoke, houses, trails... any signs of human life will help you decide the direction you need to go.

In cases where you can't see or hear anything. The best way is to try to identify the position of a stream, a river from above. From above, you see the lush green forest patches better than other forest patches, then surely there is a stream or river nearby. The next step is just to go down along the downstream (along the flowing water) and the likelihood of encountering a residential area or escaping from the 'dangerous area' is very high.

Any place in the forest can become strange to you, so mark carefully the places you pass through when finding your way out of the forest to avoid wandering in circles, getting lost even deeper. To recognize the places you have passed through, use a piece of cloth or a piece of paper or anything that can be seen from a distance.

Facing the direction where the sun rises is east, behind you is west, your left hand points north, your right hand points south. This is the simplest and most common way. In fact, this is not entirely accurate. The sunrise and sunset positions of the sun in the year are not fixed but change according to the cycle: Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice and the sun only rises and sets exactly East, West at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes.

Although it's not advisable to wander around much when lost in the forest, if possible, you should still explore the nearby area to understand your current location, who knows, you might stumble upon something useful to help you escape from here.

Even though you shouldn't wander, you still need to assess the safety of the surrounding area, whether there's a good hiding place, to find some supplies or gather firewood,... always remember the way back to your starting point, to make sure you don't get lost further, leave marks along the way.

Make sure you'll find your way back to the initial position when you go to find water, seek shelter, or find your way back.

If you feel tired and exhausted, the best way is to sit still to conserve energy, not only does this help you limit the amount of water and food needed to replenish in your body, but it also increases your chances of being found. Sit down and rest. If you're traveling with others, never separate, as the more people, the better chances of survival in all circumstances.

Protect your skin by rolling up your sleeves, wearing long pants, and covering your face to avoid insect bites. If injured, treat the wound as soon as possible to prevent infection.

If it's too sunny, find shady areas to take shelter, avoid dehydration or heatstroke, and remember never to take off your clothes if the weather is scorching hot.

Once you've stabilized, set up signals to be rescued. Try everything to signal anyone and with anything visible from afar to help others find you.

Mark your location so that others can observe from above. Draw a large triangle with sand or stack leaves and branches together, or carve marks on large rocks. They are rescue signals that help increase our chances of being rescued.

To make it easy for searchers to recognize your location, you can light a fire (in an open space), hang colorful fabrics, clothes, hats... high or in visible places, create signs according to international standards such as lighting 3 fires (or smoke) forming an equilateral triangle. Prepare other signaling devices if possible.

Create loud noises such as: shouting, whistling, blowing a whistle, knocking on hollow tree trunks, banging two rocks together, burning bamboo to keep it upright (which will cause loud explosions).

Without water, humans will lose consciousness by the end of the second day. So when lost, the urgent thing is to find water sources. This is never an easy task; you can follow nearby birds, but also need to conserve your current water supply.

Cracks in rocks and mountain crevices can also yield water, or use the method of collecting dew in clothing to absorb slowly. Dirty water in streams can cause illness, but illness versus death is a scarier choice, as you may know. The symptoms you experience at this time may be cured when you return home.

Additionally, you can extract water from: banana trees, bamboo, dew, or from vines... If you don't have a water filter with a pot, you can pour water into a plastic bottle, then place it in the sun and expose it for 6 hours to kill all bacteria and organisms in the water. If more desperate, you must sustain life with water, avoiding your body becoming depleted of strength.

Find a fallen or leaning tree trunk; you can create a sleeping area by stacking several large branches to form a frame and then sheltering it with forest leaves. If possible, look for caves, but make sure they are cave bear, leopard, snake-free, or other unfriendly animals.

Ensure your shelter is still discoverable by others. Don't expend too much energy to make the shelter perfect, but still maintain a thoroughness for a warm resting place.

Most healthy adults can survive up to 3 weeks without food in warm weather conditions. While hunger may set in, it's better to be healthy than ill. Therefore, ensure the food you consume is safe before putting it into your mouth.

Don't hesitate to eat insects and other bugs. Although you may find it repulsive to eat certain types of grasshoppers, it's better than risking your life in this unknown place. These insects provide valuable nutrients that can help sustain our bodies.

All insects must be cooked thoroughly or can be grilled because these types of insects may contain parasites that can enter your body and potentially kill you. Do not eat any caterpillars, brightly colored insects, or any insects that may bite or sting you. Remove the legs, head, and wings of any insect before eating.

If you're near water, fish is a good option. Avoid eating any mushrooms or fruits you see, no matter how hungry you are. Many fruits in the forest are poisonous, especially white-colored fruits.