If you do find a body of water, you should build your shelter near it. Don’t build the shelter on the water’s edge, though, because chances are that (possibly dangerous) animals will frequent the area to quench their thirst. [2] X Research source
To boil water with a boiling pit, dig a hole approximately 2 feet (0. 61 m) long by 2 feet (0. 61 m) wide by 2 feet (0. 61 m) deep next to your campfire. Then, separate out the clay from the soil (it will be sticky and reddish), and line the hole with the clay, making sure there are no cracks or openings in the layer of clay. Then, use a container like a hat or a shoe to transport water from your water source to the boiling pit until it’s full Once your pit is full, heat rocks on your campfire. Heat them for approximately 10 minutes, then start dropping them in the pit. Rotate freshly hot rocks with ones in the pit that have cooled down until you have a steady boil for 20 minutes.
If you don’t have a container to strain your water into, you can use your shirt to soak up water and then wring it into your mouth. The shirt should hold on to most of the mud.
Be careful not to swallow any ants using this method; they could have pincers. [5] X Research source
Make sure there are no animals already living in the vicinity.
Ideally, the branches should be as straight as possible and approximately 6 feet (1. 8 m) in length and 2 inches (5. 1 cm) to 3 inches (7. 6 cm) in diameter. Make the shelter small, but still large enough to fit your whole body if it’s curled up. The smaller the shelter, the easier it will be for you to warm it with your body heat.
You should replace the bedding in your shelter every day that you can find dry leaves or needles. [7] X Research source
Don’t just eat any bug, because some are poisonous or have pincers. [11] X Research source Before you eat the bugs, remove their extremities and outer shells if they have them. Then crush them with a rock and cook the pulp over your fire. [12] X Research source
Pine needles can also be steeped in hot water to make a tea. Pine needle tea is a source of valuable nutrients, particularly Vitamin C. [14] X Research source Do not drink pine needle tea if you are pregnant, as it has been shown to be harmful to unborn babies. [15] X Research source
To cook an egg without a pan, gently tap a hole in the top 1 centimetre (0. 39 in) wide by 1 centimetre (0. 39 in) long with a small branch. [17] X Research source Then, use a stick to pull some of the coals from the fire to the edge of your fire pit, and make a bed for the egg with a circular depression in it. [18] X Research source Place the egg in the coal bed and let it cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes (you should be able to tell if it’s cooked by looking through the hole on the top). [19] X Research source Once the egg is cooked, you can peel off the shell and eat it![20] X Research source
If you carry your spear with you during the day, you can use it to opportunistically kill small animals like rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and fish that you can roast over your fire.
If you intend to eat a lizard, cook it as thoroughly as possible to avoid salmonella. Focus on eating the tail meat. Avoid the mouth, because that’s where salmonella tends to be most prevalent. [23] X Research source
Once you’ve dug your fire pit, form a small pile of leaves or pine needles as your kindling. [26] X Research source
If you don’t have shoelaces and you’re in a forested area, you can create a string by digging into a tree with a rock to the fibrous inner layer, pulling out the fibers, and tying them together. [28] X Research source If you’re not in a forested area and need string, you can create it by cutting off bits of your hair and tying them together. [29] X Research source If you don’t have enough hair, you can make a string by tying together pieces of brush. [30] X Research source
After several minutes of vigorous sawing, you should start to see smoke. Once you do, you can blow on the kindling gently to encourage the spark to spread. [32] X Research source Once your kindling has started burning, form a pyramid around it with twigs and bark in the center, then build another pyramid around that with small branches, and a final pyramid around the whole thing with larger branches. [33] X Research source Once you’ve started your first fire, you should keep it burning continuously by adding wood to it throughout the day. [34] X Research source
Don’t make yourself so warm that you sweat. Sweat will cool your body down and make your bedding damp, which will interfere with its ability to insulate you from the cold. [37] X Research source
If you do encounter a predator, don’t panic. Don’t look the animal in the eye, and move calmly away from it while making yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms in the air. [40] X Research source
