Action movies and TV shows are popular because they star good-looking actors and are often very exciting. But they're also full of survival mistakes that can get you killed in a real-life disaster. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com)
Brush up on your survival skills and avoid the mistakes below to make sure you don't end up as a casualty when SHTF.
Lighting a fire indoors
Before you start a fire indoors, make sure you have a working fireplace, chimney and proper ventilation. This ensures that there's a place for the smoke to escape so you don't asphyxiate.
Asphyxiation occurs when your body doesn't get enough oxygen. This impairs normal breathing and may cause unconsciousness or even death in a survival scenario. When starting a fire in a large area, such as when you're camping, keep the fire and embers away from flammable materials.
Being careless when starting fires
Starting a fire easily in a movie is one thing, it's an entirely different matter when you're lost in the woods and you don't have matches or a lighter.
Before SHTF, learn basic firestarting techniques so you can stay warm and cook your food while camping or bugging out.
Not storing food properly
Don't leave your food scattered around your campsite once you're done eating because this might attract bears.
Store food in airtight containers. Alternatively, you can store food in a cloth or fishnet bag and hang it from a tree branch at least 10 feet off the ground. Doing this ensures that even if the food attracts a bear, it won't be able to reach the food.
You can also use the food as a distraction so you can escape.
Drinking untreated water
In movies, the main characters often drink clean-looking water from lakes or streams when they're thirsty. This may seem convenient, but doing this in real life can make you sick or even kill you.
Before you drink water from any water source, boil it, treat it with purification tablets, or use a portable water filter.
"Eating" snow
Snow is water, but only about one-tenth of snow if the volume of water. If you need to drink an eight-ounce glass of water, you'd have to eat half a gallon of cold snow. At 32 F, a half-gallon of snow will use up a lot of body heat as you try to melt the snow and bring it up to body temperature.
When using snow as an emergency water source, melt the snow in a pot over a fire.
Wearing cotton shirts and pants
Cotton is one of the most common fibers used in clothing but it's also one of the worst fabrics to use for survival purposes. When SHTF, wear clothing made from other comfortable material or, at the least, are made from cotton-mixed fabric.
Cotton is highly absorbent and it holds at least 27 times its weight in water. This can be a problem when disaster strikes because sweating in a cotton shirt will draw a lot of heat out of your body.
Wearing heavy down jackets
Heavy down jackets may seem like a godsend in cold weather, but a down ski jacket has feathers that will soak up a lot of water. Once your jacket is filled with water, you'll probably lose body heat 300 times faster than if you didn't have a jacket on. (Related: One mistake is all it takes: 6 Dangerous survival myths, DEBUNKED.)
Swap a down jacket with a wool coat, which retains half of its insulating value even when it's soaking wet.
Not taking hypothermia seriously
Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than your body can it can produce heat. To prevent hypothermia, avoid going outdoors in cold weather unless it's absolutely necessary.
Stay warm and wear a hat and other protective gear that covers your head, face and neck.
Attempting hard, physical work in cold weather
Physical activity makes your muscles produce heat so you can stay warm. But when you can't shed that heat fast enough, you perspire to stay cool.
Sweat and cold weather are a bad combination: When you stop working and your body starts to cool down your sweat can freeze against your skin. Once perspiration freezes, it draws too much heat out of your body, which can cool you too quickly and cause hypothermia.
If you need to work outdoors in cold weather, wear layers so you can remove layers of clothing as needed while working.
Being careless with guns
Unlike the heroes on TV that never miss their targets and run out of ammo, you're a normal person who makes mistakes. Before you get a firearm, check the local laws in your area and learn how to use a gun properly so you don't hurt yourself or your loved ones.
Jumping from a speeding vehicle
Since you're not a stunt man, you need to be more careful even if you're escaping from a vehicle so you don't hit the door on the way out or land wrong.
If you have to escape from a moving vehicle, open the door as wide as you can and roll yourself in a ball to minimize the chances of breaking a limb. Wait when the driver has to slow down, like when they’re going around a corner, to improve your chances of surviving the fall safely.
Wandering aimlessly when you're lost
Before you go camping or hiking, let your family know where you're going and how long you'll be gone. If something happens, they'll know when to send for help or come looking for you.
If you get lost, don't run around. Stay calm, rest, and figure out a plan so you can escape.
Ignoring warning signs
If something seems wrong, trust your instincts. It's better to be too careful than ignore warning signs like another set of unknown tracks following your own when you're alone in the woods.
Avoid these common movie mistakes so you can survive when SHTF.
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