If you're ever in an accident, when its feels like you're trapped with no way out, when your life is literally on the line, you won't be thinking of your material things at home or your job or how you didn't stick to that diet. No, there will only be one thing going through your mind:
Knowing the best way to stay alive.
Reddit user, u/GlumExcitement9, wanted to know exactly that when they asked:
People of Reddit, what is a surprisingly unknown survival fact that everyone should know?
Dig In The Cold
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If you're trapped in an extremely cold environment, a rudimentary igloo will keep you relatively warm if you're smart about it. They keep heat in fairly well. However always be sure to mark where you are with something that won't get covered in snow so if rescue comes they don't miss you in the snow.
You don't need to actually build an igloo (that's a lot of work). In Norway we learn rhat if you get caught out in a blizzard, dig a cave in the snow and seal it with a block of snow as best you can.
Stay Put
If in a vehicle hit by a downed power line, STAY IN YOUR CAR. DO NOT STEP OUT.
The vehicle is the same voltage as the car, and so are you at this point, so it is important not to touch anything. Your tires are not insulating you, despite popular belief. Often these power lines are 4600V, 116,000Volts, or more. When you step out of the car, the ground is at a lower voltage as it dissipates from the vehicle...stepping out, you may be on a spot that is half the voltage of the 4600V, meaning you get 2300V because you are a different potential & current will flow through you, and with whatever amperage Ohm's law determines (any small amount at all WILL kill you)
Don't Leave Them, Bring Them. Big Difference.
Do not keep a kit with a candy bar and water in your car in the winter. They will be frozen and you wont be able to eat or drink them. I don't know WHY so many reporters give this awful advice for winter survival. Bring them WITH you when you enter and leave your car.
A garbage bag may work better instead of or in addition to a blanket, which is also going to be VERY cold if kept anywhere but on your seat when you drive. You may not need the water at all, and it make you need to use the bathroom, making you uncomfortable or push you outside to pee, making you cold all over again. Don't drink it just because you are bored.
Metal. Got It Memorized?
Always bring a metal pot or cup for boiling water. You can make a fire primitively, but it's much more difficult to make something to boil water in.
Disinfect And Cleanse
Boil water, cook food.
Don't chug water because it looks clear. Your mind is all you have now.
Palamine101Hotels. AirBnB. Dorm Rooms. Travel. Anywhere.
I forgot to add, go to Amazon and by a door blocker. They cost around $10 or more depending on what you buy. You can take them with you to hotels. There are videos on YouTube showing burglars how to break into room with chain locks. The door blockers prevent your door from being opened period. I use one in my apartment because our doors are very easy to open with a credit card. Not with a door blocker. I've tried it. It prevents someone from breaking in and possibly killing you. I recommend it to everyone now and have even bought one for friends.
Keep It In
During the winter, it is WAY better to be slightly cold than it is to sweat. If you start to sweat, you can go hypothermic way faster.
Reminds me of a quote from Bear Grylls. "I need to work quickly before hypothermia sets in. But not too quickly, because then I'll start to sweat, the sweat will freeze, and then hypothermia sets in."
Weave It Back And Forth
The ability to weave. Looked at as more of a craft than a survival skill. But my grandma taught me that if you can weave you can make clothing, shoes, traps, shelter, etc. with nothing more than the vegatation on hand.
This was hammered home later when watching that show with naked survival people. The guy harassed the girl because she spent most of the first 2 days weaving but in the end he had to be taken out because he was sick yet there she was having crab for dinner.
More Than Just A Watch
If you have a watch. (with hands and dial, not digital display) you can use it as a compass. Hold the watch flat, and point the hour hand at the sun. Half way between the hour hand and 12 o'clock points south. You use the shorter gap to 12. So if the hour hand is a 4, 2 would be south. If the hour hand is at 8, 10 would be south. There's a few problems such as night time, and when the sun is directly over head... But it helps in a pinch.
Keep These In Mind, No Matter Where You Live
Two come to mind:
Hypothermia can strike extremely quickly even when temps are well above freezing. In fact, it's said that more people die of hypothermia in summer than in winter. I've experienced it several times - wind and a sudden cold rain are the common denominator.Here's a great first-hand story of a guy who experienced hypothermia on a 100 degree day in Virginia. So even in the summer, be very careful about hypothermia, particularly if you're going into higher elevations.
The vast majority of people I see on day-hiking trails seem to be completely unprepared for any change in weather - they're worried about bears, but not about rain. Totally backwards. Here in North America, hypothermia is almost always the greatest danger when you're doing stuff in the outdoors. When I'm doing a multiday backpack or canoe/kayak trip, I always pack a set of dry, non-cotton thermal underwear and wool socks in a small dry sack, not to be touched unless everything else is soaked and I'm shivering. To date, that's happened twice, and I've been extremely grateful to have it.
Short hikes are, in my experience, the most dangerous. This is because we tend to not take them as seriously. A person going on a two-hour hike will likely not pack much, may not take a map or even really consult a map, may not tell anyone where they're going, etc. They may think that a litre of water and their cell phone is basically all that they need.
All it takes for disaster to strike is getting off the trail and getting turned around and/or for an ankle or leg to get broken. Throw in dampness and a miserable night of shivering- hypothermia can strike at temps well above freezing, especially if you're wet - and suddenly that person is substantially weakened, less than 24 hours after setting out.
Here in the PNW, it happens all of the time: somebody will venture off of a well-established day-hiking trail, not respecting the fact that it's a rugged semi-wilderness all around them, and they'll get turned around and suddenly find that their phone lost coverage in all of those mountains. They'll start wandering. They'll do something stupid like "follow the river to civilization" (which in the mountains is generally horrible advice). And...cue the rescue team.
I'd consider myself a veteran hiker/backpacker, but I once got turned around on a crazy simple day hike. Ended up not getting back to my car until well after dark. After that experience, I made a simple survival kit in a Nalgene bottle - essentially, the bare minimum that I'd need to reliably survive a few days on my own - and I always throw it in my backpack on even the shortest trails.
Douglas Adams Would Be Proud
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A towel is the most useful thing to have.
You can dry yourself if you are wet. But it is also a blanket if you are cold, can give shade if it is warm or you can use it to wipe your sweat.
It's a hat, a cushion, a bag,...
Well, I Mean, Yeah...
Eyeballs are everybody's weakness.
If someone is attacking you or have you in like a chokehold or something, go for their eyes.
They May Look Like Everything Is Fine, But...
Stay clear of tree wells - the hidden cavities of deep snow that form when low-hanging fir tree branches block snowflakes from compacting around the tree trunks.
Skiers or boarders who get close to those trees can fall in, often headfirst, and suffocate as the snow caves in around them.
Defense Mode!
If your about to be hit by a big wave close your eyes and hold your breath than curl up in a ball so that your limbs don't fly everywhere and break.
Wait, whoa whoa whoa, your LIMBS can BREAK from a WAVE?!
Yes, it depends on how strong they are. At the beach a life guard was talking to everybody because there had been problems when they left and people got into the ocean and situations started. He said people had broken there necks before in the water. I almost broke my leg once in the water. I was a lucky kid.
Not Sure If True Or If It's Just A Mental Placebo, But It Works
If you're hungry, ask yourself if you would eat an apple, if yes, you're genuinely hungry, if no, then you're just bored
Don't Climb Up. Roll Over.
Most subway platforms have a space for a person to crawl under in case they fall on the subways tracks. So if you fall off the edge of the platform and onto the tracks. Instead of trying to climb back up, if you see a train coming there's a crawl area underneath. It might be tight, and you'll certainly get dirty, but better than dying
Drink The Plant Water
You can squeeze relatively safe water out of moss.
Obviously you should still boil it and and it's going to have some dirt but it way better than drinking out of a steam or puddle.
They Pop Off For A Reason
You can remove the top of your car seats to break the windows of your car in case you can't open the doors. Specially useful if you drive into a lake or something like that.
It's important to note that you don't just swing the headrest at the window, it'll just bounce off. You have to wedge the metal down where the glass meets the door and pry it. The pressure will shatter the glass, then you can use the headrest or something else in the car to clear the glass without cutting your hands up.
Not all are removable or sturdy enough for this, but it's an option of last resort.
Just get a window hammer. They're dirt cheap and often come as part of a tool you wanted anyways. In my case, it's also a seatbelt cutter, pocketknife, and magnesium strip.
Just Remember "The Rule of 3's"
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Exposure and dehydration will f-ck you up much faster than hunger.
Bring spare socks, your feet will rot if you don't
Rule of 3's
3 minutes without air - ya dead
3 hours exposed to extreme weather - ya dead
3 days without water - ya dead
3 weeks without food - ya dead
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Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIF
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...
The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
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"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
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"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
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"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.