Movies make living out in the wild look pretty tough sometimes, but a lot of times they tend to give the impression that it’s not quite as hard to survive in the wild as people might think when the truth is…YES, yes it is. Human beings are capable of surviving away from civilization, this is absolutely true, but there is a large percentage of the population that would cease to exist if there wasn’t a Starbucks or a cell tower located within a reasonable distance so that they could have some creature comforts. Plus, one thing that a lot of movies don’t depict accurately is that it’s not the animals, insects, or poisonous plants that kill so readily, it’s the exposure to a way of life that the average human is no longer equipped to handle. So many people are hung up on enjoying their comforts these days that the basic survival traits that once were taken for granted by our ancestors are still there, buried deep beneath the need for social media and Netflix and other parts of life that have become normalized, but they’re not going to spring out suddenly if a person decides to see if they can make it in the wild.
Here are a few things that movies get wrong about surviving in the wilderness.
5. A shelter is not as easy to build as it looks.
You need the right materials to start with, and then a basic knowledge of how a shelter is supposed to work in order to construct something that will keep the elements out and be sturdy enough to offer some type of security from the world around you. A lean-to isn’t all that hard to build once you’ve done it a few times, but again, finding the right materials depends on where you’re at and how accessible said materials are. This is one of the more basic skills that a person should think about, but in the movies, it’s usually easy to find a cave, a structure that’s already built, or the right materials that will come together like a set of lincoln logs.
4. It’s not possible to look that rested after sleeping on the ground.
When was the last time you slept on the ground? For that matter, when did a lot of people sleep on the floor last? Yes, it’s very possible to get used to this kind of surface, but over time, even those that get used to it can notice ill effects that it will have on the body since without any cushion between your body and the ground there’s virtually no possibility for real rest. It’s very possible to build a bed of pine needles or leaves to lie on, but you’re still on the ground, in the elements, and unless you have a shelter you’re bound to be wet, cold, and sore by the time morning comes since the ground isn’t made for your comfort.
3. ‘Living off the land’ is possible, but it’s also a huge risk.
Of course, a person can live off the land if they know what to look for, how to hunt, and which plants aren’t going to kill them. In the movies, those that wander into the woods appear to know which plants are safe and which will harm them, but the average person won’t know enough about this to make much difference. Eating anything is bound to be risky, and even thinking that drinking water from a stream is safe isn’t wise. If the water is clear and not clouded in any way you might be safe, but it’s still recommended to treat the water before drinking it, to avoid any unwanted effects.
2. The average person needs more than a knife and warm clothing to survive.
Survivalists and specialists that have been taught to survive in the wild are obvious exceptions to this rule since there are those rough and tumble individuals that can take a hunting knife and a warm set of clothes into the wild and make it work. But trying to be Rambo or any other action hero that runs into the woods and gets lucky with what they can find is bound to get you killed in short order. Nature is nothing to mess around with in this instance.
1. Setting traps and making weapons isn’t going to be possible for most people.
Setting a trap is a little more complicated than the movies make it out to be, and in some cases, it takes months to years to learn how to set a trap properly and make it work in a reliable fashion. Plus, making weapons out of natural materials is still going to require a weapon most times to create them, and unlike it shows in movies such as Rambo: First Blood and The Hunted, you’re not going to fashion a slew of traps or forge a knife in the wild that easily, especially not with the limited time each movie gave the people being hunted.
Surviving in the wild is easier if you go prepared, but even then it’s wise to brush up on your survival skills.
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