30 Primitive Skills Every Prepper Should Know

Preppers as a whole are one of the most knowledgeable groups of people on the planet, as they look at what could potentially happen and prepare for it.

Since modern-day infrastructure is a house of cards, possessing primitive skills are as important now as they were 10,000 years ago.

Here are 30 primitive skills that every prepper should know:

1. How To Build A Fire

The single most important thing any prepper should know is how to build a fire. Modern-day human beings have become complacent and many people can’t even start a fire if given lighter fluid and a lighter.

Being able to start a fire with limited materials can be critically important when in a survival situation. Starting a fire from scratch using a technique like the fire bow or fire spindle certainly requires a great deal of practice.

2. How To Survive A Night In The Wilderness

Surviving a night in the wilderness is not something most people have ever experienced. Darkness combined with cold temperatures, stinging insects, and potential precipitation can make for a miserable experience. In order to ride through the night, one must have a fire and a shelter that is appropriate for the environment.

3. How To Use Basic Tools

While most people should understand how to use basic tools like a saw, screwdriver, and hammer, some people have no experience with these hand tools. Anyone in the second category should start by making items like furniture using hand tools so they have some basic know-how.

4. How To Purify Water

The best way to purify water is to boil it, but this may not always be an option. A Bug Out Bag should be equipped with some sort of water purifier whether that be chlorine or iodine.

5. How To Create A Shelter

Creating a survival shelter is going to be extremely important in a long-term survival situation. Ideally, a Bug Out Bag should come equipped with a tarp to make a quick makeshift shelter for the night. However, a long-term stay will require a more sturdy structure that keeps the elements out and traps heat inside.

6. How To Make A Raised Bed

Making a raised bed keeps a survivalist off of the cold ground and away from predators while sleeping through the night.

7. How To Hunt

Hunting is a skill that everyone should have, as meat is the best calorie source in a survival situation. Hunting with a rifle, bow and arrow, spear, and knife should all be options for the experienced hunter.

8. How To Trap Animals

Trapping animals is a time-efficient way to capture prey. Learning basic techniques like the deadfall trap, bird trap, and fish trap can greatly increase caloric intake in a survival situation.

9. How To Make A Spear

If not equipped with a rifle, hunting big game like wild boar can be done with a spear. Additionally, a spear is a great weapon for protection so understand how to make and use a primitive spear.

10. How To Make A Sling

A sling is a useful weapon that can be used to catch small game. Making a sling only requires a piece of wood, a rope, and rocks to be used as ammo.

11. How To Sharpen Tools And Knives

Sharpening tools and knives are an important part of survival in the wilderness and any Bug Out Bag should be equipped with a sharpening stone. If not equipped with a sharpening stone or file, use a stone or the bottom of a ceramic mug to sharpen blades.

12. How To Fish

A Bug-Out-Bag should have basic fishing equipment like a fishing line and hooks. Survivalists who are going to be dealing with a winter situation should also know how to ice fish, as fish is one of the most plentiful calorie sources.

13. How To Butcher Animals

Butchering animals is a skill that requires some practice, as skinning animals and cleaning them requires proper techniques.

14. How To Preserve Meat

Preserving meat is a must in a survival situation where refrigeration is non-existent. There are two main ways to preserve meat, salting it or smoking it. Meat that has been properly smoked can last for months.

15. How To Cook Outside

Cooking kills all pathogens that could turn a pleasant experience into a nightmare situation. For the most part, cooking over a fire and using fire to boil water are going to be the most basic culinary techniques a survivalist needs to know.

16. How To Make Distilled Alcohol

Distilled alcohol can provide fuel, serve as a way to sterilize wounds, be used for barter, and consumed for enjoyment.

17. How To Tan Animal Hides

After skinning an animal, the hide must be tanned before it can be used as clothing. In many cases, salt in combination with an egg yolk mixture can be used to tan hides.

18. How To Make Clothing Out Of Animal Hides

After tanning animal hides, they can be stitched together to create clothing. Leather clothing is extremely wind-resistant, resistant to moisture, and lasts nearly indefinitely.

19. How To Sew

A sewing kit should be included in the emergency section of a Bug Out Bag so learn how to sew to quickly stitch up any wounds or mend torn clothes.

20. How To Make Medicine

Making medicine from plants is another ancient skill that can come in extremely handy in a survival situation.

21. How To Make A Torch

The most straightforward torch design is composed of a stick featuring a bundle of rags bound to one end, then soaked in tree sap, pitch, oil, or animal fat.

22. How To Manipulate Metal

Being able to fabricate anything out of metal improves life quality. At the very least, preppers should have some basic metal fabrication knowledge.

23. How To Weld

Being able to weld significantly increases the number of items that can be created out of metal and allows anyone to be able to repair machinery.

24. How To Determine Edible Plants

The best way to go about determining which plant is edible is to actively identify plants in the area on sight.

25. How To Manipulate Wood

Some basic woodworking primitive skills to create wood structures and shelters come in extremely handy in the wilderness.

26. How To Make A Walking Stick

A walking stick with a Y structure on one end and a point on the other end serves as both defense and a way to pin animals to the ground.

27. How To Tie Knots

Tying knots, specifically square knots and slipknots, is another basic skill that every survivalist should know, as it is required in many types of shelters and when creating animal traps.

28. How To Ride A Horse

Riding a horse is a skill that everyone should possess. Learn to ride a horse and jump in the saddle if the situation presents itself.

29. How To Calculate Direction

Calculating between north and south is fairly easy. In the northern climates, moss always grows on the north side of trees, but not on the south side.

30. How To Calculate The Hours Left In The Day

To calculate the hours left in the day, simply place your hand underneath the sun and count how many fingers fit between the bottom of the sun and the terrain. All four fingers indicate that one hour is left in the day, with each finger indicating 15 minutes.