Resources

Outdoor Skills

106 bite-size wilderness tutorials — the kind of things you want in your head before you need them. Each skill is one screen: three to six steps, a tip, and any real warnings.

9 skills

Ice & Cold
5 min
Tell if ice is safe to cross
Color, thickness, and history — check all three before you step out.
1. Clear blue or black ice is the strongest. White or opaque ice is half as strong. Grey ice is unsafe — leave it alone.
2. Thickness rules of thumb on clear ice: 4 in / 10 cm to walk, 5-7 in / 12-18 cm for a snowmobile, 12+ in / 30+ cm for a light truck.
3. Drill or chop test holes every 50 ft on unknown ice and measure — don't guess.
4. Skip inlets, outlets, springs, currents, and any area with cracks radiating from a point.
5. Avoid ice near docks and pilings; dark objects absorb heat and thin the ice around them.
Warning: No ice is guaranteed safe. If you break through, kick horizontally, get your arms flat on solid ice, and roll — don't try to climb.
Jason Mitchell — Ice Safety Checklist
Ice & Cold
5 min
Prevent frostbite on hands
Once your fingers stop hurting in the cold, you have about 20 minutes.
1. Layer: thin liner glove for dexterity, insulated shell for warmth. Never take both off at once.
2. Keep hands moving. Fists, windmilling arms, wiggle fingers inside the glove.
3. Never handle cold metal or fuel with bare skin below freezing — contact frostbite is instant.
4. If fingers go numb, warm them under armpits or against a companion's stomach until sensation returns.
5. Add a hat — vasoconstriction to the hands worsens fast when the head is cold.
Warning: Do not rub frozen tissue with snow or hold near a fire. Warm slowly with body heat or 100-105 °F water.
Dr. Ebraheim — Frostbite Prevention
Ice & Cold
30 min
Warm a hypothermic person in the field
Get them dry, insulated, and out of the wind before you do anything else.
1. Move them out of wind and off cold ground onto a pad, pack, or bough bed.
2. Cut off wet clothing and dry the skin. Wet cotton pulls heat 25x faster than dry.
3. Wrap in insulation: sleeping bag, spare clothes, tarp burrito over the top.
4. Add heat sources at the neck, armpits, and groin — hot water bottles wrapped in a shirt work well.
5. Give warm sugary drinks only if fully alert. No alcohol.
Warning: A severely hypothermic person may seem drunk or drowsy. Handle gently — rough movement can trigger cardiac arrest.
ProCPR — Cold-Related Emergencies
Ice & Cold
5 min
Use a vapor barrier liner in extreme cold
In deep cold, moisture from your body destroys insulation. A vapor barrier keeps sweat out of your down or synthetic layer.
1. Choose a non-breathable liner — trash-bag plastic, coated nylon, or a purpose-built VBL sock or shirt.
2. Wear the liner directly against skin or over a thin base layer, and put your insulation over the liner.
3. Dress cool on the move — the liner traps moisture, so you'll feel damp inside but your insulation stays dry.
4. At camp, remove the liner and dry your base layer against your body inside your sleeping bag.
5. Use only when temperatures stay below about -15°F (-26°C). Above that, sweat management outweighs insulation protection.
Warning: Vapor barriers can macerate skin during heavy exertion. Watch for hot spots and stop to dry if any skin surface feels sodden.
Ice & Cold
15 min
Insulate under your body, not just over
The ground pulls heat out of you faster than cold air. Two-thirds of your insulation should be underneath.
1. Never sleep directly on cold ground, snow, or bare rock — you will lose heat you cannot replace.
2. Build a raised bed of dry debris at least a hand-span thick — dry conifer boughs, dead leaves, or grass — and compress it slightly under your weight.
3. Add a second layer of finer, softer material on top for comfort.
4. If you have a foam pad, keep it as your closest layer to the ground; put a sleeping bag or emergency blanket on top of the pad, not under it.
5. Rebuild loft each night — compressed debris insulates far less than fresh, lofted debris.
Tip: Test the bed by lying on it for 5 minutes before dark. If your back feels cold, add another 4 inches of debris before you commit to sleeping.
Ice & Cold
5 min
Recognize the signs of hypothermia in a companion
Early hypothermia is treatable in the field. Late-stage hypothermia is a medical emergency — knowing the difference saves lives.
1. Mild (95–90°F core): shivering, clumsy hands, slow decision-making, sometimes 'the umbles' — stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, grumbles.
2. Moderate (90–82°F core): shivering may stop, confusion increases, coordination collapses, speech slurs.
3. Severe (below 82°F core): no shivering, unresponsive or unconscious, weak pulse, very slow breathing.
4. For mild: stop, insulate, add calories and warm sweet drinks, get moving once rewarmed.
5. For moderate or severe: treat as a medical emergency, handle very gently, insulate against further heat loss, and evacuate. Rough handling can trigger cardiac arrest.
Warning: Never give alcohol to a hypothermic person. Never rub or immerse severely hypothermic patients in hot water — passive rewarming only until you reach medical care.
Ice & Cold
10 min
Prevent trench foot and non-freezing cold injuries
Wet feet in above-freezing cold cause tissue damage as serious as frostbite — and it happens without you noticing.
1. Change into dry socks at least twice a day whenever conditions are cold and wet.
2. Dry wet socks against your body inside your shirt or sleeping bag; never leave feet in wet socks overnight.
3. Wiggle toes and pump feet every time you sit down for more than a few minutes.
4. Air your feet completely at least once a day — off, dry, and warmed for 10 minutes before re-socking.
5. Watch for early signs: numb, pale, cold feet that don't rewarm quickly. Stop and warm them the moment you notice.
Warning: Once tissue is damaged, symptoms can last months and lead to permanent nerve injury. Prevention is the entire treatment.
Ice & Cold
60 min
Build a Mors Kochanski super shelter
A super shelter pairs a reflective front wall with a clear plastic cover to create a warm microclimate in deep cold.
1. Build a lean-to frame with the open side facing a fire reflector wall.
2. Hang a space blanket or reflective tarp on the inside back wall.
3. Drape clear plastic sheeting across the open front, leaving a small gap at the bottom for air and a vent at the top.
4. Build a long-log fire a body-length away on the other side of the reflector.
5. The plastic traps radiant heat while the reflector bounces it back toward you.
Warning: Ventilation is essential. A fully sealed shelter can overheat or build up dangerous CO levels from a fire.
Mors Kochanski — The Super Shelter
Ice & Cold
10 min
Survive cold-water immersion
Cold water kills through cold shock, cold incapacitation, and hypothermia — in that order. Knowing the sequence keeps you alive.
1. Control your breathing for the first minute — cold shock triggers gasping and hyperventilation.
2. Keep your head above water and avoid swimming hard; cold incapacitation can rob your strength in minutes.
3. If you fell through ice, kick horizontally and pull yourself onto solid ice, then roll away from the hole.
4. Assume the HELP position (Heat Escape Lessening Posture): cross arms over chest and draw knees up to reduce heat loss.
5. If you're with others, huddle together to share body heat while waiting for rescue.
Warning: Alcohol speeds heat loss and impairs judgment. Never drink to 'warm up' in a cold-water emergency.
NASBLA — Cold Water Boot Camp

Educational reference only. Wilderness conditions change fast — practice in low-stakes settings, take a certified wilderness first-aid course, and confirm regional regulations (fire, fishing, foraging, snaring) before you rely on any of these skills in the field.