Master essential wilderness survival skills with tips and advice from the experts at Backpacker Magazine. Our experts teach you how to build fires, forage for food, find shelter, survive animal attacks, and get the most out of every piece of gear you bring into the wilderness.
Everyone has a pile of plastic shopping bags overflowing out of a kitchen drawer or pantry just taking up space. So, make a survival tool out of ‘em – specifically, a strong, durable waterproof rope, which you can braid without any tools. All you need is as many plastic bags as you can get your hands on and a pair of scissors.
Early season avalanche fatalities and incidents expose the need for education, and a targeted Web site fills the gap.
In October 2014, a severe blizzard struck Nepal's Annapurna Circuit during peak trekking season. Hundreds of hikers were stranded and dozens died in one of the world's worst hiking disasters. An eyewitness shares his tale.
All the safety tips you need to be "bear aware" in one convenient location
Master hypothermia treatment to get your partner out of a tight spot.
This low-bulk bracing is used by sports trainers and wilderness medics to stabilize weak ligaments and discourage further injury. You can apply all sorts of extras like pre-wrap liners, ankle pads, and skin adhesive, but here's the down and dirty trail version.
Uh-oh, you forgot to download free maps at Backpacker.com, and now you're lost in the woods without any navigational tools. Smart! Now follow these rules to get found.
How the pros treat an injured hiker
Want to make it out alive? Consider packing this 16-item kit, assembled with help from a Yosemite rescue ranger.
More than 1,000 hikers go missing every year in our national parks alone. Most are found within hours, but basic skills can help you get home without making a seriousor even fatalmistake. Follow this advice for staying on course.
A disoriented hiker snaps her leg in a gruesome fall and spends the next three days trying to crawl her way to safety.
From the iPad to the iPhone and Android, check out these BACKPACKER mobile apps.
Prevent these two painful toe problems.
Now your chow is marinated in white gas. Are your edibles still eatable?
A survival guide for backpackers who are desperate for clean water.
No knife? No rope? No problem. For our great-great-great-great-great-great grandfathers, every day was a survival epic, and they fashioned simple blades and cordage from raw wilderness. With a bit of practice, so can you.
Dirty water clogs filters, hampers UV purification, and makes chemicaltreatments less effective. Find a better water source or clean what you have.
Two kayakers survive a howling inferno by clinging to their crafts in the middle of a frigid lake-and then hypothermia threatens.
Watch your step. Trips and tumbles are the number one cause of backcountry deaths.
Learn to field-fix a leaky reservoir.
Wet, cold, lost, hungry: In desperate times, nothing improves your changes of survival more than a roaring blaze. We tested every fuel source under the sun to show you how to start a fire every time.
A bear canister with a built-in cooking pan and bowl -- for you, not the bear.
Bear Grylls has had his share of close scrapes with wildlife, yet he's always managed to come out alive. Would you? Take this quiz to see how you measure up.
Miles from the trailhead, your hiking partner springs a gusher after taking a fall on an iffy scramble. Here's what to do.
Don't get caught without these trail-tested must-haves.
Stay safe and comforted in an emergency with this bivvy for two from Adventure Medical Kits.
Get a grip - more comfortably - as you hike with these trekking poles from Leki.
Keep warm in a storm with this light-anywhere fire starter from Adventure Medical Kits.
You love them. You fear them. And you misunderstand them. See more bears and learn about the surprising new thinking around hiker safety in this complete guide. By Ted Alvarez
Need to find food in a crisis? Just foraging for fun? Learn to raid nature's pantry, which is full of easily harvested, highly nutritious meals.
Caught out on a bright day without your glasses? Things could turn ugly if you lose your vision. Learn to prevent and treat a sunburned eye.
A solo hiker tries to claw her way out of a frozen cave after a winter pathway collapses.
Carry an emergency essential with you at all times.
Everyone brings a shirt or bandanna into the backcountry. Here, 9 ways to increase its usefulness.
10 ways to use a survival blanket
7 more reasons to pack an extra pair
Dead battery? No reception? No problem. Find plenty of survival gear inside your phone.
A string, several strands, and even the box can all come in handy.
Don't cringe. Tampons were used by battlefield medics to plug bullet holes as early as World War I. Use them to...
How to start a fire and treat minor wounds with basic toiletries
Turn your trash into life-saving treasure
"Improvise, adapt, and overcome." Bear Grylls and his crew lived by this mantra while filming episodes of Man vs. Wild. Here's how hikers can adopt it.
To err is human, bt to err in the wilderness can get you in a load of trouble. Here's how to manage missteps and improvise fixes.
Spotting animals is a highlight of backcountry travel—unless they attack. Learn how to escape 22 dangerous species.
Don't let the desert–or swamps, cliffs, jungles, glaciers, or other potentially dangerous landscapes–be your end.
Falls trigger more backcountry deaths than almost ever other cause combined. Here's how to go up without tumbling down.
While accidents do happen, it's what you do about them that can be the difference between life and death.
Learn which wildlife you should most worry about, and how to react if you come under attack.
A hiker's worst enemy is the earth's downward pull. Here's how to prevent falls, and survive rockslides and avalanches.
Losing daylight and don't have a tent? Don't panic: We tested three shelter-making techniques that will help you survive the night. Plus: Three bomber bivies.
Maximize your spark's potential with a tinder bundle that will burn anywhere.
A violent storm ravages a stressed forest, threatening to crush two dayhikers.
If you suspect you're off-track use the sun to help orient you and determine which direction is true north.
Learn to use standard household items to survive with these pro tips from Stewart.
Mnemonics make it easy to remember weather sayings and make weather predictions, but is there any truth behind the prediction rhymes?
Broken, but not beaten, four backcountry travelers tap unexpected reserves to overcome horrific injuries.
Broken, but not beaten, four backcountry travelers tap unexpected reserves to overcome horrific injuries.
Broken, but not beaten, four backcountry travelers tap unexpected reserves to overcome horrific injuries.
Broken, but not beaten, four backcountry travelers tap unexpected reserves to overcome horrific injuries.
At the military's top-secret survival school, Air Force crews learn how to escape their worst-case scenario — shot down behind enemy lines. With the highest level of access ever granted to a journalist, our scout learns how to escape when Mother Nature is only one of your worries.
A hair-raising tale of wilderness terror that will haunt your backcountry dreams
A hair-raising tale of wilderness terror that will haunt your backcountry dreams
A hair-raising tale of wilderness terror that will haunt your backcountry dreams
A hair-raising tale of wilderness terror that will haunt your backcountry dreams
A hair-raising tale of wilderness terror that will haunt your backcountry dreams
Q&A with Guest Editor Bear Grylls
Use this knot to tie logs together when making a raft.
Don’t be prey. Learn where you’re likely to encounter North America’s deadliest predators.
Without a drink, a hiker can die in as little as a day. We tested three techniques for conjuring H20 out of thin air. Plus: 5 easy ways to stay hydrated in hot climates.
Check out Kristy Holland's author page.
After an off-trail slide tosses two hikers down a slope, they’re trapped by their injuries.
When you’re lost or injured, you need a foolproof way to get your rescuers’ attention. Ted’s testing team tried more than 25 devices—here are their ratings of 9 top tools.
Cougar attacks are vanishingly rare, but that doesn't mean they never happen.
Five hikers fight a raging river before attempting a dangerous bushwhack to safety.
Hollywood climbing: Survivable or surreal?
A dayhiker fights for her life—as her body shuts down.
Student and president of the Hiking Club at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Name: Neil Perterson, 63 Predicament: Swept into a surge channel; stuck in a cave
Waves, currents, and tides threaten thousands of miles of American trails (any within a quarter of a mile of a waterway), and hikers can get caught in the barrage. Headland-sculpting, beach-pounding waves can swallow an unwary trekker without so much as a burp. Learn how to recognize, negotiate, and avoid nearshore hazards
The star of "Man vs. Wild" talks gear, luxury items, and survival advice.