Urban survival is different than wilderness survival. In the city, you have access to a lot of things that may not be available in the wilderness, like water and electricity. But cities also pose their own challenges.

You can’t just walk out of your front door and start building a shelter or hunting for food like you would if you were in the wild.

The good news is that there are lots of things we can learn from how people survive in rural areas like how they manage clean water sources or hunt small game that will help us thrive in our urban environments too.

So before we get into some specific tips on what you need to know about urban survival, let’s review some basic principles:

10 Survival Skills Every Man Needs To Know!

Key Takeaways
Building a support system after a loss can help provide strength and emotional support.
Planning and being prepared for an emergency situation is important for survival.
Knowing essential survival skills such as building shelter, purifying water, and navigation can save your life.
An urban survival kit should include essential items like water filtration tools, a fire starter, and a first aid kit.
Learning and practicing survival skills can be done through a variety of methods, including classes, workshops, and personal experimentation.

Table of Contents

Know Your City

It’s important to know the layout of your city. How many people live there? How much food, water and shelter is available? Where can you go for medical care if needed? And how can you safely get out of your city if it becomes unsafe.

Knowing how to survive in the wilderness is essential for any outdoor enthusiast. Our beginner’s guide to camping and wilderness survival provides a comprehensive overview of the necessary skills and equipment needed to thrive in the great outdoors.

Learn To Forage

Foraging is the practice of gathering wild plants, mushrooms, and other natural food sources for consumption.

In the city, many of these resources are growing in the nooks and crannies of your neighborhood: on trees and in parks that you pass every day. Wild food can be found in urban environments everywhere from abandoned lots to industrial wastelands.

It’s important to note here that not all wild plants are edible or good for you! Be sure to research first before harvesting any plant material from an unknown source – make sure its name is not poison ivy (which it probably isn’t if you’re reading this article), but also remember that even poisonous plants have medicinal uses when prepared correctly by an expert herbalist.

Remember those old cartoons where someone eats a seemingly innocuous plant only to die? Don’t let that happen to you!

There are two ways of doing this: one will require less effort while giving you more immediate results; another requires more time investment but will yield greater rewards over time with no extra work on your part once established as long as there’s enough sunlight available nearby your location where these patches may grow naturally without difficulty due weather conditions like snowfall or drought affecting their growth patterns negatively

Foraging Essentials

Item	Brand	Description
Field guide	Audubon Society	A guidebook detailing various edible plants, berries, nuts, and mushrooms found in the wild.
Knife	ESEE	A compact and durable knife for safe and efficient harvesting of plants and fungi.
Gatherer’s apron	David’s Garden Seeds	A hands-free and waterproof apron with pockets for carrying harvested items.
Trowel	Barebones Living	A sturdy and multi-purpose tool for digging and harvesting roots.
Container	Vapur	A collapsible and lightweight water bottle for carrying water while foraging.
Whistle and compass	UST Brands	An emergency signaling device with a compass for navigation while foraging.

Learn To Grow Food

If you have any interest in food, you should learn how to grow it. This is not as difficult as it sounds, and knowing how to make your own food will give you a great sense of independence.

There are two basic ways of growing plants: hydroponics (growing plants in water) and soil farming (planting seeds directly in the ground).

In this section we’ll discuss both methods. The first thing we’ll do is go over some essential skills for growing food indoors. Then we’ll move onto general advice on building sustainable systems that can be used in urban environments like yours!

When it comes to survival, staying hydrated is crucial. Check out our guide on water purification tablets to learn about the most effective methods for purifying water on-the-go and in emergency situations.

Know How To Properly Cook And Store Food

You can’t subsist off of tinned goods and fast food alone. You’ll have to cook real food, and there’s a lot of work involved in that.

Cooking isn’t just throwing something into a pan and eating it it’s an art form. Knowing how to properly prepare your food will save you time and energy, while also making sure that what you’re eating is safe for consumption.

When preparing meals (especially if you live alone), it helps to plan ahead so that all the ingredients are available at once for quick assembly later on down the line.

A big part of this is making sure that everything has been stored correctly: raw meat must be kept separate from cooked dishes; vegetables need air circulation around them so they don’t become moldy; sauces should not be stored directly on top of each other because they could mix together over time; etcetera etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseam until death do us part…

Cooking and Food Storage Essentials

Item	Brand	Description
Cast iron skillet	Lodge	A durable and versatile skillet for cooking over an open flame or campfire.
Camp stove	Coleman	A portable stove for cooking meals outdoors with precise temperature control.
Cooler	YETI	A high-quality cooler for storing food and drinks for an extended period of time.
Food storage containers	Rubbermaid	Durable, airtight containers for storing and preserving food.
Water filter	LifeStraw	A personal water filter for removing bacteria, protozoa, and other contaminants from water.
Cutting board	Totally Bamboo	A lightweight and eco-friendly cutting board for preparing food while camping or outdoors.

Know How To Catch Small Game

There are a number of ways to catch small game in the city. You can use a bow and arrow, but this is not as easy as it sounds because you will have to be quiet and stealthy if you want to make sure that no one else knows what you’re doing.

The best way to do this is by getting some time alone in nature where there are no people around so that no one sees you using weaponry. If this isn’t possible (or just not ideal) then try using a slingshot or net instead.

Nets are useful because they don’t require much skill just get close enough to your prey, throw the net over him/her and pull him/her out!

Traps are also great if used properly; however they take more advance planning than other methods do because they’re meant for long term use rather than short term usage like nets or bows & arrows which must be replenished after each kill due.

When it comes to survival, staying hydrated is crucial. Check out our guide on water purification tablets to learn about the most effective methods for purifying water on-the-go and in emergency situations.

Learn How To Clean Small Game You’ve Caught

If you’ve managed to kill a small game animal, the first thing that needs to be done before you can enjoy its succulent flesh is cleaning it.

First, remove any entrails from the body cavity using your hands or a stick. If there are still feathers on the bird or fur on the animal, cut them off with scissors while they’re still attached (for birds) or use pliers (for mammals).

Then remove head, tail and feet by cutting at an angle so that they come off easily. Also do this if using pliers for animals because it will make skinning them easier later if needed.

If there are scales or fins on fish or turtles/tortoises respectively then remove these too before cooking them whole otherwise just discard them as waste material!

Store Water

Storing and purifying water are essential skills for urban survival. You can’t survive without it, so you need to store enough water to last several days or more if uncertain when help will arrive.

You should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you live in an area where temperatures drop below freezing, add another gallon for each person if you don’t have a heat source (like a wood-burning stove).

Water can be stored in any container with a lid that seals tightly and is relatively waterproof even trash bags work! Just make sure the container won’t leak when moved around or dropped on its side.

I recommend using glass bottles as they are reusable and won’t leach chemicals into your water. Plastic bottles can also work, but may contain chemicals that leach into your drinkable water over time and most plastics aren’t meant for long-term storage anyway!

Navigating the wilderness and urban environments can be daunting, but with proper training and preparation, you can feel confident in any situation. Our guides on wilderness navigation and urban survival provide essential tips and tricks for staying safe and finding resources.

Don’t Rely On The Electricity Grid

Don’t rely on the sewer system.

Don’t count on transportation services, like Uber or Lyft when you need them most.

Don’t count on cell service during a disaster. The same goes for batteries, which are subject to shortages in a crisis scenario and will quickly run out of power if they’re not charged regularly (or at all).

And don’t forget about your water supply: No one knows how long it might take before you can turn on the tap without worrying about what comes out of it—or if anything does come out at all!

Don’t Rely On The Sewer System

One of the most important aspects of urban survival is understanding how to live off the grid.

While this can mean different things depending on your particular situation, it’s safe to say that in any urban environment you’re going to find yourself relying less on public utilities and more on your own skills for survival whether that means finding food, water or shelter.

The sewers are a great example of how quickly you can disconnect from modern conveniences when things start falling apart.

The sewers were built with one purpose to collect wastewater from homes and businesses so it can be treated before being released back into local waterways.

They aren’t designed for heavy rainfall events like flash floods or hurricanes; they’re also not designed to withstand earthquakes or other natural disasters like wildfires (like those currently devastating California).

When these types of events occur in an urban area where sewage systems are linked together across many miles, there’s a danger that flooding could cause sewage backups into homes via toilets and drains!

In some cases where infrastructure has been damaged by flooding or other forces beyond their control (such as an earthquake), sewage systems will overflow their capacity and dump raw human waste directly onto streets below and if you live above ground level (or near enough), this could end up being dumped right into your home!

If you’re a fan of camping and exploring the great outdoors, then you know that having the right gear is essential. Check out our article on the ultimate camping checklist to make sure you’re packed and prepared for any journey.

Identify The Potential Hazards In Your City

The first step to urban survival is identifying the potential hazards in your city. Are there any natural hazards present? Do you live near a volcano, or are there earthquakes or hurricanes that can affect your area?

What about man-made hazards like nuclear facilities, chemical plants, oil refineries and more? These kinds of places can produce chemicals that can be extremely harmful to humans.

You also want to consider things like heavy traffic areas, overcrowded public transit systems and large crowds of people that could lead to stampedes if something goes wrong.

Don’t Count On Cell Service

Here’s a fact that you might not have realized: cell service is pretty unreliable in cities, and it can get even worse in the wilderness.

When you’re out of range of a cell tower, your phone will start searching for the nearest signal which is often another tower miles away.

Having a satellite phone or radio means you’ll always be able to communicate with people outside your immediate area if need be.

Don’t Count On Transportation Services

The ability to get around without a car, public transportation system or bicycle is essential for urban survival. You should also know how to get around without a horse or boat, though these are less likely in the modern world than they used to be.

Make walking part of your daily routine

Know how to walk long distances quickly and efficiently
Learn how to walk up stairs (and down them) with ease

Stockpile First Aid Supplies And Learn Basic First Aid

It’s important to have a well-stocked first aid kit in your home, but it’s even more vital when you live in the city.

If you don’t have access to medical care at all times and you get cut, infected or injured during an emergency situation, then you need a way to treat yourself without having to go out into the streets.

You should also make sure that family members are trained on how to use these materials as well so that everyone can take care of themselves if need be.

Stockpile Sanitary Products, Cleaning Supplies And Toiletries

Sanitary products are essential for women because they require them to stay clean and healthy. Women will need to make sure that their sanitary product stock does not run out in case of an emergency.

If a woman has a period then she will need more than just one package of sanitary napkins or tampons at home because this can last her up to five days depending on how heavy her flow is.

Cleaning supplies like bleach and disinfectants should be kept so that people can clean themselves after using the bathroom or if there is a water shortage happening in your area then you may want throw away all your used ones before going through with this step because it would be better for everyone’s health if everyone follows these rules instead of just throwing away everything without making sure it’s properly cleaned first!

Toiletries are also important because they help maintain personal hygiene by keeping hair clean while also making sure skin doesn’t get chapped during winter months when there isn’t any sunlight available outdoors except maybe during early dawn hours but even then it isn’t enough exposure time needed

Stockpile Tools, Weapons And Other Essentials

If a collapse happens, you’ll want to be prepared. Stockpile tools like axes and shovels, weapons like guns and knives, and other essentials like matches or lighters. You should also have some food that doesn’t need cooking or refrigeration (e.g., canned goods).

Conclusion

If you’re looking to prepare for the worst, start by learning the skills that can help you survive. These essential survival skills will put you in a better position to handle any situation.

FAQs

What are urban survival skills?

Urban survival skills are the necessary techniques, strategies, and knowledge needed to survive and thrive in an urban environment, including finding resources, navigating crowded areas, and responding to potential threats.

Why are urban survival skills important?

In an emergency or crisis situation, urban survival skills can mean the difference between life and death. Knowing how to find food, water, and shelter, as well as how to protect yourself, navigate unfamiliar areas, and access important resources, can help you stay safe and strong in any situation.

What are some key urban survival skills to learn?

Some key skills to learn include finding and purifying water, building shelter, starting a fire, identifying edible plants, navigating with or without a map, first aid, self-defense, and how to find and use important resources, like food, medication, and safety equipment.

How can I practice and improve my urban survival skills?

Learning and practicing urban survival skills can be done through attending classes, workshops, or boot camps, reading books and articles, watching videos, and testing out different techniques on your own. It’s important to continue practicing and refining your skills as you develop your ability to adapt to new environments.

What should I include in an urban survival kit?

An urban survival kit should include necessary items for surviving in an urban environment, such as a map and compass, water filtration and purification tools, a knife or multi-tool, first aid supplies, a fire starter, a flashlight, a shelter, and any other relevant tools or equipment that may be needed based on your location.

Hellen James

Hi! I’m Hellen James, and I am the founder of Unified Survival. I have a deep passion for the wilderness and everything that goes along with it. I’ve been hiking since I was a child, and I grew up camping in state parks all over the country. But it wasn’t until recently that I learned how to survive in the wilderness.

17 Essential Skills For Urban Survival