Survival 'Tips' that Will Actually Kill You

Uncover the TRUTH behind popular survival myths! Learn why jumping in a falling elevator is a terrible idea, why caves can be dangerous for fires, and more life-saving tips!

[logicisuseful]

I met a guy who ended up stranded in the snow for days because of a broken leg with mountaineering equipment but no means to light a fire (ie, no wood). He ended up putting the snow in a plastic, watertight bag and putting the bag inside his sleeping bag, where it would melt based on the radiant heat he lost to the interior of the sleeping bag. Wasn’t a lot of water, but it was enough to survive until help arrived.

[JadeStone]

Tampons aren't good for bullet wounds, but they *are* great firestarters, especially if you can coat them in candle wax or a bit of cooking oil before lighting them. You can also use them as a stage 1 filter for purifying water (it will remove particulate matter, like sand and gravel, but NOT microbes or bacteria, so the water will still need to be boiled to make it safe to drink). If you fluff them up a bit, they can fit pretty snugly in the opening of a plastic water bottle.

Tampons have a place in survival kits, but their best uses aren't first aid.

[THE-X-Force]

You should really prioritize food last. So: Water, Shelter, Food. Unless you're in an extreme environment (freezing cold etc.) .. then Shelter moves to the number 1 spot. The average human can survive 3 weeks w/o food (3 days without water) so while of course it's important and needed for survival .. it's not as important as shelter from the elements and whatever critters are out there.

[mikekolokowsky]

No, I saw it in a cartoon once. When you’re in a falling house, wait until the last second, then step out the front door on to the ground as the house smashes behind you.

[hitekscorp]

In 1974 I survived a 5 story industrial elevator freefall, I have never heard anyone even close to understanding what really happens, your suddenly weightless, you lose perception, no time to react

[ericreativecuts]

As a Canadian I was definitely taught that eating snow will hasten hypothermia. I was also taught that if you are in an avalanche to blow on the snow so it melts a bit and you can then use the direction the water droplet travels to indicate which way is down (so moving in the opposite direction is up and therefore out of the snow). You can also do the opposite with bubbles if you get stuck under the ice. Though, as disorienting as being plunged under the ice would be, knowing which way is up is the least of your worries. The shock is almost as bad as the hypothermia and a lot of people die from involuntarily breathing in water.
Being Canadian is fun I swear. I love living in a country that hurts my face for 5 months. 😅
🇨🇦☃️

[SirDistic]

One thing to note. If you're stuck in the desert and you have water such as a jug or canteen, drink it. Don't save it for later. Your body needs that water inside you not inside a container. And you're actively dehydrating. It's not going to help you later if you're dead.
And plenty of people have died of dehydration with water in a container.

[trupower]

"Snow is cold". Thanks Simon, those are the sort of facts I stick around for.

[ericshelby]

You can usually tell if a large colony of bats live in a cave because they often leave a deep layer of guano on the cave floor, which is definitely not a place I wanted to seek shelter in.

[oneminuteofmyday]

My grandfather (born 1907) worked in a grocery store as a teenager. He was unpacking boxes of menstrual pads and asked his boss what they were for. His boss told him they were for polishing cars. So Grandpa took home a box and did just that. Obviously, tampons are for areas of the car that are harder to reach or need a little more scrubbing power.


My great-grandfather had to explain what pads were really for so grandpa wouldn’t use them on the car again.

[danielhastings]

I always thought that the idea to jump in a falling elevator (or crashing airplane) was intended as a joke

[iamathousandapples]

Another one i heard growing up: hiding under an overpass if a tornado hits is worse than just being in a field because of the wind tunnel effect. Best thing to do is get out of the car and lie down flat in a ditch.

[anmndr]

Canadian here, 100% was taught IN SCHOOL like 25 years ago (early grade school) never to eat snow for hydration because of the exact same reasons listed here. Ill still take a bite once in a while just for joy though.

[cannibalholiday]

Another famous myth is drinking from cacti in the desert. *Some* cacti are safe, but others contain oxalic acid (including some of the famous barrel cacti that are supposedly safe), and you can badly burn your mouth and esophagus trying to drink from them.

[robd]

One recommendation for the falling elevator is actually bend your knees rather than lie down completely.
Firstly if the lift is falling from a height that gives you enough time to lie down then you are probably dead anyway.
Secondly, as long as your knees are loose, you will crumple achieve the lying down without the delay. Locked knees - the panic reaction - will break your legs, but loose knees will crumple. The sudden sitdown will hurt your backside, but that is, for most people, well padded and so you'll be alive.
Trust me on this one - I've personally done it. I know it is NOT impossible for a lift to fall down a lift shaft. The various things reduce the odds a lot, but it is not 0%. And I'm not talking a theme park ride either. However, I'd not recommend it - still hurts, just not as much as broken legs or dying.

[jamesalles]

"observe how other animals eat"
Now that you have found another animal, eat it.

thanks for the videos, this one has all good points

[carbonized]

As someone who has been in these survival situations: its all down to luck, my example will be water.
I live in Canada and especially in the spring certain areas get the purest glacial meltwater. But that doesn't mean much if there's a dead moose a few hundred meter upstream.
It's one tip for high temps, like desert or just a brutal summer, do not conserve you're water. It is so easy to get dehydrated without realizing it cause your all like I'll just take a sip here and there. NO, if you are thirsty drink.
People have been found dead in the desert with water in their canteen.
In the end it loops back to luck. You either find water or don't, the water is good or it isn't.
Though I have heard of a good story about a guy found by search and rescue next to a river with dehydration so bad it damaged his kidneys.
When they asked him why he didn't just drink the river water he said "it might have given me parasites."
Sooo I mean it really is all situational.

[FrankJmClarke]

In a falling elevator, anyone who lights a fire to melt snow will live to regret it.

[rogerbussiii]

I had an ex girlfriend whoos dad was an elevator repair man. His pay rate was very surprising when i found out. He had an unbelievable amount of knowledge in regard to his field..and for this and due to the importance of saftey and having good people in his position, he was very well compensated. He took his job very seriously. Trust that your elevator has been maintained by someone who had thier shit together, and is beyond safe. They make $100 an hour.. and they earn that because theres a lot to know to keep people safe, and they ensure that everything is in proper working order. He was a very smart guy (and a giant at 6-8). Knowing that people like him are responsible for elevator safety and how seriously they take thier job alleviates any worry i once had.

[MrChristianDT]

With that food thing- there's also plenty of things humans can only eat after processing properly, but animals can eat raw- like acorns. And, there are several things humans can eat that most other animals can't too- like onions/ garlic & most species of mint.