Our 10 Favorite Publications for Learning Survival Skills

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Even though modern humans don’t have to fight for survival daily like our ancient ancestors, having some basic skills is still important. You never know when you might find yourself in a life-threatening situation. You must educate yourself on first aid, hunting, foraging, firearm safety and many other survival topics to build a well-rounded skill set.

If you’re unsure where to start, look no further than our 10 favorite outdoor survival publications. They are listed alphabetically, so feel free to bounce around and see which fits your interests best.

Backpacker

As the name suggests, Backpacker is a website targeted toward hiking enthusiasts. It has lots of great content about first aid, shelters, finding food and water, and navigating different types of terrain. It also has an amazing podcast called “Out Alive” that features real-life survival stories and expert commentary about how the situation could have been avoided.

Although it has some content for experienced hikers, much of the website is geared toward beginners. The comprehensive article “Debunking the 58 Biggest Falsehoods in Hiking” is a great place to start reading. This piece is the magnum opus of Backpacker’s “Myths Busted” series that addresses common misconceptions about wilderness survival. 

Crow Survival

Crow Survival specializes in camping and self-defense, which are arguably the most important survival skills of all. It publishes many gear roundups and how-to articles about RVs, UTVs and boats. Learning how to handle these vehicles is crucial to surviving an emergency. You will also find educational articles about hunting, fishing, and off-roading.

Crow Survival will help you grow your knowledge and confidence if you’re not accustomed to handling lethal weapons. Articles such as “How to Choose the Right Handgun for Self-Defense” contain important information that beginners need to know. Covering the basics is the first step to learning survival skills and becoming a capable outdoorsman. 

Field and Stream

Field and Stream is one of the publications on this list that you might already be familiar with. It’s a popular resource for hunters and fishing enthusiasts but also caters to survivalists. You can explore five survival categories on this website — Food, Gear, Stories, Tips and Wilderness Survival. 

Another thing that makes Field and Stream stand out is the amount of reader contributions. The article “11 Ingenious Survival Gear Hacks From Our Readers” is a great example. Firsthand experiences are often the best sources of information for learning survival skills. These stories will help you learn how to improvise and maximize your resources in emergencies.

The Filson Journal

The Filson Journal is the oldest publication on this list. It has been providing outdoor educational content to readers since 1897, with a special focus on the American Pacific Northwest. As such, it has many articles about surviving in rainy, mountainous environments. Filson is the perfect website for you if you live in a similar climate.

Filson also has an entire how-to section devoted to teaching beginners about basic camping, hunting and fishing skills. Concise articles like “How to Preserve Your Catch” are ideally formatted for newbies. 

Fish’n Canada

Fish’n Canada focuses on fishing, hunting and camping. These three activities have one survival skill in common — finding food. This website has everything you need to know about locating, capturing and preparing food in the wilderness. Along with self-defense, finding sustenance and water is the most important survival skill.

The article “How to Choose the Perfect Campsite” is a great place to start reading. This piece covers every possible factor about finding a good site, including weather conditions, nearby food sources and proximity to other humans.

The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors is all about mountaineering. It has numerous articles about mountain survival skills, equipment and conservation efforts. The mountains can be a nightmare for beginners, but experienced survivalists know how to use the rugged terrain to their advantage. If you can master the mountains, you can master other environments, too.

The Great Outdoors is full of expert information about mountain navigation skills. It’s easy to get lost in the mountains, so these abilities are critically important. Check out “Mountain Navigation Basics — How to Read a Map” during your visit.

Outdoor Life

Outdoor Life is similar to Field and Stream, containing expert information about hunting and fishing. However, it differs from other outdoor websites by covering niche survival topics many overlook. Conservation, personal fitness, gardening, foraging and surviving animal attacks are just a few examples of Outdoor Life’s wide range of content.

You will find gear roundups about advanced hunting and fishing equipment, but you will also find articles covering ancient survival techniques. For example, “10 Primitive Survival Skills That Will Keep You Alive” will teach you how our ancestors survived with minimal tools and resources. If you can master these skills, you can survive almost any situation.

Recoil OffGrid

While the previous publications delved into other outdoor topics, Recoil OffGrid is strictly about living a primitive lifestyle away from the comforts of modern civilization. As such, it has lots of content about homestead development and preparing for SHTF scenarios. This website is for you if you want to adopt a prepper’s lifestyle.

Recoil OffGrid also discusses an often overlooked aspect of survivalism — situational awareness. You can have all the needed equipment, but it’s worthless if you don’t have the wherewithal to assess your surroundings. That’s why everyone visiting this website should read the “Situational Awareness Evaluation” series and get a grasp on their skills.

Survival Cache

Survival Cache is all about prepping. This website will help you assemble survival kits, get the right weapons and develop the necessary skills to respond to any SHTF scenario. Most of the articles are gear roundups and beginner guides — the perfect resources for people just starting out.

One of Survival Cache’s most important topics is urban emergency preparedness. Most people live in cities and must know how to navigate them during natural disasters and other situations. That’s why “The Prepper’s Guide to Urban Survival” is a must-read for all visitors. 

Survivopedia

Survivopedia is a straightforward website that covers three important survival categories — weapons, food and general preparedness. Each one covers many interesting subtopics, including international conflicts, power outages, farm animals and weapons regulations, to name a few. It truly is an encyclopedia for relevant survival topics.

The most educational pieces on Survivopedia are “The Rules” articles that cover basic do’s and don’ts about survival strategies. For example, “12 Fundamental Rules of Resource Management All Survivalists Should Know” is an excellent article that teaches the basics of resource conservation and creating a long-term plan. 

Find Your Favorite Survival Skills Publication

Learning survival skills isn’t an obligation — it’s a responsibility. You owe it to yourself and your family to develop basic outdoor and emergency preparedness skills. These publications are full of helpful information to get you started. Explore all of them and see which one is your favorite.