'My uncle lost two toes because some guy kept doing this, thinking he was helping...'
I'm a Southern California-based writer on the Lifestyle team who likes to try and rank viral foods and read and recommend awesome books. Information can easily get watered down or misconstrued — and you hear the same thing so much that you just assume it's factual.
But sometimes, the movies and TV shows don'tthat are actually myths, and I feel like my life is a lie. Here are some survival tips you might have thought were real — and what you can do instead:"You are usually better off staying with a broken-down vehicle instead of trying to hike out of some dangerous location. First off, it can still provide shelter even if it won't run. Second, anyone coming to rescue you is likely to use the road. Leaving a road, trail, or other commonly traveled route makes it harder to find you. Finally, a vehicle is easier to spot from the air or from a distance. This sounds obvious, but people seem to regularly die of heat or cold in places like national parks when they could have definitely survived. Their vehicles are almost always found first."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"I will add that if you're stranded in the wilderness with a car and no means of communication, stacking your tires and setting them on fire will generate a column of black smoke that is visible from very far away and will attract attention. I learned that when reading about the case of the"Eating things raw. Seriously, Bear Grylls would almost always eat whatever he caught raw. Hell, I'm pretty sure he even did it with a fucking bat once. Please do not do this."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"If you're in a survival situation and managed to catch something, cook the shit out of it first. You don't want to be in a survival situation AND get sick/get a parasite." "Rubbing frostbitten skin to warm up. My uncle lost two toes because some guy kept rubbing his feet, trying to help after they got caught in a blizzard. The ice crystals in the tissue literally tear cells apart when you do that. You just need to slowly get warm, not rub anything."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"When I went camping as a kid, we were instructed to tuck our fingers or toes into our/somebody else's armpits. It only really works for very mild frostbite , but, well. There's that." "Don't try to suck the snake venom out. That's just your friend Dave being weird. In all seriousness, it can cause a bad infection and can delay treatment, especially if Dave adds in some tongue action."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Staying calm is actually the most important thing you can do. Panic makes our heart rate go up, pumping the venom through the body even faster. If you’re unsure what snake it was, try to take a picture of it. Even if you think you got bitten by a snake that isn’t venomous, better safe than sorry. Some venomous snakes have venom that takes time to take effect. Mildly venomous snakes are generally not life-threatening, but you can get a severe allergic reaction to them. No actual venom-sucking kits or oils are being sold, so don’t waste your money on that." "If you get stabbed, don't pull the blade out as they do in the movies. Don't. Touch. Anything. Just call 911."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Yep. As glib as this may sound, leaving the object in place lets it act like a cork. A leaky cork that hurts like hell, but much less leaky than no cork." "The idea of walking through the desert in the middle of the day when it's the hottest. Movies always show it: The lone survivor or something needing to find help or water, and walking for hours when it's hottest. Don't do that. There's a reason people in warm climates chill in the middle of the day. It's to let the highest temperatures pass."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"To add to this, thinking noon is the hottest part of the day is a myth! I hiked through parts of the Mojave, and the number of people who took breaks at noon but set off again at 2 p.m. boggled my mind as a Texan. It’s still crushingly hot! You’re honestly better off walking around in the evening and at night." "Waiting 24–48 hours to report a person missing. The number of people who still consider this a fact, including law enforcement, is too damn high."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"YOU DO NOT WAIT A SECOND TO REPORT SOMEONE MISSING. The first few hours/days are the most crucial." "Drinking pee. You should not drink pee; it is said so in some military survival manuals. It will accelerate the dehydration, not slow it.". Your body needs about 1 liter of water to filter a liter of water that is 2% salt. So as long as your urine is less than 2% salt, it is a net positive. So, ideally, you would collect your urine while you're still hydrated, and you would likely be under 2% salt. But...no one collects their urine while they are hydrated." "Running in a zigzag to avoid an alligator or crocodile. Just run in a straight line as fast as you can because they can only run in short bursts."you want to zigzag as you run away from is a hippopotamus. They will try to follow every turn, and they’re not built to turn as simply as we are. And rest assured that a hippo running after you is no joke. They kill⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Here to add on. Do not use a weapon if you're not prepared for it to possibly be wrestled from you and used against you." "Never run from a big cat, black bear, coyote, etc. You immediately look like a tasty little mouse. Instead, spread your arms and legs out and make yourself as big as possible. You want to look like a predator and appear unafraid. It also helps to make a banging noise, so carry a walking stick and bang it against rocks. The sticks also make you look bigger."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"They told us as kids in Colorado: If you're on the playground and see a cat, grab the corners of your coat and raise them up over your head on each side to try to look as big as possible. Stamp your feet and yell. Never, EVER run away if you see a big cat. Most cats that are watching you, you never even see. If you see a cat, you're already in danger because they are stealthy ambush predators. If a cat lets you see it, it's either very young and inexperienced or very hungry. I lived in the Colorado high country for 30 years. I saw bears and moose more times than I can count. I only ever saw a mountain lion once; it was crossing the highway in front of me as I drove."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"It'll restore some of the blood flow to your extremities, which will kill you faster if that's all you do. But if you're setting up something to greatly improve your survivability and finding yourself unable to move your fingers, alcohol can help you get enough movement back to finish starting that fire or finish setting up that shelter."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Cauterizing should be a last option. If you have a wound that's bleeding a lot, you should pack it instead, and you could tear your shirt into a long strip to use as packing. Except if it's a stomach wound; do not pack a stomach wound." "Drinking cactus water when stuck in a desert. Cactus water is highly acidic, and it can cause you to vomit and have diarrhea, which will make you dehydrated even faster."; they have electrolytes, vitamins, and actually hydrate you. You can literally just pick them off the cactus and eat them. We have tons of them around where I live."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Look for a ditch on the side of the road. The idea is to get low. Get on your knees, tuck your head down, and use your hands to cover your neck. Debris going at 200 mph is the most dangerous part of a tornado." "'Walk downhill when you're lost.' 'Walk to a river and follow it.' No. Stop. When you're lost, sit down and stay. As long as someone knows where you should be and when you should have been back, STOP! Walking anywhere will just get you farther from rescue. It's easier to find someone when they haven't wandered five miles from where they're supposed to be."⛺️ WHAT YOU CAN DO:"Walking anywhere will just get you farther from rescue. It's easier to find someone when they haven't wandered five miles from where they're supposed to be." "The 'punch a shark in the nose' thing always gets me. Good luck throwing an accurate punch underwater at something moving 25 mph. You are way more likely to accidentally hand-feed a shark than land some action hero hit."while in the water, maintain eye contact and slowly back away without making erratic motions. If the shark is in attack mode, strike at the eyes or gills.Lastly:"Peeing on a jellyfish sting. In actuality, it will make it hurt a heck of a lot more than not. Use saltwater, or if you have it handy, vinegar.", so submerging the affected area in very hot water can inactivate it and reduce pain, inflammation, and tissue damage. First, rinse the affected area thoroughly with vinegar for at least 30 seconds . The vinegar removes any tentacles from the skin and prevents stinging cells from firing. Then, immerse the area in hot water for at least 20 minutes. Personally, I hope I'm never in a position to put any of these to use. What's a survival tip that's actually a myth? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below.
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