Survival skills, pioneer skills or vintage skills; whatever you want to call them they are needed still in the 21st century.
I have seen a lot of panic over the last year from friends and family. I know people felt fearful but I think that stems from a lack of preparation and feeling secure in our own skillsets.
There has never been a better time to deepen our knowledge of survival or pioneer skills than right now. I hope most of us will never need to use these for actual survival but knowledge is, as they say, power.
What is even better is that learning these skills has never been easier. We have so much information at our fingertips.
Why are survival skills important?
Well I think the name says it all; this is about survival. But not just for emergency survival or disasters. These old school skills are important to learn because they should be kept alive and in use.
These skills are part of our past but should be passed on to future generations.
Some go even further and could mean the difference between life and death in disasters or emergencies.
What survival skills do I need?
I am going to break this down into a few categories. I believe there are at-home survival skills (homesteading skills), wilderness survival skills and medical survival skills. All of these are important to know.
Today I sharing which skills to learn and why.
Where can I learn survival skills?
Of course there are blogs like mine that share all sorts of free information. But there is also YouTube for more visual learners and I do think it is important to own printed books as well.
Where to practice basic survival skills?
- At home, first and foremost. This will be where will put our pioneer or old fashioned skills to use.
- A local farm or ranch. If you don’t have a lot of space for livestock you may find a small farm or ranch that will take you on as an intern.
- Camping – get out into the great outdoors and put some of the wilderness skills you acquire to the test.
At Home or Homesteading Skills (Pioneer Skills)
These are the homesteading or pioneer skills that I feel are important for survival.
- How to Garden (I would also say organic or natural gardening)
Backyard Vegetable Garden
Back to Eden Gardening
Easy to Grow Vegetables - How to Save Seeds & Plant Transplant
Where to Buy Heirloom Seeds
How to Use Seeds and Transplants
Frugal DIY Seed Starter Pots - How to Raise Livestock like Rabbits, Chickens, Quail & Goats
Getting Started with Meat Rabbits
Small Chicken Breeds (great for small backyards)
Chicken Coop Plans and Tips
The Nitty Gritty Basics on Raising Quail
Best Dairy Goats for Beginners
Raising Meat Goats - How to Process Livestock for Consumption
Simple Method to Butchering a Rabbit
How to Butcher a Chicken
How to Butcher a Quail (video) - How to Preserve Our Own Food
Canning – Water Bath Canning 101
Dehydrating – Food Dehydrators What You Need to Know
Root Cellars – Root Cellar Alternatives - How to Chop and Stack Firewood
How to Chop Wood - How to Cook from Scratch Without a Lot of Appliances
We cook more for convenience these days than with skills and nutrition in mind.
10 Important Vintage Cooking Skills You Should Have
10 Amazing Reasons You Need to Be Cooking from Scratch
Cast Iron Cooking
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipe - Basic Sewing Skills
4 Simple Sewing Tips for Beginners (No Machine Needed!)
Seeking Vintage Skills – Knitting
Home Economic Skills to Teach Your Kids - Off Grid Laundry
Doing Laundry by Hand
Other skills to consider would be soap making, candle making, composting, darning sock, tanning animal hide and so much more the list is endless!
Wilderness Skills We Need
These are the basic survival situation skills you’ll need when you may need in a disaster or bug out situation.
- Finding Clean Water
(drinking water is key to survival in every situation)
Where to Find Water in an Emergency | What is Drinkable? - How to Purify Water
How to Purify Water in an Emergency or Disaster Situation - Build a Fire and Starting a Fire Without a Lighter or Matches
6 Ways to Start a Fire Without Help - Building a Shelter
Survival Shelters: 15 Best Designs and How to Build Them - Foraging for Food – Identifying edible plants
Foraging for Food Guide
Ultimate Guide to Wild Food - Hunting for Wild Game or Wild Animals (cleaning small / large game)
I would include bow, guns, and trapping in this category.
Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Big Game
Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Small Game and Fowl
The Trapper’s Bible - How to Fish
Remember you might now have a pole so it would be good to learn how to make a fishing pole to how to catch fish without one.
Other wilderness skills you want: how to use a compass, read a map, how to make a weapon, how to use a signal mirror and basic hygiene without a bathroom or products available.
Medical Skills To Learn
How to treat illnesses and injuries in an emergency and / or with herbal remedies. Caring for the human body is not a task to take lightly!
- Herbal and Natural Medicine
Medicinal Garden What to Plant
Old Fashioned Home Remedies
Creating Your Natural Pharmacy - Basic First Aid
First Aid Skills and Supplies
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide
These pioneer skills could be the key to survival in an emergency. But they are also important vintage skills that we should know and teach to future generations.
Have we become too complacent in our modern lives? I think so. We need to take time away from our phones, computers and tvs!
What skills do you think are essential for survival? For homesteading? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
More Articles You’ll Love
Want more information on prepping and homesteading? I have covered!
15 Vintage Skills That Can Be Learned On YouTube
How to Stock a Home Pharmacy
Creating a Get Home Bag
Emergency Essentials Every House Should Have
Prepare for a Power Outage
