Learning how to survive in the wild has been quite a journey for me. When I really got serious about my survival education, I found that I was learning skills from thousands of years ago. However, the methods I used to remember these skills are from modern survivalists. Our ancestors knew how to live in the toughest environments, but they didn’t know much about learning devices like acronyms and alliteration.
Think about exactly what it is that we are trying to learn. For most of us, we want to learn how to stay alive when stranded in the wilderness for several days. Now imagine you are a pioneer headed west hundreds of years ago. You were forced to walk into uncharted territories and survive indefinitely with just the resources around you. These brave men and women have passed on many of the lessons that we learn in our own efforts.
The same is true if you go back even further and look at the lessons Native Americans passed on to all of us. Much of what we know about survival was established thousands of years before explorers ever came to North America. Some lessons I have learned were from my parents and grandparents, but they originated from generations prior.
Some modern-day survivalists such as Dave Canterbury have made it their mission to compile these lessons and make them easier to learn for modern survivalists. He has written several books on the subject and developed the 10 C’s of wilderness survival. There are dozens of survivalists on various different television programs, but Dave is one of the few that I look up to. He always focuses on learning and provides accurate and helpful information at all times while still remaining entertaining. In this article, we will break down Dave’s 10 C’s of Survival and explain how to implement this rule into your survival training.
The 10 C’s of Wilderness Survival
Before we start listing out what the 10 C’s are, please let me explain why this rule is important. The 10 C’s of survival are categories of tools that you need to have with you in the wild to help you survive. This rule is vital for building survival kits like your bug-out bag, get-home bag, and everyday carry kit. It is also important for when you take trips into the wilderness for camping, hiking, fishing, or hunting. This particular rule is effective because of the categories all starting with the letter C. This alliteration makes the information easier to retain. It is simply a learning tool like the Rule of Three’s for Survival, SING for self-defense, or ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll’ for fire safety. Numerical repetition, acronyms, and catchy slogans all work in similar ways to help you remember the important stuff you learn.
While I regularly have this particular rule in the back of my mind, there are a few times that I really break it down. One of them is one I am building kits for my family and myself. Any survival kit should focus on the 10 C’s. Another situation is when I am running a two-minute drill with my family. We always plan for the worst and hope for the best. With a two-minute drill, you are assuming that you do not have access to your survival kits. Your family has two minutes to get gear together to leave the home on foot or by vehicle. We then review the gear to see if the items meet all of the requirements of the 10 C’s.
Finally, I use the 10 C’s whenever my survival alert is higher than normal. This could happen when I am planning a float trip in the wilderness. It could also happen when a blizzard is headed our way or riots are breaking out downtown. Any time I become more concerned with the safety of my family and myself, I will review the 10 C’s.
Cutting Blades
In any survival scenario, a strong and sharp knife is your most valuable tool. Ideally, you want a knife with a fixed blade and a full tang design. This means that the blade extends all the way to the end of the handle. The single piece of steel used for this is more reliable than a folding blade knife. The blade should between four and ten inches long from the tip to the handle. This makes it small enough for detailed work like cleaning fish, but large enough for tougher work like processing firewood.
Pay close attention to the quality of the steel that you select. I bought a survival knife when I was new to survival. It looked and felt like the perfect knife. Then when I went to skin a deer I noticed I was sharpening the blade every five minutes. After doing some research, I found that I purchased a blade made from inferior steel. I replaced it with a knife made from better steel, and the problem was solved. High carbon steels can be used to strike a ferro rod for starting fires. Feel free to bring folding blade knives as backups.
In addition to a survival knife, you might want to grab tools specifically designed for cutting wood. Your survival knife should be able to handle the job, but a saw or an ax would get the job done faster and keep your knife sharp. I personally prefer a small folding saw. Mine is only eight inches long when folded but can cut logs up to about four inches in diameter. Axes and hatchets can work, but they are better for felling and limbing bigger trees.
Combustion Device
Combustion devices are any tools that will start a fire by creating a spark, flame, or plasma arc. I always keep a lighter in my pocket but would grab a few backups in this case. You can use a lighter, some waterproof matches, or a ferro rod. The ferro rod is one of your best options as it is windproof, waterproof, and requires no fuel.
Fire is one of the most important resources you can have in the wilderness. It will keep you warm, light your camp, cook food, purify water, scare predators, and keep the mosquitoes away. You can use the smoke to signal for help or preserve meats, while the soot is good for camouflage or cleaning your teeth. Firestarters are typically small and easy to lose, so bring several. I also suggest some waterproof tinder such as Wetfire Cubes or Firestix. These will let you start a fire in the wind and pouring rain when you otherwise would be wet and cold.
Cover
When we say cover for survival gear, we are talking about items that will help cover your body and keep you warm. Hypothermia is the number one reason for people dying in wilderness survival scenarios. Try to always dress according to the weather even if you do not plan to be outside that day. If you already have on appropriate clothing, then you just need to grab a few other clothing items. If it is cool outside, get a jacket, gloves, and a hat. Grabbing a poncho or rain suit would be smart as well.
If you are not already wearing boots for hiking off-trail, you should grab a pair. Always get several pairs of wool socks. Footwear is so important for survival. If you end up with bad blisters, a twisted ankle, or trench foot you will have a hard time completing survival tasks to stay alive. Good boots are warm, waterproof, have ankle support, and have quality tread for grip. Wool is the material of choice for socks because it is the only natural material that will keep you warm even when wet.
Another option for cover would be an emergency blanket. These large blankets are waterproof and have a shiny side that will reflect 90% of your body heat back to you. They are ideal for wrapping up to keep warm and dry. You can also use them to build a shelter. Higher quality models are made of tarp material and have grommets at the corners making them stronger and more versatile. Small tents, bivy sacks, blankets, and sleeping bags can all be considered cover. However, they normally take up too much space for survival purposes.
Container
No, you do not need to raid your wife’s Tupperware collection. For containers, we mean a metal pot, cup, or bowl for purifying water and cooking food. I like to grab a steel cup with a rubber handle for these purposes. However, you can even use a discarded plastic bottle to boil water if you know how. You can almost always find plastic or glass bottles in the woods, especially along bodies of water.
Cordage
Yes, you can weave cordage from roots or use vines in the wild. However, this cordage is not nearly as strong or flexible as what you can bring with you. Any cordage is good to bring, but the most versatile option is 550 paracord. This cordage was designed to connect parachutes to harnesses, so it is both thin and strong. It will hold 550 lbs of weight, but it takes up very little space in your pack. You can also split open the outer sheath and use the individual strands inside. Each of these strands will hold about 50 lbs of weight.
There are lots of easy ways to carry paracord. I always replace my boot laces with 550 paracord giving me around 100 feet of cordage if I split them open. You can also weave lanyards or bracelets to carry more. Many of the other survival items I bring came with paracord lanyards when I bought them. You can also buy paracord that is flammable for starting fires, or you can get paracord stuffed with fishing line and trapping wire for catching some food.
Cotton Bandannas or Shemaghs
It is always helpful to have a thin, cotton cloth handy in the wilderness. A bandanna works for this, and a shemagh is just a larger bandana. You can see shemaghs worn by military soldiers most often in hot, sandy environments. They are great for keeping sand out of your face and keeping the sun off of your head. These cloths can also keep sweat out of your eyes, help you cook, help you purify water, bandage cuts, and clean up.
On my very first survival challenge, I made the mistake of standing up too quickly. I had built my shelter under a tree with some low-hanging branches. I thought I had cut the points off of any low branches, but I missed some. I took off my hat and stood up straight into one of those points. My head was cut open and bleeding, and I didn’t have a first aid kit.
I had been sleeping in the dirt for three days, so the only clean cloth I had was from my pockets. I cut them out of my pants and used some boiling water to clean and bandage the wound. I was able to complete the challenge without an infection. If I had a bandanna or shemagh, this process would have been easier.
Cargo Tape
Most of us know this as duct tape, and it can be used for way more purposes than I could ever name. While it is not the most important item you can bring, you will always find uses for duct tape. The strong fibers inside make it both easy to tear off the roll and tough to tear once applied. The adhesive is also strong, so it rarely comes off even when wet. Because it is tough it can be used to make cordage or shoes. I often see people use it to make bowls or cups. It is also ideal for patching up wounds or waterproofing the legs of your pants. Seal up a leaky raft or tie up an intruder. It can be used for almost anything.
Compass and Map
These days most people use the GPS on their phones to navigate. However, phones can die or break and the batteries can run out. The most reliable way to navigate your area is with a good map and compass. Even when deep in the wilderness, using landmarks on a map along with a compass to orient your map will get you where you need to be. Many of my survival multitools have compasses built-in, so I normally have a few with me.
Cloth Sail Needle
While this item may seem a bit outdated, it still has its uses. A cloth sail needle is not just used for sails. This needle is larger than what you would see in a sewing kit. The size allows you to use it on a larger variety of materials with thicker cordage. If you only have paracord interior strands to work with, a standard needle is too small. You can use this needle to repair an emergency blanket, patch your clothing, or stitch a wound.
Candling Device
While this could be a candle, it is just a source of light. It is difficult to do anything at night without a light source, and it can be incredibly dangerous. You probably have a flashlight app on your phone, but again this is not reliable. You should always have either a headlamp or a flashlight with you. I prefer headlamps as they keep both of your hands free. You can use candles, torches, oil lamps, glow sticks, or lanterns as well.
While the 10 C’s of Survival does not cover every item you will want in your packs, it does cover some of the most important ones. It will take some practice to remember the 10 C’s. Review each of these categories and associate the name with the items it represents. Then try to write down as many as you can from memory. You will probably get about half of them on the first try. Then go back to the article and reread the ones you missed. Continue this process until you can remember all 10 of them every time.
While this learning tool does focus on gear itself, this is not enough to keep you alive when SHTF. You should absolutely use this list to make sure you own at least one tool from each category and purchase anything missing. However, you need to get these items out of their packages and learn how to use them. You can do this on camping and hiking trips, or you can do it in your backyard. These tools are as good as paperweights if you do not know how to use them. If you take the time to commit the 10 C’s to memory, they will be there for you when you really need them.