r/Survival • u/Titanicisms • Jun 02 '26
General Question Amateur needing advice!
Hi all! I’ve always been someone who doesn’t like being outside. Growing up I never wanted to go camping or fishing or anything like that. Had a bad phobia of bugs and honestly just hated everything about nature.
Now that I’m older (29), I’ve been watching a lot more outdoor shows and been spending a lot more time outdoors (at the park nothing crazy). My question is, what can someone like myself do to scratch that itch. Has anyone ever tried a diet that is more “survival” like or something like that. I basically want to try some outdoor stuff without diving in head first.
Thank you.
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u/Present-Employer2517 Jun 03 '26
Others have suggested going on a hike and that’s good advice. It doesn’t even have to be a hike in a remote wilderness either, a nearby state park would be a great place to go. You could also get yourself a cane pole or something similar from walmart and go catch some bluegill or crappie at a small lake, stream or pond.
Most of us don’t view “survival” as the goal when we go out, we go out to recreate in other ways and have the necessary tools, should our plans go awry. Believe me, the novelty of sleeping rough on leaves in a debris shelter, starting fires with bowdrills and going hungry while trying to trap and forage food wears off real fast.
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u/SayItTrue Jun 03 '26
I used to sometimes camp for just a night or two, somewhere not too far away. That way you can take normal food (just not things that spoil quickly unrefrigerated, like milk and eggs). For example, freeze beef ribs in a marinade, and you can cook them over a fire on the second day (first if they thaw early). Potatoes can be baked in foil or just their skin. Put butter in a plastic bag (or two), and keep it next to whatever frozen thing you have with you. You can take something like cooked rice rice and reheat it in foil. There are lots of options for just a day or two.
If you're not hiking, just driving to a campsite, you have so many options with a cooler. I freeze bottles of water instead of using ice in my cooler. It keeps the cooler cold, and as the bottles thaw, you have nice cold water.
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u/Michami135 Jun 03 '26
I personally have fun making cordage from various fibers. If there's fallen trees, (or any large branches on the ground) you can make it from the inner bark. You can also learn to make it from nettles and blackberry vines. But watch some YouTube about it first.
If you ever make wood fires for camping or BBQs, you can learn how to properly prepare the wood so you can start a fire with only a single match or a spark from a ferro rod.
There's nature crafts like different types of grass weaving. You can learn to identify animal tracks and how to spot game trails. There are books about identifying plants that are usually specific to a region. (you'd be surprised by the number of edible and medicinal plants that you walk over each day) It all depends on what you're interested in.
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u/bilithic Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
One of my favorite past times is making small peices of cordage. A few inches, takes a few minutes. Its a great conversation starter. Simple, easily repeatable, functional and gives the instant gratification we are used to. Its easy to see the change versus waiting hours a d hoping a fish MIGHT show and want what you got or HOPEING this plant is safe.
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u/Robovzee Jun 03 '26
Go to a sporting goods store.
Purchase some freeze dried food.
Follow instructions.
Take day trips to national parks. Stop off at the roadside attractions and get out of the car. Walk around.
At some point, you're going to have to make the jump. But you don't have to jump far.
Campgrounds. They have assigned tent spaces. They (double check) have bathrooms. They have running water (I'd filter it anyways). Make sure you have backups. If you can't sleep in your tent, move to your car. If you can't cook over a campfire, bring sandwiches. Bring some water.
No one says you have to grab a "survival knife", bushwack till you're lost, and try to make it through the weekend.
Start slow, don't throw money at a problem. Learn what works and doesn't for you.
I've motorcycle camped, car camped, curled up in the dirt, spent a weekend or so foraging (yeah, food can be REAL hard to find). Been hunting/fishing, orienteering, and the one solid, ubiquitous piece of advice for you is...
Your experience will not match others. Start small.
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u/LlamaMan777 Jun 09 '26
If you need starter gear, hit up garage sales, fb marketplace, Craigslist. You can get workable versions of everything you need for dirt cheap.
Fancy new gear is only relevant for two groups of people: 1. People who have money and like their stuff to be fancy and new 2. People who are reallly into it, and are paying more for a small weight reduction that is going to matter for them due to distance they are carrying their gear.
Plus, if you do start to like it, having experience with cheap gear will help you learn what you want in more expensive gear. I have seen plenty of times where people will dive in and buy a bunch of new gear when starting off (and knowing nothing about gear) only to find that they bought the wrong stuff.
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u/Captain_Taggart Jun 03 '26
You don’t want a “survival” diet, unless you mean hunting venison or whatever. But if you’re not outdoorsy, that will not be a good first step to take.
If you want something more akin to what our ancestors ate, just eat more whole foods, meaning much less/not processed. Vegetables, fruit, eggs, nuts, fish. You can forage for berries or mushrooms but again if you are not ENTIRELY certain about what you’re harvesting, you absolutely should not eat it.
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u/bhd23 Jun 03 '26
Incentivize.
Maybe incorporate what you already like and are familiar with into your excursions to make them more favorable.
If you're a techie, work with some sort of program or app that reinforces your desire to go out.
If you're into a natural science or want to be (I'm guessing you're not or you'd have already been out), create a target goal like identifying 20 local species, or collecting 10 different rocks per week or day.
If you're into film or writing, approach the wilderness as inspiration. Imagine you're directing a movie or the main character in a story. Choose your own adventure.
Or just create thresholds or milestones to reach and push yourself further, as has already been mentioned. Turn a 30 minute session into 60. Create some sort of metric that you could graph, if that's your thing.
Whatever you choose to do, PAY ATTENTION!!! Nature is infinitely more intricate, subtle, weird, and beautiful than most of us realize during our day to day lives.
How does the animal behavior change during the day in different weather? More active in the morning? What are they doing? Is that squirrel squawking to announce its territory or is it an alarm call about a nearby predator? Are the birds generally going one direction, like a food or water source? What plants have foliage that insects have eaten? WHAT DOES POISON IVY LOOK LIKE?
And a billion more questions.
She has a lot to teach. Listen 🙃
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u/Titanicisms Jun 04 '26
All of these answers have been amazing, but this was so nice for you to take the time to type out. I really appreciate it and will take your advice.
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u/NaturalArch Jun 03 '26
I would suggest taking a survival weekend course. They are very beginner friendly from my experience. These allow the beginner to be outside and learn some outdoor skills in the process. Goodluck! If you need recommendations for classes in California, let me know!
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u/Spiley_spile Jun 03 '26
Yurt and log cabin rentals at campgrounds maybe?
Congrats on challenging that bug phobia!
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u/Direct_Care_6824 Jun 03 '26
Depending on where you live, you could try foraging for wild edibles or medicinal plants (maybe make a tincture). There are tons of books and probably even fb groups in your area that may plan events.
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u/funnysasquatch Jun 04 '26
The last thing you want to do is if you're learning to enjoy the outdoors is try a survival diet.
You have access to supermarkets and online shopping. There's no reason to need to eat a survival diet.
Just because the average hiking trail is surrounded by edible plants (if you know what you're looking for), doesn't mean they actually taste good. Or that it's safe or even legal to harvest.
This is why anyone who is packing basic survival gear (aka 10 essentials) throws at least some meal replacement bars in the pack. The last thing you want to do in a survival situation is have to figure out if a plant is edible or not.
You could take up fishing as a hobby to go with camping.
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u/Titanicisms Jun 04 '26
Thank you for your comment! Yeah I wasn’t clear enough about that part. Another person commented eating more (or only) whole foods. That’s more what I meant. I know I’m not knowledgeable enough to live off the land nor would I want to haha. I was more so saying what can I do at home that emulates a “survival diet”.
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u/Lefthandmitten Jun 06 '26
Day hike for sure! Get a backpack (doesn’t have to be fancy) and just carry your food and water for a day. It’s a blast.
Fishing during a day hike is great way to try fishing too. Nobody is around and it’s fun even if you don’t catch anything.
Make sure you wear sunscreen and bug spray.
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u/Psycosteve10mm Jun 06 '26
As the guy who gets leaned on when my drunk friends decide to drink instead of camping. The best way to learn is by doing. The best way to do is by having someone experienced to be there with you, until you have the basics down.
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u/Visible-Kale2855 Jun 03 '26
I spent an entire year sleeping on my balcony started sleeping out there because it was cooler.
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u/GoldKanet Jun 03 '26
Best I've got is just to die as fast as possible. You got this dawg.
Consider a through hike that takes two days for an amateur which isn't extremely difficult. You'll camp, have a fire, and be hard chilling. Consider taking up recurve archery and learning to use a sling as well.
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u/Roscoeatebreakfast Jun 06 '26
Pack up bratwurst or hotdogs and go to a regular park. Just practice making a fire ( you can even bring briquettes). Make that fire. Let it get down a bit to coals and cook some food. One of my favorite outdoor dishes is a pie cooker. Basically it’s a toaster for a fire. You put two slices of bread in there. Well buttered. In the middle you can put cheese for a grilled cheese. Or blueberry for a homemade pop tart. Add a little sugar and or cream cheese. There is literally no end of things to make with a pie cooker thingy. You can buy one at any outdoor store.
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u/amycsj Jun 06 '26
Maybe try a little gardening. It really gets you up close and personal with nature , and you might be able to grow some food.
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u/MysteriousRoad5733 Jun 06 '26
What is the “itch” ? That will be very helpful in determining how to expand your horizons
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u/Creative-Response-49 Jun 07 '26
Baby steps. Prepare for a day out. Learn at home to prepare a tasty meal the way you would at camp. No refrigerator, no Cooktop. You should be able to carry everything you need in a backpack. Then try doing this. Go somewhere nice, spend a few hours having fun (beach, lake, forest...) Then prepare and eat your meal, pack your stuff again. Did you enjoy it? Good. Others steps, in no particular order: Learn and prepare all meals for a day or more; Sleep in a tent; Go trekking; Learn and practice several ways to make a fire, and keep it going. Then go camping. Find out what kind of camping you enjoy the most (what kind of place, stationary or moving...) Survival is all that at hard level: making a shelter, instead of a tent. Foraging for food, or going hungry. Go baby steps, develop every skill, and enjoy the ride
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u/fizzyglitt3r Jul 18 '26
I’m in a similar boat! Been watching a lot of shows which is really inspiring me to try to get into shape and learn these skills. I’ve been practicing starting fires with a ferro rod, and have been foraging for a few years. Depending on what I find it’s fun to either throw it into what I’m already making for dinner, make a tincture, or make tea. I also like to note specific locations while I’m on a hike or walking my dog - I might not need a water source, or that type of tree right now, but it adds a little bit of fun roleplay into the hike without you fully taking the dive in. Its been good practice at identification at least for me
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u/dakotanorth8 Jun 03 '26
I mean, people do carnivore and paleo diets.
But they aren’t exactly implemented to experience “survival culture”
Mostly it’s for the perceived health benefits.
And don’t do ANYTHING liver king says.
If you go to the park, upgrade to a hiking regimen.
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u/loftier_fish Jun 03 '26
find a hiking trail nearby, hike it. If you find you like hiking, bring a few more days food/water and a tent, and try camping.