Bear Grylls - How to Stay Alive

Bear Grylls prime-time TV adventure series are some of the most watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers in over 200 countries. Bear is the host of ITVs Mission Survive and Channel 4s BAFTA-winning The Island with Bear Grylls . He is the author of twenty books, including the international number one bestseller Mud, Sweat and Tears.

He originally served as a Trooper with 21 SAS, and subsequently led many record-breaking expeditions to the worlds extremes, raising millions of pounds for childrens charities. In recognition of this Bear was made an honorary Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy as well as an honorary Colonel in the elite Royal Marines Commandos. He is also currently the youngest ever Chief Scout and an inspirational figure to the 40-million-strong youth movement.

For more information on Bear Grylls and his books, see his website at www.beargrylls.com

Nobody knows survival like Bear Grylls. There is barelya terrain he hasnt conquered or an extreme environmenthe hasnt experienced. Over the years from his time in21 SAS, through to his extraordinary expeditions climbing(and paragliding over) Everest, travelling through the Arctics treacherous Northwest Passage, crossing the worlds oceansand taking part in adventures to the toughest corners ofeach of the seven continents Bear has accumulatedan astonishing wealth of survival knowledge.

Now, for the first time, he is putting all his expertise intoone book. How To Stay Alive will teach you:

How to survive a bear attack

How to fly a plane in an emergency

How to make fire from virtually nothing

How to drive off road

How to navigate using the stars

How to administer emergency first aid

How to escape a burning building

How to survive a terrorist attack

And dozens of other essential skills to survive the modern world.

Thank you to the BG team of survival and safety experts I have worked with on so many adventures, especially to Scott, Stani, Meg and Dave for all your input to the practical, resourceful and innovative details that have helped me compile this book. I dedicate it to this team, who have lived and breathed all this stuff alongside me for so many years and in so many hellholes!

Facing Up

Facing the Frozen Ocean

Born Survivor

Great Outdoor Adventures

Living Wild

With Love, Papa

Mud, Sweat and Tears

A Survival Guide For Life

True Grit

Your Life Train For It

Extreme Food

Fuel For Life

Mission Survival

Gold of the Gods

Way of the Wolf

Sands of the Scorpion

Tracks of the Tiger

Claws of the Crocodile

Strike of the Shark

Rage of the Rhino

Lair of the Leopard

IN THE MILITARY, you get used to carrying heavy backpacks filled with over 100lb of gear. It gets you fit and it gets you strong. But in a survival situation, lugging too much stuff around with you could be a killer. It slows you down and it drains you of energy.

So now, whenever I go out on an expedition, I take the very minimum I can get away with. With a light pack on your back, you can move with speed and agility over rugged terrain. You can beat the weather if a storms coming in. You can make sure that your energy is directed towards the important business of getting yourself out alive, rather than being sapped by useless pounds of excess weight you really dont need.

Before thinking about what we need to put in our backpack, we need to make sure its waterproof. I dont care if a rucksack manufacturer claims that their rucksack is 100 per cent waterproof: they never are. Not in the kind of conditions you might encounter. No rucksack will withstand wading across a lagoon or fording an underground river.

So you always need a liner of some sort. If its a proper rucksack liner, great. If not, a plastic bag will do.

Inside that liner, you need another liner! One bag is never enough in water. Soldiers regularly put dry clothes in double bags. If its something really important like a radio then its even more crucial to double-line it. (Ive lost count of the number of people Ive met who have bought a waterproof bag in which to stow their phones, only to find that its not waterproof at all. Two bags is always the way to go.)

Once youve waterproofed your rucksack, you can think about what to stow in it.

Carry a knife, save a life. See for what you need to know.

At the bottom of your bag, you should always carry some emergency rations. A good stash would be a bag of nuts, energy bars and flapjacks. Put them in a small bag and wrap it all up tightly with masking tape so its like a solid brick. Stow it away at the bottom of your pack and forget about it, safe in the knowledge that if a day-long expedition turns into an overnighter, youve got a solid lump of a thousand or so calories sitting there ready for use.

These straws are plastic tubes with built-in filters. You simply put one end of the straw into contaminated water be it in a bottle, a river, or even a puddle and suck clean water through the top of the straw. The filter does all the hard work for you. I often carry one of these: theyre cheap, light and effective. Good bits of kit.

Clothing can be heavy and bulky. You dont want to be carrying too much. The really essential piece of gear is a warm, waterproof jacket to give you that extra layer of protection against the elements. Try to choose one with waterproof zips, Velcro cuffs and an elasticated hem. Above all, it needs to be lightweight.

If you venture out into unfamiliar terrain without a map, youre asking for trouble.

youll find lots of tips about how to find your way when youre lost using the sun, the stars and other forms of natural navigation. In terms of equipment, however, your best friend is always going to be a compass. It doesnt need to be big, expensive or fancy in fact, you want it to be small and light.

This has so many uses. For example:

building shelters (see )

fishing (see )

trapping (see )

kit repair

as a boot lace

as an emergency tourniquet (see )

Even better than a head torch? Two head torches. And a couple of spare batteries. Loads of people get themselves into dangerous situations because they slightly misjudge their timings and end up in unfamiliar terrain with no light source. A head torch shows you the way and keeps your hands free.

You only need a small one. Its antiseptic as well as being able to seal small cuts or grazes.

See the next section for what these need to contain.

And thats it. Lightweight, but containing all the items you really need.

K.I.S.S.

(KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID!)

Keep it waterproof. You need two waterproof liners.