Hobbies Can Teach You A Lot About Survival Skills

That’s how most of life works.

Something you learn in one area of your life can be transferred to another area.

This is definitely true when it comes to survival skills.

Not everything that goes into prepping takes a Navy SEAL mindset or level of training.

In fact very little of it really does.

And that’s what surprises people so much. They think they need to be the best prepper ever to endure a crisis.

Well it’s not true and I’m going to show you why with just a little bit of time and dedication some really fun activities you can be better prepared to survive a crisis.

Turn These Hobbies Into Legitimate Survival Skills

1. Hunting:

   It’s one of the great past times of millions of Americans. But as more people begin to live in urban environments it’s also become something of a lost art. That’s why it’s such a good idea to learn the ins and outs of this hobby. One of the first and most obvious reasons is because it will help you end up with food to eat. We all know a SHTF situation is going to mean food shortages. And even if you’ve got ample food storage built up it’s never going to hurt to know how to source it yourself.

   Another reason this hobby will help is because it’ll teach you how to blend in with your natural surroundings so you can effectively escape capture should you ever be involved in a chase scenario. Learning how to read the land and then disappear into your surroundings to catch your food pays big dividends in survival situations.

   If hunting seems like something you’d like to do but you don’t know where to start just talk to people you know who hunt and have them help you learn this fun and useful survival skill.

2. Archery:

   Piggybacking on the idea hunting is a gun hobby to learn, archery is an equally fun and exciting hobby to get involved in. One of the best parts about archery is it’s inexpensive to get into, doesn’t require any invasive background checks or licensing and can also double as both a self-defense and hunting tool.

   Another compelling reason to pick up this hobby is you can reuse the arrows. Unlike firearm the arrows you shoot can be used over and over again.

   The bow and arrow is an amazing tool. Deadly, silent, lightweight, and durable you’ll find it’s also a relaxing and challenging hobby that is perfectly translated to survival situations.

3. Camping/Backpacking:

   Nothing is going to better prepare you for a life lived in the outdoors than camping and backpacking. There’s a number of reasons for this. Camping and backpacking teach you what it’s like to shoulder a load for a number of miles, something you will definitely find to be quite a shock if SHTF and you’re forced to bug out real quick.

   Secondly it forces you to improvise.

   When you go backpacking/camping there are going to be so many times where the things you brought with you just don’t work. That leads to a discovery process where you’re forced to learn how to “survive” when things aren’t going your way.

   Not only that but camping and backpacking essentially force you to buy survival gear so you can really have fun. That’s important, especially if you’ve ever thought there’s no use in buying survival gear if you’re never going to use it.

4. Auto-Mechanics:

   For some this is a hobby, for others it’s an essential duty, and some people learn the essentials because it helps them save money on car repair. Whatever the reason it’s a valuable hobby to have because if you can learn how to operate on a car engine it means you’re adequately prepared to work on most kinds of machines. This is one of those hobbies that’s best learned under the guidance and care of an experienced hobbyist. You don’t want to go tinkering in the engine and mess things up as that could cost you a pretty penny down the road.

   But learning the basic movements of an engine as well as what you can do to help fix it is an invaluable resource for disaster situations.

5. Gardening:

   Millions of Americans dabble in gardening, and many of them do so with less than stellar results. I can think of only a few other hobbies that are as helpful as gardening. The more time you spend with your hands in the dirt, the more educated you become on what it takes to feed yourself and others.

   Gardening takes a good amount of time to master and at the same time it’s a wonderful hobby as it’s therapeutic and it also helps you save money on your grocery bill.

6. Kickboxing/Martial Arts:

   You’ve probably noticed there’s been a huge surge in martial arts style fitness classes. This is a great thing for so many people. Not only does it keep you in shape it also does wonders for helping you prepare for the possibility of having to defend yourself in an attack. It doesn’t really matter what style of martial arts you end up pursuing so long as it teaches you how to properly defend yourself from a direct attack.

   One of the most effective is Krav Maga. It’s great for people who want a good workout and who don’t want to have to spend a lot of time learning complex movements to use in self-defense.

   Krav Maga teaches simple movements you can use to take down attackers in an instant.

7. Four Wheeling/Off Roading:

   This might come as a surprise but this is probably one of the handiest survival skills to learn and it’s a super fun hobby. Millions of Americans are off-roading enthusiasts. And while it might be an expensive hobby it’s quite rewarding because all the money you spend leads to some serious FUN.

   Again, this is a hobby that you can do with a stock 4 wheel drive vehicle, or one you can really sink your teeth (and your paycheck) into.

   The benefit of course is you’ll know how to safely navigate a plethora of complicated survival situations with ease.

8. Running:

   This might be a hobby you’re not that enthusiastic about. But I guarantee you it’s one that’s totally worth pursuing.

   That’s because running provides you with a level of fitness you’ll absolutely need to have in a crisis situation.

   Imagine what might happen if you were to end up in a crisis scenario and the only way out required you to hoof it for several miles.

   Think that having running as an activity you actively participate in will boost your chances of survival? You bet. Running also provides several benefits to you before a crisis situation ever happens. Namely it works to keep you healthy now!

These are all some really fun and worthwhile hobbies that are great for an impending disaster situation.

Probably the best way to top off this list is by saying the one thing you need to have in your preparedness kit is a bug out bag (aka survival kit).

We’ve got quite a few different options on the main site.

To see which one works best for you click here or on the image below.