This is the golden rules of survival and prioritized based on time.
Rules of Threes
- 3 minutes without air
- 3 hours without shelter
- 3 days without water
- 3 weeks without food
I have 3 months, 3 years, and 3 decades in my equation as well in case of a massive global event, but for all cases, the above must be remembered to survive. Let’s address each one.
3 minutes without air
I know there are people that can hold their breath underwater for a very long time, for example, I can hold my breath for over 5 minutes because I freedive. But that being said, after a lack of air for 3 minutes, you tend to have issues with vision, sound, a potential for a black out, lack of oxygen to the bloodstream and the brain and eventually you will become unconscious. This is very bad in a survival situation. This can happen in a cave with a lack of oxygen in the air. When I go caving (not going to a local cave with guides), I always carry an air analyzer. If it emits an alarm, I tend to look at the device and if there is a high content of Hydrogen Sulfide or a drop in Oxygen in the air (air normally contains about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, and 1% of other gases). If the drop in Oxygen is below 15%, I tend to exit the cave.
3 hours without shelter
The next 3 rules of threes should be your priority if air is not an issue. Not having a proper shelter while being exposed (for example, pouring rain, snow and ice), you can start to have issues. Having a proper shelter will keep you from exposure issues like hypothermia, and it is the foundation of the next rules of threes. Practice the fastest shelter you can build to best protect yourself from exposure once a month at minimum to make sure that you’re capable when the need arises.
3 days without water
One of the first things I do once I have my shelter up is to build a fire. Why a fire, and why not get some water? Since I have 3 days before rapid dehydration, the fire will allow me to find questionable water and boil it to make it potable. If I can’t boil questionable water, you can use purification tablets or filtration systems so you can get water before fire (maybe). This being said, water is far more important than food in the short term. Dehydration causes all sorts of physical issues and can kill you. Learn how to treat water to make it potable, and use your filtration system at least once a month so you are not trying to figure things out in an emergency situation. Make sure to follow the recommended steps to clean the filter after use.
3 weeks without food
I have gone over a week without food during an outing because I could not catch fish, hunt for food, and not a whole lot to forage in the environment I was in. I was fine, other than I lost about 5 pounds of weight. After 10 days, your body is going to feel weak, you may feel dizzy (though part of that is mental), and your muscles will become your body’s food from here on. After 2 weeks, you may start to lose motor skills and your mind won’t be as sharp. So what happens on Day 22? If you lasted that long without food, you are more than likely emaciated and some organs are starting to fail, if not shutting down already. Learn how to fish, trap, hunt, and forage so you never go more than a few days without food.
All of these skills are addressed here so keep learning, practicing, and practicing some more to survive.
