There are simple, shorthand rules for just about everything in life. Their purpose is to make things easier to understand and remember, kind of like the mnemonic devices you learn in school to help you remember the order of operations in math or the order of the planets. The survival rule of threes is no different. Easy to memorize and easy to recall, they function as a sort of roadmap to help you solve a problem quicker.
The survival rule of threes are the exact same thing. It’s easy to memorize and easy to remember. It’ll help you solve a problem. That problem being “How the hell do I survive?”
Imagine this. You’re out camping with some friends, having a blast, drinking and roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs or whatever it is you do with your friends (no judgement here). You notice the fire getting low so, being the kind chap you are, you wander off into the dark woods in search of more firewood. You can hear your friends and see the glow of the dying fire, so you’re fine.
Since you and your friends scoured the immediate area of all burnable wood already, you venture deeper, lost in thought about whether that pretty cashier was actually flirting with you or just doing her job. Since it’s November, it’s pretty cold, but that’s alright, you have a light jacket and will be back at the fire in no time.
Except…where’s the fire? And you can’t hear your friends any more. And it’s starting to get cold. Lost in thought, you wandered too far in an unknown direction and now you’re lost in the cold, dark woods, barely equipped for anything.
How the hell do you survive?
The survival Rule of Threes
By remembering the survival rule of threes, you can prioritize your needs and figure out what you should do next in order to ensure your survival.
The Survival Rule of Threes:
- Three minutes without air/Three minutes in icy water
- Three hours without shelter in a harsh environment (not icy water)
- Three days without water (if there is adequate shelter)
- Three weeks without food (with water and shelter)
Simple, right? And it’s easy to remember because it makes perfect sense. Those are your priorities. The first needs to be addressed; once it is, move to the second, then the third, then the fourth.
The survival rule of threes is designed to help you move step-by-step through your problems, clearly identifying the risks and resources you have available to you and maximize your chances of survival.
So, let’s revisit you in the dark November woods, drunk and lost and shivering.
Do you have oxygen? Yes.
Do you have shelter? Nope. Is this a harsh environment? It’s probably borderline, to be honest. It’s cold for sure, and you’ve been drinking, which lowers your body temperature, but you are clothed, and you haven’t been out there too long.
So, solve the problem of shelter. Dig a shallow hole and cover yourself with some deadfall. Or, maybe you have a lighter in your pocket and can build a fire. Either way, you’ll probably live through the night.
Those two problems solved, move to the next. Do you have water? Nope. Is it likely you’ll be out here for three days? Probably not, but why risk it? If you wake up in the morning and you haven’t been found, then look for water.
We’ll let you stew in the woods for a bit while we revisit the rules. Do you see how that works? You have needs to ensure survival: oxygen, shelter, water, food. The basic needs of life. You have a certain amount of time you can go without those needs. So you use that knowledge to figure out what’s most important.
It wouldn’t make sense for a man freezing to death in the snow to worry about his next meal. It doesn’t make sense for a man wandering the desert to try to find a snack. Your body is an incredibly efficient machine; food is always the last priority.
Let’s talk more thoroughly about these needs and the various situations you might find yourself in one day.
Survival need #1 - Oxygen
Are you allergic to anything, like peanuts or bees or shellfish? Not mild hay fever or a runny nose, but the throat-closes-up-and-you-can’t-breathe type of allergy. They’re more common than you think. So is asthma, which is a chronic condition that weakens the respiratory system. Asthmatics know the value of every breath.
When you hear “survival”, what do you think? Deep in the woods, or lost at sea, or something like that? Truth is, anything time you’re threatened you’re in a survival situation. So it’s important not just for the campers, the preppers, and the hunters, but for everyone who might one day be in a survival situation. And that’s literally everyone on the planet.
Survival situations where oxygen isn’t readily available are the most critical and, as the rules of three show, time-sensitive. It’s important to act quick and know yourself. Are you severely allergic to something? Carry an epinephrine injection everywhere you go. If you’re asthmatic, always remember your inhaler. And wear medical alert bracelets if necessary. All of these things could potentially mean the difference between life and death.
Boost Oxygen Supplement: It may sound weird saying you EDC oxygen, but seriously consider it. After a fire, which are depressingly common, people might not be getting enough oxygen due to smoke inhalation damage. There are a lot of uses for almost-pure oxygen, and for fourteen bucks for a canister, it’s not a bad price for something that might save your life someday.
survival need #2 = Shelter
Shelter is something that we take for granted, and something we don’t really consider in emergency situations. But it is important, because in a harsh environment it could kill you quicker than almost anything else. If you’re wet and in freezing temperatures, you only have a few hours before your body shuts down for good. And if you’re in an environment of extreme heat, you’ll be dead before you get sunburned.
A lot of people might think of shelter as a house, or at least a structure with four walls and a roof. But shelter can be as simple as a decent jacket or a warm fire or a bit of shade. Shelter, when looked at through the lens of survival, is anything that counteracts the environmental forces that are trying to kill you.
Swiss Safe Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets: Since you can’t fit a house into your pocket, this is the next best thing. These are the metallic-looking blankets you might have seen in movies before. They look like that for a reason. They’re reflective and retain up to 90% of your body heat. They also completely block rain, snow, and moisture, making then perfect snug little shelters to help fend off the elements until you’re rescued. At fourteen bucks for a pack of four, you would be insane to not grab some and prepare for the worst.
Survival Need #3 - Water
Water is essential and necessary to life. Without it, you’re dead in less than half a week. Sometimes water is hard to find. Sometimes it’s everywhere and you can’t drink it due to bacteria or salt or anything else.
Now, if you’re drowning, you won’t need water, obviously. That’s an oxygen issue. But for everyone else, when oxygen isn’t an issue and you’ve either found shelter or are in a mild environment, your first priority is to find drinkable water. That’s the hard part: drinkable water. This planet is 70% water; it’s everywhere, even in the air we breathe, but only a small fraction of it is safe to drink.
Lifestraw: The ultra-popular personal water filtration system can be yours for less than eighteen bucks. This thing gets talked about a lot, and for good reason. It filters 99.9999% of everything that can possibly harm you in most water supplies. If you die after using one of these, it’s just your time to go.
And it’s not a one-and-done, either. This will provide you with 1,000 gallons of clean, drinkable, life-giving water. Which is more than enough for most survival situations. Think about stocking up, because these things can literally save your life. For more about the Best Emergency Water Purification Systems see our full article. 
Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets: Sometimes you aren’t able to drink directly from the source. Sometimes you have to collect water from some other source, like rainwater, or to carry it back to your shelter. That’s where these handy little tablets come in. Just drop 2 tablets into a quart of water and wait about five minutes. It’ll make it safe to drink by killing the bacteria in the water. This isn’t a long-term solution, however, but hopefully your survival situation won’t be long-term either.
survival need #4 - food
Sometimes, when you’re really hungry, it can feel like you’re dying. Happens to the best of us. But honestly, this is the one you have to worry about least. You can make it three weeks without food, and that’s a long time to be stuck in a situation where the lack of food is a concern. Hopefully you’ve fulfilled all of your other needs or have been rescued.
But what if you are stuck for more than three weeks? The body needs calories, and calories you must give it, somehow.
Edible plants, roots, mushrooms, insects, animals, fish, birds. All of it is food when you’re at the top of the food chain. But there are ways to make it a bit more palatable.
Gerber Fire Starter: Cooking food serves a dual purpose. Not only does it make it more tasty and easier to swallow, but cooking food, especially meat, breaks down the proteins and makes them easier to digest while increasing the caloric content of the food.
So, while eating food raw might make you feel like more of a man, your body has to work harder to digest it and you end up getting less nutritional value from what you eat. So be smart and cook your food.
Use this to make fire; it’s simple, lightweight, and can be carried in a pocket without feeling too obtrusive. Plus, it comes with a whistle on the lanyard, so hopefully you can signal for help before you need food.
Gerber StrongArm Knife: If you don’t already carry a knife, then why are you ready this article? Even if you do, consider getting this knife, a high-quality, low price fixed blade knife that will help you gather food. Need to dig for roots? Use this. Need to sharpen a stick to use for a spear? Use this. Need to clean that fish you caught with your bare hands? Use this.
A fixed blade knife offers more strength and cutting power than a folding pocket knife, so this is one of the best options without breaking the bank. Definitely one of the most useful and versatile tools available.
back to you
So, with all of this equipment, and the knowledge of the rules of three, you should have no problem surviving a night in the cold woods.
You’ll wake up with a hangover, and your friends won’t let you live it down for a long time, but the important thing is that you survived by remembering the rules of three and being prepared.
conclusion
The rules of three should be a mantra for everyone who might find themselves in an emergency situation, especially those who willingly put themselves in varying levels of danger in the name of having a good time.
Campers, hunters, sailors, mountain climbers, skiers, and all other kinds of people all stare death in the face and dare him to come and get them.
And most of them do it because they know the rules of three, they’re well-equipped, and they know that no matter what happens, for better or worse, they’ll survive.
Oxygen, shelter, water, food. Three minutes, three hours, three days, three weeks.
Learn it, live it, love it. And you’ll be able to walk away from almost any situation with your heart still beating.
