the most important thing is to keep your head and decide your going to survive no matter what. after that i would say depending on where you are water and shelter then food

Check the message boards

Don't walk alone in down town Detroit after dark unless you have a really big gun and know how to use it.

If the boat turns over, keep your head above water.

Yeah, when my canoe turned over a few years ago, I forgot that one important tip and gasped when I went under the cold water. Like to have choked me. It's the simple things that'll do you in.

1. Do not go unpracticed. You may have watched a show on how to build a survival shelter, but have you ever tried it? How about when you are cold or wet? Have you ever caught a fish hand lining with that emergency fishing kit? Ever even tried to? etc, etc. Not actually trying these type of things gets a lot of people into trouble.
2. Be prepared. Pretty simple. Make sure you have a good survival pack with all the gear you can carry without it becoming too much of burden.
3. Know the area you are going to be in. Where ever you are going to be. Find out what plants are edible, what to stay away from, animals in the area, ways to find water, etc, etc. Locals will be your best, and often only source of anything more than the basic info in this category.
4. Map and compass. I don't care if you have a GPS. Those can fail. If you have a map of the area and a compass, and know how to use the 2 of them together, you are gonna be in much better shape.
5. Tell MULTIPLE people where you will be and EXACTLY what day and time you expect to be back whenever you leave for the wilderness. Even if you have gotten lost and moved out of that area it gives a search party a place to start.

The best survival tool is your head. Start by reading a few survival guides and watching a few survival videos. Survivor Man, Man vs. Wild, and Dual Survival are all great shows to watch to get ideas...don't imitate anything that is done in Man vs. Wild though. Bear Grylls is nuts and most of the things on that show should never be imitated or even done, but he is very good at improvising. You are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to survive.

Next step, make a survival kit and keep it small so you will always remember to take it with you. I keep mine in an altoids container. Only put the absolute necessities in it: waterproof matches, metal match, a sharp blade (I use a scalpel blade), needles, braided fishing line (can be used as thread, used for fishing, and used for stitching wounds), fish hooks, snare wire, band-aids, button compass, mirror shard (for signaling) mini magnifying glass (starts fires & handy for other), various tasks), condom (get your mind out of the gutter, it's to use as a water bag), and pack any leftover space with cotton balls (to keep it from rattling and the cotton balls make good tinder). Good luck!

The best advice I can give is not to have a plan for what to do when things go wrong, but to have an excellent plan for how to keep things from going wrong....always.

Speaking of #2...no matter where you go, always bring some toilet paper...it has lots of uses!

Always carry a good knife and two means of making fire on your person. Carry some water and the means to purify more. Beyond that I suggest reading my book on the subject, "Life in the Wild vs. the Alternative" a treatise on wilderness survival. See more about it on the Survival Message Board.

oh, i forgot about that movie. great one!

ableskeeper...That is a very dangerous survival philosophy. If you are in a true survival situation you can not plan for getting out of it at any specific time. You have no idea how long it could be before you are rescued or find your way out. Letting yourself dehydrate is one of the top killers in the outdoors. Going 1-2 days without water while in a situation like that is just plain stupid. Same goes with not eating when you have the chance. Where I am from people who are in those situations and don't take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way often come out in body bags.

Check this out: http://dsc.discovery.com/survival/how-to-survive/how-to-survive-tips.htm... It has all the answers you need. Gian @ http://www.fingerlessglovesguide.com

Here are some survival tips if you are to go into the great outdoors:

Refrain from hunting alone - Find a buddy. Fall down off a ridge in the middle of nowhere and break your leg? You've ran out of luck.
Supplies - You need to have some kind of first aid kit on you. Water is a must. Pack some energy bars, jerky, or something along the lines of that. Having a good pocket knife is always a good idea.
Spread the word - Tell your family were your going. That way if you get in trouble they can try to track you down.
Directions - Always have a good compass on you. Learn how to use it. Even if you are convinced you have the best Garmin GPS, if something happens to that, nothing beats a good compass and map.
Research, reasearch! - Do research on the area you will be going to. What is the terrain like? How far is it away?

Hope you enjoy my survival tips.