The Rules of Three – A Good Place to Start

When looking at your own personal survival, EDC kits, Get Home Bags (GHB), Bug-Out-Bags (BOB), missile silos in the desert that are fully stocked, etc; all are useless if you don’t address for extremely basic, yet crucial rules of survival: the Rules of Three. Three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water, and three weeks without food. This is not to say that if you were to go the allotted amounts of time without out each of these you would drop dead. These are the guidelines for what a human being could handle without causing potential life-threatening harm to themselves, great illness, or possibly death given the circumstances.

Three minutes without air. Of course, we all know (correction, we SHOULD know) that we need clean air to live, air that is free of toxins. Air is so vitally important to our survival that to go without it for as little as three minutes could end our lives. Some of the garbage that can be breathed in can cause irreparable damage to our lungs and airways. Germs, bacteria, and viruses can often be breathed in. These can lead to severe illnesses as well. Point: good air is important. As part of your preps, something as simple as an N95 mask could make the difference between life and death. As of this writing, N95 masks could be found online for less than $1.00 each depending on how many you purchase. Get a few and keep them in your packs, vehicles, homes, etc. and you’ll always have one nearby in case there is a threat to the air quality, and you need to protect yourself.

Three hours without shelter. Shelter does not necessarily mean that you must to be inside a building or structure to survive. Shelter is any barrier between your body and the conditions of your environment. Dying from exposure is not limited to those that are stranded outside during a snowstorm with little more than their underwear. If the clothing you are wearing is not suited to the conditions, you are in big trouble. Pay attention to the weather and dress accordingly. I understand not wearing full winter-weather gear just to walk the few feet from your parking space to your heated office. But, you should keep some blankets and a change of weather appropriate clothing in your vehicle. If you do find yourself in a situation where your normal day-to-day clothes are not adequate, you will be able to address that situation with ease and prolong your survival while subjected to the elements. The same principle applies for hot weather. Keep a change of weather appropriate clothing on-hand. A hat can keep your head warm in the winter and keep the sun from burning your noggin in the summer.

Three days without water. The average person should be drinking anywhere from one-half to a full gallon of water EVERY day. This does not factor in a highly active lifestyle where the water intake needs will increase. Water is essential to our overall health, not to mention basic hydration and to help prevent heat-stroke and other heat related illnesses. Make it a habit to carry a bottle of water with you wherever you go. As you empty the bottle, fill it back up and keep on going with your day. Three days without water and an increased exposure to the elements or physical activity (which is what a survival situation would entail) and you could be in DEEP trouble. Dehydration is no laughing matter. Cold weather does not reduce our need for water. It is very easy to think that because you’re not hot and sweating, you don’t need to drink water. That is not true. You still need that hydration. Track your water intake. Keep a few bottles under your desk at work or in a cooler in your vehicle. Bottled water is cheap. Have water on-hand in case of emergency. If you are forced to go on foot and can’t carry it all with you, drink a bunch of it and load what you can into your pack. Three weeks without food. After just a couple of days without food, you will notice a significant change in your energy levels. Your sleep will also begin to suffer. You won’t be clear headed. This is just what I have experienced. It gets bad quickly if you cannot fuel your body. There are all sorts of reasons that food supply chains can get easily disrupted. Most grocery stores only have about a three-day supply of stock that is kept on the shelves and there is NO back room with more food. Imagine your community making a run on a store and that supply can be emptied out is just a matter of hours. When you go grocery shopping, buy a couple extra items. Canned vegetables and soups don’t take up tons of space but could get you through a couple of days. Do this each time you go to the store and before long you’ll have acquired a decent amount of stored foods that will aid your prepping efforts and possibly get you through a shortage.