Wilderness Survival Rules of 3: You can survive for 3 days without water, but only 3 minutes without air and 3 hours without shelter. Prioritize unblocking the airway and getting warm over finding water or food.
Article: Wilderness Survival Rules of 3 - Air, Shelter, Water & Food
The four levels of the Survival Rules of 3:
- You can survive for 3 Minutes without air
- You can survive for 3 Hours without shelter in a harsh environment
- You can survive for 3 Days without water
- You can survive for 3 Weeks without food
The most important thing in real survival situations is to focus on the immediate problem first.
For example, if you are facing hypothermia because your clothes are wet and cold, there's no need to worry about food. You may not be able to function after three hours if you're shivering and unable to get dry and warm.