YouTube Shows Like ‘Fight to Survive’ Can Help You Hone Your Survival Skills
We are headed into hurricane season, and it’s got me thinking about survival tips and advice. So, of course I turned to YouTube for guidance. One of the most compelling and informative YouTube series on survival is Fight to Survive, hosted by adventurer and survivor Craig DeMartino. This series tells the inspiring true stories of outdoorsmen who have faced life-threatening situations in the wilderness and lived to share their harrowing tales.
What makes Fight to Survive stand out is how it takes the audience right into some of the most majestic yet dangerous places in North America. From being lost in the Florida Everglades to adrift at sea in the Atlantic to stranded in the Alaskan wilderness, each episode recounts a survivor’s ordeal in vivid detail. Craig journeys to the location of each story and has the survivor recount the flashpoint of their fight to stay alive.
The stories are gripping and suspenseful, but also highly educational (big win for me and the kids). Through these real-life examples, the series demonstrates crucial survival skills and mindsets. Common themes emerge, like the importance of keeping a positive attitude, never giving up hope, solving problems with limited resources, and maintaining faith and a will to live. As one survivor put it, “his attitude and positive mental state is the main contributor as to why he survived.”
Beyond the tactical skills, Fight to Survive highlights the mental and emotional resilience required to persevere against the odds. Being thrust into a dire survival situation is not just a physical challenge, but a psychological one. Survivors must conquer their fears, loneliness and despair. As Craig notes, these mental demons “can grow to become enemies far greater than hunger, thirst or predators.”
While the circumstances in Fight to Survive are extreme, the series carries an important underlying message about the value of preparedness. You never know when you might find yourself in an emergency, whether lost in the backcountry, stranded by a vehicle breakdown, or facing a natural disaster at home. Having key survival knowledge, skills and gear can make the difference between life and death.
This is why it’s crucial for everyone to attain a baseline of survival and preparedness know-how. Other excellent YouTube resources for this include channels like Survival Know How, which covers everything from disaster preparation to outdoor survival tips in an accessible way. As one prepper put it, “Personally I think surviving on YouTube is a lot like surviving in the wilderness, it’s no picnic you really need to be able to put up with a lot.”
No one expects to find themselves in a desperate survival situation. But as Fight to Survive so powerfully depicts, it can happen to anyone at any time. Taking steps to prepare, both mentally and practically, is one of the most important investments you can make. Because when the unthinkable happens, it will be the skills you’ve learned, the mindset you’ve cultivated and the gear you’ve readied that sees you through your own fight to survive.
