A lot of us are under the false impression that technology and survival situations don’t mix. While there are some essential survival skills that are a must for you to know and remember before heading out into the wilderness, technology can be your best friend in a difficult situation (provided your phone has enough battery!) After all, your chances of survival increase when you use all available resources to get you through a tough time.  

Thanks to a host of survival apps, you can now use your smartphone for more than social media and games. Install these apps, and you have all you need to survive the unexpected.  

Top 5 survival smartphone apps  

1. SAS-Survival (Free – iOs and Android)   

In our opinion, this is the most comprehensive survival app out there. With plenty of in-depth and exhaustive content, it gives you information on how to get through all possible disaster and survival scenarios. You can learn essential survival skills such as procuring and purifying water, building shelters, and making fires, self-defense, responding to natural calamities, and dealing with extreme weather. And as a bonus – this app works offline, making it super handy if you’re somewhere with no reception.  

2. Knots-3D ($1.99 – iOS and Android)   

Knowing how to tie a knot comes in handy for multiple uses, from creating a temporary shelter to making a makeshift tool and tying a bear bag. However, it can be complicated to remember all the different knots and their uses, so Knots-3D comes to the rescue teaching you how to tie more than 100 knots, using an easy to follow 3D guide. It also tells you which knots you should use (and which ones you shouldn’t) for a particular situation. 

3. MotionX GPS ($1.99 – iOS)  

This highly praised app has been called the best outdoor app, as it can be used to download maps of pretty much anywhere around the world without having to be connected to a mobile network, along with a tracking feature which keeps you from getting lost. Perfect for when you’re trying to find your way out of a forest or you need to find your nearest water source.   

4. First Aid by The American Red Cross (Free – iOS and Android)  

This app gives you detailed step-by-step instructions on how to deal with emergencies such as diarrhea, frostbite, snake-bites, cuts and bruises, fractures, drowning, heart attacks, etc.) You can trust the information on this app, as the Red Cross is one of the world’s leading authorities when it comes to medical aid, so you know this app was not only field tested, it has also been well researched. You can access all content without an internet connection, and you can contact emergency services with a built-in 911 feature.   

5. Wild Edibles ($5.99 – iOS and Android)  

This app helps you in finding wild edible plants, how to avoid poisonous plants, how to forage responsibly and even the best ways to cook and eat the plants as it features innovative recipes. While it still helps to know how to recognize which plants are edible, it never hurts to have a backup.