Let’s start off by looking at the abbreviation SERE: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape. Now, picture what SERE training looks like in your mind. There is a high chance that you’re picturing military personnel in some type of austere and remote environment, faces painted with camouflage, hiding from hostiles just across the river or mountain range.
Now, what I want to do is dispel the myth that SERE is only for the military and teach you that with awareness, an appropriate survival kit, and properly dressing for each situation, you can confidently navigate and mitigate life-threatening situations.
SERE skills apply to any situation that requires getting off the “X” to somewhere safe.
SERE Principle: Survival
Separating the concept of survival from the broader framework of SERE is a logical starting point. Survival, at its core, encompasses enduring and overcoming challenges in situations such as a plane crash in the jungle, weathering a hurricane along the coast, or navigating the chaos of riots and looting in an urban setting. It’s a universal skill set, reflected in the variety of survival kits tailored for specific needs — your backpack, your car, or even doomsday scenarios. While these practices are often associated with military training, survival itself transcends those boundaries, serving as a critical foundation for resilience in any environment.
SERE Principle: Evasion
Building on the example of navigating riots or looting in your city, we can begin to understand how SERE principles apply outside of a military setting. Evasion involves steering clear of volatile protests, avoiding high-risk neighborhoods, or blending into your surroundings while traveling abroad to avoid petty thieves or more dangerous traffickers. In some cases, the dangers are obvious. In others, they’re subtler and harder to identify. Successfully avoiding these risks hinges on situational awareness, a critical skill we’ll explore in greater detail later.
SERE Principle: Resistance
Resistance might take a bit more convincing when it comes to its relevance in everyday life. In a military SERE context, Resistance focuses on enduring interrogation and resisting the manipulative tactics captors use. But consider this: By the time you finish reading this article, there’s a good chance you’ll have received a scam text, email or phone call. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), thousands of exploitation scam complaints are filed daily in the United States. Statistically, you’re far more likely to face this kind of threat than to be held hostage by hostile forces. This is where the principle of resistance comes into play — staying calm, maintaining a clear head, and falling back on your training when a scammer attempts to manipulate you by holding sensitive information hostage or exploiting you for money.
SERE Principle: Escape
This is a concept that’s easier to connect to everyday life than it might seem at first. By now, your mind is likely reframing SERE principles through your own experiences. Escaping might look like evacuating after a hurricane, leaving a city engulfed in riots and protests, or finding a safe way home after your car breaks down in a risky part of town. These are real scenarios people face daily around the world.
Unfortunately, even more extreme cases exist — like the story of rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden, who were taken hostage in 2000 by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan during what should have been a simple climbing trip. The need to escape can take many forms, and recognizing the right time and method requires careful development of this essential skill.
The core principles of SERE have the potential to save your life or the lives of your loved ones. While there’s only so much that can be covered here, I’ve chosen to highlight a few key skills you can start focusing on and implementing today. To truly master these concepts, I encourage you to expand your knowledge by taking classes, practicing regularly, diving into informative books, and staying ready for whatever challenges may arise.
Depending on your location, how you dress will allow you to blend in seamlessly with the crowd, or make you stand out like sore thumb.
Cultivating Awareness
My first real introduction to the skill of awareness came at the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School with Tim Smith, where I spent three months immersed in the wilderness of northern Maine. One of the daily exercises Smith had us practice was called the “Sit Spot.” Every day, for months, we would return to the exact same location at the same time, sit quietly and still for at least 30 minutes, and observe the world around us. Afterward, we’d record everything we saw, heard, smelled, or noticed.
That first day was tough — boredom set in quickly, especially coming from a world flooded with constant, high-intensity content on our phones and TVs. But as the exercise progressed, I began to notice things I had missed before. One day, it was a plant or tree that had somehow escaped my attention earlier. Another day, it was the same squirrel, going about its routine, revealing patterns I hadn’t recognized. Over time, I began to see the subtle shifts in the environment — how the seasons and weather slowly transformed the landscape.
Interestingly, Smith isn’t the only one to teach this kind of awareness practice. Recently, I spent a couple of weeks at the renowned Tracker School with the legendary Tom Brown, Jr., and they used the exact same training technique.
While watching squirrels in trees or leaves falling may not feel immediately relevant, practicing awareness in real-world situations — like traveling on public transport — is absolutely essential. It’s shockingly easy to miss critical warning signs when you’re distracted. Imagine sitting on a bus with headphones in, engrossed in a YouTube video on your phone. Meanwhile, you could be oblivious to a robbery unfolding nearby, an argument escalating into a fight, or even a shooting or a human trafficker scanning for potential victims.
Awareness is a skill that requires consistent practice, but it’s arguably the most important one you can develop. Unlike physical gear, it adds no extra weight to carry, passes through airline security with ease, and can remain active in every moment of your life.
Here are some practical tips I’ve picked up for incorporating awareness into everyday life:
- Headphones are fine to use when traveling or stuck on a plane, but I prefer bone conduction headphones. These allow me to stay aware of my surroundings while still enjoying audio. They’ve helped me notice a black bear just 20 feet away while trail running and hear a plane’s intercom call for medical personnel, allowing me to step in and help a fellow passenger.
- In restaurants, I always choose tables against a wall and position myself to have the widest view of entrances and exits.
- When traveling, I make it a point to gather local information. For example, on a bus in an unfamiliar area, I’ll often strike up conversations with older passengers, who tend to stay off their phones, and they’ll share insights about places to visit — or avoid.
- I also pay attention to behavior, keeping an eye out for people who seem “out of place” or whose actions don’t quite fit the environment.
These moments often serve as early warning signs. This list could go on, but my best advice is to read books on awareness, take classes, and practice using it as a daily tool. The more you hone it, the more natural it becomes.
Traveling abroad presents unique challenges and may require important personal documents to overcome.
Survival Kits Are a Must
Survival kits vary depending on the situation, but I’ve noticed there are certain items I reach for repeatedly in my daily life or while traveling. These essentials have prepared me for a wide range of scenarios without weighing me down — because let’s face it, carrying a 72-hour bug-out bag everywhere isn’t practical. My approach is all about balance: selecting items that improve my quality of life no matter the circumstances, whether things go sideways, or everything stays perfectly routine.
The Traveling Loadout
When traveling abroad, the most important thing you can carry is extra identification and essential paperwork. When I travel solo, I always bring photocopies of my driver’s license, military ID, passport, and an emergency contact list. The contact list is especially crucial — it ensures that if I’m involved in a serious accident and unable to communicate, medical staff can quickly identify me and contact my loved ones.
Next on the list is cash. I always keep $100 USD stashed outside my wallet, hidden on my person, along with $50to $100 USD in local currency in my wallet. The exact amount of local currency depends on the exchange rate and the cost of living in the area I’m visiting. In most situations, $100 USD can go a long way — whether it’s securing emergency transportation or seeking assistance from locals.
Finally, my go-to piece of gear is the Wazoo Cache Belt with the Adventure Kit. It’s a discreet, TSA-compliant solution that gives me access to a variety of survival tools, including fire-starting materials, a ceramic utility knife, signaling devices, and water purification gear — all without drawing attention. It’s also the perfect place to stash that emergency $100 bill as part of my everyday carry.
Where concealed carry is allowed, a firearm and knife become a part of the home range loadout.
The Home Range Loadout
The foundation of this loadout is the same Wazoo Cache Belt I use for travel, equipped with the same versatile gear inside. From there, I add a few key items tailored to my daily environment. A folding pocket-knife or fixed blade is always part of my setup, paired with a reliable flashlight. Living in a state where I can legally conceal carry, I also never leave home without a firearm for self-protection.
This kit provides a broad range of options to handle survival situations, protect yourself and your family, and even avoid danger altogether by evacuating preemptively. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed more EDC setups evolving into what looks like gear for a week-long camping trip, even for something as simple as a grocery run. As Kochanski wisely said, “The more you know, the less you have to carry,” and I aim to strike that balance with every loadout.
A WAZOO Cache Belt can store an entire WAZOO Adventure Kit, which has everything someone would need to take care of most vital necessities in an emergency.
The Vehicle Loadout
This kit is a reflection of your self-reliance and preparedness. Jumper cables are a must-have for any vehicle, but adding a jumper battery box elevates your readiness to the next level. Equip your car with essential tools, spare parts, and the knowledge to handle basic repairs on the road. With the added capacity for extra weight, keeping a 72-hour bag in your trunk is a practical investment.
A well-stocked medical first aid kit is another essential item in my vehicle, supplemented with tourniquets stashed in various compartments for quick access. To add a layer of modern camouflage, I include items like a yellow construction vest and work gloves. Pairing these with a magnetic yellow flasher that attaches to the roof of your vehicle can give the impression of purpose and authority, whether you’re parking in an unusual spot or dealing with a roadside breakdown.
Having an emergency kit in your vehicle will make handling common break down issues a breeze and provide much needed peace of mind.
Dress Strategically
In my experience, this is one of the most overlooked skills in the survival community. If you’re heading to the woods for a deer hunt, you likely know exactly how to dress for the occasion. The same goes for a trip to the gun range or attending a survival class. Even a run to the grocery store or the shopping center? You’re probably dressing comfortably and appropriately without much thought. So, what makes this skill so overlooked? Let me explain.
Let’s imagine you’re packing up for a European vacation. It’s rainy this time of year, so you grab your bright red Patagonia rain jacket. You want to keep your passport and important papers handy, so you go with those 5.11 cargo pants for the extra pockets. And, of course, you toss in one of your trusty ball caps — maybe the Magpul hat that came with your last online order or your well-loved camo hunting cap. Now, step back for a second. It’s becoming pretty obvious that you’re going to stand out in Europe. This is the gray man paradox in action. Learning to dress appropriately for your surroundings without drawing attention is a skill that takes time to develop.
Just as you’d consider the natural environment when choosing camouflage for the woods, you need to apply the same logic to urban or international settings. Failing to do so makes you an obvious target. For instance, Europeans typically don’t wear tactical gear or bright colors, so it’s essential to consider the local culture and adapt accordingly. What would blending in look like in India? South America? Mexico? Camouflage isn’t just for the wilderness — it's about matching your environment wherever you are. The best way to avoid a dangerous situation is to avoid looking like a target in the first place.
The idea that SERE skills are only for downed pilots and military operators is a myth. Everyone can benefit from these important capabilities.
Here’s another piece of advice: I always opt for closed-toed shoes with laces whenever possible. I’m not suggesting you wear hiking boots to the beach on your Cabo vacation, but being able to run properly in a pinch is your first line of defense in evasion and escape.
Face coverings are another great tool and an easy way to disguise yourself. In the post-COVID world, medical masks are much more common, and wearing one on public transport makes you harder to read as a target. Similarly, a buff or scarf can be incredibly useful when moving through crowded cities. Covering your face makes it more challenging for an attacker to pick up on subtle details.
Your face often reveals more than you realize — whether it’s a moment of looking lost, scanning your surroundings for landmarks, or simply enjoying the sights in a new area. Locals and opportunistic predators alike can pick up on these cues. A face covering helps minimize that signature, keeping you safer and less noticeable.
Blending in with your surroundings is a core SERE principle
Practice Makes Perfect
I want to emphasize this: Taking classes and practicing skills is essential. But even simply adopting the mindset described in this article can save your life by applying the SERE principles to everyday situations. This information serves as a preventive skill, which is even more important. While it's excellent to know how to escape captivity, you're more likely to encounter someone scouting for targets and need to avoid becoming one, rather than being the target who then needs to escape. Practice your awareness, carry a suitable survival kit, and dress the part.
About The Author
Peter Magnin is a retired Air Force veteran who trained with SERE instructors while stationed at the 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall. He's currently a NR-Wilderness EMT. After retiring, he continued survival training by studying under Mors Kochanski in Canada, spent 30 days in the desert at Boulder Outdoor Survival School, three months in northern Maine with Tim Smith at Jack Mountain Bushcraft, trained advanced tracking with Tom Brown Jr., and spent a lot of time with his first mentor, retired SERE instructor Terry Barney. He has been leading Amazon jungle expeditions with Joe Flowers since 2018. He was an instructor at both 2018 and 2022 Global Bushcraft Symposiums. He was asked to speak as a subject matter expert on jungle survival at the 7th SFG Jungle Warfare Symposium in 2022.
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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.
The post Survival Through SERE Principles appeared first on RECOIL OFFGRID.
By: Nick Italiano
Title: Survival Through SERE Principles
Sourced From: www.offgridweb.com/survival/survival-through-sere-principles/
Published Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2025 12:00:27 +0000
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