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Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Wilderness Survival
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Wilderness Survival teaches you to stay alive and calm when an outdoor outing goes unexpectedly wrong. You will assemble a pocket survival kit, practice emergency signaling, and start fires without matches. Requirement 5 is the legendary trial: building an improvised natural shelter and sleeping in it overnight without a tent.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Survival Priorities & Crisis Psychology
- Natural Debris Shelter Construction
- Emergency Fire Starting & Water Purification
- Signaling Techniques & Solo Overnight Survival
6Printable Pages
10Requirements
2026Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Wilderness Survival Requirements
Every requirement for the Wilderness Survival merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Hazards and First Aid
Hazards and First Aid. Do the following:
- a Show or explain first aid for, and prevention of, injuries and conditions that could occur in backcountry settings, including:
- b Explain how the Scout Basic Essentials address hazards of survival situations and are basic to a survival kit.
- c Explain how a trip plan could help prevent a wilderness survival situation.
2Priorities for Survival
Priorities for Survival. Explain the importance of each of the seven priorities of survival in a wilderness location.
3Avoiding Panic
Avoiding Panic. Describe ways to avoid panic and to maintain a high level of morale when lost, and explain why this is important.
4First Aid Kits
First Aid Kits. Put together a personal first aid kit and a personal survival kit. Show how items in the kits are used.
5Shelter
Shelter. Do the following:
- a Describe the steps you would take to survive in the following exposure conditions:
- b Show that you know the proper clothing to wear while in the outdoors during extremely hot and cold weather and during wet conditions.
- c Explain how to protect yourself from bears and raccoons.
- d Describe how to build or find survival shelters in a forest or in snow.
- e Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter.
6Fire Building
Fire Building. Using three different methods (other than matches), build and light three fires.
7Signaling
Signaling. Do the following:
- a Explain and show how lost or stranded Scouts could send signals to attract the attention of ground, airborne, or water search teams.
- b Demonstrate how to use a signal mirror.
- c Describe from memory five ground-to-air signals and tell what they mean.
8Water
Water. Demonstrate three ways to treat water found in the outdoors to prepare it for drinking.
9Food
Food. Explain why it usually is not wise to eat wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival situation.
10Careers
Careers. Do ONE of the following:
- a Explore careers related to this merit badge. Research one career to learn about the training and education needed, costs, job prospects, salary, job duties, and career advancement. With permission of your parent or guardian, your research methods may include an internet or library search, an interview with a professional in the field, or a visit to a location where people in this career work. Discuss with your counselor both your findings and what about this profession might make it an interesting career.
- b Explore how you could use knowledge and skills from the Wilderness Survival merit badge to pursue a hobby or to serve as volunteer. Research any training needed, expenses, and organizations that promote or support it. Discuss with your counselor what short-term and long-term goals you might have if you pursue this.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Wilderness Survival requirements in 2026. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/wilderness-survival/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
Spotted a discrepancy on this sheet? Tell us and we will re-check it against the official requirements.
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