Are you fond of camping trips? Then, you are certainly aware of the importance of packing the essential items, required for a pleasant stay in the wilderness. However, people who have no experience of camping in the woods most commonly end up packing a bunch of nonsense items, instead of filling their backpacks with survival essentials.
It’s crucial for campers to grasp the idea that a camping trip might be suddenly prolonged due to an unfortunate event, thus turning into a survival battle.
Therefore, make sure you have the following essentials on every adventure and learn how to provide them from nature.
Water
The biggest threat of staying in the wilderness for a longer period of time is getting dehydrated. Your body consists of more than fifty percent of water, which is essential for performing the vital functions in the organism. Gradually lowering this percentage may end with fatal consequences. Read more about the ideal percentage of body water and its importance.
Therefore, in order to survive, you need a supply of clean water. You’re advised to take a bottle or a hydration system, but these are convenient for getting hydrated during a short timeframe, as their capacity is limited. However, a safer alternative would be purchasing a filter, which would be useful for filtering any source of water you find in the wilderness.
Naturally, in a hopeless situation after using all of your resources, there’s no other solution, but looking for natural sources, such as rain and snow. Also, there’s the possibility of digging deep into the soil to find a source or collect dew from plants.
Knife
Definitely one of the most important survival essentials is having a knife. Although any type of knife would be of indispensable help, the best alternative is to take one with a fixed blade, as the folding ones are more prone to getting damaged. What you need is a durable knife, able to withstand the wear and tear of cutting ropes, building a shelter, cutting branches and many more tasks.
When it comes to maintenance, it’s vital to keep it well-maintained as knives are incredibly prone to rust. Make sure you don’t leave it wet after usage. Also, remember to sharpen it before commencing your adventure, since a dull knife isn’t useful at all. You can check some of the survival techie buying guides in order to choose a survival knife, perfect for performing wilderness tasks.
Shelter
Naturally, having a shelter is indispensable for surviving in the wilderness. It would protect you from any kind of harsh weather and extreme temperatures. A shelter would keep you warm at freezing temperatures or cool during intolerable heat. Also, you’ll be protected against any wild animals that are likely to attack you.
Anyhow, the most convenient type of shelter would be a tent, as it’s made of a material particularly designed to withstand the harsh wilderness conditions. However, in case you don’t take one with you, you’re able to construct your own shelter by using branches, leaves, bark and other nature materials. If built properly, it would be as solid a tent.
Food
Food is absolutely essential for survival, particularly when staying in the wilderness for a longer period of time. Although the human body can last longer with no food, than with no water, it’s vital for supplying your body with nutrients, much required for having energy. In fact, you’ll need more stamina in the woods due to the exposure to harsh weather conditions and the necessity to be constantly on the move.
Make sure you pack your backpack with food supply in the form of hiking snacks, rich in protein and glucose. However, since you’re likely to run out of food after a while, it’s crucial to be familiar with the types of edible plants in the woods, as you can’t risk eating any plant you’ll see. Go to this link: https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Wild-Edible-Plants, to learn how to find and recognize edible plants.
First Aid Kit
Wandering in the wild is likely to result in some sort of an injury. It’s common to get a few scratches, but it’s also possible to get more seriously injured. In those cases, as you’re miles away from a hospital, your best chance to prevent a serious health problem is having a first aid kit.
This kit is supposed to include the essentials, such as some bandages, alcohol, cotton wool, some medications, and other items required to stop bleeding and prevent an infection, until you get proper medical help. Carrying even the smallest hiking first aid kit will be of an extreme value in the case of a medical emergency.
Wrap up
Going camping in the wilderness means packing the right items, but also having the skills to provide them on your own.