Here at Royal Holiday Travel, we always give you the best tips and tricks to enjoy your vacations to the fullest. Lately we have been making special mention to camping and enjoying the outdoors. We have had articles about the best equipment to use, tips to camp in different types of weather and terrain and today we bring you information about the most necessary skills to feel safe while camping and survive in the event of things not going according to plan.
These skills are great to have, even if you do not go camping often, because they can save your life in a situation involving the wilderness. They are not everything you need to know, but they are certainly the most basic and a great way to be prepared for almost anything nature throws at you.
Choosing the best campsite.
Choosing the best possible place to set camp is a skill that can make you or break you as the time passes and you are settle. You must think about being close to resources like running water and dry firewood, but not so close to the water that you will be exposed to mosquitoes and other animals that frequent the riverbeds. Think of “high and dry”, avoid valleys and low terrain so your shelter doesn’t flood in the event of rain.
Knowing how to build a shelter.
A shelter keeps you protected from the elements and ensures your survival. The weather is the number one killer when surviving the elements, so having a proper shelter should be one of your main priorities. Materials can be found everywhere around you, as a shelter can be fashioned from almost anything you have available. It is important to consider insulation, so you can keep all the heat inside and thus be comfortable within your home away from home. In extremely hot weather, a shelter also keeps you from the sun to avoid sunburns and rapid dehydration.
Starting a fire.
Starting a fire is another priority along with shelter and finding water. A fire can help you ward of wild animals, provide you with warmth and also help you cook your food. You can start a fire in many different ways, depending on what you have on you. One of the easiest ways to start a fire is to short-circuit a battery. This can be done by simply connecting both ends of the battery using a tin bubblegum wrapper for example and using the spark to light wood shaving or paper.
Courtesy of R.E. Thomas Richter at flickr.com
Finding and purifying water.
Water is much more important that food in a survival situation and it should be made a priority above all things. Finding running water is essential as well as using methods for purifying all the water you collect. Rainwater and dew collected by using cloth are great ways to gather water, but absolutely all water should be boiled or filtered.
Dealing with injuries.
A first aid kit is a very important thing to have with you at all times, especially when camping. A small injury could be 10 times more dangerous out in the wild. So learn basic skills on how to treat a broken bone, how to set a fracture, how to treat burns, cuts and scrapes.
Identifying what you can and cannot eat.
This mainly depends on where you are exactly. Knowing the local fauna and flora is important to help identify edible fruits, berries, seeds and leaves. The colors of berries are a good indicator of what you should and shouldn’t ingest: white and yellow berries are usually poisonous to people while blue and purple are normally safe to eat.
Catching game.
Is usually better to hunt and consume small animals than trying to go for large game. Large animals are difficult to bring down and their meat is harder to conserve for later. Their carcasses can also bring along other predators that may be dangerous for you.
Navigating during the day or night.
Finding north can help you get your bearings and is not difficult to do. At night you can look for the big dipper and find the North Star. During the day you can poke a stick on the ground and mark the point where the tip of the shadow is, after a few minutes you mark the new place where the shadow move and if you trace a line between both points, you’ll have an indicator going west to east.
Sending signals if necessary.
It is recommended to stay and wait for help, and you can help others find you by using signals with fire and smoke as well as using mirrors, flares or flashlights if they are available to you. Making low pitch calls can help your rescuers locate you as they travel farther and are easily identifiable as human. If you see a helicopter or a low flying aircraft, you can send a signal of distress by lifting your arms up in the air as if making the letter Y using your body.
