Camping is a time to enjoy nature, with the opportunities for hiking, fishing or biking. Nature, however, can be unpredictable, and that could cause a survival situation to arise. To prepare for these situations, you can carry and read a survival guide, which includes a list of steps and tips to remain calm and live through an emergency situation while camping.
Features
Most survival guides have several features including step-by-step instructions and recommended gear for surviving an emergency situation. Survival guides are designed to be used by novice campers along with highly experienced outdoor enthusiasts. Other features of a survival guide include map reading and land navigation, how-to tips and tactics, hygiene and sanitation, basics of first aid and dealing with cold weather. Adding a survival guide to an emergency kit can make the difference in life or death.
Shelter
Building shelter is a fundamental survival skill and is covered in-depth in survival guides. Shelter can protect you from extreme temperatures, snow, rain, wind and lightning. The survival rule of threes states that you can survive three hours without shelter. Even if you don't have the materials to make a shelter, a survival guide will take you step-by-step through the process of using natural items to form a shelter. The Army FM 21-76, for example, is a survival guide that covers how to make shelters in any weather condition.
Food and Water
Survival guides include sections covering food and water. If you encounter a survival situation, you can survive three days without water and three weeks without food. It's important to follow the survival guide and the instructions on how to make potable water. During a survival situation, you may have plenty of opportunities to drink water, but the water could potentially contain pathogens that may lead to sickness or diarrhea. Typical treatment methods for creating potable water covered in the survival guide will be boiling, iodine and filtration.
Types
Several types of survival guides are available for purchase, and every guide helps you to keep calm in the face of a survival situation with tips on overcoming fear, injury, cold, thirst, hunger and fatigue until help arrives. Some of the most commonly used survival guides include "The Ultimate Survival Guide," "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide" and "Wilderness Survival Guide."
Prevention/Solution
Always carry a basic survival guide while camping. Along with the survival guide, you will need the basic gear for survival situations, including a first aid kit, map, emergency space blanket, water filter and emergency food. Additional equipment based on the location and duration of the camping trip may include a GPS or satellite phone. Before heading on a camping trip, consider taking a survival, basic first aid or CPR class.
Member Comments
kidsoutbackclub June 1
Great suggestions on the survival gear. Out in the Sierras, we're sure to always carry a snake bite kit. We haven't ever had to use one yet, and we'll keep our fingers crossed. We come across rattlers more often than we'd like.