According to the United States Forest Service, a little less than 25 percent of Americans, roughly 76 million people, go camping at least once per year. While camping can be the ultimate way to "get away from it all," it is a recreation that must be done with planning and preparation. Not respecting one's environment or going camping without the proper equipment and resources can be a recipe for disaster.
First Aid
Personal health and hygiene are musts when one is out in the elements. A basic first aid kit, stocked with a few essentials, can be purchased at most outdoors or drug stores. A burn is a common injury when camping. Skin ointment is a must to treat this. Other essential items are bandages of various sizes, hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol, and small tools such as scissors, a needle and thread, and tweezers.
Fire
The only thing more important than learning how to start a fire is learning how to put one out completely. A campfire that is not completely extinguished or that is left unattended can have harmful or fatal consequences—not just for people, but for the environment itself. Fires should not be built under low-hanging tree branches and should have a circle of rocks around them as a barrier. Keep water, a shovel and dirt, and a small fire extinguisher on hand at all times for any fire that gets out of control.
Fires should be extinguished by scattering the embers and ashes, sprinkling them with water and then stirring with a stick. Any logs used in the fire should be drenched too. This entire process should be repeated until the fire is completely cold.
Insects and Wild Animals
Camping environments are homes to hundreds, if not thousands, of species of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals that are by and large foreign to Americans familiar only with city or suburban life. Keeping unwanted insects—notably flies, mosquitoes and ants—away from a camp site can be accomplished by using common sense.
Flies and ants are attracted to food, so campers must cover and store uneaten food at all times. Mosquitoes can be particularly pesky near bodies of water. Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts can diminish the likelihood of getting stung.
Wild animals can smell food from a long way off. To ensure you don't have any unwanted close encounters with scavengers, always store food in a tree or a car. If you do encounter any wild animals, remember they are not domesticated like your pets. Backing away slowly without making any loud noises or excessive motions is the smartest way to avoid risking injury from an animal attack.
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