Survival and camping gear are often similar, especially if your style of camping is primitive, long-term and involves a good amount of foot-hiking through wilderness in a variety of terrain and weather conditions. Much of today's camping and survival gear is lightweight, weatherproof and durable enough for tough terrain. Augment your gear with wilderness skills that you practice regularly. In survival and camping situations, you may be limited by what you can carry on your back, if you are moving on foot.
Types
Appropriate gear includes weatherproof shelters, backpacks, sleeping surfaces, durable clothing and waterproof footgear. Include water-collection, storage and purification containers and food storage, preparation and consumption items and utensils. For heat, light and cooking or boiling water, you'll need fire-making materials and a weatherproof storage box or bag to literally keep your powder dry. Whether you're summer camping in a snug cabin or surviving a natural disaster outdoors in the dead of winter, your gear should include a full first aid kit, something with which to dig and something with which to cut wood. Other gear might include emergency blankets, flashlight, tarps, a knife, rope and waterproof rain gear.
Features and Benefits
Much of today's top-ranked survival and camping gear is lightweight yet durable and tear-resistant, including backpack tents and sleeping bags that offer protection temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Tipi-styled tents are waterproof and allow you to have a campfire inside your shelter. Hand-cranked flashlights and radios will save you the weight and expense of batteries. Choose a waterproof backpack or rucksack with many small pouches and pockets to ensure your clothing and fire-making materials stay dry. Acquire gear, such as hatchets, knives, fishing rods and shovels, that folds up for easier transport.
Expert Insight
Knowing what gear is appropriate for your camping or survival situation is important, according to camping and survival expert Alexander Wilhemsen. Even more important are wilderness skills, he says. In his article, “Finnmark96,” he relates his well-planned, tipi-style, month-long camping trip to a remote location in northern Norway, inside the polar circle and 1,300 miles from home. He arrived on-site in the polar spring only to realize he had forgotten to buy butane stove fuel at the last outpost--40 miles away on foot. Knowing how to start a fire from scratch, and having the basic gear--matches--to do it, was invaluable in that situation.
Cautions
Have back-up gear, such as extra fishing poles and lures, to ensure you'll have a meal when you need one. It's a good idea to try out your gear before embarking on an extended camping or survival adventure to be sure it performs as expected. Don't forget the importance of a positive attitude when times get rough in camp or in a survival situation. While you're packing the necessities, stash a few luxuries, such as chocolate candies or instant coffee packets. These can help bolster your spirits in a difficult situation.
Considerations
If you're staying put in a camp or survival situation, you can add additional size and weight to your gear. Invest in a sturdy camp stove or woodstove, along with cast iron pans and a Dutch oven and kettle. Whether stationary or on the move, change your camping or survival gear as needed with the seasons, such as adding a Mylar blanket in winter or tick repellent and mosquito net in summer. Know what's in your first-aid kit and practice using it. Study your environment. Keep a book of edible plants in your gear until you can forage without it. Practice camping in your gear in non-emergency situations.
Member Comments
campingchick September 23
in the article it states that most camping gear nowadays is lightweight, weatherproof and durable enough for tough terrain. well, at least everyone hopes those things are true about their gear. sometimes things arent made as durable as others, and one piece of camping gear that proves that is folding chairs. some are made with good quality and some arent. i found an awesome folding chair called the maxxdaddy chair about a year ago thats made with extremely good quality and i would recommend it to anyone looking for one. its made to sustain high amounts of weight so even bigger people like myself can use it without worrying about the legs buckling. you should check it out and possibly buy one before your next camping trip