Camping is a great fun-packed activity to get away from busy city life and enjoy the wilderness of nature. Camping in the park or Boondocking in the wilderness of nature will be a pleasant experience of a lifetime.
Is Camping Safe?. It depends on your preparation and the type of campsite you chose for camping. It can be devastating and unpleasant because of many reasons, but camping can also the best experience that you will ever have.
I recommend you to follow these tips to stay safe while camping and make your camping experience pleasant and memorable. Make some beautiful memories and avoid unpleasant situations.
Quick List: Tips To Stay Safe While Camping
Contents
Learn to Recognize Poisonous Plants
Before you go camping in the woods, make sure you learn about different poisons, learn what Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, and Poison Oak look like to prevent any issues.
It is always good to be aware of the surroundings of your campsite. If you are an expert and you have learned about camping then you can have the pleasant experience of camping.
This is compared to the person who doesn’t know or want to learn about possible threats and tips to avoid them, don’t be that person and stay safe.
Stay Away From Wild Animals
Wild animals are part of the camping experience, you will see many animals while you are out camping. Wild animals are still a concern to campers although, they normally won’t bother you unless they are provoked.
So try to avoid wild animals, and respect their space. Keep a safe distance from animals, and don’t provoke them.
The most common animal that don’t like campers is a grizzly bear and we see an incident of campers having issues with bears at a campsite.
If you are camping in an area known for the heavy predators then, make sure you take extra security measures and follow these tips to stay safe from predators.
Avoid Detection
Predators have a great sense of smell, you can cook and be fine but be sure to clean up well. If you are in a heavy predator area I recommend you change the clothes that you ate in, before going to bed.
Put your food and hygiene items in an airtight bag and hang it at least ten feet high in a tree.
Use the Landscape
Animals need water just as much as we do, if you try and set up at least a hundred yards from any water source, you will probably avoid some unwanted encounters.
Animals are like us they try to find an easy way around things, so use the heavy brush to your advantage. Use a property fence or cliff face to force an animal to go around your camp.
But you need to be careful because sometimes, it can force an animal right through your camp.
Avoid game trails that’s where the vegetation is kind of worn down and chances are if you made your way through a thick part of the brush, well a large animal is going to use the same way.
Create a Rope Barrier
You can use ropes to weave a barrier, again this isn’t the barrier to stop a predator, but just to make your camp too hard to investigate for wild animals.
According to research, bears are a lot less interested in rope barriers than an electric wired barrier. If you don’t have any smell in your camp then they won’t be interested. You can also use an electric fence.
Fire
The fire has been used as a predator deterrent for centuries, animals are unlikely to approach a fire if it is being attended.
In some extreme cases, you can even move your fire around to three different spots, making a triangle around your camp.
Since this really increases your chances of starting a forest fire, I don’t recommend it at all unless it’s really a true emergency.
Take Responsibility for your own safety
Aside from having an existing structure already there, you’re the only thing that can stop the animal attack. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience in the woods, you have got to always think of yourself as an apex predator.
This is because we are intelligent, resourceful, and dangerous. Because of this most animals will avoid humans for just that fact.
You should always have a plan in place to protect yourself.
Watch For Storms
Weather Services recommends when you hear thunder, you should immediately seek shelter, get into a vehicle or safe building.
Make sure you are aware of the weather, and you watch the weather forecasting news. I recommend you install an app to stay informed of the weather.
You can stay safe from the storm, by being aware of the weather at the campsite. This awareness will keep you safe from unpleasant incidents.
If you get caught up by surprise and you don’t find any building, or vehicle, to get into, then read these tips.
- You leave places at risks, dangerous places like a Summit, Pointed, and Isolated area
- Leave areas with large open spaces and descend 30 meters from the highest point, moving toward the valley
- Be careful not to seek refuge in the area that can quickly become flooded, such as river banks even if they are appeared to be dried out.
- Move quickly but stay calm
- Find shelter and this is the golden rule, find shelter in an area that is not isolated.
- If you are in the forest you can take shelter under a tree, provided that it’s not the highest tree and only if it is part of the group of trees.
- Avoid sheltering yourself near rocky walls
- Because thunder can cause the rocks to fall
- Move away from metallic objects, such as pipes and gates, which can attract electricity.
In the event of a storm remember to leave risky areas to find shelters and keep yourself safe by crouching down. Stay calm storms never usually last for more than one hour. Stay safe and enjoy camping.
Take A Look Around Your Tent Area
When you arrive at your campsite, don’t just go in there and start hammering in your tent pegs. First, take a look at your surroundings, and make sure you don’t camp under a large tree with weak branches.
Make sure if it starts raining, that your tent isn’t in the way of the water flow. If you are with children, then make sure you are away from the river and creeks and other possible unpleasant places for kids.
If you are camping in an area filled with wild animals, make sure you take extra security precautions and follow the tips I already mentioned above.
Keep A First Aid Kit
A first-aid kit including gauze, bandages, antibiotic ointment, rubbing alcohol, scissors, soap, sunscreen, and insect repellent should be available on each camping adventure because you will be far away from medical help.
You can check out several different First aid kits here.
Accidents can happen anywhere in the world, and also can happen while camping. If you have a first aid kit, you will be able to fight unpleasant situations.
A first aid kit can save you from a major incident caused by an injury. So a First Aid Kit is a must when you are going camping.
Never go camping if you don’t have a first aid kit, even if you are fully confident in your skills to avoid any incident, make sure you take first aid kit with you.
Plenty Of Water and Food
Keep plenty of water and food with you, enough for you and your family. Also make sure food doesn’t spoil while camping, and the chances of food spoilage can be minimized if you are careful enough.
How to keep food from spoiling while camping
You will need the Following Items to save food from getting spoil.
- Frozen box drinks
- Good hygiene
- Cold food
- Hot Food
- Shelf Stable Item
- Disposable Wipes
- Food Thermometer
Practice Hygiene
While camping make sure that you practice some good hygiene, so the bacteria from raw meat, don’t spread to your other food. If the bacteria gets to your other food, they will make sure you don’t get food to eat.
So stay safe from bacteria if you don’t want your favorite food to get spoiled.
Shelf Stable Items
I recommend using cold food on the first days of camping, carry them in a Shelf Stable Item.
Transfer Food While it is Cold
Now it is time to use frozen drinks or ice to store your food in the cooler. The frozen drinks or ice make it easier because it is easier to keep food cold state than keeping it hot state. Make sure the temperature is lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use Disposable Wipes
After you are done eating use disposable wipes to clean the plates if clean water isn’t available. I don’t recommend using a lake or a river’s water. If you don’t want to listen to me and want to follow your own rules, then make sure you boil the water to make it clean.
Temperature
Make sure, if the food is hot, it should stay hot and if the food is cold make sure that it stays cold. That way, we can save food from bacteria because most bacteria, can’t survive higher temperatures, and lower temperatures.
The temperature in between is perfect for bacteria to spread and spoil the food.
Thermometer
A thermometer is a very important tool, after cooking meat on the campfire, make sure, the food is fully cooked because you don’t want to get sick.
Most Important Thing
Enjoy Yourself!
Top Camping Essentials
These are the necessities you must have if you want the best and safe camping experience. These necessities are very essential to have a good experience and every experienced camper, suggest these.
- Sleeping Bag – To be comfortable and warm at night. Check Out Some
- Tent – Will protect you from weather – Check Out Now
- Food – Bring enough food to be comfortable
- Water – Very Important
- Fire Starter – Bring along some matches or a lighter
- First-Aid Kit – Accident can happen so it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry
- Pocketknife – A great multi-purpose tool and also great friend.
- Compass – Important tool to have while camping
- Rain Gear – Nylon jacket is good
- Flashlight/Lantern – Flashlights are important outdoor
Read Briefly About Top Camping Essential: Camping For Beginners Things You Should Know Before You Go
Wrap Up
Overall camping is a fun and beautiful hobby, the safety depends on you and your actions. Don’t be careless, make sure you are aware of the area and situation, and ready to face anything.
I will recommend camping at parks where many services are available like security, cell service, and hospitals.
You might want go with an experienced friend and learn from him then you can try to camp where ever you want.
You will enjoy camping after taking care of unpleasant things.