Survival Camping (Can you help a newbie?)

[tungstenmouse]

I need some advice about how to survive in the woods for a couple days on a bare minimum camping trip. So any of you nerds that know about camping and wilderness survival- your help would be much appreciated.

I'm not even going to pretend like I wasn't inspired by the Hunger Games; I was. I have always been the type that prefers the indoors and wanted nothing to do with camping or non-air conditioned places. But I seriously thought about myself and my abilities and I figured that it would be good for me to try to see what I could do and build up some skills. My BFF and I decided that we will research survival stuff and then go on a weekend trip to a local camp ground to see how we do without killing ourselves. So I have some questions.

What should I take? (For a first trip I was thinking that I should at least bring a tent, some water and food, and a lighter.)

What skills should I particularly look to build up? (I know how to fish, surprisingly, and how to contain a fire but not much else.)

Should I practice rationing my food?

What tips do you have so that I can make a success of the trip?

If it so happens that I don't have the greatest time, do you think it is something that I should keep doing so that I could have better skills?

I know I probably sound stupid but I really want to do this so any help is appreciated. Thanks, guys.

[wildross]

Putting the tent up so it keeps you dry. For a weekend, you'll get hungry, but unless you are diabetic, it won't hurt you. Water is important and staying cool/warm dry is important. Depending where/when you live/go, you should at least know what poison ivy/oak/sumac looks like and if there are any poisonous/dangerous animals around. Also, bug repellent....

[Pheidippides]

Put on a charming persona to increase your chances of landing gifts from sponsors, even better if you and your friend can fake love interests, I hear the sponsors eat that up. Bahahah =]

In all seriousness, I don't know much about hardcore Hunger Games style camping. I would suggest finding a book on the topic before jumping into it. A quick search brought up this one that looks promising for that type of camping:

http://www.amazon.com/Primitive-Wilderness-Living-Survival-Skills/dp/0967877776/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333767938&sr=1-7

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

[Rivanariko]

You know how to contain a fire... do you know how to build one? It's surprisingly hard until you get the hang of it.

You'll want sleeping bags rated to whatever the climate is in your area. When you set up your tent, make sure that you find ground as flat and level as possible, especially if you don't have sleeping pads. And put the rain fly on even if it doesn't look like it's going to rain.

I've never been into the hardcore survival style camping. I love primitive tent camping and backpacking, but I am going to bring enough food to be comfortable and happy during the trip, and the necessary implements to cook it. And pads to sleep on. And if I'm backpacking, my Kindle will be with me to leave room for gear. And camping is never complete IMO without s'mores.

[Benjsec]

Take a first aid kit and good boots that you're used to wearing and have properly broken in.

Learn how to treat minor injuries (cuts, scrapes, burns). Although that's probably just a rule for life.

[shiggles]

Umm let's start off with what experience you have with camping so far. So what experience do you have with camping so far?

If you don't have much you are proabably better of starting relatively tame at a camping ground rather than going out into random wilderness. People sorta die that way.

If you go to a local camp ground there won't be much you can really do. Obviously camp yes, but I wouldn't consider hunting or gathering for food or anything like that. There are laws about those things and gathering fruits and vegetables is much harder than it sounds.

[tungstenmouse]

Umm let's start off with what experience you have with camping so far. So what experience do you have with camping so far?

If you don't have much you are proabably better of starting relatively tame at a camping ground rather than going out into random wilderness. People sorta die that way.

If you go to a local camp ground there won't be much you can really do. Obviously camp yes, but I wouldn't consider hunting or gathering for food or anything like that. There are laws about those things and gathering fruits and vegetables is much harder than it sounds.

I have about zero real camping experience. I've actively avoided it for most of my life. So I was thinking that you're right and I should keep it pretty tame at first and then build up experience. The camp ground we chose allows fishing and gathering but no hunting.

[andygates]

I'd suggest taking a big ol' comfort pack of blankets and food and first-aid gear and putting that in your car at the trailhead just in case of disaster.

Then go have fun screwing up, getting cold and covered in fish-guts.

As for specifics, I like streamwater but I have iron guts. If your tent is new, practice pitching it somewhere friendly (the main campsite, or your yard or lounge) so you don't have to do it first time in a storm at night. Dry spare socks in a ziploc baggie. Two lighters (survival redundancy mantra: "two is one and one is none"). Map.

[katscratch]

That campground sounds sweet, I don't know of any like that around my area so getting past "suburb" style camping here is difficult without experience.

I love primitive camping but haven't gone for a few years, my kiddo does not find solitude as inspiring as I do My absolute cannot-do-without is a good sleeping bag. I can deal with being too hot or a bit too cold, and laying on stones or tree roots, but once I get cold and damp it's over, I am miserable 24/7. Do you know anyone you can borrow a tent from? If you have friends that have backpacked, that style of tent is typically really easy to put up and depending on the weather, don't seem to get as hot when I've camped alongside friends in family-style tents.

I have gone on spur-of-the-moment trips with just water, almonds and beef jerky for food. My minimum first aid kit is lavender oil, gauze, and superglue. In my part of the world tick repellent is not optional. Obviously my experiences are more primitive/minimal camping/backpacking rather than survivalist. Water and fire would be my biggest concerns, knowing first aid and having an emergency plan if you'll be in any wilderness-type areas my second.

Read lots, have fun planning, and then have FUN Some of my best bonding moments and memories have been with friends in situations with no money, food, transpo but lots of laughter at our mistakes!

[Max Power]

Get some waterproof matches, they'll suit you better than a lighter. And it'll be good practice learning to light fires with them.

You should also try just using a hook and line as opposed to normal fishing gear. You'd be amazed how much harder it is.

It sounds like you've got a pretty good place to start learning. And like wildross said definitely read up on the flora and fauna of the area, so you'll know what to look for both good and bad.

As for water I'd advise just taking a good bit of with you to start if you're not hiking in. Micro filters are awesome, but they can be expensive for a first time trip. They're are cheaper options (iodine tablets and other chems) but they taste awful. Still better than a week or two dancing with giardia.

Whatever you do, have fun with it, that's all that matters.

[maegs]

There's lots of lists of gear, supplies and whatnot online, but make sure that whatever you're bringing is tailored to the climate and location you'll be in. For example, camping in the woods in Canada is quite different than in the Australian Outback. With that said, here's all the random things I could think of:

Wherever you go, make sure that you have enough water, either brought in with you or, as andygates mentioned, a source like a stream. If I remember right, the recommendation in Australia was something like 6L/person/day, plus extra for the car, plus extra just in case, and since there's hardly any natural sources of water in some places, you either had to carry it in or be able to get refills from a campground or roadhouse, some of which charge for it since they get it brought in. You can buy water purification tablets to bring with you if you're concerned about water quality.

Make sure you have appropriate clothing (it'll probably get colder at night than you expect), and something waterproof. I've found that tents generally stay waterproof as long as you don't touch the sides when it's wet, and have a groundsheet underneath. A bit of jerky and trail mix is always good to have, as is a first aid kit and the knowledge to use it. Make sure there's no fire bans in the area before you go, and be careful with your fires. A flashlight or headlamp will definitely be useful, as will bug repellant, an extra lighter or waterproof matches, and a map.. Let someone know your planned route and when you should be back, and remember let them know when you're back! Before you go, check with the rangers, local authority, whoever will know if trails are washed out, flooded, or otherwise dangerous or impassable, and, as wildross, find out about the local wildlife and plants, and what you should avoid.

Don't forget your common sense.

Depending how far out you're planning to go, a HF/VHF radio would also be good to have, and/or an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon), and/or a satellite phone (recommendations for some parts of Australia say to bring it all, but for most of the places I've gone in Canada none of it's been needed since cell phones work).

[Rivanariko]

A note if you are using water purification tablets:

When I was backpacking, I always had two large bottles of water (usually Nalgenes or equivalent size). The tablets need to sit for something like 8 hours with the iodine ones, longer if they're chlorine. My rule was that I always had one bottle for drinking and one bottle that was prepping. I'd ideally have three bottles, but weight in my pack was a concern for me, and water is heavy. So as soon as you finish one bottle of water, refill it and treat it. Make sure that your bottles are distinctly different so that you remember which one is which. You might want a marker or something to mark the time when the treatment was added. If you don't give it the full time to sit, it WILL NOT WORK. And Giardia is not fun. Especially if you're going to be hiking or active, you want to make sure you have safe water available at all times. Well, in general, water is good, but particularly if you're exerting yourself. If you're using the iodine tabs, they make a "neutralizing" tab also, that you add and it removes the iodine color and some of the taste. Makes it slightly more pleasant to drink.

They make filters and some type of ultra-sonic "wand" thing that work well for purifying water IF the water you're drinking does not have a high sediment content. The sediment will clog filters, and block the ultrasonic waves that kill the bacteria. One of the girls in my group when we were in India tried to use one of the "wands" and was very very very sick. So do some research. These can be great options if the water is the right type.

As one more side note, I think I got Iodine poisoning during my last backpacking trip. My symptoms were consistent with it and we can't think what else it would be, since all of the tests ruled out parasites. I never got it confirmed, and it was a while ago, so no point now, but be vigilant of your body and what it's telling you. From what I've read, it's incredibly uncommon to have a reaction to the amount of iodine in the tablets, but I'm tiny and tend to be sensitive to things like that. Anyway, it was NOT fun and the travel clinic in India had the slowest IV drip on the face of the planet, and I will use other purification methods in the future!

[CRM114]

Judging from your level of outdoor experience I would NOT recommend minimalist camping. Get used to camping at an established campground and how to use the items in your kit first. As you get more confident you can start to leave the creature comforts at home. Start slow, its better to error on the side of caution.

[andygates]

Get some waterproof matches, they'll suit you better than a lighter. And it'll be good practice learning to light fires with them.

Hm, I disagree. Matches are limited, sputtery, faily things. Two disposable Bics on the other hand, win. I carry one that I accidentally buried in the garden for three years. If that didn't kill it, no mere camping trip will.

Storm matches, maybe.

[Max Power]

Hm, I disagree. Matches are limited, sputtery, faily things. Two disposable Bics on the other hand, win. I carry one that I accidentally buried in the garden for three years. If that didn't kill it, no mere camping trip will.

Storm matches, maybe.

It depends on the weather really, if it's not unreasonably cold or wet out, I would prefer a lighter to a match. But I was on a hike a couple of years ago and we had to camp on the side of the trail because a snow / thunderstorm came up and we had dry matches that wouldn't even light properly, much less the lighters, but one girl had some waterproof matches (which is probably the same thing you're calling storm matches) and we were in business with those.

[ducatisteve]

Just take a silver bow and whatever else you can grab out of the cornucopia.

[cline]

I am in 100% agreement with folks suggesting you start out a little less primitive. Camping is really not as easy as the movies make it look. Nor is it too difficult, it's just you need to build skills and need to know things.

Aside from what to drink and where and what plants to avoid b/c you'll be itchy, you need to learn how to properly deal with your own waste. This is good camping practice. Also, what will you do to protect food from animals that will come in your tent to eat it? Bugs? They come in too. I've had a tent full of ants and a tent full of some nasty stingy things.

Also - how to do major first aid on yourself. What if you get a deep cut? What if you get a fever? Hypothermia? Hyperthermia? Reasonable things (I wouldn't worry about sawing your arm off with a knife). What if you fall and get a nasty gash? I did that once (okay, I was jumping into a quarry, but still it got nasty infected).

And two more things that are really important and I'm really serious about this: someone (ideally more than one person) needs to know almost exactly where you'll be and when to expect a check in. You can use ranger stations for this (BTW, many places require you to buy a camping or packing permit - fyi). Then, be sure to check in on schedule. And finally - what will you do if you get scared? It happens all the time, especially when you are alone. Everything sounds like a bear, cat, tent filling ant tribe... you need to be able to talk yourself out of it AND/OR you need to be able to get away.

I hard core camped for years (but brought food) and never had any problems I couldn't take care of, but I did make mistakes - food in tents improperly stored, no antibiotics for nasty gash, etc.

One more thing - one bar of plain old ivory soap cleans everything - skin, hair, dishes, clothes....

[adampm]

Look for classes. Local universities/stores/states will run classes on various outdoor skills during the year. If you really get into it there are week long survival training schools you can go to that will teach you tracking, hunting, and other primitive living type skills.

[maegs]

Forgot to add, swags are awesome for any kind of camping, especially the kind with a bit of a thicker pad/mattress built in. Comfy, warm & waterproof.

[Pat G]

You said you're going to take food and water with you, so thats all good, just remember sleeping on the ground, is surprisingly hard for us westeners who are used to sleeping on soft soft mattresses with pillows.

After you set up camp (tent + wood collected for fire) at your "local camp ground" which would be nice and safe. Go for a stroll around the place to familiarise yourself with the area and get the hang of bushwalking and not getting lost.

Otherwise, have a blast fishing and getting wet trying to spotlight catch salmon in the middle of the night, or go Wombat tipping, depending on where in Cybertron you're from.