You’re Planning A Camping Trip
So, you’re planning a camping trip and are making a list of all the gear that you need. On your list you include the basics first like a tent, sleeping bags, a water filtration system, a firestarter, a first aid kit, flashlights and a lantern. Then, you add camping accessories like a weather radio, camp chairs, a camp stove and cookware and a solar charger for your necessary electronics. Got everything, right? No you don’t. You don’t have a camping survival kit.
What Is A Camping Survival Kit?
A camping survival kit is an additional bag of gear that includes emergency essentials alone. This is a bag that you can go to when there’s an unexpected crisis. Anything can happen when you’re out in the wild from accidents to adverse weather. Like the Boy Scouts say, “Be prepared!”
Not In Your First Aid Kit
The first aid kit that you pack for camping usually has all of the basic supplies that you need like gauze, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, adhesive tape and bandages, burn cream and pain relievers, ice packs and sometimes eye wash. However, there are a few items that you need to add to your camping survival kit that are typically not included in a first aid kit that I think are essential.
UST Trail Tweezer
Although some first aid kits will include a pair of tweezers, you will be better off with the
UST Trail Tweezer. The innovative pair of tweezers makes it easier to see and remove ticks and splinters because it has an integrated LED light in its center. Having that bright light when you’re trying to get that splinter out is priceless, especially, when it’s in one of your kids’ small fingers. The tweezer is rust-resistant stainless steel and features rubber finger pads to ensure a good grip when using them.
Trauma Shears
There are countless reasons why you need a good, sharp pair of
Trauma Shears. A tool that can actually cut through a penny is a must-have in your camping survival kit. Your first aid kit’s scissors, if it has a pair, just won’t handle heavy-duty tasks like cutting jeans if you need to get to an injured leg quickly or cutting sticks for a makeshift splint.
Reusable Splint Set
Speaking of making a splint, that won’t be necessary if you have the
Reusable Splint Set in your emergency kit. Twisted ankles and sprained fingers to a broken arm or leg, accidents both life-threatening and non-life-threatening can happen in the “safest” of campsite locations. The set has different sizes of splints so that you are ready for any medical situation that requires a limb to be immobilized. It includes two small finger splints, a medium splint and a large splint, all contained in a zippered, nylon case.
Military-Style Tourniquet
You hope that you don’t have an injury happen during your camping trip so bad that it requires the application of a tourniquet to yourself or fellow camper, but you need to be prepared just in case. The
Military-Style Tourniquet utilizes a windlass system with a free-moving internal band, providing true circumferential pressure to the leg or arm. And if you’re camping alone, the unique dual securing system avoids the use of screws and clips, which can become difficult to operate under survival stress or where fine motor skills are compromised. Constructed of sturdy Velcro and plastic, it also features a label to record the time that the tourniquet was applied to the patient.
First Aid Guide
The last thing you need to add to your camping survival kit, when it comes to medical supplies, is a first aid guide. Your first aid kit may include one but if it doesn’t, I suggest the
Trailblazer First Aid Quick Reference Guide . You don’t need an in-depth book, just something with basic first aid skills, and this is what the guide offers. It’s a laminated folding guide that includes sections on heat illnesses, sprains, breaks, bleeding and it has detailed illustrations with easy-to-follow instructions.
Emergency Tools
Adding these emergency tools to your camping survival kit will assure that you have something at hand to use when unexpected situations come up. These are things that you may or may not use but will wish you had them if you don’t have them in your bag.
Paracord
I could give you a list of 50 emergency situations where you need
paracord. A few examples are making an arm sling, securing your tent in high wind, rigging an extra tarp over your tent in a rainstorm, using the strands as makeshift sutures, stringing a trip-wire perimeter alert if predators become an issue and simply, just replacing broken shoestrings on your hiking boots. Make sure that the paracord is military-grade, seven-strand with a 550-lb breaking point. I like having a hank of about 100 feet to make sure that I have enough with me.
Multi-Tool
You don’t generally need a toolbox when you go camping. However, sometimes you may need a few tools for minor repairs to camping equipment or minor emergencies. The perfect solution is a multi-tool. Everyone should own a multi-tool, anyway! It’s like having a toolbox in the palm of your hand. Whether you need to tighten a screw on your camp chair, remove a fishing hook from someone or as a back-up blade if your knife becomes dull or lost, you can count on the
Gerber Truss Multi-Tool. It actually offers a total of 17 tools including standard pliers, wire cutter, a fine edge blade, a serrated blade, scissors, saw, real cross driver, small flathead, medium flathead, large flathead, can opener, bottle opener, awl, file, ruler, wire stripper and spring-loaded needle nose pliers.
Tent Repair Kit
A tent repair kit is a major addition to your camping survival kit. Nothing’s worse than having a rip in your tent that flying insects or moisture can get through. The
Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl Kit has everything you need to make minor repairs to your tent if that becomes necessary. It can also handle heavy-duty materials like canvas and leather making it useful for repairs to backpacks, gear bags, tarps and even shoes. The kit includes the Speedy Stitcher sewing awl, a bobbin wound with 14 yards of waxed coarse thread, two curved needles, two straight needles and a 180-yd tube of additional thread.
Emergency Food Supplies
Here are a few scenarios to consider. A bear, other animal or ants gets into your food supplies overnight and trashes them, leaving nothing left to salvage. Weather conditions make it impossible to leave campsite area and you have to stay put for longer than expected. Heavy rain prevents you from building a campfire or using your camp stove to cook your planned meal. So, what do you do to get by and give you the calories and energy that you need until you get back to civilization or until the rain stops? You add these things to your camping survival kit.
Emergency Food Supplements
In a scenario where you are trapped at your campsite for longer than expected, you’re obviously looking at a survival situation. And nothing is better to provide you with the vitamins and minerals your body needs than the
Ready Hour Survival Shot. Made in the USA, with a smooth chocolate flavor, the tablets are also gluten-free and have a ten-year shelf-life. The emergency supplement tablets come in a 30-day supply. If you have to shorten your trip and hike out of your campsite or if you just need something to tide you over while you wait out a rainstorm,
Emergency Food Bars are a great option. A source of cholesterol-free nutrition, each bar provides you with 400 calories. Contained in a durable pouch, giving them a five-year shelf-life, you get six bars for a total of 2,400 calories.
Fishing Tackle
If anything lessens your food supplies or they are going quicker than you thought they would and you don’t want to cut your camping trip short, you can always add fish to your meal plans. Assuming that most campsites are near a lake, river or stream. Adding the
Trailblazer Emergency Fishing Pod to your camping survival kit will provide you with the fishing tackle you need. Contained neatly in a compact pod made of paracord, mounted around a fire blade on a keyring, you’ll find a fishing kit with hook and line, floats, sinkers and swivels. Also included are fire tinder, flint and a strong metal carabiner.
Snare Kit
If you are trying to make sure that you’re prepared for the absolute worst, then you need to add this to your camping survival kit. The
Small Animal Survival Snare Kit is for the most extreme camping turned survival situation. It’s a way to assist you in providing meat for sustenance. This is when your supplements run out and either fishing is not an option or you’re looking for additional protein sources. The kit contains three snares made with 36” of 7x7 strand 1/16” cable that offers 480 lbs of holding strength and each has a lock to assure a firm hold. The kit also includes instructions on how to capture rabbits, squirrels, groundhog and woodchuck.
Miscellaneous Gear
You’re camping survival kit is just about complete. Here are the last few items that you need to add. If you can think of anything else specific to your camping trip that would assist you in an emergency, feel free to add it.
Emergency Whistle
In the event that you need rescuing from your campsite or from a situation like a fall that leaves you immobilized, you need a tool to let rangers and fellow or neighboring campers know where you are. At up to 120 decibels of sound power, the
M48 Tactical Survival Whistle will assure that you’re heard. It has a lightweight, aircraft grade aluminum construction with a heavy-duty carabiner. It’s also good for scaring off creatures that may be a threat.
Emergency Blanket
You need a couple of these for your camping survival kit. Ideally, one for each camper in your party. An
Emergency Blanket is a way to protect yourself from rain, sleet and snow. It can be used as a buffer between your sleeping bag and the cold and wet as it is water-resistant. Also, it’s designed of an incredibly durable, metallic polyester material that will reflect 90% of your body heat back to you. If you have a medical emergency where it’s vital to keep someone warm like a camper going into shock, the highly reflective blanket is a lifesaver. It can also be effectively used as a signaling that can be seen from the air or it can be rigged over your tent as more shelter from rain or snow if the weather turns ugly.
Fire Blanket
When you and your family are going to be spending a lot of time around a large blaze like a campfire, there is a constant, inherent danger. I don’t think that I need to innumerate all the accidents that are possible. So, having a
Fire Blanket in your camping survival kit is a no-brainer. It has a fire-resistant, 100% glass fabric construction and comes in a nylon bag. It also has nylon webbing pull tapes to make it easy to remove from the bag when it needs to be used to quickly smother a fire.
