Well here it is the second tip of the week and it is two days late, see what happens when you go on vacation and leave your computer and Internet behind? Well this tip of the week will be short and sweet and is based off of an experience I had while on vacation in South Carolina.
If you look at the previous entry in my blog you will see that I went to Congaree NP while I was there. As I pulled in my mind got to racing, (my girlfriend will probably read this and wonder why I didn't tell her any of this because I am always so quiet and she has to start all the conversations) I thought to myself it would have been a lot of fun to go camping if we had any camping gear. Then as we started walking and exploring the park I realized I was breaking my number one rule: Be prepared for the worst.
In order to be prepared for the worst I always carry a small survival kit with me when I go hiking, even if it is just a short one in a very popular area. As we started walking I realized how screwed we would be if we happened to get lost or hurt. We had no water, no food, no compass, no first aid kit, and no way to get in touch with anyone if we lost cell service. Then I started thinking of all the other ways that having my survival kit with me could have been beneficial throughout my trip.
My basic survival kit consists of several key essentials and then other stuff I throw in as extras. I carry my survival kit in a small Camelbak backpack so that I will always have 2 liters of water on me, I also always have granola or Clif bars for some energy. Other basic items that I always have in my survival kit include: a first aid kit, whistle, compass, multi-tool, flashlight, extra batteries, headlamp, and fire starters. I will also usually carry some light rain gear, an additional knife, change of socks, a beanie or warm hat, and a GPS. All of this gear fits in the little backpack I have. Below is a picture of all this gear.
Not only would this have been smart to have with us as we walked through the NP, (as well as the correct thing to do) it could have helped in other situations as well. For example I got to thinking if I got a flat at night on the highway there it would have been nearly impossible to see, having the headlamp in my survival kit would have helped with that. There were a couple of times that I wished I would have had my multi-tool as well.
As you can see from the size of my bag it wouldn't have taken up that much room in my checked bag (it would have had to been checked because of the knives). Always, always, always take a survival kit with you into the wilderness that is appropriate for the environment you are visiting, when I am going out for short hikes or snowshoeing in the winter I usually add more cold weather clothing to my survival kit. And as my recent trip taught me, it might be worthwhile to take it everywhere because you never know where you will end up. A survival kit is key to exploring the wilderness safely.
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