Category: hiking

Observing simple hiking and camping safety tips will help to ensure that the best camping and hiking trip is experienced by all. Camping and hiking trips require careful advance planning in order to have all of the clothing, food and supplies needed for the duration of the trip regardless of the weather encountered. When camping in places where there is an abundance of wildlife, especially wolves and bears, there are additional hiking and camping safety precautions to take to help ensure that there will not be run-ins with these creatures, or if there are, the camper is prepared.

Tips

One hiking and camping safety tip is to always have a medical supply kit packed with the gear. This kit should have bandages, tape, scissors, gauze, anti-biotic ointment, and other first aid supplies so that if an injury occurs, first aid can be immediately applied while waiting to get the individual to safety. Many of these kits will also come with instructions on how to deal with injuries in addition to wounds, such as splinting a broken bone or making a sling for a dislocated shoulder.

Another hiking and camping safety tip is to always bring along a food storage bag that can be hung from a tree. These food storage bags are specially made so that animals cannot detect the smells of the food contained within and will not be as attracted to the bag to try and get the food. Even so, these food bags should be hung outside of the camping area so that if an animal, such as a bear, decides to try and get to the food, they are not near to the campers themselves. A camper should never keep any type of food inside of the tent with them, even snacks or dog food, since bears and other animals will be attracted to it, ruining the tent and possibly harming the camper.

Not only should food be hung in these special sacks, but any other food storage or trash should also be hung in a separate bag, apart from the camp, for hiking and camping safety. It is also a good idea to have a whistle or a bell so that if an animal comes into the camp, they can be easily startled by the loud noise and frightened away before any damage is done.

A simpler hiking and camping safety tip is to make sure the backpack chosen before the trip is properly fitted to the person’s body, ensuring that the weight of the pack is distributed on the hips rather than the back so that no back injuries occur. In addition, the fuel for the stove should also be stored properly so that it does not leak on other supplies or have a chance to get near to a heat source that could cause an explosion or fire.

When choosing a camping and hiking backpack, there are certain considerations that need to be made by the backpacker. One consideration is the length of the camping and hiking trip, since shorter trips require less space in the pack, with some trips not requiring a camping and hiking backpack at all. Another consideration is the size of the person who is going to be carrying the pack, since a smaller person cannot carry as large a pack comfortably, so the materials that are able to be carried inside are more limited. There are also terrain considerations, with some camping and hiking trips requiring that the hiker go through rivers at certain points in the trip, which could require that a waterproof pack be bought.

Fitting a Backpack

Backpacking and camping safety requires that the camping and hiking backpack be properly fitted to the individual who will be carrying it. If this is not done properly, the individual could injure his back which could not only affect the trip, but also his life after the trip is over, depending on the injury, which can be debilitating.

Many camping and hiking backpacking stores have salespeople who are trained to help an individual to choose and fit just the right backpack. A camping and hiking backpack should not rest on the shoulders to carry it; the majority of the weight should rest on the hips through the belt that goes around the waist. The shoulder and chest straps hold the pack snugly to the body so that the weight distribution is properly placed at the hips, thus relieving the pressure from the back. Since every person’s torso is a different length, which tightening or lengthening the shoulder straps may not solve, there are sizes of backpacks to match the frame of the individual as well as the space, pockets and straps needed in the type of backpack for carrying the supplies for the trip.

Most backpackers have more than one camping and hiking backpack so that they can choose the proper one for that particular trip. There are different types of camping and hiking backpacks as well, including a camel pack, which has limited room inside of it but allows the hiker to carry a small water supply on his back, usually attached to a drinking tube for easy access on the hike. There are also ‘fanny’ packs, which do not have shoulder straps at all, but are carried on the hips through the use of a belt, mainly being used for day hikes.