Nature is a gift, a reminder of where we came from and what we can always return to, a reminder of how beautiful our planet can be and how grateful we need to be for each day to survive. Camping in the wild is one of the most gratifying and meaningful experiences you can have, provided you know what you are doing and are not traipsing around like a wide-eyed tourist just waiting to get injured or do something stupid within a few minutes of leaving the car. Camping in the wilderness takes skill, knowledge, experience, and actual passion, and although this little guide can not provide all of that, it can give you some essential tips you will need if you want to go on a camping trip in the great outdoors.
Gear Up
While you should not load up on supplies and gear you will never need, you also can not afford to walk into the wilderness with just the clothes on your back and see how much trouble you can get into in just a few days. You need at least basic survival gear, gear that will not only help you camp but also, should the need arise, be a literal lifesaver. A knife and lighter alone can, and have, saved lives before in extreme situations, so before you get ready to head out, enter the internet to see what kind of gear you should have when you are staying in whatever environment you are planning to camp in. Good quality boots are vital in most places, for example, as you will quickly find out if you go camping with sneakers or cheap boots that fall apart after a few hours in the rain or wet, getting your feet wet and cold, and making your day and time just miserable. Sleeping bag, knife, lighter, and water—all the basics need to be with you.
Check a Map
Make yourself familiar with the area you will be in before you leave, take a look at a map, and roughly estimate where you might be when it is time to camp for the night. Look for landmarks. Ideally, you will also find water, not only to drink from, but a river, for example, will make sure your navigation is on the right track, and you will not simply get lost and start wandering in circles for ages. One survival piece of wisdom is that if you follow a river down, you will always find civilization sooner or later, an adage that has also saved people’s lives before. GPS works as well, sure, but in the wilderness, all bets are off, and it is best to always have a back-up option, so an actual paper map will prove useful too.
Finding the Right Camping Spot
Given that you are venturing off on your own and not heading to a camping site with perhaps dozens of other people, you have the freedom to choose where you bed down for the night, to a certain degree, of course. Depending on the climate and terrain, you can not just set up your tent or throw down your sleeping bag anywhere, though. For example, if you are in a more tropical climate or somewhere wet and moist with plenty of insects and little critters worming their way through the wet soil, it probably is not the best idea to bed down right there without any precautions or planning. Unless, of course, you want to share the night with centipedes crawling all over you or spiders keeping you company. Scope out the site, try and find one near water, as previously mentioned, and ideally a little higher up, like a flat plateau, to avoid all the animals scurrying through the undergrowth. Another great option is just to bring a hammock.
Plastic Bag for Your Boots
If you are likely to be traipsing through rain or mud or dirt, it is a great idea to bring a plastic bag with you for your boots, so you can put them inside it, so you can bring them inside your tent. Leaving them outside so as to not get your cozy tent all muddy and wet is an option, but not the best one, as more than one poor camper has woken up only to find a centipede or scorpion inside their boots. Or they may just get wetter, or if the weather is really cold, even freeze overnight. A simple plastic bag solves all those problems, just put the boots inside the bag and bring it with you into the tent, and that is it.
Spare Socks
Special forces love to reiterate this piece of traveler wisdom, and for good reason, too. Bring plenty of spare socks with you, at least one or two more pairs than necessary, in case of unforeseen issues. Wet socks not only lead to the discomfort of cold, wet feet but can also bring down your core temperature, as well as introduce health issues like athlete’s foot or the like, so even if you are wandering through mud and rain and the cold, bring warm, good-quality socks. You will thank yourself later.
Experience It
Camping in nature really is an experience like no other. You can read up for hours about the basics of survival and watch videos of others doing it, but until you have done it yourself, you simply have no idea. You will feel truly alive, every sense of yours inhaling your environment, and you will find yourself in a whole other world. You do not matter as much as you thought out here; you need to respect your place in the chain and work and do something to see the next day. You are dependent on yourself, on your skills and cunning, and that feeling is what has gotten so many people addicted, heading into the wilderness over and over again.
Camping in the wild is a unique experience that can not be replicated. Head out there and discover what you are capable of once you have taken some basic precautions.
