Spring is here and for many this means it’s time to start planning for camping! Many reservation systems across Canada are now official open and you may be one of the thousands of people chomping at the bit to snag your favourite camping spot.
Although some people are brave enough to snow-camp, for the regular folk, camping in +degrees (at least during the day) is where it’s at, so the wait for warmer weather is almost over. Do you remember what campfires smell like? What brushing your teeth at an outdoor faucet feels like? What S’mores taste like?
Activities like building a fire can be so much fun—and hold so much nostalgia for those of us who grew up camping, and yet, like so many survival skills, it could be of utmost importance during an emergency. It could even save your life.
Likewise, knowing how to “rough it,” even if it’s just summer camping, could be a lifesaver one day.
If it’s difficult to make the decision to buy emergency preparedness supplies that could very well sit unused in a closet for years, why not think of it as buying camping supplies? Then—at least once each year—you can test out your gear and make sure you have everything you need.
For example, you may find that you really enjoy our Legacy Premium Entrées, but realize that you crave more fruit to really make you feel energized.
Or—if you camp in a more remote setting—you might find out that you really hate carrying around so much water, and that you’d prefer to use nearby lakes and streams and a filter like the LifeStraw Water Filter or the LifeStraw Mission
Consider your camping trip as a test run, and try to learn as much as you can about each item of gear you own. As a bonus, you could challenge yourself to learn a new survival skill each time you go camping—like how to use a survival signal mirror or how to build a campfire without matches. You could even keep a journal to track your progress, and to make sure that you’re remembering what you learn.
Please feel free to add your ideas or notes in the comment section below. And in the upcoming weeks, check back for more blog posts on the survival guide topic!
Article contributed by Sophie Wooding – Avid gardener and cyclist in Victoria, BC and Content Writer for Frontier.io