5 Camping Safety Tips Every Responsible Camper Must Know

Camping is a clean, wholesome, and natural way to have lots of fun, but it’s not without its dangers. If you are going camping in the wilderness (we’re talking hard-core camping in tents, not in log cabins here), you need to be armed with basic information on how to keep yourself healthy and safe.
Here is what you need to know:

1. Be Prepared
Before you even hoist that backpack up on your shoulder, make sure you’ve checked the news for weather updates. Knowing what to expect for the upcoming days will allow you to pack light and pack right. Also, bring a first aid kit. Its contents will depend on your own personal circumstances, but generally, you should have insect repellent, antiseptics, pain relievers, and sunscreen. A map, compass, flashlight, knife, and a whistle could also be of help, too.

2. Keep Food Clean and Bacteria-Free
A lot of allergic reactions during camping are caused by eating food that has been infested by bacteria. You can only keep bacteria away from food when it’s either too hot or too cold for bacteria to live in it, and if you can’t do that, your food will spoil. Bring prepared food in tightly sealed containers and place them inside an icebox filled with ice. Better yet, bring canned goods and camping food that won’t spoil so easily, such as trail mix and granola bars.

3. Always Drink Purified Water
While bringing bottles of mineral water can be a hassle, it’s safer than drinking directly from lakes, rivers, freshwater streams, and other natural sources of water. If you don’t want to bring mineral water, or if you’ve run out of it, be prepared to purify the water you get from a stream or any other natural body of water You can filter the water to get rid of microorganisms then boil it to remove the bacteria. You can also bring iodine tablets that dissolve easily in water, or a portable water purifier.

4. Always Look After all Fires
Build campfires away from tents, bushes, overhanging tree branches, or anything that could easily spark and catch fire. Further, encircle the fire with rocks or metal rings to prevent it from spreading outwards. Also, keep a bucket of water and a shovel close by, just in case. Finally, when you’re putting out the fire, make sure all embers have died out. Those that are found deep inside the pile have a tendency to reignite when they aren’t washed out thoroughly.

5. Stay Away From Wild Animals
They are fascinating to watch, but they can also spread a lot of dangerous diseases like rabies, Giardia infection, and Hantavirus. Further, if you are camping with children, teach them not to pet, touch, feed, or get anywhere near wild animals. Also, most animals will be after your food, so keep that away from them. Coolers, garbage bags, and cooking equipment such as grills and stoves should not be left out in the open where animals can get near them. And keep a flashlight a night. A bright light can be useful in warding off wild animals since they often feed at night and fear well lit areas.

Written by Nicole:

Nicole loves to hike and believes in living a “green life”. You can check out her latest blog posts at <a href=”camping water purification, Ways to Protect Our Environment and becoming a wilderness EMT“>ndparks.com