A Survival Tips and Techniques Blog | UrbanWoodsman.com

Why solo backpacking? To be honest, one of the reasons I sometimes go alone is simply that it’s tough to find people to go with, especially on short-notice. So reason number one is just the sheer necessity. But that is not the only reason to enter the wilderness by yourself.

Another reason to backpack alone is related to the first: simplicity. For example, if you like to go light, you may have conflicts with friends who want to share the weight of heavy cooking gear and tents. You may prefer cheaper trips, rather than joining others on a flight to some distant locale that isn’t any more beautiful than the trails within hours of you. In other words, you might not want to trade three affordable adventures for one expensive one.

Going solo gives you freedom as well. Even the best hiking partners will not need breaks at the same time, get hungry at the same time, want to hike the same distance each day or do the exact same things. When you’re alone in the wilderness, there is a natural rhythm that can never be there when several people’s needs have to be taken into account, and you are free to follow that rhythm.

Finally, if you have ever wanted to “commune with nature,” or have a more spiritual experience in the wilderness, backpacking solo is the way to go. Most of us cannot help but talk too much when we’re with others. Of course, that scares off wildlife, but it is also true that when alone most people just plain notice the environment more.

Being alone can deepen certain experiences. There is nobody there to define you – just you and the nature around you. If you’ve ever sat quietly and enjoyed a great view, you know that it is a different experience than when you sit there talking with someone about it. And while some friends can sit in silence for long stretches while sharing the sun set or the cloud-shadows passing over the mountains, it isn’t common.

Alone, you begin to realize how entirely indifferent – but not hostile – the wilderness is. Whether you take this trail or that one doesn’t matter to anything or anyone but you. Whether you stay warm or get cold, live or die, is a matter that is mostly irrelevant to everything around you. Yet as a human we are actually equipped to survive here.

On a solo backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas, I ate my fill of wild currants at 13,000 feet. As I walked by small lakes the trout scattered. Sunshine warmed me as I took naps on soft grass, and moonlight lit my way during night hikes. It is true that a misstep here or there could lead to death, that lightning could strike me down, or rain could soak me and make me hypothermic. But because of this I pay attention when I am alone out there.

Alone, you become very aware of your surroundings, of the clouds forming in the sky, of any little pain in your foot or back. It is an awareness without worry. This in-the-moment experience is worth having.

Solo Backpacking – Some Tips

Fortunately it has become much safer to get out there alone. This is because of technologies that can turn what would have been a disaster in the past into an inconvenience. Lose your maps? Just turn on the GPS unit on and find the landmark setting for your car to get out. Break your ankle? Turn on the emergency locator beacon or get out your cell phone.

To make it safe without giving up the experience of solitude, then, start by leaving the cell phone charged but off. Don’t allow calls to you and don’t call a soul unless you have a serious problem. As mentioned, a locator beacon is another safety option, but don’t let such safety devices lure you into a false sense of security that gets you into trouble. Leave your basic itinerary with a trusted friend or family member, so they’ll know when to call for a search if you don’t return.

If you have a GPS unit, be sure to “mark” the car or trailhead before hiking in isolated areas – especially in difficult terrain. I recently was in an area where it took three hours (no trails) to travel a bit over a half-mile to the car. Without the GPS it would have been easy to get lost.

Finally, learn some skills to make solo backpacking safer. Being able to make a fire in any conditions is a good place to start. Knowing how to construct a few different kinds of emergency shelters is a good idea too. Also, while food is not usually the first concern in a wilderness emergency, it can’t hurt to be familiar with a few wild edibles. And learn how to treat the most common injuries and illnesses you might encounter out there.

Backpacking and especially to difficult terrains is an intricate and a tough job although it would look like as if it’s all fun but it is not so. Many a trip has become disaster as the essential items you needed were not in the back pack. While backpacking you have to keep the basics in mind just having the right items is one thing, knowing how and when to use it is quite another. Know how and good judgment is must for any camping gear – If you have the best of tent but you don’t know how to put it, you are lost. On the other hand, it is generally inexperience and lack of good judgment that gets people into trouble. You should have nor just the proper equipment but also the proper training and knowledge of using them.

Stuff like maps and compass are things that a layman has difficulty handling, so prior to leaving for a backpacking trip try to get the basics of map and compass reading and similar things. Flashlight and headlamps are other indispensable items for your trip. A water resistant flashlight with more battery power is always advisable. It is also safer to keep extra battery in case the original one discharges. For headlamps halogens are better as tasks like path finding require a bright beam. Food should be packed keeping in mind emergency situation. Ready to eat snacks come in handy and you should pack them in zip lock bags so that they stay fresh.

At least one extra meal should be carried by you. If the trip is for two days, pack meals for two days but keep one meal extra for emergency. If you are taking raw food items then take extra fuel for cooking food. Drinking water is another item which is must for the trip. In addition to the basic layers you should normally take extra clothing, waterproof clothes like wind cheaters are good for facing any condition. Generally during camping one has to wear clothes for a long time. You can wash clothes during the night, provided there is stream or some other water supply nearby.

Not to forget is carrying first-aid supplies for minor injuries. In particular, carry plenty of adhesive band-aids and sterilized bandages. Antiseptic creams and mosquito and insect repellant are another must for your backpack. Learning first aid is a must before starting on the trip. The tool kit in the backpack should have Swiss Army Knife; slip-joint pliers/wire crimper/wire cutters; spring less self-sharpening scissors; wood saw; nail file/cleaner; corkscrew. You can add waterproof matches and fire starters to this list, there are many varieties available in the market. Planning minor details will go a long way in making your trip successful; remember you don’t have to an expert in wilderness survival to enjoy a safe hiking or backpacking trip.

If you backpack at all, whether backpacking light or heavy, you have probably heard the usual advice about carrying a first aid kit, taking enough water, telling people where you are going, and so on. It’s all good advice, but the following six tips are less common ideas, and are aimed especially at those who want to really keep it light: the ultra light backpackers.

You’ll notice that the tips here have a wilderness survival angle to them. That’s because in addition to the usual solution to light backpacking – buying lighter gear – knowing how to do get by with less is another great way to cut the weight safely. Lean a few tricks and you can carry less.

1. Air condition your tent. If the day is dry and hot, wet any large piece of cloth in the nearest stream and lay it over the roof of your tent. The evaporation can cool the interior of the tent by as much as ten degrees (set the tent in the shade, of course). Just be sure that if you are using a shirt or other clothing that you’ll be needing, you allow enough time before dark for it to dry completely.

2. Lost and hungry? In many mountain streams you can see the trout, but it’s hard to catch them. Try a simple fish trap. Pound sticks into the stream bottom, and weave plant stems into them to make walls that water can go through, but not fish. Create a small corral, with a narrowing opening you can chase the fish into. Once they are there you can spear them or possibly just flip them onto the stream bank with your hands.

3. If you carry hand sanitizer when backpacking (easier than washing), it can be used as a fire starter too. They are normally at least 70% alcohol, and burn easily.

4. Running for the bushes? Tea made from the roots of blackberries, raspberries and their relatives can stop diarrhea. Fill the bottom of a cup with the cleaned and shredded roots and pour boiling water over them. Steep for five minutes before drinking.

5. Lost your pack? A simple way of making a backpack is to use a jacket, if it is warm enough to get by without wearing it. Zip it up, cinch the bottom shut if it has a drawstring (or pin it shut), and tie the ends of the sleeves to each other. You can then carry things in it by slinging it across your body diagonally, switching shoulders from time to time.

6. Want an ultra-light pillow? Use a heavy-duty zippered plastic bag filled (not too full) with air. Put it inside a sweater or something else soft for comfort.

Knowledge saves weight. For example, you can leave the rainwear home (except for a 2-ounce emergency poncho) if you are in the eastern Sierra Nevadas in September – because it almost never rains. You can just about leave the sleeping bag behind on summer trips in some parts. Light backpacking is easier and safer then, with a little more knowledge.

These lightweight backpacking tips and techniques are options or ideas, not recommendations. I tend towards the extreme side of ultralight backpacking, and if you don’t know yourself or your skills, some of these techniques will get you into trouble.

A good example of this is the “natural mattress” that allows you to leave your sleeping bag behind. With this technique, I’ve slept with no pad, and only a five-ounce sleeping bag liner, on a night when it was near freezing. It took fifteen minutes to collect enough bracken ferns to make a two-foot thick mattress, but it was comfortable and warm.

You can use leaves, pine needles, dead grass or dry bracken ferns. All you do is make a pile big enough to set your tent or bivy sack on. This could damage the enviroment in some areas, so use common sense, and collect only DEAD vegetation. Also, scatter your materials in the morning, so they won’t smother the plants underneath.

An important point here is that you have to know your enviroment, so you know you’ll be able to find proper mattress materials. Otherwise, you could have a very cold night or worse. Also, gloves make it easier and safer to collect the ferns or grass. Try this first near home.

Knowledge Reduces Weight

Learn certain backpacking techniques, like the one above, and you can carry a lighter sleeping bag, less clothing, and even less food. Wilderness survival knowledge can help you reduce weight, but it also lets you travel the wilds more safely.

Learn which berries are edible, and you can eat as you hike and bring less food. I’ve eaten half of my calorie needs in the form of berries on some days in the wilderness. During a hike to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National Park, my wife and I ate nine types of wild berries.

Researching the climate, and timing can help you reduce weight. You can leave rainwear home, for example, if you’re in the eastern Sierra Nevadas in September (bring a garbage bag for emergencies). I sometimes plan trips to coincide with the full moon. I enjoy getting up at four in the morning and hiking by moonlight, and since I’m up and moving at the coldest time of the night, I can get by with a lighter bag.

Money Reduces Weight

Money will buy you lighter gear, and expensive backpacking gear is generally of very high quality. I didn’t enjoy paying over $200 for my sleeping bag, but I’ve never yet been cold in it, and it weighs just 17 ounces.

Concentrate on the the larger items. A sawed-off toothbrush could save you 1/4 ounce, but a lighter shelter can save you pounds. Consider small things last. Buy dual-purpose items, like a poncho that can double as a shelter. Drink soup and tea from your pan, and you won’t need a bowl or cup.

Leaving Things Reduces Weight

This can be the tough part of lightweight backpacking. Ask of every item; Can I get by without it? Stoves aren’t necessary if you bring ready-to-eat food. You don’t need a change of shirt or pants on a three-day trip. If you’re not sure you’ll be happy as a minimalist, go back to the money solution. Start replacing your things with the lightest alternatives you can buy. There are many ways to go lightweight backpacking.

Grand Canyon backpack Courtsey of kevindooley via flickr

A backpacking checklist is usually about the “stuff.” Good equipment is nice to have, but even with the best gear you can get into trouble in the wilderness. You might have matches and the latest fire starters, but still not be able to get that fire going. It takes more than good gear to assure a safe and enjoyable trip. Towards that end, then, this is a list of skills you should have or learn.

1. Navigation. Contrary to what many novices think, a compass doesn’t tell you where you are. For that matter, a map doesn’t either, if you don’t know how to use it. Practice close to home if you can’t yet use both of these easily. Do the same with your GPS unit.

2. Staying warm. There are tricks to staying warm. Shed layers as you get warm, for example, so you don’t have sweat to chill you later. Use wind-blocking shell clothing, and wear a hat. Eating fatty foods before sleeping can keep you warmer.

3. Pitching a tent. Pitch your tent or tarp wrong and the rain will come in, or the wind will tear the seams. They need to be pitched tight, and you should be able to do it in a few minutes. Practice in the yard.

4. Cooking over a fire. Making soup over a small fire is not as easy as it seems. Cover the pan, block the wind, and keep the fire small and concentrated. Time yourself when you practice. You don’t have to rush normally, but speed can be important in some situations, and it’s always possible your stove will break.

5. Identifying edible plants. Learning to identify three or four wild edible berries can make a trip more enjoyable. Learning to identify cattails and one or two other good survival food plants can be very helpful, especially if you ever lose your food to a bear.

6. Walking. If you pace yourself and learn how to move comfortably over rocky terrain, you’ll be less tired, and less likely to twist an ankle. Tighten those laces, too.

7. Understanding animals. Is the bear “bluff charging” or stalking you? The latter means you’ll be the bear’s supper if you play dead. A clue: making a lot of noise usually means he just wants to frighten you (a “bluff charge”), but you need to read up on this one.

8. Sky reading. Are those just clouds, or a lightning storm coming? It would be good to know when you’re on a high ridge. In the rockies, afternoon thunderstorms are the norm in summer. Learn about the weather patterns of an area, and the basics of predicting weather, and you’ll be a lot safer.

9. Basic first aid. What are the symptoms of hypothermia? Stumbling and slurred speech are a couple of them. How do you properly treat blisters? You can use duct tape if you don’t have moleskin. These and other basics are good things to know.

10. Firemaking. Start practicing in your yard. Try to start that fire with one match. Also try it the next time it’s raining. Get in the habit of collecting dry tinder before the rain comes. Learn what things burn even when wet, like birch bark and pine sap.

This last one can be one of the more important skills in an emergency. Experts can start a fire in almost any circumstances, but you don’t need to be an expert in wilderness survival to enjoy a safe hiking trip. For a safer, more enjoyable trip, just do the best you can, and start checking off the skills on this backpacking checklist.

As backpacking and hiking equipment has become more sophisticated, people have gotten more daring, and at times even reckless. Humans, it seems, have an inherent need to prove they can survive in the wilderness. More and more hikers and rock climbers are backpacking deeper and deeper into the unknown wilds. These are not your weekend campers. Rather, these are serious nature lovers who look and find there own truth, each time they venture outdoors. There is obvious gear and equipment they utilize, both traditional and futuristic. This article will attempt to verify some of the accepted items to pack, as well as some new options to think about.

When packing, it doesn’t matter what type of activity you are going to undertake, there several unwritten rules one has to abide by. First, you must pack  light, and include the basics of food, water and a way to purify it, first aid kit, and some kind of fire starter. A map and compass, so you have an idea on where you’re going and how to get there. Include some type of multipurpose knife or tool that can perform a number of tasks, from cutting branches to removing splinters. Don’t forget your sunglasses and some sun screen. A flashlight and extra batteries, even if you are taking some type of lamp. Now, this is very important. Even though you are trying to keep it light, you must take extra food, as well as rain wear and extra clothing, including a hat.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to the use of futuristic equipment. I’m referring of course to GPS and beacon technology. Purists don’t want anything electronic, and the other camp feels they should take advantage of anything that will get them home safely. The current expense of these devices does make them cost prohibitive. Also, in the case of an injury, these units don’t give the precise location of a victim, so you will still need some sort of signaling device, like a mirror or whistle.

I don’t feel that the future must all be electronic. I have come up with a patent pending concept that will satisfy both camps, and is so cost effective, anyone that backpacks, hikes, rock climbs, and camps, will be able to afford. In this day and age of electronics, I have devised something that is completely mechanical. There are no batteries or bad reception to worry about. Surviving in the wilderness should never come to mean survival. In this day and age, someone who is lost should only be thinking about being rescued.That is why we needThe LifeTracker.

The LifeTracker makes it possible for people to be found before panic on both sides will ever set in. It not only will save lives, but millions of dollars in search and rescue man hours. The LifeTracker is a device that in case of an emergency will, with the pull of a cord, jettisons a heavy  gauge red balloon attached to a 1000 ft fishing line up high enough for searchers or a rescue plane to see. The LifeTracker is a series of 3 different products designed to locate anyone lost in the wilderness, in hours rather than days.

The LifeTracker Belt is…4″ wide with pockets on the outside to store a thermal blanket and other survival supplies.

The LifeTracker Vest…Using the same concept as the “Belt” the vest inner side unzips to release a folded lean-to tent complete with telescopic 3 ft poles. Some people will prefer a vest and are willing to pay extra for the complete survival package. This offers a great option, and like the “Belt”, is very marketable.

The LifeTracker Flare Gun…Flare guns are very expensive and, of course, the flare only has a short life. With a small adjustment to the LifeTracker Device, it can easily be kept in a lightweight pistol, that can be stored in any backpack, vehicle, boat or plane.  It might even have military use.

The LifeTracker Series can be manufactured and sold inexpensively enough so that anyone who camps, hikes, rock climbs, or just ventures into the wilderness, will want to include it as part of their gear. Even if the rescue device is never activated, the gear becomes part of  everyday wilderness attire.
Please help my dream come true. Go to:  The LifeTracker
and click on Contact and let me know what you think.

There are the usual backpacking survival kit ideas that have stood the test of time. Almost everyone agrees that some way to start a fire, some medical supplies and some kind of blade are necessary. Other items, ranging from saws to signal whistles can be very useful, but their necessity in a basic kit are argued.

The following are the usual things that survival kits may have. After that you’ll find a few new ideas. The usual survival kit items: Fire starter (like a magnesium stick), waterproof matches, signal mirror, sewing kit, foil blanket, water purification tablets, fishing line and hooks, compass, fire tinder, plastic bags, duct tape, knife, bandana, nylon cord, paper, pencil or pen, dental floss, and a condom (the latter for carrying water in a wilderness emergency).

First aid items usually include bandages, aspirin or other pain killers, gauze pads, tweezers, and antibiotic ointment. More extensive first aid kits might also have splints, medical tape, sun block, safety pins, and a snake bite kit. Of course, any crucial medications you need are a good addition as well.

New Survival Kit Ideas

Here are some ideas you may not have heard of. First, why not have two survival kits? Make one for all-around use on easy hikes and when using a vehicle (ATV) or bicycle. These are the times when it is easier to carry a little extra weight. Of course, the problem is that we tend to leave a kit behind – or even leave a whole backpack behind – when we want to avoid the weight, like when you see a summit you want to climb up to. That is where the second kit comes in.

The second survival kit can be kept inside the first, so there is no unnecessary repetition of items. The point of this one is to have the most crucial items in the smallest lightest package. It can include bandages, a razor blade or small knife, aspirin, water purification, duct tape, pencil stub and paper. It should comfortably fit in the pocket of your pants or jacket. An altoids container can hold all of this, and has a mirrored surface inside as well, for signaling rescuers in the case of getting lost.

Another good idea for a survival kit is a couple small photos of those who are important to you. Survivors of wilderness disasters often report that thinking of their loved ones kept them alive. A photo or two to look at makes this even more of an inspiration.

Notes are a good survival kit idea too. First aid kits have tiny guides to help you in medical situations, but  you might also want a reminder of survival techniques. My own notes have the most common edible and useful wild plants listed, so I’ll remember what to look for and why. You can fit a lot of information on one piece of paper.

Then there is your “mental survival kit,” meaning the knowledge and practiced attitudes of your mind. Practice thinking of how to survive, for example, rather than about how bad a situation is. Read and recall a few good true survival stories, too. You’ll feel more confident in your abilities and chances, and telling such stories to others in your group might lift everyone’s spirits.

Apply these new survival kit ideas – they’re cheap wilderness emergency insurance for your next backpacking trip.