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.

Alien Wars survival tips from Captain Brigman

Hiking is a mini-adventure. It lets you take a break from your normal routine without the time and expense involved in “real” vacations. You can see new things, have new experiences, and, if you want, challenge yourself physically. If you live in Colorado, you never lack for Colorado hiking opportunities. The State has an abundance of world-class hiking trails, far enough to give that remote feeling yet still relatively nearby.

Like any other activity, Colorado hiking is a great way to enjoy yourself and just have fun. However, if you want to get the most out of it and have the best experience over it, safety comes first. Below are some tips to help you remain safe and secure even while Colorado hiking:

Be Prepared!

It’s a scout’s motto, but even for Colorado hikers, it’s a good motto to adopt. Wilderness activities like Colorado hiking involve many risks. But most of these risks can be easily avoided or at least mitigated if you keep in mind your basic knowledge about outdoors survival and preparation.

The first thing you need to do is to know what risks you’ll likely be facing. The thought of being in the Colorado mountain wild areas evokes all sorts of horror and adventure stories of potential calamities when in reality the most prevalent risk anyone faces is pretty mundane: getting wet and cold.

As with most hiking trips, Colorado hiking requires that you lighten your load as much as you can. That alone is not much trouble, if only you knew exactly what you’re going to encounter on a hike. Your lack knowledge is never more emphasized when it’s your first time being in that area. So chances are you are going to end up loading your backpack with all sorts of “emergency” essentials, when the only equipment you really need are things that can help you cope with rain storms, rapid drops in temperature, heavy winds, injuries, fatigue, getting lost, and animal encounters.

It gets easier if you follow the following sensible practices when you go Colorado hiking:
- Avoid hiking alone. Even a minor injury or mishap can turn into a potential major problem if there is no one nearby to assist you.
- Before you hike out from a trailhead, make sure that you leave some sort of information about what trail you are going to follow, what time you left, etc. That way, if you fail to return after an awfully long time, someone will know where to find you. However, be careful about leaving any specific information as not every person has good intentions.
- Let an acquaintance in town know where you are going and when you intend to be back. If you don’t make it back, they can notify the authorities.
- Take along a cellphone if you have one in case of an emergency that requires help. In many cases in the wilderness, you will not be able to get a cellphone connection due to mountainous terrain, being in a canyon, or distance. However, even if you cannot initially connect through, you or someone else can climb to a ridgeline or summit and have a better chance for a connection from there.

I’m a 17 year old female and a little nervous about it. I still have 2 months to prepare for it, and I’m worried about how fit I’ll need to be and the experience in general…

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.

While buying camping equipment, don’t squeeze on costs. You might land up with a nasty surprise during your camp. Some of the things that can happen, is that there might not be enough space, or if it is raining, rain is coming in, or at night the moisture on the floors seeps in and makes every one uncomfortable. The pleasure of camping out erased by such small things. Therefore focus on getting a relatively more expensive one, and instead of planning for just 4, plan for a 5 seater. Always buy one with more room than is necessary at the moment.

One of the worst parts of returning from a trip is to clean the equipment that was used. Clothes, shoes, cutlery, kitchen aids, camping tarpaulins, pegs, zips, the air sleeping bags, the boots, the stores you took with you and so on.

It is tough on everyone, but there is no other way, except to take care: remember always that the equipment you have bought is expensive, and even more expensive to buy a substitute.

So get to it, and start putting things back in order.

After you return from your camping trip, make sure that you layout the camping out in the sun for some time; if there are some dirty areas, clean them with a good soft detergent, and put them out to dry. Otherwise, the equipment will stink, and rot will set in. And that would put paid to your expensive equipment.

Check the sleeping bags, and after them inside out, leave them out in the sun for them to dry quickly. Check the holding ropes of the tent. Replace those require replacement. Don’t scringe on small expenses in replacing them.

If the floor sheet is not in good shape, clean it properly and lay it out to dry completely.

Check out all the equiment: portable stove, grill, cutlery and crockery. Even your sleeping bags. Clean each one of them thoroughly and then pack them in proper cartons.

Wash clean and after drying them, put away those extra equipment such as hiking boots and other survival equipment.

By following the above steps you would be able to maintain your expensive camping equipment in good condition for a long time. Otherwise, your investment will go down the drain.

The next time you go out again you will thank yourself that you did the maintenance that was required by cleaning, drying, and keeping your camping equipment in good order. No seepages, no wet grounds, stoves in good working order, clean and good looking hiking boots that don’t require attention will be the bonuses for you.

The better look after the equipment, the more it will last.

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.

Warren Buffett once observed this about economic downturns: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Well, the water’s receding and unless your company is at the absolute top of its industry, you’re probably more than a little worried about your level of “exposure.” Do you have what it takes to survive in these troubled times? It’s a scary question. But you can’t afford to spend too much time wallowing in anxiety and (to torture an analogy) scanning the shore for the nearest towel to cover your inadequacies.

If you play your cards right, you can reduce your pain during this downturn and come out stronger. People still need products—not just any products but the right products—and someone needs to provide them. No reason it can’t be you. But you need to get started making changes right away.

There are three steps you can take that will dramatically increase your chances of surviving—and even thriving—in our dismal economy:

Survival Strategy #1: Cut the waste. (And we’re not talking about reusing paper clips!) It’s time to reinvent the one function in your company that is more wasteful than any other. It’s your new product development, where the average company squanders over half its R&D resources on new product belly-flops. Can you think of any other function—production, accounting, HR—where this level of waste is tolerated?

Most companies don’t have enough R&D people to drive existing projects at a rapid pace. How would you like to “hire” dozens or hundreds more people who already know your company’s culture, customers, and technology… and can start work tomorrow? Don’t you think that would save your company? Well, you can do that: Just kill the dumb projects that are destined to be duds—really kill them, don’t just wound them—and set these people free to actually do some good for your company.

That sounds great, you may be thinking, but I don’t know which projects will be duds. Precisely! You don’t know. But your customers do! Instead of huddling with your colleagues around a conference room table to decide what your project portfolio should look like, let’s get a little crazy. Let’s ask customers what they want you to work on.

First ask customers what outcomes they want (which is much different from showing them your potential solutions). Then have them rate the importance and current satisfaction levels for each outcome. Do this with several customers in a market and you get the Market Satisfaction Gap for each outcome. A high Gap means customers are dissatisfied with an important outcome… and are eager for you to fix this.

Our clients have created Market Satisfaction Gaps in hundreds of markets, and they are usually surprised to learn what customers really want. But better to be surprised before development work begins than after the product is launched.

Survival Strategy #2: Harvest the “best practices” of other companies. It’s easier than you think. Simply by learning what works for other organizations, you can immediately increase your effectiveness in key customer-facing activities, such as pricing, sales management, and marketing communications. Have you ever left a company to work for another and discovered the new outfit had some pockets of mediocrity? Your new hires may be having the same experience. Instead of waiting for new employees to randomly cross-pollinate your organization with improved practices, you need to be much more proactive. You need to find, adapt, and drive these best practices into your business fast.

If that sounds overwhelming, I have two acronyms for you: APQC and ISBM. The American Productivity and Quality Center is one of the world’s leading benchmarking firms. Based in Houston, Texas, APQC has probably already benchmarked any area you can think of. Instead of forming a company benchmark team that will take three months just to frame their work, check them out at www.apqc.org.

But if—like most people—you tend to learn more from people than reports, find an organization to tap into. If you are a B2B provider (not consumer goods), you can’t do better than the Institute for the Study of Business Markets. Based at Penn State, the ISBM counts as its members over 100 leading researchers and 70 of the most advanced B2B firms. To check out a wealth of reports, consortia, workshops, and other learning opportunities, visit www.isbm.org. You might be surprised by how much “inside information” these thought leaders are willing to share.

These firms know that companies that simply “hoard their secrets” fall behind those that continually share and adapt. As Ralph Oliva, Executive Director of ISBM, puts it, “It’s really about how you implement new tools. Tiger Woods wouldn’t be worried if I used the same golf clubs as he did.”

Survival Strategy #3: Ask customers what they want. (Novel concept, huh?) The third and final tip can be practiced only by companies that provide products and services to other companies (not consumers, in other words). Solid research done by Huthwaite International indicates that the best way to sell a product is to ask customers what they want. In designing my new-to-the-world New Product Blueprinting process, I asked: If that’s true, why wait until the product is already developed? Let’s ask customers before it’s developed so we can a) develop a better product and b) engage them so they’ll be primed to buy.

This isn’t practical if you sell toothpaste to millions of people, but it works quite well if you’re a B2B provider and would like to influence your ten largest customers. I have developed a host of tools used to interview B2B customers in a very respectful, peer-to-peer fashion that leaves customers very engaged in your new product development. Of course, new products can take more than a year to develop… so how is this going to help you now… in the middle of an economic downturn? That’s the fun part—and one of the unforeseen, unintended consequences of his brand of B2B product development.

We were focused on long-term product development, but our clients began telling us that their newly learned interview techniques so impressed prospective customers, that it cast them in a new light. Imagine you are the customer: The last ten suppliers have tried to sell you something they already have, and here comes a supplier that listens to you to understand your needs. Who would you want to work with?

A marketing manager in Europe had been trying to start one new product project with a customer in the United Kingdom for years. At the end of his first New Product Blueprinting interview, he left the customer with six projects in hand. Customers are simply looking for suppliers who are competent and care… about them.

The bottom line? It’s time to put these three tips into practice and keep a cool head about you. Human nature being what it is, chances are good your less astute (and more fear-driven) competitors won’t.

When the tide goes out and the economy turns down, your competitors will be tempted to forego their long-term prospects in favor of short-term survival. You should hope nobody dissuades them. As Napoleon said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

And here’s the best news of all. Have you noticed that none of these three tips asks for near-term/long-term trade-off? In every case—reducing R&D waste, adapting new best practices, and engaging customers—you will reduce your short-term pain during the downturn and increase your long-term gain afterwards. So regardless of the tide, keep your swimsuit on and enjoy your swim.

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About the Book:

New Product Blueprinting: The Handbook for B2B Organic Growth (AIM Press, 2008, ISBN: 978-0-9801123-4-4, $35.00) is available at bookstores nationwide and from major online booksellers.

For more information, visit www.newproductblueprinting.com.