Emergency Survival Kits for Beginner Backpackers
Beginner backpacker safety knowledge must include an emergency survival kit. Of course nobody wants to think about having to use it, but you better have it just in case.
Almost everyone agrees that some way to start a fire, some medical supplies and some kind of blade are necessary.
Other items such as saws or signal whistles can be very useful, but are they worth the extra weight? You will have to decide that for yourself.
Your survival kit is not your first aid kit. Your first aid kit is for minor medical surprises. The survival kit is all about surviving in harsh conditions or in spite of an accident of some kind. What if you can't walk out on your own power? You need to keep warm and dry and fed until help arrives.
And besides your physical comfort there is your mental comfort. If your buddy is hightailing it down to the trailhead to get help, you have no idea when he is going to return, right? All kinds of scary scenarios are going to be racing through your stressed mind.
So in your emergency survival kit you need to have some things ready. One is notes on survival techniques. Write them down before the trip, put them inside the little book that comes with the first aid kit, and read them as you wait.
Who is waiting for you when you get back home? Pack a photo of you with them in front of your house. It's not all about you, after all. Others depend on you and your safe return. Focus on them and you will find the strength you need to survive. Chase away worries with memories of time spent with them.
Before the trip read some books or magazine articles about extreme survival stories. Jot down the titles in your first aid booklet. What you could possibly face is probably going to be less severe than those stories. Remind yourself how those survivors managed, and in every story there is a common thread - don't give up mentally.
Use caution and prudence on the trip and you probably will not have to break out your backpacker safety emergency survival kit.
Friday, November 28, 2008
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