Are you searching for a fun activity with the kids over the summer holiday? Lots of people like to go camping as a family for several great reasons. It truly encourages family together time. At a time when televisions, personal computers and mobile phones appear to rule our lives if we let it, this is often a good way to assist your children to detach for a little. Additionally spending time in the outdoors is really a fantastic way to produce memories and have good times together.

One of the first major things which you will need to get ready for your camping adventure is a tent sufficient for the whole family. In this post we’ll discuss how to find the most effective tent to your requirements and specifically talk about one of our favorite choices which is the North Face Dome Tent.

Nearly all tents include the number of folks that it supports within the actual name of the tent. Keep in mind though, that even though the tent will adequately accommodate that many grown ups, it does not take into account additional storage space, baggage and additional backpacking equipment that you might need to store in the tent as well. Another option would be to hold all additional things inside your vehicle and just use the tent with regard to resting. In our example, the North Face Dome 5 Tent is meant to be a 5 person tent and would likely sleep 5 grown ups without difficulty.

This might be better suited to households which include two adults and two kids, allowing for a bit of extra space. The additional area might be especially valued when you have the occasional dreary day and the children require a location to manage to play cards or perhaps a board game without being on top of each other.

When shopping for your family tent, you will need to look for something that is very durable and one that can tolerate a variety of weather. This particular design for instance, is made of material that is water-resistant and extremely sturdy. This unique tent also makes use of its own lift venting style which allows the tent to raise with the wind rather than to bend and risk getting cast about as a few cheaper tents might be. This particular tent will surely endure almost any kind of climate condition and it is also well-liked by serious mountaineers as well as people who like to hike extensively.

For those who have an agenda which includes walking to your camping location, you will also need to take the weight of the gear into account. This is really a particular concern when carrying 5 person tents instead of a 2 person tent since the additional material and bulk can make for a much heavy haul whenever trekking longer distances. The North Face Dome is very light and does include an easy to use duffle-like safe-keeping bag for simple packing, so this might be of much less worry than with a few of the different heavier and bulkier tent choices.

We hope that this post helps provide you with an alternative for the tent selection. There are many to pick from and searching online will provide a multitude of alternatives that will help you decide on the most effective tent pertaining to your family.

Happy camping!

Some of the smaller electronic video games make good backpacking games, but you have to carry extra batteries. Some board games have light enough versions, like the cloth chess board and light plastic pieces that I occasionally carry with me, but then I need a flat surface to set it up on. In any case, being an utralight backpacker, I prefer the games that don’t add a single ounce to the pack. here are some examples.

Games Using Natural Items

There are a lot of games that can be set up quickly using natural elements available in the wilderness. Perhaps the simplest is the game Tic-Tac-Toe. Scratch two lines in the sand and two crossing those and you have your board. Each player can use a stick to make his marks. In sand the marks are easily erased in preparation for the next round.

If there is a large enough flat area with dirt or sand that can be smoothed out, there is another games that can be played with sticks for pencils. Make a grid of lines roughly ten by ten, and then in the boxes created write the first letter of your name. Your opponent will then do the same, with the object being to get five of your initials in row.

Not all backpacking games need to be mental games. You can have a lot of fun with simple tests of coordination and throwing ability, for example. Just create a circle or square two feet across, and toss pine cones at it to see who can get the first one to stay inside the target, or who can get the most out of twenty to stay in it. If there are no pine cones, use rocks or pieces of wood or sea shells.

In the winter you can of course have snowball fights. But if you prefer not to get wet and cold, you might have a competition that involves hitting a tree or other target. Competitive building of snow shelters can be fun as well, and it will help you train for survival, just in case.

Games That Require No Materials

Some of the best backpacking games don’t require you to either carry pieces or gather natural materials. These are the purely mental games that will balance the physical exercise with some mental training. For example, there is the game where you say a word and then your opponent has to say one that starts with the second letter of the one you used. You then have to do the same, and so on, until one of you cannot find a word within fifteen seconds or so, and so loses.

There is a good mental exercise that will also train you in the right frame of mind to deal with wilderness emergencies. Start by choosing any item in the wilderness around you. Then find survival uses for it in your minds. For example, if it is a log, see how many ways you can each think of to use it in a survival situation. You can play this as a competition or a collaborative effort.

Other games that can boost your wilderness survival skills include ones like guessing how long it will take you to get to some distant landmark. You might also try to identify as many plants as you can while you are hiking, and recall which are edible or useful. Nothing to carry, nothing to gather, and they can be played anywhere - these may be the best games for backpackers, at least for those who like to keep it light.

The Indian Sub-Continent long been a favorite~is a firm favorite} with those backpacking because there’s {lots to see and do, and travelling {around is cheap.~.}~.} Common reasons for going to India include~A handful of the reasons to go to India include}: to {experience a diverse range of cultures; to feel a sense of independence; to make new friends; to learn and develop skills; to have fun~to become more independent; to experience cultures different to your own; to meet new people; to have fun~to have fun; to learn about different cultures; to become more independent}.

You can {travel in the country for the full six months that the majority of tourist visas allow~In the six months that most tourist visas permit you can travel extensively}, and still feel like you took in a tiny part of what’s there~missed out on so much}. {In fact, India is so huge that you could pass years there without seeing {even half of its charms}.~.} You’ll find Hindu temples, Rajasthani palaces, holy cities, breathtaking mountain views and beautiful Himalayan valleys. {Keep {flexibility and adventure in mind though and~However,} don’t pre-plan too much whilst at home; just make a brief list of places to see and things to do. ~.~}

Though prices are steadily increasing~Though prices have risen slightly in recent years} and the tourism trade in India is increasingly aimed in favor of the middle classes, it’s possible to stay in a bamboo hut on a beach for 100 Indian Rupees per nightwhich is about 2 US dollars).~.} It’s also possible to eat out in India for just a few US Dollars per day, {especially if you dine establishments as the locals~with the local people.}~.~} However, Prices increase in places that specifically cater for backpackers and western food is always more expensive than Indian food.

India is accomodating to travelers and although travelling around takes time, it is easy enough to travel around. It’s relatively safe too, so long as you exercise some sense and don’t look for trouble. Most travelers there travel along routes that have been travelled by thousands of other backpackers before them, and as a result you’ll come across lots of services geared specially towards backpackers.

Locally run travel agents can easily be found on backpacker routes and can be used for arranging day trips, visas and flights. Sleeper trains and overnight buses are perfect for budget conscious travelers and provide a cheap way to cover medium distances. Further distances can be overcome by using domestic airlines, which are mostly low-cost, safe and can be booked on the day.

Travelling in India brings the unexpected and there’s always something to write home about, especially if you leave the backpacker ghettos behind and explore India outside the tourist centres. Then you’ll feel more like a traveller and less like a tourist.~}

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Getting a toothache while backpacking can be more than just annoying and inconvenient. It can end a good wilderness trip. Here are some tips for preventing a toothache before you head down that trail, and for treating it if you get one anyhow.

Wilderness Dental Care

First of all, don’t ever go on a long backpacking trip if you have an unresolved tooth problem, or even the hint of a toothache starting. Go to your dentist and get it taken care of. If there is lingering pain, be sure to also get a prescription pain reliever to take with you.

Have dental work done far enough in advance of your trip to be sure that it is completely done. Sometimes a high spot on a new filling will start to cause severe pain days after it is put in. Your dentist can easily solve this by grinding it down, but only if you are not already in the middle of the wilderness.

Avoid doing anything that can cause toothaches or other dental problems while backpacking. I have almost cracked a tooth on a hard corn nut while backpacking. I opt for corn chips now instead. Popcorn, though fortunately not a common backpacking food, may be one of the worst foods for damaging teeth.

A toothbrush and floss are a good idea on any backpacking trip (floss can also be used as fish line and to tie things together if need be). If you forget a toothbrush, you can chew the end of a dogwood twig until it is brush-like, and use that. This is about long-term care, of course. What if you have a toothache that starts when you are days away from your car?

Toothache Treatment

Hopefully you at least brought aspirin with you. Tylenol #3 is even better for a severe toothache. An antiseptic containing benzocaine, applied directly to the irritated tooth and gum will temporarily relieve pain. Oil of cloves (eugenol) will also may help. Don’t apply aspirin or other painkillers directly to gums, as they may burn your gum tissue.

Some toothaches do not originate in the teeth or gums, but in the sinus cavities. If your tooth pain is hard to pin down to one spot and is felt deeply, it may be a sinus infection putting pressure on the gums from above. In these cases, you may need to eliminate the infection to get relief. Use antibiotics if you are sure this is the cause. You might get temporary relief if you can clear the sinuses a bit by steaming (carefully) your face, or eating hot sauce.

If your teeth are temperature sensitive, you should obviously avoid hot and cold drinks. Warm your water bottle under your jacket if you have to. It can also help to breath through your nose. Breathing through your mouth can send cold air flowing over your teeth and cause a lot of pain.

I have a tooth problem right now - the inspiration for this article. A few days ago, I noticed that each time we drove over a mountain pass here in Colorado, the pain intensified. Coming back down below 8,000 feet seemed to always take the pain away. Watch for this problem, and you might resolve some of the pain by hiking down to a lower elevation.

Out of pain relievers? Get out your plant identification guide. Try chewing on catnip leaves for relief. You can also make tea out of the willow twigs or poplars leaf buds. These both contain varying amounts of some compounds that are similar to aspirin.

If a toothache has begun, you probably shouldn’t hike any further into the wilderness. If it has become painful enough to suck the fun out of your backpacking trip, you should head for the car. It is time to see a dentist.

Did you check the weather report when you last went winter backpacking? You probably did, but I am sure there are some who are thinking “Weather report? How about cold and snowy - it’s winter!” However, cold and snow are not the only aspects of the weather. You may actually be in more danger if there will be a warming trend while you are out in the wilderness.

Getting wet when the temperature is just over freezing is far more likely than when it is far below freezing. Getting wet, and then cold because of it, is one of the primary reasons people die in the wilderness in winter. A down coat might keep you warm down to zero, but it can also become almost worthless in a steady freezing rain. You need to be prepared for the specific weather you are likely to see.

More Winter Hiking Tips

Stay as dry as you can. Getting wet is what kills you in the winter wilds. Proper preparation means more than just bringing a rain jacket, though. You also have to avoid letting too much snow melt into your clothing. Jeans are the worst for this, and should never be worn when backpacking in snow. You also need to monitor your perspiration. It’s easy to get wet from sweating during a hard hike. This sweat will chill you fast once you stop moving. Remove those layers as you warm up, to prevent sweating.

Have proper clothing. What should you have with you when hiking? Avoid cotton, for starters. Synthetic underwear, like polypropylene, is a great invention, in all it’s newest forms. “Wicking” pants and tops work well. Always have a hat and gloves. Dry socks can prevent frostbitten toes, and are a good idea even for a day hike (wool or synthetics are best). Down coats and vests are the warmest - if you can keep them dry.

Bring enough water. Eating snow is an extremely inefficient way to get water into your system. Bring water and keep it from freezing. This might mean keeping your water bottle inside your coat, or next to you in your sleeping bag at night. One of the primary problems that climbers of Mount Everest have is dehydration, by the way, and it can contribute to hypothermia.

Bring a heat source. Many of us get by backpacking with no stove in the warmer months, eating cold foods only, but in winter a cooking stove is almost a necessity. It isn’t just that you will appreciate having hot food. You will need a way to melt snow and ice for water. Always have enough matches, and a lighter too. A fire can easily be a lifesaver if you fall into a stream of lake and need to get warm and dry.

Learn some basic principles of cold weather survival. Maybe you won’t remember that you can turn a light jacket into a winter coat by stuffing it full of cattail fluff from the nearest swamp. However, if you understand how dead air space insulates, it will seem obvious to you that you can use a pile of dry leaves or grass as an emergency blanket. Once, while backpacking along the Manistee River in Michigan, setting up my tent on a pile of dry bracken ferns allowed me to stay warm with no sleeping bag when it was almost freezing.

Think about these things before you are out there. Proper preparation is what will make your winter backpacking trip a safe one.

I thought we were ready for desert hiking when my wife and I moved to Arizona from Michigan. We liked the climate, and were amazed how our skin was dry and comfortable when it was 105 degrees (41 Celsius) outside. However, we noticed that people carried water bottles just to take the bus to work or to go shopping. We also noticed that soon we were drinking much more water than ever before. We needed to - especially if we were going hiking.

A desert isn’t defined by heat. It is dryness that defines a desert. Heat is certainly an issue when you are hiking in the desert, but getting enough fluids is the primary problem.

Your first time hiking  in the desert, you’ll be surprised at how much water you need. You won’t really feel like you are sweating that much, because in the dry desert air your perspiration can evaporate as fast as it comes out of your pores. This makes it very comfortable compared to the “sticky” heat of more humid areas, but it also hides your body’s water loss.

It is easy to become dehydrated very quickly without realizing it is happening. Rule number one for desert hiking, then, is to carry much more water than you think you’ll need. Drink your fill before starting as well. You may even want to wet your shirt before starting out, so the evaporation will cool you and reduce your sweating (and so reduce your water requirements).

On longer hikes, and especially on multi-day backpacking trips, be sure you know where you’ll be refilling your water bottles. Have enough water carrying capacity for the longest dry stretch you’ll be traversing. When in doubt, carry too much.

Desert Hiking Routines

A quote from the U.S. Army Survival Guide: “The body requires a certain amount of water for a certain level of activity at a certain temperature. For example, a person performing hard work in the sun at 43 degrees C requires 19 liters of water daily. Lack of the required amount of water causes a rapid decline in an individual’s ability to make decisions and to perform tasks efficiently.”

In other words, if you have a limited water supply, you should limit your activities during the hottest time of the day. Get started hiking early, perhaps just before sunrise. That way you can get in some miles before the heat comes. Hiking in the evening may work as well. If there is a full moon, you might even try hiking from four in the morning until the heat starts.

Unlimited water? You still need to be careful. Your body cools itself by sweating, and it can only process so much water per hour. When it is hot enough and you are active, you can reach a point where you are perspiring faster than you can process the incoming fluids. In other words, a belly full of water won’t help if it is being absorbed slower than it is used. Stop sweating during hot weather and high activity, and you’ll quickly develop heat stroke, which requires immediate medical attention.

By the way, in that last case, if your water is truly unlimited, as it might be when you are hiking a desert river, you can wet your clothes to cool off, so you won’t need to sweat as much. Watch for any little tricks like this that make your time in the desert not only more comfortable, but safer. There are beautiful deserts to go hiking in, and no reason to avoid them entirely. Just pick cooler times, and follow some of these basic desert survival guidelines.

In Michigan, backpacking usually consists of hiking the trails of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, or the Porcupine Mountains State Park, or The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. All of these are well worth doing, by the way. But what if you want to really get away from the crowds? Here are three places to try where you’ll likely be backpacking alone.

Backpacking Isolated Islands

You’ll need a canoe for this first destination. Off the Garden Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (take Highway 2 to 183), there are several islands that are uninhabited. The first, Little Summer Island, is just a mile or so offshore from the tiny community of Fairport. We paid $10 to leave our car parked behind the barn of a fisherman who lived there.

Summer Island and Poverty Island are next in the chain. These are wooded islands, with some old foundations of houses remaining from long ago, as well as a lighthouse still standing on one. They are primarily part of the Lake Superior State Forest (despite the fact that they are in Lake Michigan). There aren’t really any trails for backpacking, but hiking the shore and exploring the interior of Summer Island could fill a day.

From Poverty Island, you have to cross a shipping channel to get to Saint Martin Island. This one is privately owned, but the caretaker told us that camping there was no problem, and he even left the lighthouse open for us to explore, with our promise to lock it up when we were done. When he took a boat home to Wisconsin (less than 10 miles south), we were the only ones on the island. There are trails here, and there may be a few rental cabins by the time you read this.

The Manistee River Trail

There is a little-known trail along the Manistee River in Northern Michigan that is never crowded. Part of it is the North Country Trail, a long trail from New York to North Dakota that may never be completed. I haven’t hiked it in four years or so, but when we used to hike here or float homemade rafts down the river, we never had company.

The part that I am referring to runs through the Manistee National Forest from Highway 131, North of Cadillac, to Highway 37 near Mesick. The trail follows the river on the north side. There is one road (and a bridge) that you’ll pass the first day, downstream from 131. After that there are no more houses or cabins for a long stretch. The terrain is rolling maple and beech woods, with some big sandy bluffs overlooking the river.

Drummond Island

A few years back, a friend and I took the ferry to Drummond Island, with the canoe on the roof of the car. We found a string of lakes on the map and put the canoe in the first one. After paddling a ways, we had to haul the canoe over a beaver dam. Then we were in the big open areas, where the seemingly floating islands of plant life made navigating interesting.

We meant to camp somewhere on the shore of one of the lakes, but maps don’t show everything. The shoreline was all marshy areas, full of cattails, reeds, and chest-deep muck. We realized at some point that it was not actually possible to get to shore. We could see dry land in the distance, but we couldn’t paddle through the thick brush, nor walk well enough in the thick muck to get out and pull the canoe in.

By the end of the day, we were back where we started. We drove to an isolated part of the island (easy to do, since it all seems fairly isolated), and parked the car right in the road to set up a tent next to it. Not a single car passed before we left at 11 the next morning. If you want isolated backpacking - or paddling or even parking - this is one part of Michigan you’ll want to check out.

My own wild adventures include summiting Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador (20,600 feet, the last 4,000 feet over glaciers), getting lost in the mountains of Colorado, and kayaking days from the nearest road in Canada, in six-foot Lake Superior waves. I may have had more of these trips if I had more money years ago. And of course time can be an issue when you want to have some adventure.

The good news is that some wild adventures aren’t expensive or in far-away places. There is plenty of fun and excitement near home, if you look.

My Dirtbagging Adventure

What is dirtbagging? It is simply stripping camping or backpacking down to its essentials. You throw some things in any old pack or duffel bag, and get out there. Forget the extensive planning or fancy equipment. Leave extra clothes behind, sleep in a pile of leaves or next to a fire, and use your wits instead of your wallet for a change.

For example, my own dirtbagging trip started with a bus ride near Traverse City, Michigan (where I lived at the time), to the end of the line. I pushed the rubber tube ahead of me onto the bus, and the driver looked at that and at my small day pack with a laugh. I got off the bus in a wooded area, then walked another half-mile to get to the Boardman River, where the road crossed it.

I had a homemade plastic bivy sack, a small umbrella, some snacks, and a few warm things to wear to bed instead of using a sleeping bag. I kept everything in a bundle on my lap as I floated down the river sitting in the inner tube, my butt and my feet in the water the whole time. I steered as necessary with my hands.

As evening approached, the trout surfaced everywhere. I watched deer jump back from the riverbank as I floated past. Prehistoric-looking blue herons hunted for fish along the edges of the river. I feasted on wild strawberries and other wild plants whenever I took a break. I didn’t need to paddle much, instead just going with the flow of the river, relaxing, and even closing my eyes for a few minutes during the calmer stretches. But the trip still had the element of unpredictability, and thus adventure.

The first unpredictable event was the rain. It started when I set up camp, and continued for the next twelve hours. I barely stayed dry in my garbage bag bivy sack, covering my head with my small umbrella. The next unpredictable event was a large white-tail deer that almost stepped on me in darkness. His snorting scared me half to death. When morning came, it was still raining.

It was a thunderstorm, actually, and I might have waited, but unlike a tent, a plastic bivy sack doesn’t have enough space to do anything. I decided it was time to go home, so I bundled up my things, got into the cold river, and climbed onto the tube. The storm got worse.

I was soon past the wild stretch of river, and I began to drift by beautiful homes that sat along the banks. I was on my tube, wearing a heavy sweater, umbrella overhead, trying to stay warm and dry. Dawn came late because of the storm, and I watched people drinking their morning coffee through the windows of lighted kitchens. Occasionally, some looked up from their breakfast and saw me in a flash of lightning. I waved and floated by.

Not wanting to put my hands into the icy water, I quickly learned how to steer through the rapids using only my feet as paddles. I portaged around a dam, through knee-deep mud that nearly took one of my shoes. Finally, just before noon, I scrambled up the steep bank near the house. I walked down the street in the rain, carrying my umbrella, my pack, and my rubber tube, hoping the neighbors were still asleep.

Other Wild Adventures

My friends and I used to drive to a big river an hour away, park the car, and hike upstream for an hour or more. We would then build a raft of dead trees and float back to the car on it, which sometimes involved falling off and chasing the raft. These trips were named “Tom Sawyer Day,” and I even did one trip where I took my bicycle twenty miles down the river on a homemade raft, through the Manistee National Forest.

Other ideas? Get a book on wild edible plants and take a short survival trek in the nearest woods. Organize your own adventure race with friends. Get on a bicycle, start peddling, and see where you end up in the next day (bring food and water or take a route that has stores). If you use your imagination you can always find some wild adventures that don’t require traveling far or spending a lot of money.

One of the reasons that people tend to avoid long term travel is because they think it is expensive and feel they will never save enough for a trip. That is not true. One of the greatest myths of travel is that it is expensive. People think you need to be rich because they see advertisements for expensive vacations. But it isn’t. The reality is that travel is cheap.  You can travel around the world for under $15,000 dollars for one year of travel. If you only visit cheap countries, you can do it for even less.

$15,000 dollars sounds like a lot of money right? Sure it is but in terms of living off just that for one year, it’s quite reasonable. You probably spend more than that already. It also sounds impossible to save but you’re wrong again. If you cut spending, there are a plethora of ways to save. It simply requires persistence and making saving money a habit and priority.

$15,000 dollars is about $1,200 dollars per month, which is a lot but perfectly doable if you restrict you’re spending and cut your bills. It is possible to save that much if you are frugal and careful with your spending. It is hard to fathom the money people waste everyday. Cut out your extra spending and watch your bank account rise and rise.

The easiest way to save is to cut out your vices. One cup of coffee a day is $150 dollars a month. A pack a day smoker would save $210 dollars per month. You can save over $400 dollars a month if you stop drinking at bars. Already we have saved $400 or more dollars, depending on your habits.

Those things are easy to cut out. The real way to save money is to eat in and consume less. If you are an average person, you probably eat out 5 to 7 times a week. If each meal costs an average of $20 dollars, that is between $400-$560 dollars per month. Cooking meals can reduce your weekly food bill to 80 dollars or less. That saves you a lot of money, since you probably already do some grocery shopping too.

By cutting out your consumption, you buy only what you require. That is the real secret to saving for a trip around the world. Buy only what you need and save the rest. People spend hundreds of dollars a month on little things that they don’t really need- DVDs, music, movies, drinks, and a lot more. All of that adds.

If you only eat in and go out once a week, you will only spend $340 per month and save over $800 dollars per month just by doing those two things. Moving into a smallar apartment is an extreme measure you can also make to save even more money. Even consider moving home if you have that option.
If you use these tips, you will save what you need by living more frugally. Your friends may think you are living like a monk and it may seem that way at times but think of the reward you will have waiting for you- one year around the world. It is worth it.

1. Read Or Watch Survival Stories

If you have read many true wilderness survival stories, you know that many people who probably shouldn’t have survived did so because they refused to give up. Attitude matters, and to get the right attitude, you need to be able to truly believe that you will find a way to survive. Knowing what people have faced and overcome before makes this easier. If you are with others in a survival situation, you should even tell those stories to them, so they can see that survival is possible and even likely.

2. Tell Others Where You Are

This is something that has to be done before you have a survival situation, which means before you head off into the woods. And if you decide to take a new route, you may want to leave a note where it can be found, just in case.

3. Know Your Priorities

Protection from the elements and water to drink are usually at the top of the list of priorities in a survival situation. However, every situation will be unique. Think carefully about what is most important and urgent. For example, searching for food is a waste of time if a cold night is coming and you have no shelter. Do the important things first.

4. Learn First Aid

If you don’t take the time to learn a few basics of medical first aid, at least carry a small booklet that outlines basic procedures. You can find these in many first aid kits.

5. Be Aware Of Possible Shelters

If you are possibly facing a survival situation (not sure if you are lost, for example), start looking around for what kinds of shelters are available. Are there piles of dry leaves you can crawl under to stay warm? Are there caves or overhanging trees that can protect you from the rain or snow?

6. Always Plan Ahead

This may be one of the more important survival tips. Don’t wait for problems and then start looking for a solution. Before you get thirsty you should be looking around for sources of water. Before the rain comes, you should be thinking about how to stay dry. With sufficient foresight, getting lost in the wilderness for a few extra days should be nothing more than an inconvenience. Don’t let it become an emergency.

7. Always Have Fire Starters

Anytime you will be in the wilderness overnight or longer, have at least two ways to start a fire. These can be matches and a magnesium fire starter, or a lighter and the magnifying glass on your compass. Being able to start a fire can save you from the biggest killer in the wilds - hypothermia. A fire also provides comfort and better sleep, both of which can keep you motivated to do the right things.

8. Learn What Is Edible

Food is not usually a priority in a wilderness survival situation. Water, shelter and getting found are more important. Psychologically, however, you will be less stressed and more willing to face the situation if you know a few plants and animals that you can eat. Try eating some cattails or wild rose hips on your next hike.

9. Learn How To Navigate

Even if you have lost your backpack, with the maps and compass, you should know how to determine the cardinal directions. That way, if you know that there is a road to the north, for example, you will know which way to go. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, of course, but there are other ways to determine direction. Why not learn a couple of them?

10. Know How To Stay Warm

Learning a few tricks about staying warm can save your life. Since hypothermia is the number one killer of people in wilderness survival situations, this may be the most important of these survival tips. Stay dry and think of ways to insulate yourself when it is cold. Stuffing a jacket full of dry grass or leaves or cattail fluff could save your life.