Checklist for campers

By Ed Biado

Camping is one of the few effective ways to get a really good feel of the outdoors. But being in the wild is dangerous and for many city dwellers, is such an inconvenience. There are specific things to do to make the most out of any camping experience. Most of these are precautionary measures that should be on any wise camper?s checklist. It?s not as complicated as you think, though. Here?s something to get you started:

1. Setup camp before it gets dark. Traveling in the dark, even if you have some visibility courtesy of your flashlights, can lead to many accidents of various degrees of severity from simply losing your balance to falling into holes.

2. Be conscious about your surroundings. Check for potentially hazardous materials (natural or otherwise) lying around like broken glass, sharp objects, branches, insect colonies, and allergenic plants.

3. Be knowledgeable on poisonous plants. Check the surroundings of your campsite to see the areas where it?s safe to ?take care of business? and not brush up against would-be allergens.

4. Check the land for erosion. It is wise to avoid areas that can be eroded in case of rains. Choose places that are leveled, preferably grassy, and isn?t at the foot of a higher body of land.

5. Inspect the campsite to see if you have enough space to move around, to spread your gear and make a fire. Also check if there?s a body of water nearby for washing up.

6. Build fires in a safe place. It shouldn?t be too far from your tent, but it shouldn?t be too near that it could potentially set your gear ablaze should there be a strong gush of wind. Place all fire-burning appliances at a considerable distance away from your tent. This place should be a shady one as to avoid possible ignition because of heat. Always attend to your fire. Make sure it cannot spread both vertically and horizontally.

7. Keep your flashlight with you at all times. If you hear something in the distance, use it to shine light. If it?s an animal, chances are the flickering light will ward it off.

8. Keep your campsite clean. Never leave any garbage, food, and drinks around as certain wildlife that feed at night might come looking for a midnight snack.

9. As for bugs, a repellant lotion is always handy. A neat trick to not attract stinging insects is to wear light-colored garments and light cologne.

10. Bring your own drinking water. Never drink from streams, ponds or other natural sources of water even if they look crystal clear. You never really know what kind of microorganisms they contain. Some may even have parasites that thrive in the water that can cause illnesses.