The Happy Camper’s Top 5 Safety Tips for Outdoor Adventures
Whether you’re on an RV road trip, opening the cottage for the summer, camping, or paddling and portaging into the remote unknown – or venturing any place where cellular service is not available or reliable this spring, Kevin Callan, also known as The Happy Camper, has provided his top 5 tips to help ensure your safety and provide peace of mind for loved ones.
- Pack a first-aid kit. More importantly, know how to use it. You should be updating your first-aid by taking a course at least every 3-5 years. Someone can have a good supply of bandages and splints, but if they don’t know how to use them, then things can turn from bad to worse very quickly.
- Make sure to have the ability to obtain water - or a water filter to obtain drinkable water. Water is the most crucial to all survival.
- Shelter and food comes next in the game of survival. It’s very important to have the ability to find shelter, or build a shelter, and get warm and dry quickly. Check out all the possible light weight survival kits available at most stores. Those S.O.L (Survive Outdoor Longer) bivy kits are amazing. And, remember to pack some high protein snacks.
- Invest in some type of communication device that can work beyond cell service. Technology has advanced greatly and there are far more ways to communicate for help then merely writing SOS in the sand or flashing a signal mirror at passing planes. The SPOT X 2-Way Satellite Messenger is a perfect bit of technology to pack, allowing you to let everyone know your location and that you are safe and sound - or to send a distress signal for help. With SPOT X you can send an SOS and also receive messages back, improving communication with friends, family and the rescue team coming to help you out, should you need it.
- This last one may seem simplistic to some - but to others it has led to some amazing rescues rather than nasty misadventures out there in the woods. It’s not a piece of gear or some sort of new high-tech technology. It’s simply packing along some common sense. Create a trip plan - and stick to it. So, if you can’t connect with the outside world, at least there is someone back home that knows the general area to tell the searches to start looking.
About Kevin Callan: The Happy Camper
Kevin Callan (aka The Happy Camper) is the author of 18 books; his latest being Once Around Algonquin: An Epic Canoe Journey. He is an award-winning writer and a keynote speaker at outdoor events across North America. Kevin is also a regular guest on several television morning shows and CBC Radio. He has won several film awards, writes a column for Paddling Magazine and Explore Magazine. Kevin was listed one of the top 100 modern day explorers by the Canadian Geographical Society. He was also made Patron Paddler for Paddle Canada. Check out his web site at kevincallan.com and YouTube channel at KCHappyCamp. Kevin Callan is a SPOT Ambassador for Globalstar Canada Satellite Co.