If you’ve followed my page for long, you know that Mister Dreamer and I love to go camping and we make several weekend trips each summer. This year, we are going to take a full, week long camping trip. There are some big differences not only in supplies, but also in mentality, when it comes to a long camping trip.
When we went a couple years ago, it was the best camping trip we’ve ever been on! The weather was good, the camping site clean and comfortable, and we had a blast! Being avid campers, I thought we had everything planned for, taken care of, and figured out. I was right and I was wrong about that. Being wrong isn’t ‘bad:’ it’s how we learn! There are certain lessons a long camping trip will teach you that a two night weekend trip just won’t.
Always plan for the worst. Sounds pessimistic, doesn’t it? Here in the temperate rainforests of Southeast Alaska, you learn to prepare for the rain. Not just rain, days of it. If you let the rain stop you from going out and enjoying life, you’ll be inside a lot and likely hate it here. We always bring tarps (and extra rope!)and set them up, even if the weather forecast is sunny for the entire time we’re gone, we have tarps up. Not only does it protect us from the rain, it also keeps a nice shady spot for the rather intense sunshine we can get. 85 degrees here seems considerably warmer than 85 does in say, Arizona. We plan for things that are likely to happen. Here, that means rain and wind!
You realize what’s most important. I’m not talking about spending time with family, I’m talking about the stuff that is important for every human’s survival and comfort! Water, heat, shelter, and food top the list, even if you are camping for fun! Makeup and hairspray is not important. Several ways to start a fire or filter water, now that is important. Knowing how to thoroughly cook food (without burning it) over a fire is important. When you’re out on a long camping trip, you definitely get some different perspective!
You need more water than you think. The rule of thumb, “One gallon of water per person, per day” is for emergencies, not a camping trip. You will go through more water than you think! Make sure you have a reliable source to refill if you can’t bring what you will need with you. I would honestly double it and have 2 gallons per person, per day. The picture above is from our last long camping trip and you can see a tarp wrapped around trees on the left. That is our shower! I brought along our solar shower (link takes you to the one we own) and Mister Dreamer made the shower stall with the tarp, installed a rope pully system to raise and lower the shower bag, and even scooped up gravel to make a nice floor to stand on. It was private and glorious and used about 3 gallons of water for one person to wash their body with. Even turning the water flow while soaping up, you still go through a lot of water. If you have a group of 4 going, and no one washes their hair, that is 12 gallons of water for just that alone! You need more than you think, period.
Time Slows Down. It can be very hard for the first couple of days for your mind and body to slow down to camping life. On a short trip, there is the set up, take down, food cooking, and maybe some hiking or fishing involved that takes up pretty much the whole time. When you’re out for a week though, time slows down. It takes longer to prepare a meal than when at home. You’re not looking at a clock as much, not rushing around to get as much as possible done in a day. You learn that there is an alternative to the rat race out there and that time is a precious commodity that should be spent wisely.
The Biggest Lesson: A Taste of Life after SHTF
Many people never consider this side of camping. When you’re out in a tent camping, you are effectively living in a way that hints of what it would be like to live after a SHTF situation. There is no running water or plumbing like you’re used to. There is no grocery store to run and get more milk from. You have to make do with the stuff you brought (generally speaking) and adapt. Survival after SHTF would be very similar in many ways. In fact, I daresay those who go camping for fun or as a regular hobby have a higher chance of making the initial turmoil after a SHTF event than their non-camping counterparts. Need an example?
People who regularly go camping tend to:
- Know how to safely collect and purify water.
- Know how to put together a camp in a place that won’t end up being in a puddle of water if it rains.
- Have the gear (and skills!) needed to be able to stay warm, dry, and fed in less than ideal situations.
- Know how to make a fire for cooking, versus keeping warm, versus burning all night long.
- Have skills in knot tying, shelter building, and general nature knowledge for their area.
- Know how to cook numerous meals over a fire (not just hot dogs and sausages).
There are so many more examples that can be given but the list above provides a broad knowledge base that comes with ‘living outside for fun’ teaches you. Long camping trips force you to adapt and overcome. They help you slow down and get back in touch with what matters the most. They also help you push the reset button and get centered again.
I found your website because this article was linked on the Practical Prepper website. This is my first visit to your website.
Your article is short, to the point, and practical. I look at camping in a similar way, practicing for tough situations. We camp with another couple annually. The man is 62 and was a Boy Scout. To this day he still methodically uses skills he learned as a Scout when camping. Practice, practice, practice. Regarding water, 2 – 2.5 gallons of water per day per person seems to be the rule, excluding showers. We strive for a variety of food items on the menu to avoid food fatigue, and to practice cooking different items under different scenarios. Thanks for the article.
Thanks for your comment and welcome to the site! I hope you find more good reading and useful information here. I tried to find it shared on Practical Prepper but had no luck.
Good article. You’ve hit on some of the most commonly over looked situations that can and probably will strike any Camper who is not thoroughly skilled in the art of outdoor camping off of the grid. The word “PREPPER” means just that! You’ve been rehearsing and practicing and fine tuning your skills for a crisis situation, including SHTF. ( which I think is very close now )
Let me add; When SHTF, you, and all who are with you too, will face HIGH ANXIETY and most likely the very real possibly of DEATH coming at you form every direction. EVERYONE will be FREAKED OUT and millions of people will not be thinking clearly, if at all, and they’ll make stupid and disastrous decisions. Usually to find something to eat, medical care, and a safe place to bed down for the night,
Most people go CAMPING to have some fun, relax, and to get away from it all. Then when they have enough of it – they go back home! Then they tell stores of fun, hilarity, adventure, and discoveries or the miserable rotten time they had and swear they’ll never go camping again! It’s usually one or the other!
I have lived in a Military Tent City, and also a small Tent Base in the Korean Mountains, during the harsh Winter ( nights dipped to 15 below and everything froze solid ) and know what it is like to deal with TORRENTIAL RAINS that last for a week, three days of sun, and then another week of rain, HIGH WINDS that would rip well driven tent stakes out of the ground, KITCHEN TENT FIRES so that you have nothing to cook with afterwards, TENT FIRES from careless smoking then leaving those that lived in it without clothing, bedding, or personal affects, MUD AND SLOP, SAND IN EVERYTHING, INSECTS, SNAKES, RATS, POISONOUS SPIDERS, MILDEW, ROT, STINK, STENCH, EXTREME HEAT, EXTREME HUMIDITY, ( no air conditioning ) SWEATING, DEHYDRATION, DIARRHEA, CRUDE FACILITIES to TAKE A SHIT, or just digging a hole, Having to SHOWER with river water, NO LAUNDRY SERVICE, THIEVERY, LACK of PRIVACY, SEXUAL HARASSMENT and the RAT-BASTARDS living among you! And to top that off – there’s and ENEMY out there that wants to kill you!!!
DID I MENTION THE FACT THAT I AM A FEMALE!!!!
This is WHY – I pray to GOD that I never have to face a real SHTF situation. I’m just too old now…
I’ll Hunker Down in my home and hope that the ZOMBIES do not come to rob me or burn the place to the ground with me in it,
There is no place to run off, or bug out to that would be safer than my own home, NO PLACE!
I grew up camping, mostly primitive. I enjoyed your article and know it will help many newbies to camping. I even picked up a tip. Awesome job!
Shelter, pests, site layout, water, entertainment ie. good book, over head tree snags! I loved primitive camping as a kid. Now my Son is a Life Scout advancing towards eagle and he is knows his participation in the Troops activities and camping trips is a great thing. It is funny when coming back home the stories do get retold. You can not leave out the nights when things quiet except for the breeze and crickets then Uncle Marty starts making loud funny noises.
My Daughter was a true camper when she was little. Now she is a beautiful young lady and will still jump in the river. We have plenty of food and water in our home just in case. We can cook outdoors and sleep in a dry tent if need be. Our food storage includes several different company brands. Most recently we purchased a variety pail of fruits on a steep discount from emergency essentials. The freeze dried products we have purchased are as important to us as our insurance policies. Hope to never use them…