Don’t Forget Backup Power on Your Camping/RV Checklist
There are few worse feelings in the world than remembering that you forgot something. Especially if it happens at a time when you can’t un-do your forgetfulness.
Like when you’re well on your way toward a vacation destination. Or when you’re in your RV, traveling to that special cabin in the woods. Or after you’ve arrived at a campsite.
In fact, I hate that feeling so much that I always put together a comprehensive essentials checklist in advance of my trips. And I literally check off each item after it’s packed.
I’ve been told I’m anal-retentive. But I’d much rather be called that than suddenly realize I had forgotten to pack something after it’s too late to remedy the situation.
Fall camping is fun
The fall is a great time for camping. Whether you’re driving there in your car, truck or RV. The weather is not too hot and not too cold. To quote Goldilocks, it’s just right.
And if you have all the stuff you might need, you can fully relax and enjoy your time away from the busyness of everyday life.
Today I want to provide you with a list of camping essentials that I use. I’ve tried to include everything, but you probably won’t need it all. Just pick what works for you and your family or companions.
The last time I compiled a list like this for you, I emphasized food items. They’re still very important, but today I want to single out backup power. It always comes in handy.
I’m also adding items for those of you using an RV for the first time, or one of the first times.
Don’t over (or under) pack
One of my family members likes to say, “If you’ve got it, pack it.” I’m not too crazy about that idea. I want enough but not too much for a camping trip.
To me, camping is about getting away from the rat race. I want a different kind of routine when I’m away from home. It’s a nice change of pace to see, use, wear and eat different things than normally.
You can make do with less on a camping trip by reducing the clutter. At the same time, you can still take all the essentials.
So, here’s the promised list of camping items. How many of these you pack could depend on whether you’re roughing it or heading to a campground where some amenities are provided. It might also depend on how long you’ll be gone.
- Tent, with footprints, stakes and mallet/hammer
- Ground cloth/tarp
- Sleeping bags
- Sleeping pads
- Backpack
- Blankets and pillows
- Headlamps, flashlights and extra batteries
- Camp table and chairs (if the site doesn’t have them)
- Mini-grill or camping stove
- Lantern
- Clothesline with clips
- Toiletries
- First-aid kit
- Prescription meds
- Sunscreen and protective hats
- Insect repellant
- Lip balm
- Rain gear
- Extra clothing, including several pairs of socks and underwear
- Hiking boots
- Bandanas
- Survival knife
- Multi-tool
- Duct tape
- Paracord or rope
- Saw or ax for cutting firewood (if needed)
- Compass
- Binoculars
- Field guides for flowers and insects
- Whistle
- Walkie-talkies
- NOAA emergency radio
- Disinfectant wipes
- Documents including vehicle registration, insurance, reservations, etc.
Food/food-related items
- Perishable food packed in a cooler or ice chest
- Non-perishable food for snacking
- Plenty of bottled water and other beverages
- Personal water purifier
- Fire starters
- Cooking, serving and eating utensils
- Cooking pots, pans, plates and cups
- Tongs and skewers
- Oven mitts
- Cutting board
- Tablecloth with clips or tape
- Canteen/thermos
- Coffee pot
- Can opener
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
- Dishwashing liquid and sponges
- Paper towels and napkins
- Tupperware
- Zip-top bags
- Trash and recycle bags
RV Essentials
During the worst of the pandemic, sales of RV campers skyrocketed. Many people who traditionally vacationed in popular and often crowded places decided to limit their contact with strangers.
RVs are a great way to travel and camp. But it’s best to know what to take with you in order to handle potential problems with a new-to-you vehicle. Here are plenty of items to consider, taken from a variety of sources:
- Your RV manual
- Drinking water hose
- Sewer kit including hose
- Surge protector
- Generator
- Electrical adapters
- Water pressure regulator
- Tire pressure gauge
- Emergency road kit
- Extra motor oil and fluids (washer, transmission, brake)
- Fire extinguisher
- Wheel chocks
- Rubber gloves
- Emergency brake cable
- Tire iron
- Tire patch
- Jack
- Leveling blocks
- Emergency warning light
- Fuses
- Well-stocked tool box
- Jumper cables
Stay powered up
As mentioned, I want to remind you of the importance of backup power when you’re on a camping trip. There are plenty of reasons for needing backup power. They include charging up your…
- Cellphones
- Emergency radio
- Mini-fridge
- Electric blanket
- Blender
- Hotplate
- Lights inside a tent
- Outdoor security lights
- Laptop or tablet
- Coffee maker
- Toaster oven
- CPAP machine and other medical devices
- Handheld electronic games
- Boombox
- Electric razor
- Mini-TV
- Blow-up mattress pump
- GPS unit
Without backup power, any one of the things listed above could prove useless to you on a camping trip. Yes, you could get by without some of them, but what if you had to make an emergency phone call?
What if an unexpected storm was headed your way and you needed information about it quickly? What if your perishable food started to go bad? Worst of all, what if you needed to power up crucial medical equipment?
Camping trips are a lot of fun and a great way to unwind with family or friends. They’re good for your body, mind and soul.
Just make sure you don’t forget to pack any of the essentials before you leave home.
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How to prevent forest fires in 3 steps
How To Prevent Forest Fires In 3 Steps
Forests are undeniably amazing places that cover almost a third of our beautiful Earth’s land — including over 700 million acres in the U.S.
Home to a wide variety of animals and plants, our forests are extremely valuable. Not only are they places of allure and outdoor fun, but we also rely on trees for fuel, raw materials, medicine, and more. Even more importantly, trees and plants that live in the forest make sure that our planet’s temperature is liveable and that we all have enough oxygen to breathe.
Needless to say, our forests are important! And it’s crucial to do your part in preventing forest fires to keep them healthy, strong, and thriving.
Not sure how to prevent forest fires? Don’t worry — Stealth Angel Survival has got your back!
Read on to learn everything you need to know about forest fire prevention.
But First, Here Are a Few Things You Should Know
Wildfires can destroy millions of acres of land at terrifyingly fast speeds, engulfing everything in their paths. These wild rolling flames have the ability to travel up to 14 miles an hour, which converts to about a four-minute-mile pace and can overtake life in a matter of minutes.
Forest fires, specifically, are large uncontrolled fires that take place in — you guessed it — the forest. While some forest fires are started by natural causes, such as lightning, most wildfires in the U.S. are due to human error. This can be carelessness, such as not properly putting out a campfire or dropping a lit cigarette.
What’s more, it takes an average of two to four years after a wildfire before reforestation efforts can begin. Young saplings simply can’t survive until the soil has begun to naturally replenish, can absorb water, and can support new life. It also takes quite a bit of time to mobilize resources for reforestation.
Simply put, it can take up to four years of rehab to restore a forest that was burnt to the ground due to a single second of carelessness.
How Do Forest Fires Spread?
Believe it or not, there are many factors that contribute to how a wildfire will spread in the forest and how intense the fire will be.
They include:
Fires require fuel to burn. Now, the type of fuel will impact how quickly the fire will spread as well as how intense it will be. With that being said, forests have many plants at different levels. So, the fuels in the forest will be at different levels, too.
- Aerials fuels: don’t touch the ground. They are at least one meter above the ground, so aerial fuels could be leaves, moss, branches, bark, and high brush.
- Surface fuels: are on the ground. Here, you’ll find logs, stumps, and bushes, as well as fallen leaves, branches, cones, and needles.
- Ground fuels: are anything that will burn below the surface fuels. This could be rotting branches or roots.
- Ground fires burn the ground fuels. These fires typically don’t have too much flame— they smolder. Surface fires quickly burn the surface fuels, and crown fires burn the aerial fuels.
Of the three types of forest fires, crown fires are the most destructive as they can spread quickly from tree to tree, causing immense destruction in a matter of minutes.
The weather plays a huge role in how a fire will spread. Forest fires are much more likely to start and spread during droughts when plants are bone-dry. Add strong winds to the equation, and you’ve got a recipe for destruction. The temperature and humidity will also impact how well a fire will spread. Wildfires thrive in hot and dry temps.
The topography is the shape and features of the forest where the fire is burning. Fire tends to move much faster uphill, so if the forest has many steep slopes or is particularly hilly, you can expect a fire to spread quickly.
OK — How Are Forest Fires Stopped?
Fire requires three things to burn —oxygen, fuel, and heat.
Commonly referred to as the “fire triangle,” take any of these three elements away, and a fire can’t burn. So, how are forest fires stopped, you ask? Simply put, brave firefighters battle these deathly infernos by depriving them of one or more of the three elements.
One traditional method is to douse existing fires with water and spray fire retardants. Firefighters also sometimes work in teams to clear vegetation from the land around a fire to contain and eventually starve it of fuel.
In addition, firefighters may also employ controlled burning, creating what’s called “backfires” to stop a wildfire. This common method involves fighting fire with fire and works by setting a controlled fire to remove undergrowth, brush, and litter from a forest, depriving an otherwise dangerous wildfire of fuel.
Do Your Part: 3 Easy Steps To Prevent Forest Fires
Remember, only YOU are responsible for the fires YOU start! Be careful to only start a fire when the conditions allow the fire to burn safely, and don’t forget to extinguish it correctly. If you cause a forest fire — regardless of being an accident — you may be held solely responsible for the cost of putting out the fire as well as face jail time, which could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
If you’re planning a camping trip with the kiddos to enjoy the great outdoors, chances are you’re going to build a fire to keep warm (and roast marshmallows, of course!). Do your part and educate yourself on forest fire prevention beforehand.
Follow these easy steps to keep preventable fires at bay:
Step #1: Choose a Campsite Wisely and Watch the Weather
When choosing your camping site, do your best to build your camp next to a water source that is sheltered from the wind. Also, be sure to pay extra close attention to the weather and drought conditions. If it’s a particularly hot day with very little humidity, it might be best to skip the campfire.
Step #2: Build a Safe Campfire
Many folks love to go camping and enjoy the warmth and light that comes from a crackling campfire, but your seemingly harmless campfire can quickly cause wildfires if you don’t build it properly.
To properly build a campfire, make sure you:
- Select a flat, open location that is far away from flammable materials such as brush, logs, or decaying leaves.
- Scrape away leaves, grass, and needles down to the mineral soil.
- Cut your wood in short lengths, and pile it within the cleared area before lighting the fire.
- Never leave your fire unattended.
Step #3: Douse Your Campfire Until It’s Cold to the Touch
Done with your campfire? Great! Don’t leave it unattended until it’s completely out. To properly put out a wood-burning fire pit, allow the wood to completely burn down. Then, dump a bucket of H2O on top of it and grab your handy-handy shovel to stir the ashes. Pour more water over the top of the campfire before stirring the ashes for a final time.
Repeat this process until:
- The ashes don’t hiss.
- The ashes are cold to the touch.
- No more smoke comes from the ashes.
Watch How You Get Lit
These three steps can make all the difference between a totally preventable wildfire that consumes everything in its path, leading to mass destruction and a wonderful time enjoying Mother Nature in the forest.
While our three tips listed above should definitely help to prevent forest fires, accidents do happen. If you notice a fire starting to get out of control, immediately call 9-1-1 or the appropriate authority and ask for help. The sooner you can get help over to you, the better the chances of the fire not becoming a larger problem.
Planning a camping trip? Don’t forget to stock up on all the camping essentials like our Stainless Steel Square Wood Burning Stove to safely whip up a tasty meal and first aid supplies in the event of an emergency.
As the premier site to find essential outdoors, camping, hiking adventure, and survival equipment, you can count on us to have everything you need to enjoy Mother Nature — safely.
Sources:
Suppression | US Dept. of Interior.
How To Preemptively Create a Fire Escape Plan
How To Preemptively Create a Fire Escape Plan
When an itty-bitty flame gets out of control, it can cause a massive and uncontrollable disaster within a matter of minutes. That being said, a well-designed fire escape plan plays a critical role in case of an emergency.
Don’t have one? Never fear — Stealth Angel Survival is here to the rescue!
Read on to learn everything you need to know to preemptively create a fire escape plan.
Everything You Need To Know About Creating a Fire Escape Plan
You know all about stop, drop and roll. You replace the batteries in your smoke alarms at least twice a year and know how to call 9-1-1. But do you have a fire escape plan? Probably not — but don’t feel ashamed; according to the American Red Cross, only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
Why don’t very many families have a home fire escape plan, you ask? Well, some people just don’t like thinking about the possibility of a disaster and try to avoid them at all-cause, including not preparing for them. This, of course, is a grave mistake.
Another issue lies in the fact that many folks believe that they have more time to gather their loved ones and get out if there’s a fire. But this is another mistake as you really may only have two minutes or less to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds.
You need a home escape plan for many reasons, such as:
- Working smoke alarms and a solid home fire escape plan can reduce your risk of injury or death.
- Most fatal fires happen in homes.
- Fires double in size every single minute.
- When a fire strikes, you may have less than one to two minutes to get out.
- Fires produce heat, smoke, and toxic gases.
- Fires create thick, black, choking smoke, which can make it nearly impossible to see or breathe.
Needless to say, a fire escape plan can make all the difference between life and death.
So, without further ado, here’s how to create a fire escape plan:
Step #1: First Things First. Make Sure You Have all the Right Equipment
Regardless of how annoying they can be when you accidentally overcook your chicken or burn popcorn (just us?), smoke detectors are so undeniably important. The sooner you’re aware of a fire, the more likely it is that you and your loved ones can safely escape.
At a minimum, make sure you have fully operational smoke alarms in every bedroom, but ideally, you should have multiple smoke alarms on each level of your home — including hallways and especially your kitchen. And whatever you do, don’t forget to change the batteries twice a year. Your smoke detectors are pointless if they don’t work!
In addition to smoke alarms, if your home has two floors, it’s wise to install an escape ladder to make sure that everyone can escape safely from the second-floor rooms in the event of a fire.
Step #2: Identify Your Exits, Choose A Meeting Spot, Draw Up Your Fire Escape Plan
When creating your fire escape plan, every member of the household should be involved. Walk through your home and make sure everyone can identify at least two ways out in each room, including windows and doors.
If you have little ones, you also need to explain very clearly that it’s very possible that they may have to exit by themselves. Let them know not to come looking for you, especially if their door feels hot or if they see smoke. Teach them how to escape safely and to do it all on their own — this is very important.
In addition, you will also need to let your loved ones know where to meet up outside the house once they’ve escaped. Pick a safe spot far enough away from your house that’s out of harm’s way but close enough that your kiddos would be comfortable walking there by themselves. A couple of good choices could include a neighbor’s house or a stop sign.
Finally, draw out the basic floor plan of your home with doors, windows, and any other exits included. This should be crystal clear so that everyone in the household can easily understand it — including small children.
Step #3: Practice Makes Perfect
Chances are you’ve heard the saying, “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” Well, this couldn’t be more true when it comes down to safety.
When you create a fire escape plan, don’t just tape it up on the wall and forget about it — the “Set it and forget it” rule does not apply here. You and your loved ones need to physically put the plan into action and practice it at least twice a year.
Here are a few other guidelines to follow:
- Practice the fire escape plan at night, which is when most fatal home fires start.
- Have everyone in the household practice feeling their way out of the house with their eyes closed to simulate escaping through thick smoke and darkness.
- Any time a family member has a change in their health or when there’s a temporary or permanent change to your household, revise your home fire escape plan.
Additional Fire Escape Plan Tips
Here are three additional tips that can help you create a fire escape plan:
Tip #1: Plan For Everyone
When putting together your fire escape plan, it’s really important to take into account the special needs of everyone in your household, including elderly family members who may not be very mobile. If grandma is in a wheelchair — you need to plan for that!
Tip #2: Teach Everyone the Emergency Number
Teach everyone how and when to call 9-1-1. Instruct your children that 9-1-1 is the only number they should call when there is an emergency like a house fire. However, they should only call after they’ve escaped and are safe.
Do not attempt to call for help from inside your home during a house fire, as it is much more important that you use every single second possible to get to safety.
Tip #3: Have a Survival Kit Ready To Go
While it’s not always possible to know when an emergency might strike, it is possible to be prepared for one. And one of the best ways to be prepared is by keeping a survival kit in an easy-to-grab location.
A survival kit like our Stealth Angel Survival Kit is jam-packed with a wide array of survival tools plus a field-grade first aid kit. With 36 first aid supplies, this medic bag bursts at the seams with everything from tools like fire-starters and glass breakers to bandages, compresses, swabs, and more. If you have pets, a dog survival kit and a cat survival kit are also useful to have.
In the event of a fire, fast first aid can make all the difference if someone were to become injured. Make sure each family member has a survival kit in their bedroom that can easily be grabbed when escaping. It’s also a good idea to stash a few around the house — just in case.
Ready in a Hot Minute
And there you have it —everything you need to know to preemptively create a fire escape plan!
A fire can spread unbelievably fast through your home, leaving you and your loved ones as little as one to two minutes to safely escape once the alarm sounds. Pull everyone in the household together and make a solid fire escape plan before it’s too late. Don’t fall victim to thinking a house fire can never happen to you because it can, and when it does, being prepared can make all the difference in not only your safety but your loved ones.
With a smart and well-thought-out plan in place, you can be a step ahead of the unexpected when you really may not have the time or ability to calmly think things through.
As the premier site to find essential outdoors, hiking, camping, adventure, and survival equipment as well as emergency preparedness kits, disaster aid supplies, and more, you can count on Stealth Angel Survival to provide you with the most essential, highest quality products at an undeniably affordable price.
Backed by a world-class customer support team that is with you every step of the way, whether you’re putting together a fire escape plan or looking for the best fire starters on the planet, we are here and ready to assist you with all of your needs, whatever they may be.
Sources:
How to make a home fire escape plan | National Fire Protection Association
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