Tag: Camping

Prepping on a Budget

Let’s face it… “Super storms”… natural disasters… pandemic threats… rolling blackouts… More than ever, we face a number of ugly threats outside of our control that have the potential to turn our world upside down at a moment’s notice. That’s why those of us who are “awake” to these facts are preparing for the worst. […]

Great Smoky Mountains Camping | Survival Life National Park Series

Thinking about a Great Smoky Mountains National Park camping trip? What are you waiting for? There is not question that the Great Smoky Mountains is the most popular national park in the country. In fact, more than 10 million people visited the Smokies last year. The park is considered an international biosphere reserve by the […]

22 Amazing Hiking Trails You Have To See To Believe

Looking for hiking trails to explore? Here are a few of the world’s best hikes sure to take your breath away! RELATED: Best Campgrounds in North Carolina Stunning Hiking Trails for the Best Outdoors Experience 1. The West Maroon Pass United States hiking trails are some of the most breathtaking in the world. A few of them are also located […]

Paracord: Everything You’ll Ever Need To Know

Never leave paracord out of your survival and emergency gear list. Find out why and how here! RELATED: Top 10 Reasons To Never Leave Home Without A Paracord Bracelet All About Paracords: A Prepper’s Best Survival Tool What Is Paracord, Anyway? Paracords are a lightweight nylon rope initially used to suspend lines during WWII. The […]

Your Camping Survival Guide Checklist

Today I want to provide you with some reminders about what to make sure to take with you on your next camping trip, regardless of its length.

If you are one of the 40 million Americans who goes camping annually, it may have been a while since you’ve done it, so I don’t want you to forget anything important.

21 camping ‘musts’

Everyone’s list of camping essentials will be different, but here are some basics I think everyone would benefit from having on-hand: 

• A sturdy, waterproof camping tent
• Sleeping bag, pillows; blow-up mattress or sleeping pad
• Extra clothes including socks, swimsuit, etc.
• Toiletries and toilet paper
• Cellphone
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Power banks for your phone and other electronic devices
• Survival knife
• Compass
• Compact cooking stove
• Fire-starters
• Non-perishable food, including granola bars and healthy snacks
• Water and water bottles
• Cooler for perishable food and drinks
• Disposable cups, plates, utensils
• Cleaning supplies, dish soap
• Towels and washcloths
• Extension cord, tarp, bungees
• Paper clips (handy as a zipper pull, eyeglasses repair, makeshift compass, & more)
• Fully-stocked first-aid kit
• Sunscreen, bug spray (or dryer sheets for insect repellent!) 

Some folks may want to include a weapon in their camping gear, assuming they have a concealed carry license.

Making memories in the outdoors 

People who have never gone camping may not understand its value. Why sleep on the ground outdoors when you could be in a nice comfortable bed? 

But what they learn after they try it is how therapeutic it can be to leave the stress of their lifestyle behind for a few days and get back to nature. The change in environment can be a significant mood booster. And basking in nature’s beauty relieves anxiety.

Camping trips are about making memories with family and friends. You’ll enjoy new experiences that would be impossible to duplicate back at home. And you just may learn a few survival skills that will come in handy down the road. Including fire-starting and cooking over a campfire.

Many people come back home from camping trips being bonded to others better than ever before. Your shared experiences, late-night chats, and early-morning walks all combine to bring you together as a cohesive unit. 

A bug-out scenario rehearsal

A couple more things about camping. While it’s important to take everything you need on a camping trip – especially one lasting longer than a couple of days – you don’t want to overdo it.

If you end up taking a bunch of “just in case” stuff that you don’t end up requiring, it could bog you down and tire you out.

Even more important, try to look at your camping experience as a dry run for a potential bug-out scenario. Surviving in the wild with a limited amount of food, water, and other items will be much easier to deal with if you’ve already practiced this type of thing while camping.

Oops, looks like I failed to mention the most important thing of all – s’mores. Yeah, you can make and eat them at home too, but it’s just not the same.

Happy camping!

Outdoor Survival | 13 Winter Camping Tips For Every Survivalist

Winter camping or exploring the wilderness in the winter season can be very dangerous and at the same time a wonderful experience. Feel the freedom, solitude, and peace that this adventure has to offer. But if you are unprepared or not properly guided then it will suck all the fun of what supposedly is an awesome endeavor. So check this winter camping tips that will serve as your guide for your next trip.

How To Stay Hydrated While Hiking [Video]

Take some invaluable tips on how to stay hydrated longer in the wilderness in this featured video from Between the Blazes! RELATED: How To Stay Hydrated In Hot Conditions What You Need to Know to Stay Hydrated Longer 1. Where to Get a Safe Water Source for Drinking It’s getting hot out there, and with heat […]

How to Choose the Best Lantern

There are many ways to provide light in the darkness. The flashlight comes to mind immediately, and it does a very good job.

Prior to the development of light bulbs and flashlights, people used torches, candles, oil lamps, kerosene lamps, and lanterns.

Some of us may think of a lantern as an outdated mode of lighting. Or at least nothing more than a decorative piece to produce some light and ambience at backyard parties.

But the fact is, today’s solar-powered lanterns are a modern convenience. They have a number of advantages over some other forms of lighting. Today I want to take a look at the evolution of the lantern before telling you what to look for in its modern form.

Tracing back to antiquity

The first mention of lanterns we’re aware of was in documents uncovered in ancient Greece. They’re mentioned by Empedocles of Agrigentum and the poet Theopompus.

Other countries of that time also used lanterns, including Egypt and China. They were made of paper, silk, or animal hide, along with wood and bamboo. Candles were the light source inside these lanterns. 

Eventually lanterns were made of tin boxes or cylinders with glass panels. They had holes at the top so the candle could get enough oxygen to keep burning.

In order to provide light at night for crossroads, lanterns made of iron baskets filled with wood knots were hung from poles and lit. Eventually they were replaced by oil lanterns using whale oil as fuel. Gas and kerosene lanterns followed.

Festivals and celebrations

In ancient China, fireflies were caught and placed in containers used as lanterns.

Some traditions with lanterns continue to this day in countries such as China for festivals and other celebrations.

The Ghost Festival in China includes lanterns in the shape of lotus (an aquatic plant) placed in rivers to symbolically guide the souls of ancestors.

The lighting of numerous paper lanterns also marks the final day of the lunar New Year in China. Some lanterns can be seen floating in the sky during this holiday celebration.

Becoming increasingly popular

More recently developed lanterns are electric and can be used for illuminating streets and houses. 

Lanterns are also sometimes used inside homes to light dark areas at night. They are also useful during camping and hunting trips.

Lanterns are seeing a big surge in popularity in recent years. Both for their practicality and appearance, but also for the ambience they add. They can be used on tabletops or strung as lights on patios. As well as on camping grounds and for RV trips.  

Due to their 360-degree shine radius, many people can benefit from their light at the same time. And, of course, they’re put into very good use when the power goes out.

What to look for in a lantern

Earlier I mentioned solar-powered lanterns. Batteries will wear out – often at the most inopportune time – so solar is the way to go. Plus, fuel-burning lanterns can be dangerous. Especially if used in small spaces without proper ventilation.

In addition to affordability, a quality to look for in your search for a solar lantern is its ability to charge other electric items, such as your phone. Make sure it has a USB charge port for that.

You don’t want a solar lantern that will blow over at the slightest breeze, so get one that’s stable but also easily portable. Make sure it is durable and weather-resistant, and has a hook for hanging.

Of course, the level of brightness is important. Look for a lantern that has 800 or more lumens. Which is the equivalent to the light produced by 800 candles or a 6-watt bulb. And if there are various settings for that light, including strobe, all the better.

You also want a lantern that is simple to use at the touch of a button, especially if children or grandchildren will occasionally operate them. Even a solar-powered lantern will contain a battery, so make sure it’s one that has long run times.

If you’re looking for a way to light up your indoor and outdoor activities, a solar lantern would be a great choice. Just make sure you get one that provides everything you need.

What Do Fall Activities & Survival Have in Common?

What does fall mean to you? For many of us, it represents the welcome relief of cooler temperatures following a hot summer. 

We also love fall colors as leaves in our area and in neighboring states turn beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. 

Fall is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the weather, the sights, and the sounds of the season. It’s also a good time to think about how our fall activities relate to preparedness.

Today I’m going to provide you with 13 fall activity ideas and their connection with getting ready for a crisis. In each case, I hope you can combine family fun with survival preparation. 

13 ways to fall in love with preparing 

• Take a hike in the woods or in a state park. While getting back to nature, you can practice for a potential bug-out in the woods. Including distinguishing between safe and unsafe plants and berries.

• Go on a camping trip. This will be good practice for preparing to take care of your power, food, and shelter needs in the outdoors. It will remind you of which portable items you most need when you’re on the go.

• Get lost in a corn maize. Then use your deductive reasoning and any tools at your disposal such as a GPS to practice escaping from a situation in which you feel trapped in order to reach safety. 

• Walk or run a fall 5K. This is a great way to help build up the stamina you will need for a bug-out and/or survival scenario. 

• Visit a farmer’s market and purchase fresh fruits and vegetables you can freeze for meals in the winter when it may be too cold to go to the store.

• Plant fall crops in your garden for harvesting later in the year or in the spring. Some plants do very well in the fall, including carrots, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach.

• Carve pumpkins. This is good practice for using a survival knife, as you may be out of the habit of using it regularly.

• Set up an apple toss. Aiming for a basket will help improve the physical dexterity you will need to deal with an emergency.

• Rake leaves. Does that sound more like work than play? Well, think about some of the preparedness uses you could have for leaves. Including composting for your garden, saving for tinder, cushioning your feet to avoid blisters, and insulation and padding for a sleeping bag,  

• Take family fall photos. You can enjoy these outdoors photos now, but also save them for potential identification purposes should your family get separated during a disaster. 

• Go to the library on an inclement day when you can’t enjoy the outdoors and check out a couple of books on survival and preparedness. 

• Get a jumpstart on holiday shopping. This is also a very good reminder to get ahead in your preparedness efforts. 

• Use a mini solar-powered generator to power a slow cooker to make a hot meal or heat up your apple cider during a power outage. This will be good practice should a blackout last longer than normal this fall or winter.

Fall is a wonderful season to enjoy the outdoors. But why not learn a few things about preparedness along the way?

LogOX A2 GenOX Bushcraft Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The LogOX A2 GenOX Bushcraft Knife is a razor sharp, 4.25 inch, full-tang, fixed-blade, Scandi-grind knife made of A2 steel with a Micarta handle. At the time of this writing, it cost $287 at www.thelogox.com. The price includes the knife, a finely crafted leather sheath, and a matching ferrocerium rod. This compares favorably with other […]