Survival Camping Equipment

I'm planning a back-packing hike into the Rio Grande region. What equipment would be best to take for this trip? I plan on being out there with my camera for two weeks. I need quality camping items that will not rip, shred, tear, or break. If you can provide a website link to a camping store, that would be wonderful!

I used to hike and camp quite alot, for me i found milets and black rock to be good stores however army surplus stores were the best for durable and reliable kit.

Imo it isnt possible to one day go out and buy everything you need, it takes time to put together the perfect set of kit for yourself and your needs and takes even more time to become proficient at using that kit.

What i would suggest is putting together a survival tin and always keep that on you at all times, my tin consists of:

Needle and thread.
Fishing hooks/ weights and line.
A flint + steel.
A knife.
Iodine tablets.
Potasium permanganate (spl?)
Plasters.
Bandage.
Small candle.
Matches covered in wax.
Money (local currency or us dollar)
Snare wire.
Safety pins.
String.
Button compass.

I dont have my tin handy so cant list everything but thats what i remember. With my survival tin i can survive in about 80-85% anywhere in the world (on land), more importantly than whats in your tin is knowing how to use it, just like with your main camping gear.

Personally i used to go minimalistic, a solid backpack (berghauss, karimor), small hammock, a poncho for a coat that doubled as a roof, a solid pair of boots(regular british army issue), plenty of thin waterproof layers, lots of socks, a twin set of british army mess tins to cook in and eat from, zippo lighter+gas lighter+fire rod, solid nylon climbing rope and a damn good knife (opinel 4inch and a 7 inch)+small diamond sharpening stone, compass(or two)+map. Oh and dont forget a knife, fork and spoon.

Aswell as that as many creature comforts as your willing to drag around with you. I alwaysed carried foot powder and some extra bandages for the inevitable blisters, pop them, drain them and bandage them whilst leaving as much skin as possible.

The most important thing you can have though is knowledge, read and experiment with all your kit, learn to use your kit for a variety of tasks, if one thing breaks be ready to use something else for the task. You will always forget something so be prepared to accomodate.

If the terrain is particularly unfamiliar take a gps positioning system and consider a satelite phone.

As for food i used to eat what i caught, snares and a small fishing set will allow you to set up traps and night lines ensuring a plentifull breakfast :P

I find the more minimalistic you go the more you learn to relly on yourself leading to a more enjoyable trip.

Hope that helped,

Don

2009-10-20 15:12:01 by fudge_berry666

I am an experienced back packer and hiker, and am looking to send my nephew to a camping skills school as a gift, I find it very frustrating when looking into schools or training camps that they don't give an equipment list up front, as not only wpould it help to get ready, but also give a clue as to what the focus of there teachings will be. Any one have a clue as to why they don't list things to bring?

I don't know where you've looked but BOSS - The Boulder Outdoor Survival School offers a general gear list here, and under each link is a little more information: http://www.boss-inc.com/08faq.html#Two17 , but Tom Brown Jr's tracking school says there are gear lists under each class section but I certainly can't find them: http://www.trackerschool.com/faq_equipme nt.asp

I imagine if you called them they could give you a list and I would also suspect the reason they aren't more specific is because to learn survival you'll want as few pieces of gear as humanly possible, and one of the sites said they wanted to dissuade people from purchasing unnecessary and fancy gear for their classes, which is my answer to your question.

2008-10-17 18:25:03 by bumppo

Price: $5.95

Intended for short-term or limited emergency use only
Potable Aqua Water Purification Iodine Tablets (50 Tablets)
Ideal for campers, travelers, hikers, militaries, and emergency organizations

I have my trusty old and severely worn Boy Scout manual, but it's woefully behind the times. I am headed to hike around the base of Mt. Hood in September and I want to be able to prepare for the journey by acquiring all the right camping gear I possibly can. I need a resource guide for that, however, and I don't know that one really exists. Example: If I wanted to learn all about boating, I'd buy "Chapman's Guide to Piloting." Is there something like that out there that covers camping equipment, gear, technology, physical preparedness, wilderness survival techniques, etc. Thanks!

How about going to a bookstore or your local BSA and getting a current issue of the Boy Scout's Manual?

You might also want to try something like:

"How to Survive Anywhere:
A Guide for Urban, Suburban, Rural, And Wilderness Environments"
By: Christopher Nyerges
ISBN-10: 0811733041
ISBN-13: 978-0811733045

OR

Camping & Wilderness Survival:
The Ultimate Outdoors Book
By: Paul Tawrell
ISBN-10: 0974082023
ISBN-13: 978-0974082028

They sell both on Amazon.

You might want to check out some of the other books written by Christopher Nyerges too!

If you really want to get rustic, there's:

PETERSON FIELD GUIDES
Edible Wild Plants.
.

2007-03-20 10:42:29 by BlueGuitar68

Price: $24.99

Gather fire wood fast.
Carbon steel teeth
Light weight and portable

Looking for mostly camping equipment, military equipment, AR-15 magazines, and other "survival" type gear.

I do business with two and have been pleased with both:

For magazines, ammo and more hardcore military stuff:

www.cheaperthandirt.com

For more general stuff like camping, footware and optics

www.sportsmansguide.com

These are great catalogs to keep in the "library" at home

2006-03-17 18:39:08 by majpopo

Boy scout troop going 'survival' camping. its really light backpacking . Need ideas for dinner. Cooking equipment: Propane backpacking stove, small pot, spoon, alum. foil lid.

If it's survival backpacking... have them find their own food in the woods. Nature can be a virtual buffet. A scout leader should have a guide book just to double check that the scouts are actually selecting edible plants. You can teach them all you can about survival/forraging techniques but until they actually have to do it for a meal or two, they won't really learn it.

2008-02-25 20:37:40 by Assistant Regional Night Manager