Solo Trips

[Dahlia47]

What safety precautions do you take for your solo trips?

[Tom&Shelly]

Camp near folks who run slower than you do. Then you don't have to worry about how fast the bear runs.

Sorry! Couldn't resist. As a guy, when I tent camped alone, I never worried about it. I probably took unnecessary risks with the possibilities of getting stuck while on 4wd roads, or injury while hiking. Mostly I was lucky. I should have let people know where I was, and when I planned to return. Now there is cell phone coverage in the areas I camped, but not then.

Never felt the need to be armed (with more than a pocket or belt knife). I think that would have caused more problems than it solved. I never saw the need for a first aid kit hiking--the small ones don't have anything really useful in them for those possible emergencies anyway. (I always had a big one in the Jeep.)

Since being married, we've never camped alone, and always know where the other one should be and when they should return.

Tom

[tony.latham]

What safety precautions do you take for your solo trips?

Just pack your bear spray. :thumbs-up:

Tony

[bdosborn]

Just pack your bear spray.

Small world, I just threw a can in the van on Tuesday...
Bruce

[DJ Davis]

To clarify, I presume you are referring to boonie camping by yourself. I would just insure to have the basic gear to handle the terrain in which you camp. Each area will have its main threat, be it bears, snakes, heat/cold, poisonous plants/cacti, sun/wind, or just isolation. Follow the Boy Scouts' motto of "Be prepared" and hopefully you won't have to "be repaired." In other words, it's the P7 rule...prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

My basic gear is good knife, hatchet, first aid kit, shovel, 550 cord, poncho, leather gloves, a good flashlight, a couple of road flares, fire starting materials, water filtration, some bottled water and simple to prepare non-perishable food items. More "modern" things to consider are a GPS, sat phone, and a power station/charging device/solar panel for electronics.

One of my Prof's in college said to always carry a deck of cards. He said if you find you're lost, sit down and start playing solitaire. Sooner or later someone will look over your shoulder and say "Play the red 10 on the black jack!" In other words, unless threatened where you are, stay put. You could get injured trying to find your way out or encounter some other hazard. The cards can also be used to "range out" from that safe point if you go looking for water, perhaps. Pick a direction and put a card on a branch or tree trunk periodically as you walk so you can find your way back to the safe point. A roll of orange surveyor's tape would be a good substitute if you don't like playing solitaire!

And most important, unless you're on th' lam, tell at least one person where you're going.

[twisted lines]

Where I chose to Stop or get out.
Bear spray is on my to do list

[gudmund]

Pepper Spray = Never leave home with-out it!!!!

[DJ Davis]

Dahlia,

"Read the room." If you stop at a site that initially looks nice, check around. See a bunch of tire tracks, empty beer cans, evidence of fires, and/or shell casings from guns, move along. Possible hangout for trouble.

Once you find a suitable site and set up, keep your ears on 360 degrees and look around every once in a while. City or just south of nowhere, situational awareness is key to avoiding trouble.

Traveling with a dog? Good. Excellent alarm system for possible trouble...and squirrels...and rabbits...and racoons.

[gudmund]

and I "second" everything DJ Davis just said here........

[Modstock]

Bear spray and firearms. Also when on my trips a good set of tools and a good knowledge of your vehicle, how to fix it. Your trailer too.
Having AAA is nice but.... they dont come out at night and ya gotta be near a main road for them to get to you.

Sent from my SM-A115AP using Tapatalk