Be Prepared

"Be Prepared" is the Boy Scout motto.   It is also excellent advice for campers -- and would be campers.  Preparation takes many forms.  In the beginning, preparation may mean mostly learning about your options.  You need to know the advantages and disadvantages of various types of RVs and tents and other equipment in order to make informed decisions about choosing a camping method and purchasing items to meet your needs.   Once you have more or less committed to a camping lifestyle, you need to continue to learn about your options -- and learn how to make the most of what you have. Learn how to use and how to care for your equipment.  And you need to learn how to prepare for an outing (see my post on Pre-trip procedures for more details.

If you decide tent camping is the way to go for now, educate yourself about types of tents.   Know which types will be suitable for the type of activities you plan to engage in and the climate where you'll be using them.   Know the range of prices for new and used equipment so you can make your budget go as far as possible.   Once you have acquired your basic equipment, learn all you can about using and maintaining it.  Know how to set it up and take it down correctly and quickly.   Know how to store it safely.  Know how to make appropriate repairs when something is damaged.   Learn what tools you need.   Acquire them and learn how to use them and take care of them.  Learn how to use your equipment to best advantage and know and respect its limits.  Always make sure your equipment is clean and dry before your store it.   Dirty equipment attracts insects and vermin and the natural decay of organic contaminants may damage fabrics or other components and leave foul odors. Some forms of mold may even be toxic!  Damp tents and sleeping bags foster growth of mold and mildew that can rot fabrics and produce stains and unpleasant odors.   Don't store your sleeping bags tightly rolled. It will compress the filling and destroy much of the insulating quality.

Choosing the RV lifestyle has many advantages but it also brings additional expense and responsibilities.  An RV can provide more comfortable living space for camping and during emergencies that a tent, but it takes more effort and expense to maintain it and there are additional things you need to learn.  If you have an RV you need to learn about each of the on-board systems (electrical, water, sanitation, propane, cooking, heating, cooling, entertainment), how to use them, how to maintain them, and how to make basic repairs.   Being able to take your RV to the shop whenever something goes wrong may be convenient, but is can also be expensive.  More importantly, when something goes wrong in a remote area or during an emergency, you may not have the luxury of access to mechanics and technicians so it is incumbent on RV owners to be able to perform basic repairs themselves.  Being able to affect basic repairs in camp can mean the difference between a slight inconvenience and a ruined outing.

Whether you are an RVer or a tent camper, you will want to keep your camping equipment in good repair and ready to use at a moment's notice.   Disasters strike without warning: an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire, a chemical spill can all put you into disaster-survival mode in a matter of seconds.  How well you handle the situation will depend largely on how prepared you are.   Do you have your survival equipment prepared and accessible?   Do you have sufficient food, water, and medical supplies to meet your immediate needs?  How much do you know about potential disasters in your area?   Do you have a disaster plan for you and your family?   If your camping gear is somewhere in a collapsed basement or garage or your RV is crushed by a falling tree or failed wall, it isn't going to do you much good.  I like to have multiple options.   My RV is my first choice if I have to abandon my home, but tent camping is a secondary backup . I try to keep my RV as ready as possible and my tent camping gear readily accessible and easy to gather and go if I have to.
 
In many disasters, access to emergency services is going to be severely restricted for several days or even weeks.  When involved in activities in remote locations, you may be miles and/or hours from a hospital or emergency medical services. In a local emergency like an earthquake or tornado, local emergency services are likely to be overwhelmed if not completely disabled for some time after the event.  Regardless of your situation, you should be prepared to deal with medical emergencies until normal service is restored.   That means you need at least first aid and CPR training and you need to stock basic first aid and medical supplies.  Your disaster first aid training should include triage -- knowing how to quickly assess injuries and classify victims/patients to ensure effective and appropriate treatment to do the most good for the most people.   As human beings we tend to respond first to the bloodiest, most gruesome injuries or the loudest victims or the first victims we encounter. However, in doing so you may waste your efforts trying in vain to treat a fatal injury while other victims that could have been saved may die.   Proper triage will let you prioritize your treatment resources to save as many people as possible.  Triage on your own family will be difficult, but is still necessary.  While trying in vain to save one fatally injured family member another who could have been saved if reached in time may die.  Take care of those you can save before trying to revive someone who is already dead or dying.   Contact your local Red Cross, community emergency services agency, or fire department to find out where you can get appropriate first aid and disaster preparedness training. C.E.R.T. (community Emergency Response Team) training is an excellent way to prepare yourself to deal with disasters, protect your family, and assist your neighbors.

If possible, carry appropriate spare parts for you vehicles and equipment and know how to make repairs in the field.  Belts and hoses are common points of failure for most motor vehicles.  They are fairly inexpensive and usually pretty easy to change . OHVs often break clutch, brake, and shift levers, and drive chains.  Being able to replace or repair such failures quickly can prevent the loss of an entire weekend's activity or keep you from getting stranded in a remote camping area.   Failure of a camp stove or lantern may not be a major catastrophe, but being able to diagnose and repair common problems on site will add to your comfort and convenience.  Repair kits for stoves and lanterns are usually available at retail stores where ever the stoves and lanterns are sold.   They are not terribly expensive and are a good investment in convenience and peace of mind.  Always carry a basic tool kit and learn how to perform basic repairs.   If you don't already know how to do fundamental mechanical and carpentry repairs or are out of practice, take an adult ed class to renew or acquire basic skills.

Maintain emergency provisions in your RV or tent camping supplies.  Provisions should include food and water to supply your family for at least 3 days.  You should also have medical supplies, including prescription medications.  Review you provisions regularly to be sure they are up to date. Expired medications and ingredients have many potential problems, ranging from loss of effectiveness to serious illness or even death.   Out dated adhesive bandages and tapes will be useless.    They become slick or dried out and won't stick.   Check canned goods for signs of spoilage. Bulging, rusted, or leaking cans should be discarded and replaced immediately.

Get proper training.  The most expensive and complete first aid kit in the world will do you little good if you don't have basic first aid skills.  A fully equipped ER treatment room would be useless without at last some idea what needs to be done and how to do it.  Likewise, the best tool set will be useless without some mechanical skills.  If you plan activities in remote areas, consider survival training.  You may find yourself in survival mode if you get lost or your vehicle breaks down.  Learn how to use your RV range and camp stove correctly and how to maintain them.  Learn basic cooking skills. In addition to basic first aid and CPR skills and certifications, my wife and I have both expanded our emergency medical training to become certified Red Cross Professional Rescuers. Because many of our outings are in remote areas I have also obtained a certificate in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. First aid and CPR training and certification are available through the Red Cross almost anywhere.  The only place I've seen the Advanced Wilderness Life Support class is the University of Utah.  For more information see "WWW.ALS.ORG".   Be aware the course is intended primarily for medical professionals and costs several hundred dollars.  There may be some parts of it that are beyond what you as a "civilian" can do ethically and legally, but most of it is good training for anyone who may be involved in remote activities.

Aquatic adventures bring their own special needs.   Fishing, swimming, boating, canoeing, water skiing, and jet skiing all put you in or near the water where you may need to know specialized rescue skills to ensure the safety of your family and your companions.   First of all, always observe proper safety procedures for the equipment you are using.   Wear approved flotation devices when using any kind of watercraft.  Don't go in the water during electrical storms or soon after eating.  It is always a good idea to appoint a member of your group as "safety officer" during an activity.   The safety officer should not be a participant in the activity, but remain as an observer to keep an eye on everyone else and call a halt or launch rescue efforts if needed.

Mental/emotional preparation is often underestimated.  You may think you know how you will react in an emergency, but until you are faced with one, you won't really know for sure.  One of the modules in the C.E.R.T. course is Disaster Psychology.   It helps you understand what to expect of disaster victims, including yourself and how to deal with it.  Participation in planned community exercises is a good way to hone your skills.   Lacking opportunities for formal exercises or between exercises you can do your own "what if" exercises in your mind.  What if there is an earthquake, flood, blizzard, fire, or tornado while I'm camping or at home?  What if I am without power for several days?  What if I can't contact emergency services or they aren't available?  What if I don't have normal fuel to heat my home or cook with?  What if I am faced with multiple victims from a large scale disaster?  What if my vehicle is disabled and I'm stranded in a remote campground?  What if I have to forage for food to survive?  What if my OHV breaks down out on the trail?  What if I can't find my way back to camp?  What if my fellow campers panic?  What if I or another OHV rider are injured on the trail?   A dirt biker friend of mine foolishly went riding alone.  He hit a rock in a dirt road, crashed, and ended up with a broken collar bone, several broken ribs and a broken ankle. Suffice it to say his self-rescue was very slow and painful.  Remember, YOU may be the only first responder you can really count on.

Never ride alone is a good motto for all OHV riders.  The principle can also be applied to any kind of camping activities.  You should always use the buddy system so if one of you becomes ill or is injured, the other can render aid and go for help.  When you go camping or hiking or riding, make sure someone at home or in camp knows when you are leaving, where you are going, and when you expect to be back.  That way, if anything happens to you, they'll know where and when to start looking.  Once you have begun to execute your shared plans, stick to them.  Spontaneously changing your route may be fun, but it could prove disastrous if someone gets hurt and searchers don't know where to look.

Most states have "Good Samaritan" laws that protect people who offer help in emergency situations.  Helping others in an emergency is a good and natural thing to do, but you don't want to put yourself or your family in jeopardy.  Improper medical procedures can expose you and those you love to unnecessary health risks and perhaps make you liable for expenses or penalties if you exceed your authorization and protection under the law.  For your own protection, know your limits, not only in your home state, but anywhere you may be traveling.  Keep disposable rubber gloves where you can easily get to them in an emergency.  Blood born pathogens are a significant cause of infections being transferred from victims to would-be care givers.  There are some really scary diseases (like AIDS)  passed along in "bodily fluids".  A guideline I learned is, "if it's wet and it isn't yours, don't touch it".   A mouth guard to protect you while giving CPR could save your life!

Be prepared!