When most people think of camping, they picture pitching a tent for a weekend and heading back home after a few days. Short-term camping is a great way to get out into the wilderness and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a few days, but what if you don’t have the option to return home? Maybe World War III started or any one of a thousand other SHTF situations ended the world while you were away, and there’s nothing left to go back to.
Survival shelters might be ideal for SHTF scenarios, but long-term camping can also help keep you alive if there aren’t other options. What things do you need to consider? What do you need to bring with you, and how long could you conceivably last in the wilderness before you need to return to what’s left of civilization to resupply?
1. Food
Living in a survival situation is already stressful, regardless of the world-ending event that landed you there. You may constantly be on the move, trying to stay safe and ahead of whatever threats are lurking in the dark.
Long-term camping often has the exact caloric requirements of hiking or backpacking, especially if you’re packing up and moving camp every few days. If you usually eat around 2,000 calories per day — the recommended daily intake — the exertion of hiking or camping could nearly double the number of calories you need to consume. That means hauling twice as many food supplies or burning even more calories hunting or foraging.
As long as you’re camping in an area with lots of game and foragables to ensure you’re getting a balanced diet, you can theoretically continue to survive in the wild as long as you like. Winter months might provide a challenge, but that’s where dehydrated or freeze-dried supplies can come in handy.
Smoking meats or storing dried goods — either in amounts light enough to carry effortlessly or in caches close to your favorite campsites — can also ensure you have enough food to last the winter and beyond.
2. Water
Plenty of natural water sources can be found across the country, from massive lakes too large to see across to tiny creeks trickling through the underbrush. Finding water isn’t the problem — it’s finding drinkable water. The average human needs a gallon of water per day. Half of that is for drinking — and making the coffee essential to your survival — and the other half for hygiene purposes. You’ll need to drink more water during the day if you’re more active.
The easiest way to ensure you stay hydrated during long-term camping trips is to invest in a LifeStraw water filter. These allow you to safely drink from any source, filtering out contaminants and microorganisms. For larger amounts of water, a portable water filter or water purification tablets are a lightweight addition to your pack to ensure you always have something to drink or cook without worrying that your water source will make you sick.
3. Shelter
Camping doesn’t always equal tents, but that’s the image most people conjure when they think of their favorite camping memories. Any way you look at it, you’re going to need shelter. Don’t opt for the biggest or fanciest tent at the camping supply store, especially if it’s not something you can easily carry on your back. If you’re alone, a small tent big enough for you and your supplies is more than adequate.
Choose your tent with your location’s climate in mind. If you live in an area that experiences harsh winters, a tent designed to withstand the cold will be better suited to your needs. On the opposite side of the climate coin, warm temperatures or humid locales will be better suited to a tent with many airflow options.
4. Power
Unless you’re trying to go entirely off the grid, you will probably have something that needs power. Cellphones or satellite phones give you the means to communicate in an emergency, and GPS devices can keep you from getting lost in the woods. If you’re spending lots of time in the wilderness, you will need a way to charge these devices. Thankfully, you’ve got options.
Portable solar panels are ideal in an area with a lot of sun. They don’t charge fast, but you can set them out in the morning and leave them sitting in the sun until you need them. Some stoves use the heat generated by a small fire to charge a battery and your devices. There are even turbine chargers you can lower into a fast-moving stream or even use to harness air power. The options are endless. Almost all are lightweight and designed to take up little to no space, so you can charge your devices without weighing down your pack.
5. Weather
Long-term camping means it’s easier to pick up and move if necessary, but it also puts you at the mercy of the weather. A heavy thunderstorm could leave you hauling wet gear for days or flood you out of your campsite. On the flip side, exposure to too much sun can be just as dangerous. You might not think about getting a sunburn when you’re worried about survival situations, but a severe one can leave you sick and prone to infections.
If you’re not relying on weather apps or radar, you need to learn to pay close attention to the natural indicators that something will change with the weather. Watch the skies, monitor the temperature and barometric pressure — you can get a cheap barometer and stash it in your pack — and study the seasons as they change.
Stay out of the sun as much as possible during the peak of the day. Sunburns are most likely to occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the sun is at its highest. Cover your skin if you need to venture out during these hours, but the best option is to stay in your tent or the shade while you wait out the heat of the day.
6. Location
Long-term camping doesn’t require a survival situation, but it may change where you can pitch your tent. For everyday situations, campsites — especially those in national parks or along trails — may come with a usage fee. Wild camping is free unless you get caught and someone decides to fine you for setting up on private property.
You need to consider other variables in a survival situation, such as defensibility and whether you’re setting up in a flood plain. Choose your locations carefully. Take things like the weather and whether or not you can defend your chosen space into account.
7. Wildlife
You’re not the only person trying to make a home in the wilderness. You will need to take steps to keep your campsite safe and prevent harming the local ecosystem or the animals that call it home. Start by paying close attention to wildlife. They can teach you a lot, from where to find water to when you need to start hunkering down for the winter.
You’ll need to take extra steps to protect your food if bears are nearby. Don’t store it in your tent. The last thing you want is a hungry bear tearing a hole in your canopy looking for a snack. Instead, toss a rope on a high tree branch and hang your food bag above the ground.
Make sure you’re careful with your garbage and waste on the conservation side of things. Don’t leave a mess at your campsites. This tip is essential if you’re camping before a SHTF scenario occurs — mainly because leaving your trash for other people to clean up makes you a jerk. Leaving refuse at your campsite encourages pests and vermin to accumulate and can harm local wildlife.
Remember that old rule — take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. Live by that when you’re camping long term and you should do just fine.
8. Practice
Heading out into the wilderness might seem like the perfect way to survive in a SHTF scenario, but camping isn’t easy. There are a lot of skills you’ll need to learn, from pitching a tent to foraging for food, to survive.
If long-term camping is your survival plan, practice before things go sour. Plan longer trips so you can work out any bugs and ensure you have everything you need to survive. You may even want to spend a few months in a tent if you have the means. The point is to know how to survive for long periods in the wilderness before the skills become necessary so you know exactly what to do in various situations.
Stay Alive and Thrive in the Wilderness
Long-term camping is a viable survival plan as long as you’ve prepared and practiced your skills. Theoretically, as long as hunting and foraging are good, a well-prepared survivalist could live in the wilds indefinitely. You could easily spend months outdoors without needing to return to civilization for resupply. Stationary survival shelters might be the ideal choice for some, but for others, the nomadic lifestyle of long-term camping may be the best way to stay alive through a SHTF scenario.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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