It’s a new year and you’re super pumped to work and meet all those resolutions you penned down to begin working on the new you. For anyone who’s worked on these before, you know how easy it can be to beat yourself up with not being able to cross things off the list. But that shouldn’t be the case.

Going hiking for the first time can be a lot like writing your new year’s resolutions. You want to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. You want to have realistic expectations, hence knowing that no matter what happens you can rely on yourself to bail yourself out of any situation.

This means having essential survival skills. Being present minded, planning for the future, being goal oriented are some of the wider traits that’ll help you out, both in life and on your backpacking trip.

Here are some more tangible and practical skills that can help you make it out in the wild.

First aid

This means having the right supplies with you and knowing how to use them as well. While the rule of thumb should be to avoid any injuries in the first place, a few scrapes and burns are standard. Hence, you should know how to address these, especially if your trip will last for a few days.

How to light a fire

Whether you’re camping out or backpacking in the winter or the summer season, learning how to keep a fire blazing at night is very useful. It will help you when you need to cook, stay warm and purify water.

Purifying water

Speaking of purifying water, you may have not realized it, but eventually you’re going to run out of your own supply. Staying hydrated on a trip is crucial and you can’t just drink water straight from any flowing body of water you find.

Your best bet to find water is to look for a stream that’s flowing downhill and follow the direction where birds are flying.

Collect enough water to last you the night and boil it on your camping stove. Alternatively, you can carry a pocket filter and purification tablets to save you the trouble.

Keeping yourself prepared in the weather

This means dressing appropriately to make sure you’re covered, in case you won’t have shelter for a long time.

You need to make sure you’re protected against all the elements, so look up the weather forecast before you head out.

Also, be prepared for any surprise weather changes, so pack a raincoat just in case.

Relieving yourself out in the open

Some people find this challenging; some take it like a fish to water. If you’re camping offsite you can dig a hole in the ground when duty calls and bury your poop.

Practice makes perfect.

If it’s a park, be prepared to scoop up your poop in a bag and take it with you. Carry hand sanitizer and use minimal wipes to avoid collecting too much waste.

Staying clean

It’s impossible to stay spic and span throughout your trip. You’ll get dirty and sweaty but at some point, you should maintain good hygiene to avoid bacteria from causing rashes and infections. Anti-bacterial wipes will help you get the bare minimum done.

Tip: When you go to sleep in your sleeping bag, put on light clothes so you don’t get sweaty.

It gets easier as time passes and there will be many challenges that you’ll learn to overcome on your own. Eventually, you’ll have your own guide book from the lessons you learnt on your own on how to survive. Make sure you have fun and look for the silver lining in each situation.

To ultimately survive on your adventure, you need to have the right equipment. Check out our ultra lite backpack, front packs for hiking, and other accessories.

Contact us for more information about our products.