5 Safety Tips for Outdoor Summer Adventures

Even with blue skies, abundant sunshine and westerly breezes, summertime creates dangerous moments for children and adults. From extreme heat to deadly insects, venturing outdoors in the summer can pose a risk even to the seasoned hiker. Trampling through the wrong underbrush can cause itchy rashes, and hiking over loose rock can cause serious accidents. Before you get excited about summertime adventures, take precautions and head out prepared with these summer safety tips and items.

Water Hydration Pack

While you can live more than three weeks without food, you can only live up to a week without water. If you throw in extreme heat and a lack of shade, you may only last a couple of days. A water hydration pack ensures you have plenty of water on hand in such emergencies. It has zippered pockets for storing items and padded shoulders for comfort. Because the 2-liter bladder connects to a long hose, you can take a drink without having to stop along the trail.

Water Purification & Filtration

When your water supply runs low and you need hydration, do not drink from streams, ponds and puddles without first purifying the water. Untreated water contains thousands of small organisms and parasites, such as giardia, which causes bloating, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Purification tablets not only kill bacteria and viruses but also neutralize the water's taste, color and odor. Also, water filters can effectively remove bacteria and protozoa. For example, the Sawyer Mini is ideal for outdoor recreation, hiking, camping, scouting, domestic and international travel, and emergency preparedness. This high performance mini filter fits in the palm of your hand, weighs only 2 ounces, and filters up to 100,000 gallons.

Poison Ivy Treatment

You never know when the trail will lead you through a patch of poison ivy, a three-leafed plant that causes an irritating rash, blisters and itching. A poison ivy kit can help prevent the itch and make your trek through the underbrush less risky. Apply a pre-contact towelette to your skin before contact with poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac or use IvyX cleanser towelettes after coming in contact with poison ivy, oak and sumac.

Insect Repellent

From fleas and ticks to black flies and mosquitos, these insects turn a pleasant outdoor adventure into a huge annoyance. To make matters worse, some of these insects carry and spread diseases, such as the West Nile Virus and Lyme disease. Use an insect repellent towelette and protect your body from the onslaught of these summertime pests before you head outdoors.

First-Aid Kit

Always carry a first-aid kit with you on a mountain trek, a forest hike or even a day at the pool. From bumps and bruises to cuts and headaches, a first-aid kit contains everything from antiseptic wipes to aspirin and helps in times of an emergency. A small first-aid case fits neatly in a hiking backpack and has clear pockets with organized supplies.

Surviving a Camping Trip

It’s impossible to predict with pinpoint accuracy when any disaster will strike. If fire, tornado or other unexpected natural emergency should arise, an entire family could find itself having to evacuate.

While living away from the comforts of home can be stressful, it is far less so for those who have camping experience. Learning the tricks of roughing it can help any family stay calm during an actual disaster, but before setting out, it's important to know what you're doing. Without the proper preparation, that long-anticipated camping trip can become a disaster of its own.

Here's what you'll need to succeed.

A Tent
This is your home away from home, so be sure to choose one that's big enough to accommodate your party in comfort. The one that you buy should offer you:

• Sufficient headroom.
• Adequate ventilation.
• Easily manipulated doors.
• Proper rainfly coverage.

While an inexpensive tent might do for those just starting out, the additional features of the higher-end models will better serve any outdoor enthusiast who intends to continue on additional camping adventures.

Tarps

Never set a tent on bare ground. A sturdy tarp will not only guard against damage from sticks and stones but also keep the ever-present ground moisture from seeping into the floor of your shelter.

Sleeping Bags

The appropriate specifics of this essential item will vary according to the climate of your intended camping location. The rating on every sleeping bag will indicate the lowest temperature at which it will keeps its occupant warm. If the night air falls below that measurement, the sleeping bag will fail to do its job.

Camp Chairs

Sitting on the ground could make roughing it somewhat rougher than you really anticipated. Before long, you'll yearn for more-comfortable seating. When choosing camp chairs, be sure to consider child-sized ones for the younger set, and don't forget the hammock. For those relaxing afternoons around the campsite, a snooze between the trees can prove surprisingly restful.

Propane Stove

Although campfires can be romantic and fun, cooking food over one can get old in a hurry. A propane stove, particularly the two-burner variety, will make meal preparation far more enjoyable, leaving you with time to do the things you really want to do in the great outdoors.

A Cooler

The proper cooler for the purpose will vary according to its intended use. While a personal six-pack holder may suffice for a daylong hike, a large 70-quart model will serve much better for a weeklong camping trip.

A Water Purification System

No matter how much H2O you carry along, the day may come when you find yourself forced to drink from a pond or stream. Unfortunately, the bacteria, parasites and viruses often found in untreated water can cause serious illness. A purification system will assist in providing the pause that refreshes while averting a pause in the nearest emergency room.

Survival Essentials

The following items are easy to forget until you find them missing once you get there. To stay safe and keep a smile on everyone's face, be sure to bring along:

• Flashlights.
• Batteries.
• Bug Spray.
• Waterproof matches.
• A sturdy Mylar space blanket.
• Cooking pots.
• Cutlery.
• Unbreakable dishes or paper plates.
• Kitchen tools.
• Paper towels and toilet tissue.
• A whistle.
• A compass.
• A signaling mirror.
• A first-aid kit.

When Camping, Leave Nothing to Chance.

Regardless of how far afield you plan to roam, a few precautions will help to keep you safe. Take the time to:

• Carry basic survival gear.
• Know the area. Thoroughly study a local map and don't leave home without it.
• Familiarize yourself with the region's plant and animal life. Learn to differentiate between things that are safe to be around and those you must strictly avoid.
• Tell someone where you're going, who you'll be with and how long you plan to be gone. In an emergency, this could mean the difference between life and death.
• Always carry a cell phone, portable CB radio or personal satellite-enabled locator beacon.
• Evaluate the condition of the overhanging plant life at your intended campsite. A 10-year-old Wisconsin girl died recently when a tree branch fell on her sleeping family’s tent.

If an unexpected emergency should arise, remain calm. Sit down quietly, observe your surroundings and give yourself time to think. Remember that in any unexpected situation, panic will be your worst enemy while a good stash of survival materials will be your best friend.

Practice Makes Perfect

The parallels between camping and disaster survival are hard to miss, and a person who is good at the one is sure to do well at the other. A few nights spent in the wilderness can help your loved ones hone their subsistence skills and better position themselves for any emergency that may occur in the future. You couldn't give your family a better gift than that.