Survival tips&tricks?

February 2, 2009 5:30 AM

Where can I find some tips&tricks for camping in the nature?

I am spending lots of time in the mountains camping and having fun so I was looking for tips and tricks like "How to light a fire when it's raining?", "How to cook stuff in tree barks?", "How to make a shelter?", etc.

posted by tseo to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 comments total)

The Boy Scout Fieldbook is chock full of this sort of information.
posted by jon1270 at 5:36 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]

The US Army Survival Manual.
posted by dmd at 6:09 AM on February 2

2nding the US Army Survival Manual.
posted by thewestinggame at 6:21 AM on February 2

Here's a link to the U.S. Army Field Manual.
posted by Floydd at 6:24 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]

1) Bring a stove
2) Bring a pot
3) Bring a tent

The best way to learn stuff is to go with people more experienced than you. Join a hiking club and meet people. You'll often find the image of camping learned from TV and movies (frying up bacon on a campfire, building a shelter out of twigs, living off the land) is unrealistic in the modern, overcrowded woods.

Most of the outdoor magazines are nothing but gear reviews mixed in with some pretty pictures. Go to your library or book store and look for backpacking books that stress low-impact camping.

A lot depends on the area you'll be doing most of your hiking. I could tell you what to pack in the mountains of New Hampshire but that would most likely be overkill if you're hiking in California. Find websites that focus on your area and ask around in the forums.

One thing you'll find is that everyone has different ideas about what to do and what not to do. Again, the best way to learn is to find someone whose values you share and who you're compatible with and learn from them.
posted by bondcliff at 6:28 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]

How to Backpack - Ryan Moulton.
posted by cashman at 6:46 AM on February 2

The book, "How to shit in the woods" is kinda handy to keep at home for light *cough* reading on the subject.
posted by notsnot at 6:50 AM on February 2

I am actually at least a little bit experienced in the mountains, especially the ones that we have here (Bulgaria) so I am more then aware how to put up my tent and start a fire which doesn't mean that I don't need to learn more.

I find the military guide very interesting and will learn a lot from it but apart from that I was looking more for a forum maybe or something like that where one can share and learn.
posted by tseo at 7:27 AM on February 2

While it's (mostly) specific to Colorado's mountains, 14ers.com has a pretty active forum.
posted by jluce50 at 7:48 AM on February 2

The Complete Walker
posted by caddis at 8:20 AM on February 2

I've found the Back Packing Light forum to be very useful.
posted by laukf at 11:58 AM on February 2

Get ye a copy of the foxfire books.

Mountain living at its best.

Not so much survival, but tons of awesome stuff in here. I also love my copy of The American Boys Handy Book. I have the Centenial Edition, I do not know how it varies from the copy on amazon.

Daniel Carter Beard has many other awesome books about survival, camping, crafting, and folklore.
posted by JonnyRotten at 4:22 PM on February 2