Six Essentials For Any Wild Camping Trip

Wild camping can be so much more rewarding than simply heading to a conventional campsite for an all-too-predictable weekend. If anything, it’s the outright unpredictability of wild camping that makes it so satisfying.

Even so, having your wits about you during the planning process is all the more important when heading out into the wild. With no convenience stores, on-site cooking facilities or amenities within easy reach, you’re limited to the contents of your backpack and the provisions nature provides.

With this in mind, here’s a brief look at six outright essentials you should never leave home without, if heading on a wild camping trip:

1. A Water Filtration Kit

First up, the last thing you want is to find yourself running out of safe drinking water at the worst possible time. Water filtration kits are available in countless formats and configurations - everything from conventional water filters to chemical-based water purification tablets. Either way, a water filtration kit could be a genuine lifesaver, should you find yourself in a bind hydration-wise.

2. A First Aid Kit

Likewise, it is inadvisable to head out into the great unknown without a full first-aid kit. As a bare minimum, your kit should contain classed antiseptic wipes, a couple of bandages and a few gauze pads. One decent first-aid kit per group is usually sufficient, but don’t take things for granted - check the condition and completeness of the kit you’re packing in advance. You’d like to think you won’t need it, but you’ll be glad you brought it along for the ride if things take a turn for the worse.

3. High-Quality Hiking Boots

It sounds obvious, but the quality of the footwear you set out in will play a major role in determining the success or otherwise of your trip. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a pair of bargain-basement boots that feel ok out of the box will be up to the job. Miles from civilisation, you don’t want to find your whole trip jeopardised by bruises, blisters and soaking wet socks. Don’t compromise on quality when picking up a pair of hiking boots, simply to save a few pennies.

4. A Reliable Multitool

The same also goes for the multitool you take on your trip, which needs to be up to the job. There’s a reason why some multitools cost significantly more than others, even if they look identical on the surface. From knives to scissors to saws to pliers, blunt and ineffective tools serve no purpose whatsoever on a wild camping trip.

5. Maps, Directions and a Compass

Under no circumstances is it advisable to put your health, safety and wellbeing solely in the hands of technology. You may have all the advanced GPS equipment money can buy, but what if something untoward happens along the way? The wilder the camping trip you’re heading on, the greater the importance of taking things back to basics. Pack maps, directions and an old-school compass that won’t malfunction on you at the worst possible time.

6. Something to Start a Fire

Last up, set out with the assumption that any matches and/or lighters you take along for the ride will be lost or damaged along the way. In doing so, set yourself up with a backup of some kind - a reliable fire lighting tool that’s designed to work in all conditions. And before heading off on your trip, take the time to learn how to use it properly, rather than attempting to make things up as you go along.