Submitted by qwertisdirty t3_124x2ij in LifeProTips
Forgot tent polls, you are SOL. Your inflatable mattress has a puncture, could lead to hypothermia from the ground. Don't have tent stakes, your shelter just blew off the top of a hill when you were making a fire. And more examples than I wish to put here.
You certainly have to check the critical gear before a "survival" hike. But your problems have simple solutions.
Keep tent poles and stakes in the same bag as the tent.
Use a foam pad instead of inflatable mattress. It is more bulk, but it will weigh less than mattress and pump, and it does not get punctured.
PS: your first camping trips should be with a group of experienced people, or to a campground with other people. Also, start camping during summer, then add relevant gear as weather cools down.
Yeah my immediate thought was that OP hasn't ever gone minimalist camping. Les Stroud would be disappointed.
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To me it is analogous to packing your own parachute. You can go camping with other experienced people but they can still make mistakes, you need to ensure you yourself have checked the critical elements of your shelter.
This post isn't solely about camping experience but mainly personnel responsibility and the awareness needed for that.
Grab yourself a pocket knife and you'll never have to worry about forgetting the tent stakes.
This advice isn't for niche experts but the general public going on adventures a little outside their usual comfort zone.
Personal responsibility and self-sufficiency are indeed a key part of being an adult. But one has to learn to walk before they learn to run.
Camping/hiking people are usually happy to help, but of course one should learn and not become a permanent moocher.
In fact, this is the progression: first you need help, then you do not need help, and finally you are able to help others.
If there's a risk of hypothermia then the "general public" shouldn't be camping in such places/seasons.
Being capable of adapting is not a "niche expert". In the USA the scouts learn how to properly camp, and adapt for equipment issues.
Bottom line is if people don't know how to overcome the things you mentioned they shouldn't be camping on their own.
We left the tent stakes at home when my sisters and I went to the Alaska State Fair years ago. Thankfully we were all able to fit in our 95 Suburban for the night
The instructions.
Source: tried to erect someone else's tent in the dark, in gusty wind.
We gave up and used the tent as a bivouac.
Send me $5 if you want the rest of the story.
What people should be doing and what some people actually do are not the same thing. This advice helps both categories of those people.
Where are you camping that you would get Hypothermia without an inflatable mattress? Inflatable mattress is a luxury item us old people use before finally graduating to a camper. Did you mean sleeping bags?
Both items can help increase insulation in unexpected cold-snaps. Also luxury bedding items can serve dual purpose on camping trips that involve... stimulation.
So your LPT is when going camping to check the items you need to go camping?
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