Buying a lightweight tent that is functional, convenient and affordable is ideal for camping or emergency preparedness.

What features should you consider for this type of gear?

Do you want a single-wall or double-wall tent?

Double-wall tents are more versatile and allow for greater ventilation and protection from foul weather. It has a rain fly that also adds extra warmth. A single-wall tent combines the tent body and waterproof fly into one fabric. This is what makes them lightweight and smaller to pack.

Single-wall tents might be somewhat easier to pack around, but condensation is known to form on the inside walls of the fabric over time.

Other variables for beginner’s to consider in choosing a lightweight tent is whether they want a three-season or four-season tent.

Do you need a 3- or 4-season tent?

Three-season tents withstand most climate conditions well, while the four-season tent tends to be double-walled and designed mostly for harsh winter conditions. Both are good options, but if you want a sturdy tent with a fly wall that adds that extra layer of protection from weather, the four-season tent might be your best bet. Keep in mind that it’s heavier and comes with thicker poles.

How much floor space do you need?

Living space and size are also crucial elements in your decision about which tent to choose. One thing to look for is tent designs with vertical walls because they usually have more interior space. These promote maximum space while being lightweight.

What are the elements of a well-designed tent?

Excellent design elements are another factor beginners should consider when selecting a lightweight tent. The best features of a tent you should look for are simple ones that include multiple doors, sufficient vestibule space, spacious headroom and air vents that cut down on condensation.

A lightweight 2-person tent is most popular and is versatile. It can be used for hikes done alone, or with a partner. Group tents aren’t as practical and lean towards being more crowded. Two-person tents are lighter in weight and provide the best features where practicality and cost are concerned.

 

You can’t walk another step, you feel a thunderstorm brewing, and it’s time to refill your energy stores. You need to find a safe and comfortable spot to make camp for the night. Here’s how to choose.

Where to Start Looking for a Spot

Hollows and valleys are generally the wettest, coldest, and foggiest spots for camping locations. Higher ground means rain will run off and is less likely to gather in your campsite.

Think about how long you’re planning on staying. If it’s just for a night you won’t need much room but you’ll need to stretch out and walk around if you’ll be in the area for more than a few days.

Look for small game trails, evidence of foot traffic from animals or people, and insect nests. Some you can’t avoid, but don’t put yourself in a place that’s a highway for animals or people that you might disturb.

If you’re on rocky terrain, be mindful of ledges that might pose a danger if you’re moving around at night. These areas can also be home to snakes and other critters.

Trees Can be a Friend and an Enemy

Don’t just look for shade. Some trees have dangling branches that could blow over and impale you, or destroy your belongings. If want to be near a tree, discern whether it’s safe enough to settle under first.

If you’ll need to dry clothes or hang bear-bags with food, look for branches that will be sturdy but are higher off the ground.

Be certain there’s enough space between you and a tall tree. Tall trees are magnets for lighting strikes. Keep an eye on low hanging branches that can pose a danger to eyes and your face when moving around in low light.

Read More: The 4 Types of Items Every First-Aid Kit Should Have

Where to Put Your Shelter

Steer clear of tall grass. The reason? Ticks, ants, and other pesky insects thrive in tall blades of grass, which could give you a real dose of misery.

If you can, set up your tent on a durable surface like rock, bare ground, sand, or gravel to protect fragile areas. Kick away any sticks and rocks that can bug you as you sleep. Try to avoid being on an incline, since you might find sleeping slanted pretty uncomfortable.

Before night falls look around for escape routes and potential cover. If you need to bolt for any reason during the night you’ll need to know where to go.

Water’s Benefits and Dangers

A smart bit of advice is to camp at least 200 feet away from water. Any river or stream can unpredictably flood if conditions are right. Also, land close to water tends to be marshy. This brings up another great tip —  not being close to water helps in avoiding an area thick with mosquitoes another insects attracted to water.

Look for access to clean water that’s moving. Stagnant water brings lots of bugs and bacteria. If you’re staying long-term, look for an area in which you can collect rainwater.

Research Any Required Permits or Permission

You may need to have a backcountry permit if you’re on land that’s a state or national park. You’ll need to apply for backcountry permits ahead of time or you may find yourself face to face with a very unhappy hiker or ranger.

If you’re on private property, get permission to camp. If the land owner finds you snuggled up without permission you could face fines and possible criminal charges.

Follow these tips and you’ll find yourself a campsite that you won’t want to leave. Always treat every campsite with respect and leave it cleaner than when you arrived.

Read More: Watch Out For These 3 Nasty Backcountry Bacteria

People with disabilities and other mobility issues have unique needs to contend with and formulating an emergency plan takes a little extra preparation. Supplies and gear are never one-size-fits-all, so be sure you’re prepared with the right gear for everyone.

Emergencies like fires, floods, and terrorism are dangerous, but they can pose even more serious problems to individuals with disabilities.

Gear up for emergencies with the right supplies.

Plan for emergencies by putting together all of the supplies you’ll need. It’s not always easy to find replacements for specialized medical equipment, so stock up on supplies to prepare.

  • Use a durable bag or container that can hold large items but is also easy to maneuver if you need to be on the move.
  • Consider mobility aids like crutches, canes, and walkers that are light and easy to carry if needed. Have any extra parts on hand for repairs.
  • Extra batteries, inner tubes, cables, gloves for a wheelchair or scooter
  • Stock up on medical supplies and have an extensive first aid kit that has specific medications that are needed.

Make a Plan and Practice Evacuations

Involve everyone in your planning for emergencies so each person knows their role. Run through it regularly and when the time comes it will go much more smoothly.

The Red Cross offers a useful planning kit that’s a great resource. Remember to assess each person’s needs and have a plan to cover the movements and supplies necessary for them.

Be Assertive in Emergency Situations

Your ability to communicate about your needs or the needs of the person with mobility needs will be crucial in an emergency situation. Being assertive means knowing how to speak up with your ideas and needs.

Give clear directions and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Some equipment might require multiple people to lift or move, so have an understanding of the parts and workings of the specific equipment.

If you foresee problems in your town or building, let the authorities know that there are hazards that prevent people with disabilities from evacuating.

Do emergency workers and others trying to help a favor by wearing a medical identification bracelet or necklace that lists your condition and any other medically necessary information.

Work Within a Supportive Community

Start planning by asking how others plan for people with similar needs. They might have covered an issue in a great way and can offer insight.

When you have contacts that you know are prepared, your ability to survive increases because you have someone you can count on.

When you prepare for any needs you might encounter everyone can move quickly and survive emergency scenarios.

Disability.gov recommends that you find the nearest emergency resources, like a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, ahead of time so that locating help is easier.

 

Helpful Online Resources for Planning Ahead

Red Cross

Disability.gov

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Ready.gov

Female preppers have unique items to be mindful of when gathering essentials for emergency preparedness. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the generalities of stocking necessities in the event of a bug out, such as food, clothing, and supplies.

What about the specific needs of women? The others are needs most women will relate to, and agree that it’s an essential item to be armed with in an emergency situation.

1. Sanitary and Personal Hygiene Items

This most directly references tampons and maxi-pads. This is a must-have item women don’t want to be in short supply of! As the site explains, these items serve a multi-purpose! They can used as first aid pads or fire-starting material if needed!

Prepare for the necessary medication and first aid for female hygiene needs as well as birth control planning.

2. Self-Defense Tools

Chances are you’ll have some tools that can do the trick if you tote knives, guns, machetes, axes, or other items in your supply trove. Wielding these at would-be criminals is a means of self-defense. On a less violent note, have some self-defense spray that can deter an attacker — or animal.

Choose a weapon that’s easy to use and fits well with a woman’s body type. Firearms and knives that are too large to operate skillfully are dangerous and will be inaccurate.

3. Practical Clothing and Footwear

Don’t overlook the importance of comfort and durability. Even a comfortable pair of medium-height heels won’t work in a preppers situation! Have loose-fitting, comfortable, and warm clothing. Shoes must be durable, strong, and give your feet lasting endurance. You never know how long you’ll be walking or standing when the time calls for it!

Have a supply of clothing designed for a woman’s body shape. Large vests or life jackets that aren’t cut for different body types can be uncomfortable for long-term use and even end up being dangerous.

When you have a strategic plan for what items to store and keep for emergencies you’ll know that everyone will have the specific items they need.

Gearing up for disasters both, big and small, entails a lot of forethought. All angles must be covered, especially when it comes to those things you will rely on most when it is most urgent.

One of the most important things you will depend on during a crisis is your mode of transportation. An auto emergency kit is just prevalent as anything else you will turn to in times of the unexpected.

Stay Powered Up
No matter where you travel it’s crucial that you have extra supplies for your truck on hand. When disaster hits you’ll be able to quickly access the items you need.

  • Jumper cables, battery chargers, a phone charger, and a flashlight with fresh batteries will keep the lights and heat on.
  • Keep a good old fashion road map atlas accessible if you’re without power to use GPS.
  • Antifreeze, roadside flares, and a spare tire with a jack should not only solve some mechanical issues but also draw attention to you if you need help.

Stay Warm
Don’t think that just because it’s summer travel you’ll be warm. If your emergency holds you overnight or the weather changes on you, be ready with protective gear.

  • Blankets, gloves, stocking cap, wool socks and extra boots will do the trick. Make sure you have enough to cover everyone in the vehicle.

Read More: Man Escapes Flooded River After Truck is Submerged

Don’t Go Hungry
You may need to spend some time waiting on help or prepare to travel on foot to get to safety. Keep food and drink accessible for those times.

  • Several gallons of bottled water and energy drinks will keep you hydrated and that’s essential to your overall health.
  • Granola and energy bars that are packed with essential calories will keep your energy up.

Stay Healthy
Keeping your thoughts and plans straight will help you stay alive. Taking care of minor injuries can extend your ability to make it out healthy and sane.

  • Pen and paper will be helpful if you need to abandon your vehicle or if you need to exchange information with anyone.
  • First aid supplies kit  and a small fire extinguisher (ABC type is good) a cheap and don’t take up much room but can keep minor issues from turning major.

Keep Reading: The 4 Types of Items Every First Aid Kit Must Contain

Having adequate footwear should never be overlooked by preppers. Having the right shoes and boots capable of standing up to potentially rigorous conditions in the event of a crisis is key to making it through anything. After all, you’ll be on your feet more than normal.

Here’s what to consider as ideal footwear that offers sustainability, comfort, and protection for your feet.

Consider these factors when choosing shoes and boots for possible disasters

Reduce weight where possible and chose the lowest boots that provide enough support for carrying a medium to light load. A pair of gaiters for additional protection would be a good idea.

Think durability for appropriate footwear — a must for your feet. Consider combat boots because they have good ankle and calf support. With the heavy leather exterior, traction soles, and cushy insoles, the military boots proved ideal for bugging out or bugging in.

Read More: How to Step into the Wild and Vanish: Camouflage Basics

It’s also hard to go wrong with a good pair of hiking boots. They’re designed for rough terrain, hard work, and can go the distance.

Here’s another measure one shouldn’t overlook — double-layered socks. Wear two pairs of socks when outdoors in the wild. Use a thin ankle length cotton inner to wick away moisture, and a good thick wool outer sock to provide a little extra cushion. Both help immensely in preventing blisters.

Additional variables you should consider for picking the right footwear.

What aspects of shoes and boots should you consider in case of a natural or sudden disaster?

Additional variables include insulated or ventilated boots; natural materials or synthetic materials; construction details; and the amount of support you need for your feet.

There are also considerations dealing with how heavy of a load will be carrying.  Socks are important, too. In order to make informed choices, you need to ask these questions. Individual vary and so does the footwear they require.

A man put his skills to use so he could survive a monster flood in Springfield, Missouri. Jonathan Whitworth is lucky to be alive after he drove over Wilson’s Creek in West Springfield.

It can happen so fast you don’t even realize the situation.

To hear Jonathan tell it to KSPR Channel 33 News, it was dark and rainy. Once he made it over the bridge, “there was water.” His truck was floating down the river as the front end “started going down and filling up.”

Time was ticking for Jonathan to get out of the truck. He tried opening the door, rolling down windows, but nothing would budge. He then remembered that he had a wrench set in the truck’s back seat. He reached for that to break open a window.

At first Jonathan tried jamming it through the window, but it “just bounced off,” he said. After he hit a second time it made a hole.

Jonathan made it out, but his true tale of survival was only beginning.

Swimming was useless due to powerful currents of water preventing him from moving. Jonathan was repeatedly going underwater in panic mode. He felt helpless and found himself at a point where Wilson’s Creek would determine where he’d wind up next. He saw the bridge and braced for a crash.

According to the article, the water usually was 10-feet below the bridge, but on that night it hit the top of the rails. Jonathan said he reached to the third one up and grabbed it. The fierce water pressure caused his grip to slip and he was stuck against the rock face.

Even then he wasn’t able to hold on long before he was going underwater. He thought sure he was a goner, but his son, Easton, made him determined to not give up. At that point, he took a deep breath and went under. He then popped up on the other side where a massive oak tree was there for him to grab onto until rescue teams arrived.

Surviving Rapid Floodwaters

In this case, the drivers was lucky to have tools in his truck that were accessible. Keep a survival tool in your vehicle that you know you can access quickly.

In rapid floodwaters, swimming isn’t always the best tactic. Try to stay on your back with your feet stretched out in front of you. This way you can protect yourself from hidden dangers.

Stay motivated by thinking of your loved ones. This story shows that you should never think a situation is hopeless. A desire to fight for every opportunity will give you more energy and strength.

You could purchase one of many first aid medical kits on the market or you could build your own kit and be familiar with it. This is a good idea if there are special considerations as far as specific medicines you or your family requires.

4 Main Products for First-Aid Kit
Keep four main categories in mind as you create your first-aid kit. These will help you plan and guide you as you take inventory.

General Medical Supplies are the Foundation of Every First-Aid Kit.
These are supplies that are easy to find at any drugstore. They are handy for a variety of needs and are often re-usable and have a long shelf-life. They should form the foundation of your first-aid kit.

  • Include small tools like forceps, scissors, and tweezers. Make sure they are durable and easy to manipulate in the event of an emergency. Scissors that are able to cut clothes and seat belts are an excellent option as well.
  • Don’t forget protective materials like quality gloves, rubbing alcohol, a CPR breathing mask, and strong medical tape. These help you keep your distance from blood and other fluids that you don’t want to get on your skin.

Common Medications Make your First-Aid Kit Versatile and Effective. 

  • Pain medicines are absolutely crucial to keep in your first-aid kit. Common medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen can actually go very far to relieve pain associated with minor injuries.
  • Medicines that are effective against illness related symptoms like fever, diarrhea, and nausea are also essential. Include the common over-the-counter options and you’ll be able to make anyone in your group feel more comfortable.

Be Prepared for any Situation with Wound Care Items.
Cuts and scrapes are an inevitable result of time spent outdoors.

  • Band-aids and bandages of various sizes should be easy to find in your kit. Finding the sizes is the easy part. The challenge is keeping an updated inventory so you aren’t missing a bandage when you really need it.
  • Be sure to pair your bandage supply with items like gauze, trauma pads, medical tape, and antibiotic ointment. A bandage for a wound is only as effective as these other items. They help the bandage stay on and keep dirt, sweat, and bacteria out of the wound as it heals.

Prescription Medication
Doctors aren’t always able to give advance prescriptions, but if you have a long trip planned or know you won’t be able to visit the doctor for a certain period of time, they may be willing to work with you and your needs.

 

Once your first-aid kit is stocked, be aware of expiration dates, functions of the medications, and how much you have on-hand. Shelf-life of various items should be considered and replaced as necessary.

Children need to understand what’s expected of them in the event of a sudden disaster from a hurricane, tornado, tsunami, or severe storms.

Depending on a child’s age, he or she might know what natural disasters are and that they can injure people.

There are various resources particularly helpful in educating children on how to handle an emergency situation in the event of a natural disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a parent- and kid-friendly website with information on each disaster’s cause.

Communicate a Plan

Gather you kids together and explain the importance of preparation. Elaborate on what natural disasters you’re most at risk for, how to prepare for them, and how to respond in the crisis. Create an evacuation plan that includes two outside meeting places in case your family members are separated.

One of those areas should be right outside your home, possibly near the mailbox. The other should be outside your neighborhood — maybe at the library or in front of the police station if you can’t get back home.

You also need a shelter-in-place plan. Choose a room with the least windows and doors to serve as the safe room.
Communication is key. Have a list of emergency services numbers and the cell phone, school, and work numbers for all household members easily accessible. It’s also a good idea to use FEMA’s downloadable Family Emergency Plan as a reference.

Other factors during emergency planning can be the care of pets, how to turn off utilities, and the disaster plans of your child’s school and your workplace.

Preparing for Disaster

Include your child in the gathering of supplies, food, and gear in the event of natural disaster preparedness. This helps them feel good about participating in helping to protect the family. Adding in your child’s favorite snacks, books, or other small hobbies he or she enjoys will make an emergency a little easier to get through.

Have Disaster Drills

Have disaster drills at home like kids have fire drills at school. Show the kids the drill then have them participate. Depending on which drill you’re practicing, instill in your kids how to warn others of the danger, how to escape from the home, where to meet after escaping, where to “shelter” inside the home, how to contact emergency personnel, and procedures to follow after the disaster. Practice drills on a regular basis then aim to increase speed and urgency once they’re mastered.

There are quite a few ways for you to involve your children in your emergency preparations. Put forth the effort to make planning fun and interesting, and they’ll be more ready to act when time is short.

How would you break into your house? It might seem like a strange question, but it’s the best way to start the process of protecting your home from unwanted visitors.

Check out some other preventive measures below for protecting your home.

Alarms
You can find low cost options that are effective. Something as simple as Christmas bells placed over a door can be enough to scare someone away. It also lets you know if someone is entering the home if you’re there.

Lock it Up!
People are watching when you don’t realize it. If someone enters the home without unlocking the door, a would-be criminal might be taking note of it to return later to rob the place. Same goes for windows around the home. If you need to, double check.

A member of the household may inadvertently forget to lock a window —  or purposely do it for easy access later on in case he or she gets locked out of the home. To further prevent your home being a target, install some safety glass film to deter intruders from breaking inside. This film helps keep glass together and takes much longer breaking through it.

Install Fake Cameras
A real camera system can cost hundreds or thousands. Criminals don’t want to be caught on camera and this will provide a safety net to prevent you from being a target in most cases.

Lighting
Check around the exterior of your home for possible blind spots or areas an intruder might hide easily. Install small detector lights if you can in those spots.

Do the same for inside. Buy a timer that automatically turns on lights at a certain time when it gets dark.

Make Training a Family Affair
Assure that everyone knows the protocol. Each member of the household must be on the same page about locking doors, windows, and securing the property before leaving.

Camouflage Your Keys
Don’t hide an extra key under the door mat. Find a unique spot to help trigger your memory and fool an intruder.

Keep the spare keys away from the obvious spots near the door. Make the location one that you might go to naturally. Change the location frequently and don’t tell friends or neighbors about it.

Don’t Brag
Don’t brag about new possessions. There’s no need to make yourself a blatant target because you had an urge to let everyone know you just purchased a new snowmobile or motorcycle.

Be Discreet
Assume that anyone walking or driving by your home is interested in what you own. Even if they aren’t people just can’t resist taking a peek. Keep your windows covered and garage door closed.