Survival Tips for the Great Outdoors: Essential Skills for Australian RV Campers

Whether you’re camping and using your RV for shelter and amenities, or you plan to get off the beaten track by venturing further afield and camping in a more rudimentary and traditional sense, it’s wise to be equipped with both the knowledge and the gear to survive out in the wilderness. Not only will this skill set enable you to thoroughly enjoy your outdoor adventure, but if you ever get into trouble, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and the gear you need to survive.

This article will highlight some important survival tips and information that every RV camper should know. You'll learn more about navigating, purifying water, building a shelter, making a fire, basic first aid and more.

Navigating

Being able to navigate out in the wild is an essential skill every camper or hiker should learn. It will prevent you from getting lost as well as make it easier to find your way around.

Learning how to use a map and a compass is key to developing proficient navigational skills. Reading the landscape around and being guided by the stars at night can also help you find your way back to safety should you become disoriented.

Along with a map and a compass, these days, GPS technology is at your disposal, so it only makes sense to carry a GPS device when you go hiking or camping.

If your surroundings are unfamiliar and you’re not sure which way to go, try and find some high ground (like a hill or a tree), where you can get a better view of the entire landscape. Using the sun as a navigational tool in the daytime has been used for thousands of years. We all know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so taking note of the sun’s position will give you a rough directional guide.

To ensure you have all you need to navigate successfully, make sure you have a compass, a map, a GPS, a torch, as well as knowledge to navigate by the sun and the stars at night. There are courses you can take that teach you how to navigate by the stars.

Building a Shelter

If you’re with your RV or have a tent, there won’t be any need to build a shelter, unless you decide to do it by choice just for the experience. On the other hand, if you do happen to get lost and need to stay out overnight, you’ll want to know how to build a rudimentary shelter to help keep you warm and dry until morning.

First, examine your surroundings and see what you have to work with. You'll want to build a shelter in a dry area and also avoid building shelters at the bottom of valleys or ravines where cold air will settle.

In a wilderness situation, there will no doubt be plenty of natural materials to construct a temporary and crude shelter to get you through the night. Even making a cocoon out of branches, sticks, leaves and other natural materials can be enough to keep you warm and protected until morning.

Another popular shelter that’s quick and easy to build is the simple lean-to. If there is a fallen log or a rock wall in the area, you can lean some tree branches on an angle against it to form a shelter. Otherwise, try and find a long, sturdy branch to use as the main support beam for your lean-to. Lean branches across one side and then fill in the gaps with leaves, moss or anything else you can find. It’s also important to put something on the ground to keep you warm, so build a bed out of anything that will keep you somewhat insulated, such as pine needles, leaves, palm fronds and so on.

Whatever structure you build, it doesn’t need to be a work of art. So long as it’s practical and protects you from the elements overnight is all you need.

Making a Fire

Learning the art of fire-making can literally be a lifesaver in a survival situation. Even in a normal camping scenario, it can be fun to try different ways of fire-making.

In a survival scenario, a fire will give you warmth and light and also allow you to cook food. The flames and smoke will also keep predators at bay and keep those pesky mosquitoes away. It’s always a wise idea to carry a flint and a knife with you wherever you go. This way, you’ll have the basics of what’s needed to light a fire.

Aside from an ignition source, you’ll need to gather tinder, kindling and enough firewood to see you through the night. Tinder can be in the form of old man’s beard (a type of dry moss), tree bark or fine wood scrapings. Use the flint to create a spark and set the tinder on fire, then slowly add the kindling and then larger sticks and pieces of wood once the fire is established. The most traditional form of campfire is the star fire, where wood is regularly fed into the flames from the edges.

If you don’t want to use the flint method, then be sure to always carry matches or a lighter. For something more rudimentary, you could take a course in lighting friction fires, which is a true survival skill.

In the event you want to make a smoke signal if you’re lost in the wilderness, pile green leaves or tree branches on the fire, as this will produce a dense cloud of smoke that is readily visible from a distance.

Collecting and Purifying Water

For regular RV camping, you’ll likely arrive at your destination with an ample supply of drinking water. However, if you do run out of water or happen to become disoriented while out on a hike, you’ll need to source a supply of fresh water and purify the water (if possible) so it’s safe to drink.

While the human body can survive for weeks without food, you can only last a few days without water.

Bodies of water that are flowing, such as a stream, are safer to drink from than pools of stagnant water. If you can, boil the water on a fire to kill off any potential parasites. If boiling water is impossible and you are suffering from severe dehydration, you’ll need to take a chance and drink any water you find, as the effects of dehydration are far worse than drinking untreated water.

Water that contains impurities such as dirt or other debris can be filtered through sand, a sock, some other piece of material or charcoal. Ideally, you’ll be able to filter and boil any water that you source. The safest and most ideal form of natural water is fresh rainwater. If it does happen to rain and you have a means of collecting rainwater, you’ll be able to safely drink the water as is.

Basic First Aid

Anyone who wishes to enjoy the outdoors regularly should know a little about basic first aid. Learning how to strap a sprained ankle and treat cuts and abrasions can make a huge difference in an outback, bushland or wilderness environment. Another crucial thing to learn in a country like Australia is how to treat a snake bite.

Other conditions hikers and campers may encounter are stomach upsets, dehydration, sunstroke, hypothermia, muscle cramps and more. Being able to apply a splint to a broken bone is a good skill to have. Studying how to avoid and treat these conditions is very important.

You should carry a basic first aid kit in your RV or your backpack, including a first aid guidebook that you can reference to determine the right treatment and course of action depending on the injury, condition or situation.

Learning CPR is also a vital skill to master, as it could save a life. Also, knowing how to check for vital signs and performing a head-to-toe full-body examination will come in very handy.

Be Aware of Local Wildlife and Flora

Whenever you plan to camp in a particular location, it’s a good idea to be aware beforehand of what wildlife you can expect to encounter. While Australia doesn’t have many apex predators in wilderness areas, it is the land of some of the world’s most venomous snakes. Learn what types of snakes could be lurking in the bush where you are and how best to avoid them or deal with them if you do happen to encounter one.

Make sure you keep all food sealed and put away after dark or when you’re not at camp. You don’t want to tempt any unwanted ‘guests’ who may wish to invade your camp in search of an easy meal.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to forage for food, it's helpful to have a good understanding of edible plants and to develop some hunting skills to trap wild animals should you find yourself in a real survival situation. Fishing in rivers, streams and lakes is one option, as is setting dead-fall traps for trapping small creatures such as rodents. Alternatively, you could sharpen a stick into a spear for hunting.

Don’t touch any food that obviously looks dangerous, such as red berries or wild mushrooms. It’s not worth the risk.

Clothing

The type of clothing you take with you will largely depend on the season, but even in summer, you'll want light clothing that covers most of your body to prevent sunburn and sunstroke. Choose clothing that dries quickly if it gets wet and clothing that also wicks away the sweat.

Having at least one jacket is an important part of your kit. Even in summer, temperatures can get chilly outdoors at nighttime, particularly the further into the outback you travel.

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