To make your camping or outdoor adventure a success, you need to equip yourself with specific essential tools.

The great outdoors is a gateway to many adventures. To make your excursion a safe and successful one, you need to pack all the essential things you need for your trip. The stuff you will carry will have to depend mainly on where you are heading. However, no matter what part of the outdoors you’re going to, some things are vital for your survival. These five essential tools will help save you from trouble and inconvenience, whether you are on the beach, in the plain desert, or inside the thick forest.

Fire Starter

Fire is essential whether at home or camping outdoors. Fire gives us warmth, light, and protection. Camping without a campfire is not complete. Fires are essential as an alternative source of light. You can create a fire if the night is too dark or your flashlights run out of batteries. If you are camping deep in the woods or mountains where there are bears, wolves, and other animals, a ready fire can help ward off would-be attackers. A lighter, a waterproof match, a flint and steel, or a magnesium fire starter should be in one of your backpacks.

Flashlights

Flashlights, headlights, lamp lights, or any battery-powered portable lights are among the essential equipment you should pack. Spending a night outdoors requires lights you can use to move around camp without stumbling. It also allows you to see and look for things without the risk of burning or spreading fire accidentally. Some of these military-grade flashlights can reach long distances, which is good if we want to communicate or let others know that we are camping within the area. Also, make sure that your LED lights and lamps are heavy-duty and will function fully well during harsh weather conditions.

A Knife Set

In the old days, campers and outdoor adventurers make do with a Swiss knife. Today, there are many knife sets with multifunctions designed for camping and hunting. The knives included in these modern collections allows you to cut meat, open cans, chop off small wood branches and cut other materials needed in the camp. Some collections even include a portable saw and hatchet for cutting wood. There are compact and easy to clean and store. While a Swiss pocket knife is still an essential personal kit, it doesn’t hurt to carry a durable utility knife set. It’s better to be equipped and ready at all times.

Sharpener

What good are your knives and cutting tools if they are not sharp and honed properly? If you are camping deep or hunting or fishing, it’s always essential to keep your knives and hunting tools sharp. It may spell the difference between life and death, success or failure, or enjoying your meat or wishing you had brought an excellent knife sharpener. LeBeau’s Honer does not sharpen knife edges; they hone other cutting tools such as axes, fishhooks, carving tools, and other metal blades. The best part? It’s a pocket-size sharpener that you can carry anywhere with you: no more whetstones, a bulky steel rod, or complex sharpener set-ups. With LaBeau’s Honer, everything you need to sharpen your knives and tools is in the palm of your hand.

Map / GPS

Maps and compass are always essential tools for navigating the great outdoors; whether sailing, river trekking, or camping deep in the mountains, it is vital that you know where you are and where you are heading. Today’s campers now have the aid of smartphones and GPS trackers. However, there are times when digital tools and gadgets fail us, especially if we are far beyond the reach of Internet connections and satellite signals. So it doesn’t hurt if we carry along with us a map and a compass, just in case. Learning to read maps and compasses is also a vital skill and could save you time and energy in identifying locations. Reading the stars and the night sky is a bonus.