By Cheri Sicard
In the video above from Wendy Outdoors, camping enthusiast and mature outdoors person living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Wendy shares some practical advice and perspective on the three major solo camping fears that would-be campers of all ages have, and the top three concerns people have about going solo camping:
- Fear of injury
- Fear of wildlife
- Fear of people
Wendy says these three solo camping fears comprise a lot of the questions she is regularly asked. She does not take any of these concerns lightly. But she created the video to show what she does to proactively prepare and take care of herself, which in turn alleviates a lot of solo camping fears.
#1 Injuries
Wendy says that, sure, injuries can happen, but the most common camping injuries are in fact basic cuts, bruises, sunburns, strains and sprains, hypothermia, and insect bites and stings. Carrying a good first aid kit and supplies is crucial. Watch the video for what Wendy recommends you should always have on hand, and what you may need to carry depending on circumstances and where you are going.
For instance, where she lives, hypothermia is an issue. Therefore, she carries supplies to deal with this emergency, which she covers in the video. Since she does not have to deal with rattlesnakes in her area, she leaves those supplies out.
In the video, she covers preventive and emergency measures for dehydration. She also explains the emergency SOS device she uses to stay connected to help no matter how far off the grid she roams, as well as the portable power bank she carries.
Lastly, Wendy recommends that everyone take a basic first aid course. She says you can have all the tools, but if you don’t know how to use them you render them ineffective.
(If you want to be super-prepared, check out this post on dealing with accidents, injuries, and trauma on the road.)
#2 Wildlife
It’s important to research the potentially dangerous wildlife you may encounter where you are traveling or camping, and how to deal with it. For Wendy, those encompass bears, cougars, and wolves. In her decades of camping, Wendy has encountered wildlife, including bears, but has never had a dangerous incident or a close call. So, start by knowing that these are indeed rare. Nonetheless, she does take precautions and she covers these along with practical strategies in the video.
#3 Other people
In all her years of camping in remote areas, Wendy says she has thankfully never had a significant problem with other people. She does talk about two incidents where she and her family felt uncomfortable and chose to leave before any potential problems could happen. But otherwise, her experiences have been good. She does avoid going into the backcountry alone on weekends because that increases the chances of unwanted encounters. Watch the video as she gives other strategies to avoid those who are in the wilderness strictly to have loud drunken parties. When it comes to problems with other people while camping, these are the most common culprits.
Wendy imparts a whole lot of common sense wisdom in the video. What other tips for safety and alleviating solo camping fears do you have? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
##RVDT2360
This type of life does not appear over night when you turn 65 and find yourself camping solo. It’s developed over years of being strong. If you’re a scaredy-cat and a weak person when you’re younger, you’ll never become a strong person as you age and will always be afraid of the boogey man.
“Never” is a big word. There are many women who have counted on a man to handle all the scarier things in life, then learn as widows to face their fears and become stronger.
I also am a senior solo female camper. I would put my concerns in a different order. People first, injury second and, lastly, wildlife.
As Roosevelt said” the only thing you have to fear…is fear itself”.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Excellent, helpful video! Thank you for searching, finding, and sharing it! 🙂 Wendy’s video is borne of her experience and experiences. That seems highly useful. To state the obvious, use the experience of others until you have created a wealth of experience yourself. Be conservative when naive and, as experience is gained, one may become less conservative; that’s my advice. 🙂 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂