camping gear - essentials for a one night hike

Camping!

This weekend I will be climbing my favourite mountain, Yong Belar and will be spending the night at Kem Kasut, and I guess it would be great to blog about my camping essentials. Granted, there are mobile apps to ease the packing for a one night camp, but I would just like to share mine with everyone.

Basic Camping Essentials are:

• Tools - such as knife, duct tape, accessory cord and a multi-tool. These items are really handy and important during any camping trip. I use my Victorinox multi-tool for many things, among the many handy tools is a small scissor to cut things and a pen to jot down things.
  
  The accessory cord will come in handy in every camp site and no cord is ever enough. I use mine to hang wet trekking clothes, well, not just my clothes but my team mates can hang their wet clothes too. Sharing is caring! Please don't let anyone 'mistakenly' take your cord as their own! This happens a lot. I don't have to jot down the many things that has gone 'missing' in y previous camping trips. Hehe. Do a check of things before leaving.
  
• Sunscreen protection - It is important to keep your skin protected. A badly burnt skin is not fun whether you're a boy or a girl! period!
  
• Rain and cold protection - emergency blanket , rain cover or ponchos. The jungle can get cold at night and it is best if you are protected against the wet and cold. There were a few cases of hypothermia in the Malaysian rainforests as it can get as cold as 10 degrees Celsius at night.
  
• Nutrition - extra food for energy. I prefer chocolates and dried fruits trail mix as it is easy to pack and carry and it does not get easily spoilt. My trail mix usually consist of high fibre and fat fruits like almonds, dried apricots, pistachios and dates. Its yummy and gives instant energy for the long hike.
  
• Navigation - watch & headlamp, besides needing light at night for at the camp site, you may never know that during unforeseen circumstances, you may have to trek at night in the jungle. So far, my night trekking experiences is far from a good one. I wish no one to go through trekking at night.
  
• Medical - prescription drugs, insect repellent, first aid kit. I will never leave these at home, my medical kit is pretty complete and I am proud of it. However, it is short of (touchwood) anti venom. It is quite difficult to get anti venoms as they are not sold off the shelf in pharmacies and one bottle of anti venom only works on one kind of snake. It is important to know the type of snake that bit you in order to be treated. Judging that one snake bite might kill you off within 4 hours, you will have until then to get help from the outside.
  
• Insulation -Tents, sleeping bag, inflatable pillow, jacket, fleece, footwear, extra layered clothing as well as socks. Nothing beats sleeping in the cold in warm clothing. After a long hike, a good night rest is all you need in order to get yourself recharged for the next day.
  
• Hydration - water bottles, and water purification tablets. I keep purification tablets and have used some during my hike. It was a 5 day journey in the deep jungle and it rained non stop from day 1! Water source was dirty throughout the hike and the thought of drinking water what looked like fresh brewed tea got me queasy. The tablets helped although it tasted like drinking straight from the chlorinated swimming pool.
  
• Fire - stove with fuel, solid fuel tablets. Even though you will be camping in groups and there will be designated cooks to each team,it is always good to bring your own fire kit as it will become handy in the event you get lost in the jungle, you have fire to keep you warm while waiting for rescue to arrive.
  
• Communication - whistle, signal mirrors and cell phone. Most Malaysian mountain peaks have phone signals. Be careful while using the phone during the heavy rain as the peak of the mountains are prone to lightning and it is dangerous.
  
• Hygiene - wet wipes, small bottles of soap, shampoo. Most of the camp sites in the jungle is next to a river. This makes it easier for you to clean yourself after a long hike.

the essential items I carry with me during my camping trips

I hope that this blog comes in useful to those in need of help what to bring for a camping trip. Feel free to add in other items you may find uselful during a camping trip. Happy camping!!