My knee-jerk reaction to this was "my kids will always have a glow stick with them, everywhere, everyday, no matter what!" Which probably isn't the most practical choice. This probably sprang from my own experiences with losing people in the woods.
About 8 years ago, my youth group went for a day hike up the canyon near our home. In the course of hiking up to a waterfall, having lunch, and coming back down for a campfire, my sisters and one of their friends wandered off the trail and got lost. I still remember watching some of the grownups start to panic, and the fear was infectious. Luckily, my father was able to calm everyone down, organize search parties, and in about 2 hours they were found. Most stories like this from the area don't have such a happy ending.
The key really is being prepared and staying calm. The parents of this girl showed great wisdom in putting one of those necklaces around their little girl's neck. Glow sticks, whether in necklace form or otherwise, are great for camping and emergency kits. They don't take up much room and yet are a great source of light. I like the Lightsticks that we carry because they have a nice shelf life- around 5-6 years- so I don't have to worry about changing them as often. They also work great for situations where you might have a gas leak - after an earth quake, for example. Since they do not use fire, sparks or electricity to make light, there is no risk of explosion.
One thing that my family learned from my sisters getting lost was the importance of having a whistle with you. They decided to sit down and yell for help, and quickly went hoarse and lost their voices. If they had a whistle with them, they could have kept up the racket indefinitely, making it much easier to Replace them. Whistles can be very inexpensive, but can make all the difference. They even have lightsticks that have a whistle built into them. These do have batteries, which makes them slightly less than ideal for the gas leak problem. But they are great because they come with a lanyard to hang them around your neck, have 200 hours of battery life, a whistle, and a small watertight compartment for matches.
So don't overreact, but don't let something that is so simple to do pass you by. What are some other, super simple, inexpensive must-haves for camping and emergencies?
8 comments
tcb1965
Great idea! Good story!
Unknown
Battery powered light sticks are cool especially the ones with strobe! But… now we have to carry extra batteries! If am going to have to carry extra batteries then I am taking a headlamp. Now I am handsfree. I carry glowsticks in the car in case of emergencies and in my daypack. Best ever invention.
OutdoorSurvivalists
I like the battery powered light sticks the best!!
Unknown
Never, ever leave home without a signal mirror!
Anonymous
I personally like the Fox 40 Whistles. Never go camping with out one.
Prepping
Great advice. You should always carry the appropriate gear.
Also when I go hiking, I leave a trip plan with someone else so they'll know where I'm going and when to expect me back.
momstheword
We went camping with family and friends and I put a whistle around my eight year old son's neck. I instructed him to whistle if he got lost.
He wasn't supposed to ever get lost as he was supposed to stay around camp, but I wanted to be careful just in case.
They weren't supposed to go very far, but a group of seven of them (the oldest was twelve) went for a walk, took a wrong turn and got lost.
We found them quickly because they were blowing my son's whistle like crazy!
Amanda
It may sound a little silly, but at my last camping event what absolutely saved my butt was a batch of no-bake peanut butter energy balls I made up and brought. You can find many recipies for these online, but the important thing is, these little 2 Tablespoon balls pack about 200 calories a piece, are fast and easy to eat, and don't require refrigeration. I put a little caffeine in mine, for times when I prefer not to stop and brew coffee.