Redditor heartcakex3 thought so and asked:
"What is something handy to bring camping that is typically forgotten?"
Headlamp
"Headlamp."
"Freeing up a hand instead of holding onto a flashlight is invaluable."
- MacaronMelodic
Lets Go Power GIF by LedlenserGiphy
Tarp
"Bring a large poncho/tarp."
"You never know when youre gonna need another layer of waterproofing."
- dak446
GiphySocks
"Very many pairs of socks."
"Wet socks are the most villainous discomfort, and they naturally occur in the leisurely outdoors."
"Scores of socks are the only straightforward and fruitful remedy."
- MatthewWakeman
GiphySlip-Ons
"Any form of shoe you can put on and take off easily."
"Redoing your shoes properly every time you go in the tent sucks."
"Life changing."
- Salt_Entertainment97
"Crocs are the best camping shoe!"
- deafballboy
GiphyFire Starter
"Last camping trip my friend brought dryer lint to help get the fire going."
"Holy cow that stuff is flammable."
"Old newspapers can work too."
- meowmicks222
"My family go-to firestarter is dryer lint wrapped in wax paper, like a giant tootsie roll."
- princessawesomepants
GiphyBlanket
"Whenever I bring a blanket people are always jealous."
"Like sleeping bags are a must, but a blanket for wrapping up with outside is hard to beat."
- Brasscogs
GiphyChair
"A chair."
"It's incredibly nice to have something to sit on that isn't the ground."
- LazyPants69
"Omg this….. we started doing a yearly backcountry hiking trip with a bunch of guys."
"First year only one guy bought a chair with him so we played a game and the winner would get the use of the chair and it was a small luxury."
"Next year everyone had chairs with them."
- Loafer75
GiphyBags
"Just an empty extra bag, you never know when you’ll need just something else to put stuff in."
- CaterpillarCute1103
"Whenever I go traveling anywhere I throw a box of gallon Ziplocks into my bag."
"They’ve come in handy too often to count."
- II_Confused
"I started carrying bags in my back pocket when I had a dog."
"Turns out they come in handy all the time for carrying stuff."
- 444unsure
GiphyWe know what we'll be checking before our next camping trip.
Was anything left off the list?
Share your suggestions in the comments.
I've always said hiking, camping, the wilderness, all death traps. Convince me otherwise...
The Fall
"This was two decades ago. They used to do donkey tours in the Grand Canyon. You ride the donkey and then hike. You can camp, but we did the day tour. A woman that was probably in her late 60's/Early 70's was in front of me and on an incline started to act strange."
"She was swaying left and right as on a steep cliff (which was very safe and wide). It swayed back and forth for maybe a minute and she was slumped over and then boom, it looked like she passed out and pulled the donkey to the left and fell over the cliff. I saw her tumble over and then they were just gone."
"I cant remember how far down the fall was, but it had to be over 100ft. Immediately the guide jumped off at the front ran over and let out and audible scream before stopping after realizing she had a tour with her. A few people got off their donkey and she stopped them from peering over."
"A few of the other guides looked over and they made some radio calls and then we proceeded. It was very obvious that something really serious had happened, but we never found out. I'm pretty sure I watched a woman and a donkey fall to their death in the Grand Canyon."
BenfoSherman
Can I Help?
"I was on a trail in MA when two teenagers on motorbikes came gunning through the woods. One hit a bump at speed and went flying one way and his bike went another. He flew right into a tree trunk. He wasn't wearing a helmet. (Neither of them were). I went over to see if I could help. I told him not to move and I'd get someone."
"He told me to go f**k myself and limped over to his bike, got on it and slowly drove off. His friend just looked at me and shrugged and drove off after him. A few days later I saw his friend in a convenience store. I asked him how his friend was and was told that he had died from his injuries."
AoiGyoshi
Clapping
"Hiking a trail in Sedona alone, I heard a strange sound like thunder clapping. I stopped hiking then a boulder the size of 3 basketballs comes bouncing down the mountain about 15 feet in front of me... F**king yikes!"
Huge_Strain_8714
"A large boulder the size of a small boulder."
backtheduckup
Downhill
scared tv land GIF by Teachers on TV LandGiphy"Someone casually lobbing grapefruit sized rocks downhill, directly where we'd been a few cutbacks prior. Didn't even think he might kill someone. This was Wisdom Tree in LA, so imagine a very steep traverse."
lurkherder
I knew the wilderness was nothing but a horror movie.
At the Bottom
Look Away Season 3 GIF by Paramount+Giphy"Someone’s backpack, jacket, and wallet left on the edge of a two thousand cliff in a popular national park. Rangers found the body at the bottom the following day."
alexd753
Not Pretty
"I was on a Mountain Rescue team for several years. Saw a lot of stuff, but one that stands out is a guy who fell over 2,000 feet off a cliff and onto rocks. Not pretty. Things get remote out in the Ruby Mountains… it’s nuts out there. Took me a few years to realize I still carry some of the emotional weight from SAR. Make sure you get help if you need it!"
uncontroversial_name
Farewell
"I was in the Frank Church wilderness in Idaho doing some biological survey work. We were 30 miles from the nearest trailhead and got an early start to avoid the heat. About a mile into our hike, we hear the bushes stir near the trail. Up pops a man wearing nothing but a loin cloth and nikes carrying a very small bag and a hunting rifle. He says mornin' and takes off sprinting down the trail. Never did see him again, so so many questions."
Illbeyourdodo
Climbing the Stream
"I was on the Matanuska glacier ice climbing, and before we started scaling the wall a tour guide walked up with a group he was showing around. There was a small waterfall, and he filled up his water bottle, explaining how this is the best water in the world, the most pure and blah blah blah."
"Anyways, we climb up like 20 feet, and there in the stream just above the waterfall is the dead and rotting carcass of some kind of bird or mammal, completely gray and directly feeding the waterfall he just filled up his bottle with."
Shoe_mocker
signs of human activity...
sheep bucket GIF by Qvisten AnimationGiphy"A well-maintained 2-seater outhouse, numerous miles from any path or sign of human activity - just sitting there encircled by tall trees and dense overgrowth. The outhouse evidenced no sign of use or footprints in the area. Yet it was stocked with tp, magazines, freshly painted, and screens on the vents."
Back2Bach
I am reaffirmed... I'm an indoors person, happily. The end.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
