The Camping Outfitter

There you are, enjoying an awesome camping trip over the long weekend with your buddies, when all of a sudden one of you falls and suffers a cut.  Well, not that you’ll bleed to death, but you can get a very nasty infection that could lead to a very bad and potentially limb-amputating infection (sorry, I’m not trying to get all “doom and gloom” on you).  Well, here’s what to do in the case of suffering a wound:

First thing you want to do is stop the bleeding, which can easily be done by applying direct pressure to the wound with a clean piece of cloth, cotton, a towel, etc.  Just make sure it’s not a prized possession of yours!  I wouldn’t trust OxyClean to get that blood stain out.

You also need to clean the wound to avoid bacteria and germs from continuing to infest the area.  You’ll want to use a method called irrigation, which you can do by placing some warm water in a syringe and squirting the area until it is completely cleaned.  Once that’s done, apply a dressing to the area to keep it from being exposed to more germs.

Again, like I’ve mentioned before, you never know what may happen when you go on your next hiking trip you go to to enjoy you newest camping gear, so be prepared.

In our last post concerning the RICE protocol of handling a strain or sprain that could have been suffered on a camping excursion, we’ll touch on the “E” in RICE.  This stands for Elevation.  After haven Rested, Iced, and Compressed the area, you’ll now want to elevate the area.  In other words, you sprained your arm, keep it elevated.  If you strained an area of the leg, elevate it.

The rule of thumb is to keep it elevated “above the heart”.  In simpler terms, if it’s a wrist you injured while out hiking, place some objects (such as books or camping pillows) under your arm so that it keeps your wrist elevated, higher than your heart.  The purpose of the elevation is to force gravity to keep any fluids that could swell up the area.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, you want to keep swelling to a minimum right off the bat because the more swelling that is allowed to accumulate in the area the longer the recovery and recuperation is going to take.

So, in recap, any strain or sprain suffered while out camping and having the time of your life with your camping gear, remember RICE:

Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate

The next major step in camping first aid in the process of handling the RICE process is the “C”, which represents the Compression in this protocol.

As a brief reminder, the first two letters stood for Rest and Ice….which are the first two things you need to do in the unforeseen case of some type of injury experienced when on a hunting, fishing, hiking, at a family picnic, or just regular camping.  This can be a strain or sprain (which is the first major injury we’re addressing in our series of blog posts).

After stopping usage and resting the injured area, you’ll want to ice it, per the instructions given in the previous post.  Now, you’ll also want to add some compression, aka pressure, to the area, in the way of wrapping some type of cloth or piece of clothing around the sprain.  This is to help keep fluids within the body from accumulating in the area, which results in the swelling that follows a strain.  The more you can keep the swelling down, the quicker you’re recovery time will be.

Again, we want to be able to get the most out of our outdoor excursion, including when we’re out on the river, lake, or ocean in our kayak.

Being careful around your camping equipment and gear is very important if you don’t want your outdoor weekend ruined.  However, sometimes we can’t avoid certain mishaps.  In the post we’ll get into the second letter of the all important RICE of first aid.

The “I” in RICE stands for “ice”.  When suffering a strain or sprain, you first want to Rest the injured body part.  Second in line in your care-taking is to Ice the injured area.  You’ll want to apply ice to the injured section for an alternating time of 20 minutes icing, 20 minutes resting.  This will allow for proper cooling of the injury, which helps bring down any swelling, but without the over-exposure to icy temperatures.

If for some reason you don’t have enough ice, then you can use a towel or cloth that’s dipped in cold water.

In the next post will discuss the next letter in the RICE protocal.  And remember, keep yourself safe so that you can get the most enjoyment out of your camping supplies, equipment, and gear!

Murphy’s Law can very likely come into play whenever you and your family or buddies go to the outdoors for a hiking trip, hunting, a picnic, or just a good old fashion camping excursion.  Suffering an abrasion, a contusion, some type of insect bite, etc., is always a reality that you must accept whenever you venture out to the woods, forest, or trail.  Well, in a serious of posts on our TheCampingOutfitter.com blog, we’ll give you excellent first aid tips and tricks to prevent an unforeseen occurrence from ruining your next weekend trip.

How to deal with a strain or sprain:

First off, a sprain or a strain is basically, in everyday terms, the pulling / slight injuring of a tendon, ligament, or muscle tissue.  Whenever this happens, you’ll want to remember the mnemonic RICE.  This stands for Rest….Ice…..Compression……Elevation.

Rest:
Obviously, if you’ve strained some body part you’re not going to want to continue to go on ahead and working with it.  You have to literally rest it.  Apply no weight to it, especially if it’s a strain or sprain in the lower body.  You’re going to have to sit down, take a break, and simply relax.  (Take a breather.  Enjoy nature.)

…..in the next post we’ll get into the next letter of the RICE mnemonic, “I”.

Eldorado’s National Forest’s system that affects travel routes that includes native surface roads and trails for non-licensed vehicles will soon allow more recreational activities to take place…..which means more opportunities to put your camping equipment and gear to use!

All motorized travel will be limited to designated areas under a new plan that was announced by the Forest’s Travel Management Plan.  The new system will comply with the 1989 Eldorado National Forest Land and Resource Plan to keep motorized vehicles  on designated routes.

Sounds like a good time to take your truck tent and have a good time outdoors!

There are many factors to take into consideration when wanting to turn your sharp-as bowling ball camping knives into one that can handle any job you want it to suit up for.  Some of those factors are the grit, the purpose, and the angle of the knife blade.  Read our latest article to find out what to do:

Camping Knives - How To Get The Sharpest Blades

I want to start off by welcoming you to our site, which is dedicated to helping you find any camping equipment, gear, supplies, apparel, tents, or any other needs for your upcoming outdoor excursion, picnic, hiking trip, or anything else in between.

Please be sure to check back on a regular basis, as we’ll be constantly adding new information on the latest camping products, outdoor cooking recipes, reviews, first aid information, and more.

Again, welcome!

—TheCampingOutfitter.com