The key thing to remember when going jungle camping is that it will differ completely from just about any other place that you may well have gone camping before. The jungle is a great place to camp, but it is not always the easiest of activities. However, if you are well prepared for every eventuality, you can make the trip memorable. A canvas tent is one of the most critical things that is required for camping in the jungle. Read on to find out more
What You Should Know About The Jungle?
Foremost, remember that jungles are humid. They are always wet…. and that means you will get soaking wet. After all, the place is called a rainforest for a reason. It will rain there, and it will rain a lot. So, what you have, is a wet ground. And there will be lots of running and standing water. It is hot and it will be humid so that means you will sweat profusely. In a nutshell, you will have water seeping in from the outside and you will have water seeping out from the inside. This means you have to resign yourself to the fact that you will not only get wet but will remain wet as well. It is almost impossible to stay bone dry. This is why you should always have loose, thin clothing with you at all times. Moreover, you should also have dry things to change into, late at night when you call it a day. Apart from that, you should also have the kind of footwear that can easily withstand being wet. In the jungle, you ‘will’ find all kinds of flora and fauna and that includes bugs that will suck, bite, sting, and make you uncomfortable or just plain creep you out. Some worse ones around are mosquitoes and leeches.
Mosquitoes
The typical female Anopheles mosquitoes can be annoying indeed, to say the least. But what is far more important is that such bugs can also make you ill. Malaria and Dengue fever are real, and you should take the relevant precautions. Bug repellents and mosquito netting are an absolute must in a jungle camp.
Leeches
Leeches will not make you sick like mosquitoes, but that does not mean they will not creep you out as such! They can slice their way into your skin and become engorged with your fresh blood. The best defense is thick socks and lots of leech repellent.
Spiders
Contrary to popular opinion, spiders are not the villains that they are portrayed to be in popular fiction. These hairy arachnids can have you screaming in terror, but they are relatively harmless and will leave you unmolested, provided you do the same to them once you set up your jungle camp.
Use Lots Of Rain Gear
Since a rainy atmosphere is pretty much ubiquitous, water water-repellent canvas tent and other rain gear are an absolute must when it comes to packing for your jungle camp adventure. Yes, all of that plastic and tarpaulin and canvas can be hard to lug around in a backpack and it can also make you sweaty as well. But when you can’t see within three feet of your face in a tropical downpour, then you will see the wisdom in packing such gear. As far as clothing is concerned, then what you should wear is an individual choice. In this case, light, yet tightly woven cotton is by far and large the most comfortable thing to wear and what is more, synthetic apparel can also be used even though it will seem to feel both hot and sticky. Living in an enclosed canvas tent with long pants tucked into heavy socks and equally long sleeves will also help to keep the leeches off. Now the thing about leeches is that they wait on leaves for the unaware passerby to walk closely and brush the leaf so that they can hitchhike to the nearest place with skin. If you were to keep everything tucked in and well buttoned up, it will be fine. You can even get a few pairs of anti-leech socks for good measure. They are usually made up of a tightly woven cotton foot which consists of a nylon upper that can be safely tied. It will be worth your while to get such apparel since regular shoes and socks are not a great deterrent, to begin with. For extra protection, you can wear gloves. Not only will they protect you from dangerous flora such as poison ivy and bamboo hair and thorns, but they will also keep the ‘creepy crawlies’ at bay. Finally, a wide-brim hat can also keep away both the sun and the rain as well.
Emergency Gear And Related Stuff
When you head out into the jungle, carry a certain amount of emergency equipment with you. Chief amongst your emergency gear would be your first aid kit, in case you have a medical emergency deep inside the jungle. Apart from that, you should also carry, cordage, duct tape, and a fire starter as well. A water purifier is also a necessary part of your equipment as well as a sturdy survival knife. You should also carry a well-built multi toolkit and if you want to go, full native, then the machete is just the tool to cut a swath through the underbrush, literally indeed.
Conclusion
In light of the above, we can safely conclude that the jungle environment requires a certain level of expertise and hardiness for the camper and the avid backpacker. It is certainly not the ideal camping locale for just about anyone and everyone. But on the other hand, should you want to be at one with Mother Nature and bear the best (or worst) that she can throw at you, then a canvas tent and a jungle camp is just the place for you.
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