Safety tips to keep in mind for fall camping
If you're going on a camping trip this fall, there are some key safety tips to keep in mind that may be a little different from what you're used to in the summer.
Transcript
00:00 I love fall.
00:00 Fall's great.
00:01 And in fact, fall is here.
00:04 Not just meteorological fall, but astronomical fall too.
00:06 So we are really in the season.
00:08 And so many campers actually prefer
00:10 fall over summer camping because they can avoid the heat.
00:13 I get that.
00:14 Also helps them avoid wildfire restrictions.
00:16 But enjoying the breeze and beautiful fall colors
00:19 does come with a different set of safety instructions here.
00:23 So joining us live is Kevin Long from The Dirt,
00:26 the largest source of information for campgrounds
00:29 throughout the country.
00:29 Always a pleasure to have you on the show.
00:32 Thanks for having me.
00:33 Of course.
00:34 OK, so it might surprise some people
00:36 to hear that even in the fall, hypothermia can actually
00:39 be a risk.
00:40 I really do think that's going to be kind of a shock
00:41 for a lot of people to hear.
00:42 Can you talk about that a little bit
00:44 and how people can prevent that from happening?
00:48 Yeah, Christina, people are surprised to hear sometimes
00:51 that hypothermia can even happen in temperatures of 30 to 50
00:55 degrees out.
00:56 It doesn't have to be below zero and freezing.
00:59 What a big part of hypothermia is
01:02 is your body gets cold and wet and starts to shut down.
01:07 And so an important thing when you're doing fall camping,
01:10 it rains.
01:11 And you got to make sure--
01:12 you can get wet during the day.
01:14 You can be out hiking in the weather,
01:16 checking out the beautiful colors.
01:19 But then make sure you're coming back
01:21 and sleeping in clean clothes.
01:22 If you're out backcountry camping,
01:24 bring that dry bag for that extra free set of clothes
01:29 that are going to be dry.
01:30 Or think about going glamping and staying
01:33 in one of those nice, warm safari tents.
01:35 And you don't even have to worry about hypothermia.
01:38 It's never happening.
01:38 Both of those sound great.
01:40 Glamping doesn't sound like a bad time.
01:42 Now, people also forget sometimes
01:43 that fall does bring earlier sunsets.
01:45 So maybe they want to be back in the tent earlier
01:47 or even head out after dark.
01:49 Also brings later sunrises.
01:50 Do you have any good tips that might help people
01:53 with that kind of change in the seasons
01:55 and change in the light versus darkness?
01:58 Well, flashlights are the old classic for camping.
02:01 But a little hot tub is get a headlamp,
02:03 one that goes right around your head.
02:05 You know, what you don't realize is camping's pretty active.
02:08 You're out there making food.
02:09 You're setting things up.
02:10 You're putting things down.
02:11 Keep your hands free and have a headset, a headlamp,
02:15 and you're going to be a lot more enjoyable
02:17 when you're camping.
02:18 Okay, now with more darkness, I have to wonder,
02:21 is there more of a risk in getting lost perhaps?
02:24 Maybe you're in an area where you don't totally recognize
02:27 your way as the light goes down.
02:28 I imagine that a headlamp will help.
02:30 But what happens too if you have no cell service?
02:32 Any tips?
02:33 Yeah, Christina, you know,
02:36 it does take a lot of people by surprise.
02:37 We kind of get used to this endless summer
02:39 and all of a sudden you slip into the fall camping
02:42 and whoa, it gets dark early.
02:44 Whoa, it stays dark for a long time in the morning.
02:47 And so you want to be ready with some offline capabilities.
02:52 Two apps that I'd like to recommend
02:53 for all the viewers here.
02:55 One is AllTrails.
02:57 It's a really great hiking app.
02:59 You can download all of your hikes offline.
03:02 Don't have to worry about cell service.
03:04 And the other one is the Dirt Pro
03:06 where you can download the 50,000 campgrounds
03:09 and have them offline.
03:10 Having that offline capabilities is really important
03:13 because when you're dealing with darkness
03:15 and you're dealing with a new area you don't know,
03:17 you want to have maps, you want to have that technology
03:20 to make sure you're staying safe and having a great time.
03:23 So important.
03:23 That's always the goal is to keep people safe.
03:26 Kevin Long, CEO of The Dirt.
03:27 Always a pleasure to have you on.
03:29 And hey, thanks for the helpful tips as we get through fall.
03:32 You got it.
03:33 All right, we'll talk to you soon.