Survival skills for canoe trips may seem like overkill to most weekend warriors or occasional enthusiasts, but dont be fooled – weather can be at best fickle and at its worst deadly. With a little common sense and a few small safety items, even the worse-case scenarios can be mitigated to increase the chances of positive outcomes.
Packing a beefy survival kit on your backcountry adventures can provide excellent piece of mind and be invaluable in a crisis, but it won’t help you if you take a wrong turn while doubling back on the portage trail, or if your kit is too heavy to bring on your day hike.
To make sure you never find yourself up the creek, carefully plan and construct a lightweight mini survival-safety kit that can be kept on your person so it’s within reach at all times. A small military mess can, Altoids tin or a mini-Pelican container—ideal because it’s waterproof and buoyant—can be kept in a PFD or pant pocket so you have the bare bone essentials at all times.
For any one who finds themselves lost in the woods, the most important survival tool you have is keeping a cool head—don’t panic. Take into consideration the rule of three: You can survive three weeks without food, three days without water and just three hours if you are severely hypothermic. Because of this, shelter, fire and water should be your first priorities…
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