Hiking is a fun and physical activity that almost anyone can take part in, whether you're a kid or even a senior. It can take you to all sorts of places, and it doesn't have to be too complicated for you to be able to hike. Although it's open to anyone, it can also have a lot of challenges for people looking to feel more adventurous.
Hiking can also offer danger if you are not careful. The best way to prevent risk is through precautionary measures such as bringing the right equipment with you and preparing for the worst. However, you might not have everything with you right when you are hiding, and then you get yourself into an emergency.
In this case, there are a lot of other alternatives that you can try to help offset the lack of equipment that you probably have in this time of emergency. With that said, here is a list of eight household items that can prove themselves useful to you should you get yourself into an emergency while you are hiking.
1. Garbage bags
When you are hiking, one of the first things that you should research before you go to a location is how the weather will be on the day that you plan on hiking. The weather on that day will predict or dictate what you should bring with you and how your hike is going to go. However, sometimes the forecast can be wrong.
Sometimes, you may find yourself stuck under pouring rain without the right equipment. In this case, one thing that can help you would be several garbage bags.
Garbage bags are useful for keeping your trash and throwing it away and the appropriate receptacles, but they are also helpful for protecting you against the rain. You can use the garbage bags as a rain poncho if you don't have one. You can also use it to protect yourself from the soaking wet soil. You should also use it to protect any of your electronics from getting wet.
2. Duct tape
An item that you must include in your hiking equipment as much as possible would be duct tape and maybe scissors or a knife. If you find the bulk of a whole roll to be cumbersome, you can cut away the core that makes the shape. That way, you can still bring it with you without it taking up a lot of space in your pack.
Duct tape can help you in many ways. One way it can protect you is that it can protect the spots of your feet that get friction the most as you walk. Make sure that you clean the area first before you put your tape on it.
It’s also useful for patching things up together. For example, you find parts of your hiking boots falling apart. Maybe you didn’t bring hiking poles with you, and you ended up spraining your ankle. You can help patch yourself up in the meantime with the help of duct tape.
3. Plastic wrap
Another useful household item that can help you a lot during an emergency would be a plastic wrap. One of the risks that you can encounter when you are hiking and camping at the same time is that you might end up burning yourself. If you do end up burning yourself, you wanted to make sure that your burn is protected.
Otherwise, the affected area might get an infection. However, it can be hard to find proper protection that also won't get wet. This is where plastic wrap comes in. After you rinse off the burn in cold and clean water, you can then use the plastic wrap to protect it from getting an infection until you can better take care of it.
4. Paper towels
Paper towels are other household items that you should keep with you while you're hiking. Aside from keeping things clean, a paper towel can also be your alternative to a bandage. Since paper towels are already absorbent, they can help stop the bleeding quickly, but you have to be generous with the number of paper towels that you apply.
You must stop the bleeding immediately. Otherwise, you can suffer from blood loss effects. Aside from stopping the bleeding, paper towels can also help protect the wound from getting infections. If you have no other choice, then paper towels can be a temporary solution while you try to get yourself the appropriate medical attention.
5. Dishwashing soaps
Instead of bringing hand soaps with you on your hike, it might be better to bring dishwashing soap. A lot of commercially available dish soap has antibacterial agents which would be useful for cleaning off any wounds that you got during the hike.
Since most dish soaps come in liquid form, you can mix them with water and then soak a rag in them. Use this rug to watch any wounds that you have.
6. Baking soda
Aside from being an excellent household ingredient for creating cleaning solutions to keep your house all nice and clean, baking soda can also be great for a lot of other things outside of the home.
When you mix baking soda and water, you can ingest that to help you deal with any stomach aches that you are experiencing. Another benefit to baking soda is if you make a paste out of it, you can use it as a salve that can help relieve itching that you get from bug bites. You can also use it to treat sunburn and rashes.
7. Cotton Balls
Another item that can help you stop any small bleeding that you get while you hike would be cotton balls. Use as much cotton that you need to help stop the bleeding entirely while you look for a better bandage.
8. Aluminum foil
You might have brought aluminum foil with you to help you with preparing any food on your hike. However, did you know that you can also use it in unexpected ways to help you with your food?
Cut off a small strip of foil, about the same size or a little longer than your AA battery. It should be a rectangular strip. The middle of the foil should be thin, so it kind of looks like a soda bottle in the middle. Connect each end of the foil to the ends of the battery, and you get an instant fire starter. Be quick, though, as the fire starts fast.
Being quick on your feet during emergencies will help you immensely, especially when you don't have the right supplies with you. The eight household items above are just a few of the simple alternatives that you can use during emergencies while hiking. Next time you're preparing for a hike, perhaps you should consider bringing some of these with you.
Author Bio:Kate Manning is passionate about home improvement and interior decoration. When not at work, you'll see her running around the neighborhood to prepare for any upcoming local marathon.
