Injuries occur even on the most well planned camping trips. You have to not only plan to avoid accidents, but you also have to plan on how to deal with them if and when they take place while camping. The important thing is to remember to remain calm. The worse thing you can do is get flustered.

You have to keep a clear head and just let your first aid training kick in. If you don’t have any first aid training then you should attend some classes before going camping. If you are not calm then you may not administer the correct treatment and this could just make it more serious.

Three common ailments that befall campers are dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. To most people these all seem like similar ailments, and they are, but they each have to be treated differently. Confusing which treatment goes with which will not only halt healing, but it could also cause damage. The principal common problem while camping is dehydration. The best thing to do is just to keep yourself well hydrated with water.

You may drink nothing but soda and tea at home, but if you try that while camping you will soon find yourself in a hospital room for dehydration. There are a few signs of dehydration besides the obvious thirst. Excessive sweating, rapid breathing, clammy skin, and loss of skin elasticity are all signs of dehydration. Children may also have sunken eyes when dehydrated.

If someone becomes dehydrated while you’re camping then you want to have them rest in the shade and drink plenty of cold water. You’ll also want them to remove any superfluous clothing. Heat exhaustion is another common problem while camping. This is caused by not only too much heat, but can also be caused by too much humidity.

A person with heat exhaustion will have pale, clammy skin, rapid breathing, excessive sweating, thirst and nausea, headache, and exhaustion. Again you’ll want the individual to take a break from camping and completely rest with their feet elevated. Cool water and a shady place are a necessity.

You’ll even need to sponge the person with water. The third common camping ailment is heat stroke. Heat stroke is caused by your body not regulating body temperature correctly, causing your body to overheat. Symptoms are flushed, dry skin, a lack of sweat, rapid and weak pulse, irrational behavior, staggering, headache, and nausea.

If not diagnosed early and treated this can also lead to a collapse, a seizure, a coma, and even death. If someone develops heat exhaustion while camping you need to get help immediately and get an ambulance. Have them rest in the shade with their head elevated.

Use iced or cold water to cool them down and if they are aware have them drink. These three problems are common when camping and should be watched for and treated right away.

First aid knowledge is essential when camping. Remember that water always helps, so have a lot of it with you at all times. If anything does happen on your camping expedition stay calm and remember what you’ve learned.

If he’s red raise his head, if he’s pale raise his tail, is a good rhyme to help you remember what to do if something happens while you’re camping. Stay cool and hydrated and you should be able to avoid problems like these on your camping trip.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on numerous subjects, but is currently concerned with wholesale first aid kits. If you have an interest in RC vehicles, please come over to our website now at First Aid Courses Online.

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