How to Avoid Fumbling Around in the Dark When You're Camping

I am going elk hunting next week. This will be my first time doing any sort of hunting—and my first time camping since I was a child—and I did not realize it would involve so much planning (or spending so much money). I knew it would involve some planning, obviously, but the number of tiny details I have to remember (and $20 items I have to buy) is truly something.

In addition to buying things, I have also been reading things, or asking my dad (who is also going) about the things he has read, since he has been much better about actually doing the reading. I’m sure it surprises no one to learn that there are many hacks when it comes to living outdoors. (I was hoping to just “have an experience” without “turning it into content,” but I am incapable of doing that.)

As luck would have it, it turns our that I am not the only one in the family with an eye for life hacks. “One thing Bear Grylls said to do that is a good idea is to sleep with a headlamp around your wrist,” my dad told me while we were staring at all of our supplies. “That way you won’t have to fumble around for it in the dark if you need it.”

Even though I had just figured out how to get my headlamp on my head—the straps were confusing!—I had to admit this was a great idea. The night is dark and full of bears, and I have been known to panic when startled and disoriented. Wrapping the headlamp around my wrist ensures I will be able to turn a light on the moment I feel threatened, confused, or even momentarily afraid of the dark. (I know a headlamp will not protect me from a bear, but it will give me a better chance of avoiding the bear. One cannot avoid what they cannot see.)

Even if you aren’t camping in an area that is populated by bears, this tip could be quite helpful. I’ve heard that children like to camp in the yard, which also gets dark at night, and a little lamp around their little wrists will make the whole experience a bit less scary (for you and them—the last thing you want is your child flailing around in the dark and hurting themselves.)