Camping is a great way to bond with family and friends, away from the distractions of the city. However, leaving the city behind also means leaving all its conveniences. When packing your camping supplies, make sure to bring some necessary items that can come in handy during emergencies.
First and foremost prepare a waterproof container to store your emergency supplies in. Also make sure that this container can be firmly closed and will not easily open in case it gets dropped or shaken around. You would not want to be groping around your bag for the spilled contents during an emergency. A good example would be a thick Ziploc bag or an airtight food container.
One of the first things you should pack is flashlight together with batteries and some for extra. Other than the obvious purpose of providing light around the campsite when needed, a flashlight can also act as a beacon for when you get lost and need to be located. A whistle will also serve a similar purpose, and this should likewise be a staple in your emergency kit. It's small, lightweight and ultra-useful that there should be no excuse not to bring it along in any camping trip. A great example, remember how Kate Winslet's character used this in Titanic to call for help? Exactly.
Always keep an extra set of waterproof matches in your camping supplies. If for some reason your lighter gets drenched and a flint is nowhere in sight, this can just be your life-saver, especially in places where the temperatures drop drastically at night. When in the wilderness, fire is not only useful in providing warmth, but also keeping away wild animals. Predators such as grizzlies and big cats are a very real danger especially when you're in the mountains. Even the small ones can wreak havoc with your things, the last thing you would like to find out in the morning is that your bag has been stolen by some wily forest creatures.
Equally important is to bring along rain ponchos. You do not want to get drenched in the wild especially when proper medical care is not within your reach in case of hypothermia or fever. You should also make sure that a pill box is with you in every camping trip containing medicine for allergies, headache, fever or any other ailments hat you feel your friends/family may suffer while outdoors. Likewise, make sure to bring bandages and disinfectants to stave off infection and keep a wound clean in case of accidents.
For practical reasons, a number of other materials should also be included in your emergency kit such as scissors, a Swiss army or pocket knife, and hardy strings. A compass is also an essential when venturing out into the wild.
A water bottle should also be included in your camping supplies, along with water purification tablets so when you run out of safe drinking water, you can still play it safe. Last and not least, non-perishable food should also be brought along such as high-calorie energy bars, beef jerky or similar items.