Essentials of a successful camping trip

My recent excursion to the jungles of Sungai Mas with the Puma 4x4 Club have left me wiser, in terms of preparation. Some notes that I made and would like to share here.

Firstly, here's some of the ways to outfit your 4x4 to raise your odds of overcoming anything the jungle, weather and Mother Nature would be throwing your way:-

• Centipede / All-terrain threads - these tires will give you that extra bit of grip you need to keep you moving through the mud (and also keep you FROM moving off in the wrong direction - say, off the side of a slippery log bridge).
• Winch - mounted on the front of the chassis, this will either enable you to pull someone out of a sticky situation, or pull yourself out of it, depending on the context. Also, you can use this to drag heavy items like logs across and up ravines and ditches. Caution, these draw lots of current, so the battery and electrical system will be put to the limit. In several cases, I saw smoke spewing from under the hood when the winch was in use.
• Jack - you'll never know when you'll need to raise your car up for repairs. Note that due to the huge travel of the suspension system of a typical 4x4 (more so for a modified one), you'll need a special jack with an extra long travel if you want to raise the wheels cleanly off the ground.
• Raised suspension - the higher you are the better, as this means more chance to clear all those nasty thing on the ground, like rocks, logs, fallen trees, etc.. Just remember that the higher the center of gravity, the less stable your ride is on normal roads, corners, etc..
  
• Downward tilted exhaust pipe - frequently, you'll be up to your tires (and sometimes even deeper) in water / mud / some other vile liquid. An exhaust that's tilted downwards means things work the way it should - exhaust gas flows out and nothing flows in.
• Snorkel - at the other end, the engine needs to breathe. A snorkel ensures that at least if you don't make it through that river, you'll have to blame yourself, not the car! :)
• Spare tire - make sure your spare is pumped with air before each trip and is actually compatible with the rest of your tires (makes no sense to fit centipede threads on your rims, and normal threads on your spare).
• Fog lights - both front and rear. Helpful to light the way for a buddy who has problems with his lights.
• Spare battery, jumper cables - you'll never know when your battery will die, especially when you start using those high amp devices like the winch.
• Spare belts - fan belts, alternator / timing / power steering belts all can and will snap eventually. Be sure you know what belts fit your model of 4x4 - nothing sucks more than having a Mitsubishi belt in your hands while staring under the hood of your Ford....
• Tools - wrenches, screwdrivers, etc..
  

Well, that should just about cover it for your ride. Now for some essentials to bring along:-

• Hoe - you don't see any toilets, do you? This is useful when, um, answering the call of nature. Just a friendly reminder, please dig holes of that nature well away from the river or any water source - it's not nice to contaminate your water supply. Also useful to level the ground that's too difficult for your 4x4.
• Chainsaw / Axe - to chop down trees, clear fallen trees, carve up logs to make bridges, etc.
• Nails and motorcycle chains - they use these to hold logs together when making bridges, steps, etc..
  
• Sleeping bag / tent / canvas / poles / string / fold able bench - to shelter you from the environment. A matter of preference, some like to sleep in tents, others prefer to sleep on raised fold able benches. Your call....
• Vinegar / salt / sulphur / insect repellent - to keep the creatures of the jungle at bay. Vinegar is for the leeches, sulphur for snakes and insect repellent for the humble pesky mosquito. Scatter the sulphur and salt around the campsite to define the perimeter.
• Torchlight and batteries - you're not a bat, so come nightfall, you'll need some way to find your way around. Of course, don't forget the batteries.
  
• Generator with fuel - to provide power to the essential lighting system. Of course, if you have surplus power, you can hook up other non-essential system, like a karaoke set, for instance (really did this before).
• GPS - those days a compass and map were essential, though now they have been obsoleted with the introduction of GPS. Better get one with tracking functions, like the Garmin Etrex Vista that I'm using, since there are unlikely to be any real trails where you're camping.
• Good slippers - you don't want to be using your boots all the time. Just make sure they are reasonable good and won't slip while you're making your way to the river.
• Carbide lamp - if you don't have a generator, these will provide you with light.
• Cooking stove and gas - unless you take your food raw and cold, you'll need some means to cook. Works best if you actually know how to cook....
• Lighter - not everyone's a smoker. Fire is useful. Rubbing sticks together / hitting rocks - why not use the portable lighter that's in every smoker's pocket? Scouts, please take no offense.
• Raincoat - there are times that you will have to get out under the rain. Then again, in these hard times, no one really cares that they get wet. Still it's advisable to keep dry, as it's a real pain to get sick halfway through your camping trip.
• First aid kit - I've been on two occasions where someone got hurt and needed to be patched up. Always check that your supplies are not expired and fully stocked.

Lastly, here are some skills someone in the group should have:-

• Cooking - oh, yeah...!
• First aid - in case someone get's injured. Best to have at least two with this skill, as it wouldn't be nice if the only guy who knows first aid got knocked out himself....
• Car repair skills - this is a wide area, ranging from simple tasks like jumpstarting a flat battery to fixing a jammed 4WD differential.
• Setting up a campsite / tent - you'll be surprised how "easy" this is - in theory. Practice setting up a tent in your house first - you should be looking for the instructions only while in the middle of the jungle.
• Pathfinding - so you don't get lost in the woods. Sometimes, it's not so easy to go back the way you came, since overnight, virtually every direction may look like "the way you came".
• Making bridges out of logs, steps on steep slopes, etc. - the ability to improvise will get you out of situations where you find yourself lacking a bridge or facing a steep slope. Think MacGyver and you'll get the rough idea.
• Hand signals - Now, of course by now you know you should not go into the jungle alone. Setting up that log bridge, now you'll have to drive across it safely. You'll need to learn the basic hand signals to indicate when to turn the wheel, move slowly forward, stop, back up, floor it, etc.. Learning to follow instructions is also an equally important skill....

Well, that's all that comes to mind at this time - I'm looking forward to the next outing with the Melaka Puma 4x4 Club - hopefully, I haven't left out something critical in my list of essentials for a successful camping trip...! :)