SHELTER
There’ s an old survival guide called the‘ rule of threes’. Three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in a harsh environment, three days without water, and three weeks without food. If you’ re not planning on driving your 4WD under water the first point is moot, and if you follow every other step accurately the last is as well( surprisingly, keeping emergency food is way down the priority list).
So that just leaves water and shelter. If you’ re parked up with your camper trailer or even just your 4WD you’ ll have plenty of protection from the sun and heat, making coldness the serious issue. A heavy blanket, or preferably a quality sleeping bag, per person is a vital first step but you’ ll also need the ability to build a fire, not only for heat but as a signal. When it comes to emergencies,‘ two is one, and one is none’. So aim for at least three methods of building a fire to be safe. A box of matches is an easy one, arcing out jumper leads is another, and a cigarette lighter will get you across the line for all three.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
You don’ t need to travel far down a remote track to find the shell of at least one burnt-out 4WD. Aside from the obvious negatives of your pride and joy going up in smoke, it can quickly burn through any trailers you’ re towing as well, leaving you standing by the side of the track with nothing more than the clothes on your back and a long wait for help. A fire extinguisher at hand can be the difference between a lifealtering fire, and getting your fridge fixed under warranty.
There are a few things to consider with fire extinguishers, and the abundance of cheap items makes people far too complacent. The general rule is small extinguishers won’ t save a vehicle, they’ ll just give you time to grab the kids and any important gear out of the back. You’ ll want a small extinguisher easily accessible by both driver and passenger, with a large unit in your storage area capable of taking on engine bay fires. If you’ re lugging around a camper trailer a third one should be near the cooking area.
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