Matt Albrecht, a member of a Yahoo camping group I recently joined, has explained what he does to make his children more easily found if they get lost on a camping trip. He has graciously agreed to let me quote him here.

Like many (and this is very important), the first thing he does is to dress his children in bright colors. This is a tip you’ll find over and over online, in books about camping, and so on, and it pays to follow it. My son does a lot of camping with his Boy Scout troop, and the t-shirts they use are bright red (of course, their uniforms are beige and green, which violates this hint completely!). It’s important to have your child in something attention-getting because the last thing you want is for him or her to blend into the scenery if people have to be out combing the woods for them, for example. I know this can fly in the face of advice about wearing light colors to ward off insects, but my priority is keeping my child easily visible! A camping trip is no time to wear those camouflage outfits, folks.

Matt says that he gives each of his children “a fanny pack…[with] band aids, string, an emergency solar-type foil blanket, and a whistle.” If they get lost, he instructs them to “find a tree at the edge of a clearing, face the clearing,…get out their space blanket so everyone could see it, and blast their whistle three times per minute.” What a great idea! And he and his children practice doing this, so he knows they truly have knowledge of how best to respond if they need help. He adds that he includes other tools in their kits, such as a pocket knife and fire-starting supplies, as his children demonstrate that they know how to use them responsibly.

What a wise dad!

Another person, “Joe in Conn.,” suggested adding a two-way radio and a flashlight to the kits. Do you do something similar? What do you suggest? I can’t think of a more important topic.

Yours,

Jean B. in SC