Whether you're traveling someplace excessively dry, like a desert, or up to the mountains where you need more water to increase your oxygen, having enough water is perhaps the most important survival tip. In the desert, such as the Moab Desert in Utah, park officials recommend bringing at least a gallon a day in a water bladder. In places with adequate streams and rivers you can use camping filters, and boiling and chemical agents such as iodine are used to treat water.
Bring food that is easy to transport and prepare and high in carbohydrates and protein. Nuts and dried fruits, granola, hard cheeses and canned foods like canned tuna are healthy options that will keep you sustained throughout the journey. Plan meals that require little preparation time and ingredients in case you find yourself camping at sundown or in inclement weather.
The difference in temperature between night and day can be vast in certain regions. Don't just pack for one temperature. Bring light clothing that will protect you from the sun as well as warmer clothing -- like flannel shirts and fleece sweaters -- for nighttime. Make sure your sleeping bag is rated for the kind of temperatures you will be facing. Bring a stocking cap that can insulate you well against the cold.
Generally speaking wild animals do not want to bother humans, but there are caveats. If you have small children or companion animals, keep them close at all times where wolves, bears, and mountain lions live so they are seen as protected by your "pack." Be aware that dogs may be seen as competitors by wolves. Carry bear pepper spray in case a rare attack does occur. Bears can open most containers so keep garbage and food at a safe distance from camp -- strung up, if possible -- on a bear pole. This is a pole horizontally spanning the distance between two trees with the food hoisted by rope up to the pole.
