Survivor Man Camping Trip

Spending time in nature together has long been a male bonding ritual. There's nothing like a roaring campfire on a cool, star-lit night to awaken primal feelings of closeness among men, especially fathers and sons. The feeling of being warriors, hunters, men of valor while facing the unknowns of nature, shoulder to shoulder, can create a bond difficult to reproduce in the safe, secure world of home.

In more recent times, however, portable electronics coupled with campgrounds, metal fire pits, and restrooms just up the hill, have diluted the experience of facing nature together. It's hard to feel like you are staring nature in the eye, when the glow of your laptop is blinding you to your surroundings. It's hard to feel shoulder to shoulder with someone whose earphones are loud enough to be heard over the sound of the portable television the folks in the next campsite are watching. It's hard to create a bond of communication when your son spends more time "texting" his girlfriend than he does talking to you.

If camping has become about as tame as barbecuing in the backyard, or if bonding has become about as fulfilling as a pounding on the bedroom door yelling, "Turn that down!", it might be time to try taking your son on a real, roughing-it, Survivor Man Camping trip.

Hear are some suggestions to help make your trip an exciting, safe, responsible, adventure:

1) Build a survivor camping kit. Include things that you might have if you were stranded in the woods. Assume you were pretty prepared for an emergency. Make sure the kit is small enough to create an authentic experience, but large enough that you won't be absolutely miserable on your trip. Your kit might include: