Items Needed To Prepare For Camp: Fill & Download for Free

2016: Struggle, FailureMy daily schedule was to get up at 5.30 am and get ready for the college. I was in my final year. I am not from a renowned IIT or NIT, just from a private college in my hometown. My bus used to pick me up at 6:30 am. I used to go directly from my college to Made Easy at 3 pm, attend classes till 9 pm, go home, eat, study and finally I get to sleep. My parents used to pick me everyday at 9 pm. I was just studying with constant pain in the head. I just slept for some 5–6 hrs daily.Back to my 3rd year, I didn’t plan what to do in life, but one thing was clear that I never wanted to work in a software company. So, I didn’t sit in my college placements.After a lot of hard work, I gave GATE, and my rank was around ~8k which took me nowhere, and someone in my family said to me “Itne bade sapne ni dekhne chaiye” (Dream but with limits). For ESE, I was not eligible due to minimum age criteria. Immediately after graduation, I started preparing for ESE 2017. So, I decided to take a drop and go for ESE next year. ESE syllabus also got changed that year and hence, I had a minimum source to study. My schedule was waking up at 3 or 4 am, study till 9 am and then sleep for 2 hrs. Then, I used to bath and have lunch between 11–12 noon. Then, I used to study for the whole day. Having food became a task; my health started deteriorating. I started having major cavities in my teeth, but I was just focused on studying, ignoring all the family functions, birthdays, etc. I didn’t want to leave any chance to fail this time.2017: Failure-SuccessI gave ESE with tons of load in my head, which I created for myself in January, and I failed in prelims with some 10 marks. I was shattered. Every morning, I didn't feel motivated enough to wake up. I just used to cry, thinking that I couldn't achieve it. “I studied hard but why I failed”, this was a constant question in my head. In Feb, my GATE exam was scheduled. I didn't have any motivation, I didn't study, and on the above, my cousin marriage was there some days before my GATE exam. But deep down, I knew that I studied. So I gave GATE 2017 and was able to score rank 888 (I didn't prepare for GATE). I filled for M.Tech in several old IITs. Also, I was qualified in BARC written exam. There was a time when my schedule was like moving from one city to another; I got a call from IIT Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Madras. My father was always there for me. He gave many sleepless nights travelling with me; my entire family motivated me every time I felt that my interview was not up to the mark. I like Mumbai more than any other city in India. I start having daydreaming about getting there, but I couldn’t qualify BARC interview. Finally, I made in IIT Delhi in Microelectronics branch of CARE department. Getting in IITD gave me the advantage of having Coaching classes in a km radius, IITD library is opened 24 hrs. It provides a good atmosphere of students preparing for Civil services and also my hometown was near.I was focused on my M.Tech along with ESE preparation, that time my batchmates started saying “kitna pdegi sab tujse dar rae hai”. This time I was more confident since getting in IIT gave me some sort of confidence. In December 2017, I didn’t go to the home and studied like mad with a constant routine, getting up had to breakfast, library, lunch, library, back to the hostel at 2 am, repeat.2018: Joined ISROI gave ISRO written exam with a goal that if I couldn’t do this, then how will I qualify ESE? This time I qualified for ESE prelims, I started preparing for Mains. Meanwhile, I got a call from BSNL JTO in Ahmedabad. My parents began pushing me to join that, but I didn’t want to settle for that and opposed them. Finally, ISRO’s result came, and my interview was scheduled after 20 days. In those 20 days, I had my 2nd-semester minor project review, so I got just 10 days for interview preparation and soon was my interview day. I gave it without any pressure, and it went perfect. Although I couldn’t answer all questions, I didn’t wait for results and start preparing for Mains. ISRO result came, and I got the 26th rank. Finally, I was satisfied, distributed my books notes to everyone with the belief that I can help others also, and I couldn’t carry them everywhere.Entire March went in giving birthday and ISRO's selection parties. On 18th March, my joining letter came with a date of 24th March in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in Vikram Sarabhai Space Center. At first, I couldn’t believe it, I never thought of going to a completely different culture, people, food, language and some 3000 kms away from my hometown. But life is not a fairy tale.I came here with my parents; they arranged all necessary items, room and everything which I had in my requirement checklist. We went to many places like Shankumugham beach, Kanyakumari, Padmanabhaswamy temple, and then they left. I felt all alone. Life went on. I start exploring Kerala, making new friends and focus on my personal life.Another shock came. I was allotted the Software QA work in ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), unit of VSSC some 18km away from flat. I never want to work in the software field that too if the work is to find someone’s mistake. I didn’t enjoy my work, but I went with the flow. I start focusing on positive things like people (I didn’t find people like Keralites all over India, they are humble, literate, helpful), Nature (So much greenery everywhere). Initially, I started learning Malayalam, preparing food etc. but soon I felt some hollowness. I started giving excuses to myself like “I never wanted this”, “I am not good enough”, “and I am so ambitious I couldn’t be happy ever”. Some people were now judging me just for wearing jeans and having different food style.On the outside I was having a good life, exploring new places, friends, working on crafts, but from inside I was pissed off and start looking for escapes. I start preparing for ESE again but stopped that after realising the nature of more of managerial work and the effort required.2019-2020: Finally my happy lifeSoon I realize the fact that life is like that only. I learnt many things and decided to have a life with peace and accomplishing my all small dreams. I start discovering myself with maintaining a work-life balance. I start spending on myself as answered in Shraddha Sharma's answer to What is your salary? Are you happy with it?. I always felt that because of studies I never learnt what I really liked and Trivandrum is good safe place, people are very talented here. I start learning swimming, painting and roller blades skating on my own. But to really good on them I joined swimming, painting, Karate (Left after injury) and dance classes.Soon I will join skating classes also. I am doing regular workout and my weekends are full of outings, crafts etc. Check out my paintings and crafts in Shraddha Sharma's answer to Do you have a picture of yourself doing something you love? Process of getting better and gaining experience became my final goal. Some pictures:Swimming at night:Camping in Wayanad:Dance class:Swimming classes:Painting Classes:So ultimately “I realized that if I try to make my life perfect, I have to wait for an indefinite time. Every single time, I don’t need to do something to be happy; Happiness can be found even if I am not doing anything.”

I’m sure that there are many great answers to this question, but I think that there are some pieces of gear that are essential to the type of camping/backpacking I prefer.Hammock and rain-fly- this is an easy way to go light and sleep comfortablyWater filter/purifier- carry less water if you plan out your route for decent water stopsDuct tape- enough of this will fix almost anything and patch the rest. I always have enough of this to do a couple light repairs if a strap breaks or something goes wrong.I was never able to find a book on the topic that suggested gear that was not outrageously expensive. So I decided to write my own. Check it out if you’re interested in saving money on gear!Hope this helps!

In a survival situation, time is (usually) of the essence. That’s why preparing food shouldn’t take you hours on end. It needs to be a simple process, and there are plenty of ways to make that possible.Ideally, you’ll have a high-quality food kit on hand, or emergency food supplies in your bug-out bag. You can take a look at some of the best food kits over at Survival Front.Food kits and survival food are usually designed to be easy to prepare, so by choosing the best one for you, you’ll already have a headstart when it comes to the actual preparation.However, if you are without food, then don’t worry. This is where your hunting skills will need to come in to play. When you need to find animals or plants to eat, there are important precautions to take. I’ve found this guide from Popular Mechanics to be really useful in explaining this.Author of the article, Jay Bennett, offers some helpful advice that everyone should consider:First thing's first: Don't eat anything unless you know what it is, especially plants. If you can't identify it, don't eat it. You should not only have a book to identify edible vegetation, but also take survival courses with experts who know the area before you start foraging for food in the wild.Besides food, you’ll, of course, need water as well.Water plays arguably the biggest role when it comes to preparing food in a survival situation. When you’re stranded in the wilderness, you’ll need clean, purified water to prepare many survival foods, especially those that are freeze-dried.When it comes to water, you’ll need to make sure it is boiling before you serve the freeze-dried food, as this is your best chance of killing any harmful bacteria.If you’re a true survivalist (and by that I mean, you plan ahead), then you’re likely to have the right equipment for cooking already packed away, ready for when disaster strikes. However, there are more primitive methods for preparing food in the wilderness, as opposed to boiling water and using potentially expensive equipment.Roasting food is a great idea - all it requires is a fire, and a stick to place your food on. This method works especially well if you have hunted for food and find yourself with large pieces of meat. It’s straightforward and gives you plenty of heat for preparation.However, roasting food isn’t necessarily the most efficient cooking style, as you can’t be taking your attention away from the fire. It’s not the easiest way to prepare food if you’re looking to multi-task, and is therefore perhaps best suited to a group situation.When it comes to classic camping-style food preparation, though, there are some basics to learn beforehand.The main items you’ll need include:A portable stoveA frying panA good quality knifeWater purification tools (i.e., a filter, tablets)Bowls and utensilsWhile a portable stove of some kind is ideal, it may only allow for a certain amount of heat. Like I said before, time is precious in survival situations, so the more heat you can gain in a shorter space of time, the better.That’s why you’ll benefit from building a fire. I understand that it may seem counter-productive to build a fire when you’re trying to save time, but it will make your food ready faster, so you can spend less time cooking and more time eating and preserving your energy.Make sure to clean your equipment after use if you can, as this will stop the spread of potential diseases that are rife in the wilderness.Best of Luck!