Every year, according to the most recent statistics from the American Camping Association, more than 40 million Americans head into their local woodlands and up their local mountain ranges to reconnect with Mother Nature by camping. It’s no secret to say that camping in the States isn’t what it once was. Whereas before we preferred setting up a tent and laying down on terra firma to sleep away the windburned cheeks and miles of hiking, today it’s much more common to get a lodge rental.
Even if cabin life, especially in luxury log cabins, can’t exactly be described as roughing it, the fact is there are still a number of risks that come with staying in a cabin. This is especially true now that we’re deep into the fall and quickly approaching winter. If you’re thinking of giving cabin life a try, here are three things you should keep in mind to keep yourself safe.
How to Live the Cabin Life Safely, Wherever You Go
- Bring an Analog Radio
- Familiarize Yourself with the Lay of the Land
- Have Enough Firewood to Last a Few Hours
As the popular outdoorsmen’s magazine Cabin Life suggests, one of the most common things that goes wrong when you’re staying in a cabin, particularly in the later months, is the loss of communications thanks to inclement weather. Despite the advances in cellular technology, it’s the rare device that will be able to make a call in a blizzard. That’s why you should consider bringing an old school AM/FM radio with you to the cabin. That way you’ll at least be able to stay appraised of any situations that arise.
Have you ever been out for a hike as heavy snow begins to fall? Remember how easy it was to lose sight of your footprints and to lose your way? Imagine that same situation when you’re trying to find your way out of the woods and back to your cabin. For this reason, TripAdvisor recommends you familiarize yourself with the area immediately surrounding your cabin and the park within which your cabin is located. Whether you need to find your way to a ranger station or you need to get out of the park before you’re completely buried in snow, you’ll never have to worry about getting lost, stuck, or worse.
Unless you’ve rented a luxury vacation lodge, chances are that your cabin will be heated by a wood stove. Although it’s a lot of hard work, rife with splinters and blisters, you need to make sure you always have enough firewood split and ready to burn to last you several hours, especially when you know that a serious storm is coming. If you have enough wood, you won’t have to worry about going outside in the middle of a deluge or blizzard to split more. This can keep you from getting hurt and from getting sick.
Do you regularly use luxury log cabin rentals? What are some other safety tips you’d recommend to our readers? Share your advice in the comment section below. Get more on this here.