Survivorman Star Les Stroud's Guide to Take On the Great Outdoors

Strong tape and a solid knife prepare any adventurer for a successful outdoor journey

By The LifeMinute Team

June 7, 2016

Canadian adventure guru Les Stroud says that musts for a successful adventure include a strong fitness level, will to live, knowledge base and intelligently-packed kit.

Embrace Adventure

Les Stroud, also known as Adventure Man, is known for his love of extreme adventures around the world; the expert has traversed jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans successfully. "I'll get asked a lot about how to prepare for situations of every kind, and I've always said that you want to have a good knowledge base. A knowledge base is vital because it gives you that extra bit of confidence." He suggests learning, for example, how to start a fire and which plants you can eat.

Understand Pitfalls

Be smart when packing your kit. "Sometimes just simple things like what you have in your pocket, your belt, items you're keeping around your neck in a small pouch and what you're carrying in a backpack make a difference in how your day goes," he says. Even when you intend to simply go off on the trail for gentle nature hike, things can take a bad turn when you snap an ankle or someone gets lost, which Stroud says can happen just thirty feet from the trail. "You get a little turned around and the next thing you know the whole world is turned around."

Be Prepared

"I have a wonderful, organic relationship with T-Rex Tape and Camillus knives... I've always had an excellent strong knife for all of the circumstances I mentioned in the wilderness. And I've always carried durable, weather-resistant tape that works when I need to tape up hiking boots or backpacks, an injury, anything like that."

Other good ideas include getting a fire going, finding shelter, and mastering signaling devices. "Like the Boy Scouts say, be prepared. I back that philosophy heavily. Being prepared to get out there means you're confident, comfortable, and have a much better experience."

For more information go to lesstroud.ca, Trextape.com and Camillusknives.com.