Camping in the wilderness is always challenging. There’s a lot to learn, and you don’t always know what’s going to come along and cause problems for you.

Fortunately, that’s where the experience of long-time campers comes into the picture. These hardy souls often have hard-won information that can help everyone else who wants to go out into the middle of nowhere and battle nature.

So, what do they have to tell you?

If you’re going to be out in the wilderness or a long way from civilization, it’s essential to have some basic self-reliance skills. You need to trust yourself to solve problems, just in case things go wrong, especially if you’re a long way from a vehicle.

Confidence in your self-reliance won’t happen immediately. Instead, it takes time. But, eventually, you’ll notice that you start trusting in your abilities more and can overcome numerous issues that seemed impossible before. In fact, many of them make the whole experience feel so much more worthwhile.

Another essential if you’re going to be camping in the wilderness is a connection to nature. It’s not always clinical and sanitary like city life. And it can be downright distressing if you’re someone who doesn’t like the company of creepy crawlies.

One approach is to develop a sense of mindfulness when in nature. While conditions might seem harsh, you eventually develop a connection to them, and even the worst weather or insect-infested environments seem manageable, tolerable, or even enjoyable in some situations.

If you can keep things simple, that can help, too. For many people, getting out into nature is all about simple things, like watching a starry night or sitting next to the campfire. It can be an enjoyable experience, whether alone or shared with friends.

When you’re camping in the wilderness, you quickly learn to appreciate the people around you. After all, you are relying on them to help you through challenging situations and support you as part of the community.

For many people, sharing the knowledge of camping and how to survive in the wilderness is part of the joy, whether that’s recommending the warmest thermal socks or discussing the best hiking poles. People with advanced skills can even help you find food to eat as you travel. These brave souls understand local flora and can recommend various plants to supplement your diet on the way, especially if you’re hiking and don’t want to take much food with you.

Camping in the wilderness also helps you develop new (and advanced) mental skills. These enable you to deal with the challenges that come your way, including the mental difficulties involved in going up against nature without a whole civilization supporting you.

Part of the challenge is just patients. Things don’t happen quickly in the natural world. Instead, it takes time to set up camp, find food, build a fire, wash clothes, and dispose of waste. It’s not something that happens automatically, as it so often does in the city.

You also learn the value of endurance. Sometimes, camping requires sustained effort for long periods, often just to survive. For example, you may have to hike for several hours before you find a suitable camping ground.

Another thing long-time campers learn after years in the wilderness is a special appreciation for safety. After all, injury can spell disaster.

As such, it’s a good idea to take a first aid kit with you on your trip and to understand how to use it. First-aid courses are inexpensive and teach you the vital skills needed to protect yourself and others when on an adventure away from ambulances and civilization.

On top of this, you may also encounter various forms of wildlife on your journey. You should be cognizant of how these creatures can affect you and what to do if you get stung or bitten.

Lastly, you’ll want to be aware of the weather and how it can change. This aspect is particularly important for mountaineers and people who want to scale the highest peaks.

Finally, camping in the wilderness teaches you essential survival skills. You learn how to do more things for yourself instead of relying on plasticated goods to see you through. Sometimes, this involves reducing the luxury of the experience. But that’s okay, as long as it feels raw and you get closer to nature.