Introduction
Getting ready for your next jungle adventure? Here I’ve put together a list of the 5 most important items for jungle trekking and rainforest expeditions!
1. Magnesium Fire Starter
First on my list is a firestone. Being able to make fire anywhere in any situation is something very important. Mentally in dark times and to get something warm in your stomach. Most meat should be well done to kill most bacterias. Cooking will break down the fibers and tissues to make is easer to chew and digest. It also leads to better nutrient absorption.
The heat of a fire warms you at night and you may dry your clothes. In combination with some smoke it protects you against insects and wild animals, if they ain’t too curious.
A huge fire and or column of smoke may be the best SOS signal if you are lost and hear airplanes and or helicopters searching for you in the rainforest.
If you are not used making fire with a magnesium fire starter or if you don’t even have one: Buy two magnesium fire starters, start training with one and put the other one in your jungle survival kit.
2. Machete
Number two on my jungle trekking list is a machete. If you don’t have one: Find yourself a sharp stone. Find yourself a liana and connect it to a strong piece of wood. There you have your axe.
But it’s much better to have a strong, high-quality machete. In the first instance you may cut most things which are softer than metal. Trees, wood, lianas. In combination with some clay and stones you may craft quite a lot.
In the second instance it’s a weapon. If you’re walking without a firearm it’s your last defense. If a jaguar jumps on you, you’ll fight for your life and hopefully you have your machete close to you.
There are many other uses, like putting markings on trees every few steps to mark your way through the jungle. Or you can even dig a hole in the ground to trap animals , uncover or hide things.
Be sure to have a small sharpening tool with you.
3. High-quality backpack
Third on my list is a high quality backpack. Hiking through the rainforest is not the most comfortable thing. It’s kind of intense, not to mention if you walk cross country passing deep canyons and nasty swamps.
Surely it is an art of packing your backpack. The weight feels perfectly attached to your body. You’ll need to distribute the weight accordingly and you can move free and safely around.
You should be able to wear a loaded backpack for 50 minutes without break. If it’s too heavy – it’s too heavy. Then you’ll need to train more and start counting every gram of your gear.
If you planning to buy a backpack for jungle expeditions – don’t be afraid to invest in a high-quality backpack – it will last for at least 10 years.
A) Daypack (with additional pouches) for max 5 days
If your just planning to go a few days and not too far – a daypack with some additional pouches should do the job. Protect your sleeping gear (clothing & hammock) in multiple dry sacks.
Additional pouches will offer enough space for food, your rainfly and more jungle equipment.
B) Heavy Duty Expedition Backpack
Within this backpack you should be able to put a plastic drum with a volume of ~7 gallon.
This plastic container adds a new feature to your backpack: It floats. Any important gear always stays fully dry and you may cross through any creek or river. Within the plastic drum you keep your sleeping gear, survival gear and important documents. All other stuff will basically be soaked.
Be sure to protect your backpack with a backpack cover. It will protect your backpack for rain and dirt. The cover also prevents lianas and plants from getting entangled in your gear and works as a great camouflage.
4) Lightweight clothing
This shop offers the highest quality clothing from great brands. However I advise people to adept in clothing of the people where you at. After testing many different jungle pants – I came to the conclusion that the cheapest miners pants are still better than any expensive ripstop pants with hundreds of pockets and addons. You don’t want pockets.
Everything of importance is in a hip bag, vest and in your main equipment in your backpack. Your legs need to be completely free.
Same goes for the long sleeve shirt. A short sleeve t-shirt is not an option. Nothing with short sleeves is wise. Same counts for your legs. A lightweight fiber shirt with long sleeves does the job perfectly.
All gear you wear during the day, you’ll wash in the nearest creek and let it dry overnight. It will never become fully dry. Get used to putting on wet clothes.
Best jungle boots? Whatever you prefer most. There are great jungle boots with drainage but at the end of the day I prefer the most simple plastic boots. They will protect your feed well enough and train yourself to walk in safe steps. All other boots are loaded with weight. Like a few hundred grams per boot. That’s weight you can easily save the more skilled you get in hiking through the jungle.
For the night you should have simple sweatpants and a 100% cotton long sleeve shirt. As for footwear for the night I’ll advise you to have your favourite sneakers with you. Your feet are gonna be exhausted and there is nothing better than dry feet covered in some lightweight sneakers. As long as they have some reasonable profile.
5) Jungle hammock with mosquito net
Jungle expeditions are very hard. But the nights are long, because as soon as the sun sets, you’ll go to rest until 6am. Having a good sleep is of utmost importance. You need to sleep safely, comfortably and dry. The jungle is full of creeping and flying insects. For that reason you need to have a mosquito net which is attached with a zipper to your jungle hammock. This way no spider nor mosquito will bite you. There are a few specialized brands for producing jungle hammocks with mosquito net. These are:
- Hennessy Hammocks
- DD Hammocks
- Grand Trunk
Most jungle hammocks come with a rainfly. But there are also more lightweight rain flys available. For adding some comfort, get a lightweight tarp which is a little bigger. On very rainy days you’ll have some extra space to operate.
Be sure to connect your hammock with tree traps to any tree and a metal ring somewhere in between to prevent water running down the hammock rope.
Conclusion
If you have these five items with addons you should be fine. All other stuff is increasing your personal comfort but also the weight you will be wearing on your shoulders. Important is to discover your mental and physical limits and work on improving them. With that you can take a few kilograms of extra gear.
And never forget collective gear also has some weight. If walking in a group, there will be some extra weight, like the food and safety gear, which will need to be evenly distributed to everyone. Get ready, the jungle is awaiting you!