Outdoor activities are enjoyed by a lot of people around the world. In fact, data from Statistics Canada shows that almost 7 in 10 Canadians participate in outdoor or wilderness activities, with some enjoying more than one outdoor recreational event. Meanwhile, 53% of Americans aged 6 and above participated in an outdoor activity at least once last year. Across the Atlantic, 49% of Europeans participate every week, or more often, in outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, cycling, snow sports and other mountain activities.

Aside from the health benefits outdoor activities provide, Canadians also enjoy exploring the outdoors since we have access to plenty of pristine and protected national parks. However, it’s also important to remember that there are plenty of hazards outdoors and not being adequately prepared may ruin your trip.

Now, let’s turn to a few popular outdoor activities and some quick and dirty tips for staying safe while doing them.

Keywords: outdoor clothing, outdoor safety, outdoor activities, TBMPOY

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Running and Jogging

The best way to protect yourself when running is to be run in daylight, in safe well-lit areas, with other people, stay alert, and carry a personal safety item such as mace, an alarm, and/or self-defense item.

If you're going for a jog or walk, consider using the buddy system and sticking to a familiar route. If you insist on exercising at night, do so in a well-lit space with reflective gear so that you're highly visible to traffic — and be sure to go against traffic so you have time to see cars heading your way. Lastly, you'll want to carry a whistle to summon help if needed.

Safety suggestions include:

• Choose well-lit populated routes and avoid dangerous and isolated areas.
• Make sure that drivers can see you if you’re running at night. For example, you could wear reflective materials.
• Run with a buddy. If you are running by yourself, tell someone your intended route and when you plan to return.
• Take your mobile phone with you in case of emergencies.
• Don’t wear headphones. You need to hear the impending danger of a car horn or dog snarl.

Hiking

Shelter, food and water are life's most basic necessities, and things that are all too easy to take for granted. So much so that when it's time to get away from it all and disappear into the woods for a rejuvenating hike, it's easy to overlook your most basic needs.

Without proper planning and packing, even a short day hike could turn into a potentially dangerous outing. So, before you brush off weekday stress and lace up your hiking boots, remember these ten hiking safety tips.

• Bring at least one friend.
• Create an itinerary and share it with someone outside of the group.
• Agree on an emergency plan.
• Prepare for the weather.
• Pack the 10 Essentials.
• Customize your first aid kit.
• Buy proper hiking boots and socks.
• Protect yourself from the sun.
• Bring extra water or a purification system.
• Go for a small trial hike before taking on a major one.

Camping

• Check the weather report before you go camping
• Bring a first aid kit Bring emergency supplies such as a compass, map and insect repellent
• Arrive early so you have sufficient time to set up your shelter
• Choose a site with shrubs or trees to protect against wind
• Check the site for glass, bugs, poison ivy, ant beds and other no-nos
• Wash or sanitize your hands to prevent making others ill, especially before you handle food and after you’ve used the bathroom
• Make sure that someone is attending any fires at all times Keep fires far enough from the tent so that an errant flame or spark won’t catch the tent on fire Use tent fabrics that are flame retardant
• Keep your campsite clean to prevent wildlife from intruding Be aware of any poisonous plants that may be at the campsite

Climbing

Climbing is an extreme sport and for this reason, it can be very dangerous. Keep in mind that the majority of accidents in climbing are caused by the climber’s errors. Therefore, before you backpack again and go out climbing again, you should consider improving your future safety. Here are 10 insightful tips that should make your mountain climbing safer.

• Analyze the Difficulty of Your Route

While you're planning your trip, you need to analyze the difficulty of the climb. If you're scaling for the first time, you'll need to choose a place that's suitable for beginners. This way, you can enjoy the experience safely and prepare for more challenging climbs in the future.

• Perform Routine Safety Checks

While learning how to stay safe when climbing in the mountains, you need to remember to perform routine safety checks on your gear. These checks are essential to mountain climbing safety, and you should go over all of your necessary gear, such as proper clothing and warm waterproof winter boots for cold temperatures. Here are a few other examples of essential mountain climbing safety gear that you need to check:

Harnesses and safety knots

Rope and belay devices

Helmets and climbing packs

• Communicate Throughout the Process

One of the best tips for mountain climbing is establishing clear communication with your climbing partner, a crucial step for a safe climb. When climbing accidents occur, they're usually the results of miscommunication between the climber and belayer. Sometimes, it can be challenging to hear the other person with high winds. In these scenarios, make sure you agree on signals before the climber begins the descent. For example, three tugs on the rope can mean that the climber is secure, and you can remove them from the belay when you feel this signal.

• Remain Focused and Aware

To ensure mountain climbing safety, both the belayer and the climber need to remain focused and aware at all times. While it can be tempting to check your phone and let your mind wander as a belayer, it's vital to pay attention to the climber so that you can help them if any issues arise. As a climber, it's easy for the rocks, birds, clouds, and other aspects of the environment to distract you. But you need to stay focused on the task at hand for a safe journey.

Essential Safety Tips for Outdoor Activities

Nature is beautiful, but it can also be humbling and unforgiving. Many of the risks can be eliminated or minimized if you use these essential outdoor adventure safety tips. 

It is worth mentioning that: make sure to wear suitable outdoor clothing to ensure the comfort of wearing, the clothing you are equipped with for different outdoor activities, choose TBMPOY‘s high-quality outerwear to meet your needs for different activities such as running, hiking, climbing, golf, skiing so on.