If you’ve been thinking about camping but aren’t fully confident in your skills to survive the great outdoors, a new helpline is perfect for you.
Scouts Canada has launched its Camptastic Helpline to help Canadians experiencing camping conundrums.
Starting Monday, expert advice will be available for free, 24/7, when calling the helpline at 1-844-SCOUT101 or 1-844-SCOUT10 (dropping the second 1) for Bell Canada users.
Scouts Canada says the call-in line is designed for campers caught in a pinch, already at campsites and struggling with common camping concerns.
“The great Canadian outdoors are calling this summer camping season, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is 100% ready to take the call,” said Kaelem Moniz, a youth volunteer of eight years with Scouts Canada.
“The Camptastic Helpline is all about giving Canadians 24/7 Camping confidence on call to get out in the wild with wonder, not worry.”
How the camping helpline works
Not sure about how to properly go to the bathroom in the outdoors? Or what to do if you encounter wildlife?
These are just some questions that will be answered when you call the Camptastic Helpline.
All you have to do is call the number and use simple number selections that will direct you to pre-recorded solutions from real Scouts and volunteer Scouters.
In addition to the 1-844-SCOUT101 helpline, campers with internet access on-site or while preparing for their trip can access helpful resources, guides and videos here.
There, you can find tips about how to avoid attracting unwanted wildlife and getting eaten alive by bugs, as well as outdoor options for bathroom breaks.
Are Canadians competent campers?
The Canadian scouting association also surveyed 1,000 random Canadians about their camping skills.
It found that people in the True North are “kinda” competent when it comes to surviving in the outdoors.
According to the survey, 82.5% of Canadians are OK going to the bathroom outdoors, while 10.8% say “they can do outhouses – but draw the line at that.”
Nearly half of Canadians (47.7%) say that they would use a cat hole (dig a hole to use do the number two outdoors), but a combined 40.8% would not and say they would “basically do anything to avoid using a cat hole.”
As for bear basics, Canadians failed the test when asked what they would do if they encountered a black bear in the woods. A combined 54.2% would do the wrong thing like play dead or run away. Scouts Canada says the correct answer is slowly backing away and maintaining eye contact.
It’s clear that this helpline is much needed.