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Lightning strikes are a threat that you have to take seriously when camping, mainly because people sometimes put their tents in places that are really bad positions to be in during a thunderstorm. You should follow these basic guidelines when pitching a tent or setting up camp:
1) Obviously, don't stick your tent right next to the tallest tree in the area. Lightning tends to strike whatever is highest up, but it can jump to nearby objects. BUT - this doesn't mean that you have to be a mile away from them. In fact, you want taller trees to be in the area of the tent, because they will "protect" it from strikes in the sense that it will hit them instead of you. A good guideline is: if the tree falls, will it hit your tent? If so, you're probably too close.
2) Don't pitch your tent in an open field. There needs to be something else higher than you. Remember, most tents are made with metal poles. Even though they aren't that high up, they can attract lightning if they're all that is out there to hit.
3) Stay fifteen-twenty feet away from any bodies of water. Lightning that hits the water can jump to hit a tent or a person nearby.
4) Insulate yourself if you're in a tent in a lightning storm. Rubber or foam materials are often used to make sleeping bags or pads, so sit on those.
5) If you're in a tent, for the duration of a lightning storm, you should be sitting up. Contact the ground only with your rear and your feet. Laying down increases the likelihood that you will get electrical current through your heart or head, risking fatality.
What if I'm out hiking and a lightning storm happens?
Then you should still take some basic precautions:
1) Minimize the surface area of your body that contacts the ground. Lightning is conducted through the ground, and you do not want to be lying down for the same reason you don't do it in a tent.
2) Stay away from sources of water. This means rivers/lakes, caves (because they tend to be moist), or creekbeds (which are likely to be flooded by the storm).
3) Stay away from lone trees. Groups of trees are much safer, but don't get too close to any one.
4) If your backpack has metal in it, do not keep it on. Put is 15-20 feet from you.
5) If there are no trees around, you need to get away from the highest elevated point.
6) Spread out if there are more than one person there. Again, 20 feet or so between each of you. This way at least one person is likely to be unhurt if lightning strikes, meaning they can give CPR and get help.
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