Count Five: Murder by Death's Adam Turla's Five Camping Essentials

Posted on Feb 8th 2010 4:00PM by Dan Reilly
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When it came time to write Murder by Death's new album, singer-guitarist Adam Turla decided to take a solo camping trip to Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains. During his two-week sojourn, he battled heavy rains, avoided bears and wrote the bulk of the gothic-western rockers' fifth record, 'Good Morning Magpie,' in the isolation of the woods. Based on his experiences, Turla shared his top five camping essentials with Spinner. If you're going into the woods alone, don't leave home without them.

1. Fishing Line and Hook: To catch fish, you don't need a pole. You can just use a hook and a line. I did that and caught a little trout. Trout always tastes good. I also learned how to make some snares while I was out there because I'd just never done it before, but that's only if you're really trying to be Mr. Survival Guy. I wasn't out there to prove anything. I was out there to write songs.

2. Cigar-Tin Med Kit: Basically, a cigar tin has a waterproof seal and you can put so many things that are tiny and indispensible, like a needle for fixing clothes or your tent, Band-Aids, disinfectant, water purification tablets -- that kind of s--- that you're going to need but you don't want it lost everywhere. You're also going to want a waterproof case for waterproof matches for fire-starting.

3. A Good, Solid Karabiner: You need a karabiner to hang your food [from a tree] to keep it away from animals, especially bears. You're supposed to take a rope and put your food out of reach so they don't come to your tent looking for it. Also, a keychain flashlight just for if you're out late hiking attached to you on a karabiner is useful.

4. A Cell Phone: You're supposed to have a phone if you're solo camping. I had one, which I left in the tent. I kept it off because I didn't want to be distracted, but I kept it in case I needed to call for help or something. I called Sarah [Balliet, Murder By Death's cellist] once in the middle of the week to be like 'Hey guys, I'm still alive.'

5. Writing Supplies: I had a good pen and a notepad to write all these lyrics and whatnot. I also borrowed a cheap guitar in case it got rained on, a tuner and capos, everything, and then I never used it. I never pulled it out of the car, because I write in my head. I also brought a little pocket camcorder, filmed one thing for 30 seconds and was like 'I feel like such a f---ing moron.' I hate being filmed. I haven't used the thing since.