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Packing an emergency kit when going on extreme excursions can be the difference between life and death. By now most of us have seen or at least heard of James Franco's compelling performance in 127 Hours. Biggest lesson learned? Tell friends and family what your plans are before you head into any kind of adventurous territory.

Whether your adventure involves mountain biking, rock climbing, parachute skiing, camping, hunting or off-roading in your ATV, preparedness must be involved. If your ventures include any type of vehicle, pack it with all the necessities and then fill up your backpack with water, a sharp knife, energy bars and any other foods that travel well in small spaces, a cell phone, extra batteries and a flare gun.

Why water, you may ask. If you need to ask, stay home. A sharp knife is good for those times when you need to clean a fish or cut your way out of the jungle. While energy bars are not the greatest nutritional food, they will supply you with an on-the-run emergency energy source. You may need to ration them in the extreme case that you need to survive for a long time before help arrives or to sustain you while you laboriously seek your way to safety.

If you can fit them, you may also want to pack extra changes of clothing. Weather is often unpredictable, especially out in the wilderness. Maybe you're roaring over the rugged Utah terrain in your new Jeep Wrangler. What happens if your engine seizes or you run out of gas? It can be extremely hot during the day and bitingly cold at night in the desert. Ideally you want to avoid emergency situations, but if you encounter one it is always better to be prepared.

Say you brought everything you could possibly need. Say it is in your car and you are able to get to you car, but the battery is out of juice. So that means it's just you, your Jeep, and the setting sun on a mountainside. Then you should be able to endure the night, but what happens the next morning? You have to start planning an escape route. You'd use your cell phone's GPS, but it lost power overnight. Hope to high heaven that you remembered to pack the paper maps your dad gave you back in high school. Pray you know how to read it, too.

You cannot rely on technology exclusively even in the modern world. Batteries die. Signals get lost. Satellites fail. Just like reading maps, you must know how to read weather patterns if you are considering any remote outdoor adventure. Please also know where local authorities are.

Of course, if have a car care kit in the car then you shouldn't have to worry about such things because you would have the necessary tools. Extra gas, motor oil, and a fully charged battery charger and first aid kits are high priorities. Wrenches and other tools should be handy, as well.

If you are serious about avoiding life-threatening situations, plan and prepare before you go off on your trip. Map out a route and mark down rest stops and landmarks. Know the terrain you will be covering. Having done all that, stick to your itinerary, the one you gave your friends and family before you left. You can always discover new paths to take if you have the time, but never veer from your appointed route just because time is yours for the taking. It is quite possible that you will find yourself falling into a deep crevasse from which you will never return.