Though there are several types of tropical jungles, what they all have in common are hot temperture, lots of humidity, daily rainfalls, a dry & wet season and an abundance of plants, water, animals, insects, reptiles and UNIMAGINABLE DANGER!
Depending on your ET level, which is you're ability to "Endure" the temperture and "Tolerate" the weather. Your biggest challenge will be the insects, rain, humidity and constantly being soak & wet all the time. Though a machete, insect repellent and mosquito netting are important items to have in a jungle, but also one of these too...
Something else that's pretty handy and useful in a jungle are some nylon parachute panels & gores. They weigh almost nothing and can be used to erect shelters, hammocks, to filter water, worn as clothing and other creative jungle survival ideas and uses. And should it get wet, unlike cotton and synthetic material nylon dries out super quick.
The best place to buy some parachute material, panels & gores is on www.eBay.com. Unfortunately it won't be easy to find a seller who will sell you only a few panels & gores, you'll have to buy the entire military surplus parachute and then cut it up which consist of about 28 gores & panels. But if you can get a few of your buddies together who are interested in buying some parachute gores & panels too you can save a lot of $$$ by splitting the cost of one surplus military parachute .
I knew a fellow Army Ranger who use to carry several parachute gores & panels instead of a bulky military sleeping bag so he could make himself a lightweight para-sleeping bag. But as some of us old Rangers use to say, our motto was "TRAVEL LIGHT - FREEZE AT NIGHT!" To see how to make one of these para-sleepng bags go to my "Poncho Liner" page, it'll be at the bottom of the page.
Though there are a lot of jungle DOs & DON'Ts, based on my personal experience these are what I consider the...
"TOP 15 JUNGLE RULES."
#15 - Do all your traveling during the day and never at night because that is when all the big mean, nasty, critters come out.
#14 - Never grab or part vegetation with your hands, always use a stick or you just might get thorned, stung or bitten.
#13 - Should you find any vines or rope placed across a trail, it usually means "Danger - Don't Go There!"
#12 - Should you get entangled in some vines, try moving backwards in reverse to undo yourself.
#11 - Cross water slowly and only at shallow & narrow places, rush across only if you see danger.
#10 - Never camp near stagnet water, ant hills or where animals have been eating and staying.
# 9 - Rain water trapped in plants is the safest water to drink without filtering and purifying it.
# 8 - Plants that produce a milky sap or taste sour and bitter are considered UNSAFE to drink.
# 7 - Before putting your butt or hand on the ground, check for snakes, insects and reptiles.
# 6 - Never urinate in water, and always check yourself for leeches after a water crossing.
# 5 - Avoid stepping on slippery wet logs and rocks, step over or around them instead.
# 4 - When you encounter a snake, go around'em, encourage'em to move or kill'em!
# 3 - Coconuts light brown in color are safe to drink & eat but no more than 4 a day.
# 2 - To reduce insect bites, build a smoky fire or smear mud on exposed skin.
# 1 - When you think things can't get any worse, it will, so stop bitching and deal with it.
