Camping Tips. Five Items You Really Need

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

Article by Joe MacMillan

Our family are campers and have been for many years. We camped when our kids were babies. We camped with them and their children. We camped on the beach and 8,000 feet up in the mountains.

Over the years we have found that most first time campers go camping with the wrong equipment. Poor tents, stoves, utensils, and the list goes on. Nothing can ruin a camping trip quicker than not having the right or having the wrong equipment.

Without a doubt the biggest problem most first timers face is money. They are afraid to spend it on good equipment. It seems to be ok to spend hundreds of thousands on buying a home, or forty dollars on a nice pillow for their bedroom, but they buy the cheapest gear for a camp where they hope to enjoy the weekend or two week vacation.

Camping in a tent is much different from the comforts of home. You will not have a perfect sleep like at home in your thousand dollar bed. Have you really tried cooking on a camp stove? Will the campground restrooms be available?

Here are the five most important items you must consider before you get into the camping mode. <UL TYPE=DISC>

Tent. The size and age of your family is the factor in choosing your tent. If your children are still young, the larger the better. Put quality at the top of the list. Wind and rain will be something you will need to deal with. The last thing you need is a rip or a leak during a windy cloudburst. If the children are in their teens you must realize that they will soon be off to college or wherever. Mattress. Why sleep on the ground. Inflatable air mattresses are common today. Know this. Not all campsites have electricity on hand. Some do and some not. Buy yourself a foot pump. Look for a mattress that is at least nineteen inches high. They are easier to exit. The kids are more adaptable and have no problem with sleeping on the three or four inch mattresses. Porta-pottie. Someone awakens first thing in the AM and really must go right now. There are two people waiting at the washroom door. That little porta-pottie will save your life. We had this happen to us many times before we wised up and bought one. Three burner propane camp stove. Buy it complete with a small 4 or 5 pound propane tank with the adapter hose. Also buy a couple of one pound propane tanks and tuck them away in the car trunk in case your big tank suddenly goes empty. Cooking pots and pans. Buy from a top outdoor store as they tend to carry the well tested best lines.

These items are the ones on your list that you must put quality above all other considerations.

 

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Shopping for Outdoor Camping Tents

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

If you love camping, you know that the most important piece of equipment you need to bring with you is a camping tent that will accommodate your entire group. There are many different outdoor camping tents to choose from, but finding the one that meets your needs is easier than you think. Don’t underestimate the importance of choosing a high-quality and spacious tent for you and your fellow campers. Choose your tent very carefully, and get to know the differences between various styles and designs.

There are several things you need to take into consideration before you begin looking for a camping tent. The most important factor in choosing outdoor camping tents is how many people you need it to accommodate. While some tents are very spacious, they are still portable housing, and they won’t accommodate extra people. If a tent is meant for two people, you won’t be able to use it for three.

Size is very important. You don’t want to end up in a situation where someone doesn’t have a place to sleep. Weather is another factor that plays a very important role in choosing a tent. You need a tent that will withstand the weather conditions that might occur in your area. It should protect you from heavy rain and the cold. However, if you live in a warm climate, you’ll need a tent that can stay cool on the inside.

Lightweight and backpacking outdoor camping tents are typically made for a minimum of two people, although some can accommodate up to four people. They are relatively easy to carry around, so they are a good choice for campers who also like to hike, and explore the great outdoors. They are becoming increasingly popular because they are convenient and can be easily transported on your back.

Geodesic camping tents use internal poles that produce a stable structure.

They are very strong and sturdy. If you are planning to go camping in a windy area, geodesic tents might be just what you need. Tunnel tents resemble a tunnel. They are very spacious on the inside. Unlike dome tents, their walls have a much greater height all throughout the tent. For this reason, some people prefer using them instead of traditional dome tents. However, dome tents have their advantages. They are very easy to erect, which makes them perfect for beginners or people who don’t want to spend a lot of time setting up their equipment. They are also very lightweight and easy to carry around.

There are many different outdoor camping tents to choose from. Before you choose one, think about your unique needs. There is no single best tent you can buy. The one that’s perfect for you might not be for someone else. The camping tent you should choose depends on the size of your group and your individual needs.

 

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Tent Camping With Your Family-An Excellent Adventure

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

Article by Mary McNeil

So you’ve always been a camper, but now have children. Can you reconcile the two? With these suggestions you will be able to introduce your their kids to one of America’s oldest and most relaxing recreational activities.

First, make a list of all those extra items for toddlers you never had to consider before: Diapers and bottles for the very young, baby wipes, which are a good idea for any age, no-spill juice cups, small utensils and bibs, a high chair that will hook onto a picnic table, a booster seat, and a port-a-crib. Bring that special teddy bear or blanket to ease the first night in a tent .

Even before the trip, set up the tent in your home or backyard for a day, and allow kids to get used to it, this will ease any trepidations they have at a campsite. Let them help you set it up, and allow them to take a nap in their kids sleeping bags.

As a single or newly married person, small A-Frame or dome tentssufficed for a pack-and-go lifestyle. With kids, your basic considerations in a tent should include space, comfort, ease of set-up, and solid protection from the weather. Traditional large cabin tents provide the ultimate in space for families, often with two rooms for privacy, such as the Eureka! Titan tent. Large umbrella-style or dome-style tents are recommended for their roominess and easy assembly.

Other options, such as a net enclosed “patio” area for a bug-free cooking, eating or resting area, are also things you might want to consider for family camping. Look for tents with good ventilation channels, such as large windows and roof vents to allow air circulation, especially on muggy nights. Durable, waterproof tent materials, wrap-up “bathtub” floor seams, sealed seams, full cover flies, or flies with hooded windows are good indications the tent will protect you during wet weather.

Active Charges Need VarietySeek campgrounds that offer a variety of activities, such as swimming, boat rentals, hiking and bike trails, and a playground area. Bring a backpack kid-carrier or a lightweight folding bike,camera and binocularsfor family outings on the trails. Pack simple toys, such as balls, Frisbees, cards and games for the campsite area. Books, drawing pads and pens, crayons and coloring books, or hand-size electronic games are great for quiet times.

Evenings are ‘campfire city’ in many campgrounds. This is an extra special part of camping, so make it a central part of your trip. Good eating, good conversation, stargazing and story telling are essential. Keep it safe and don’t forget the bug repellent!

Manage Your ExpectationsIf you want to make camping a tradition with your family, it is important to take your children’s needs and limitations into account. Plan activities that match your children’s abilities and don’t push them too fast. Give it a try! There’s no substitute for beginning or adding to, your own camping memories.

 

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Essential Tips for Safety Camping with Kids

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

Outdoor camping is one of the excellent ideas for a family vacation both in spring and summer season. Almost all the children of all ages are interested in camping, also it is one of the great opportunities them to explore and enjoy the great outdoors.

You have to remember the needs and wants of the children when you children outing. Below you can find some of the easy and practical tips that help you to achieve your children have a happy camping experience.

If your children be camping in a tent, make sure you have a good quality of tent that should withstand the elements and stand up to any abuse kids may give it. Mosquito netting on the doors and the windows are important to protect your children from bugs and insects. It also let you enjoy the view and the air while you are inside the tent.

Better you put a small lock in the zipper door on camping tent to ensure your children won’t open the tent and wander out when others are sleeping. If you have a family dog, better you take that along with you when camping. It helps to give you a wonderful company and safety at night and another good idea is to keep some little light in your camping tent while all of you sleeping.

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Whether you have to plan to cookout in the outdoor camping or an idea to take already prepared food, whatever it your children get involved in the menu, purchase camping food in a good store. All the children are excited about eating the food that you bring along with you on the camping trip.

Most of the children often forget to drink enough when they get busy in playing, so that they are easily get dehydrated. Make sure whether you took extra water or the fluids for the children. Without trail mix and smores your camping trip may not be fun and excitement, so be sure to add such extras in your grocery camping list.

Children can easily get cold faster than adults, so always bring extra clothes for children and also for adults. It is essential to cover children with extra layer of clothes to make them comfortable in bad weather condition. Always take two separate Ziploc bags; pack your children’s daily set of clothes in one bag and at the end of the day, put these dirty, wet and used clothes in another bag.

This camping tips is one the most essential tip of all the camping trips, you need to prepare your kids with some set of basic camping safety tips ahead of all time. Make sure that they understand you would be in different surroundings with different safety issues than at native. Sunscreen is essential for both children and the adults when camping.

This section is divided in to two parts; your children have to learn each. First tip is you need to teach them not to touch animals that may encounter, no matter how pretty the animal is. Such cute animal which are wandering along the campground roadside may not be safe and friendly.

Also you should teach them not to touch the strange trees and mushrooms; we need to keep our children away from poisonous fungus and poison ivy or oak. When hiking make your children’s pants tucking into their socks to avoid ticks and bug bits.

 

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Camping Tents – How to Waterproof a Tent

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

Most tents are waterproofed when you buy them, at least the good ones. This doesn’t mean that they will stay that way, though. Over time tents will start to degrade and the chemicals that prevented them from leaking water will start to lose their potency. In the event that this occurs it is important that you familiarize yourself with the process of renewing the waterproof seal on your tent.

There are chemicals that you can buy that replicate the affect of waterproofing that your tent had when it was brand new. Some waterproofing kits are solvent-based, while others are water-based applications. Naturally, anytime you work with chemicals, there are some precautions that you need to observe before you begin to waterproof your tent.

The first thing that you need to do is read the directions that come with a tent waterproofing kit. It’s important to read the directions thoroughly before starting, to ensure that you are applying the chemicals to the best of your abilities and in the way that is laid out by the manufacturer.
If the instructions tell you that you need to apply the chemicals to your tent in an area that has no shortage of ventilation, then you would do well to heed this warning.

Apply tent waterproofing outside if possible, and if not, wear a chemical respirator to protect yourself from noxious fumes.

Before spending money on a kit, determine whether or not you actually need to do any sort of waterproofing. There is a chance that you have purchased a commercial grade tent that never needs to be waterproofed again. It may in fact be that durable. If you try waterproof something like this you may just find that you hurt the integrity of the tent more than you actually help it.

Canvas tents often don’t require waterproofing, as the cotton material proves to hold up well without any treatment.

Once you’ve decided that your tent needs waterproofing, you need to pay particular attention to the seams of the tent, the most likely place to suffer from wear and tear, allowing water to creep in. Use the waterproofing sealer liberally and don’t miss an inch. You may also need to coat the rain fly. In general, the easiest way to make sure you get every inch of the tent coated in waterproofing is to set it up before you start. Not only will you get every spot, but the coating will be more even.

So for future reference, for the well being and happiness of both you and your family, check to see if the tents you use need to be water proofed once again. It’s smart to make waterproofing and repair an annual tradition.

 

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Choosing a Tent For Camping

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

It’s difficult to buy a camping tent primarily because there are such a wide variety of sizes, shapes and styles available. It helps to first decide how many people you will typically camp with and whether you need to be able to carry the tent on your back or can simply keep in the trunk for car camping most of the time. Tents that are designed for backcountry camping are usually unnecessary for car camping.

They are designed to be as lightweight and streamlined as possible and therefore they can be quite expensive and have few luxuries. If you will be mostly car camping, don’t hesitate to get a tent meant for car camping! Though it will be heavier, it will be sturdier, dramatically less expensive and have more luxuries than a backcountry tent.

Many tents meant for camping with your car will be easier to put up and will be larger so that you may even be able to stand up inside! A larger tent may also mean that you can fit air mattresses or cots which are luxuries that are never possible with backpacking tents.

Depending on the number of tents that you have, it may be worth it to buy two or more separate tents instead of one huge tent.

For example, it may be nice if kids and adults sleep in separate tents. Other types of camping tents actually have 2 or 3 tents that are connected by passage ways which can be a great option as well.

 

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Tips For Camping Cooking

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

When you camp in the great outdoors, one thing for certain is that you are going to get hungry. Cooking as camping is an interesting and delicious experience if you prepare your supplies and game plan ahead of time.

 

Bring along a camping stove in favor of having to make a campfire. Camping stoves are compact, convenient and more easy to control than building an open fire. Many campers favor aluminum pots and pans because they are lighter to carry than stainless steel and conduct heat well. Bring along a fry pan, a stew pot and lid and a coffee pot, along with a non-electric bottle and can opener.

 

Don’t forget cooking utensils and dishware, including an insulated mug with a lid that can be used for coffee, soup or any liquid beverage. Regular campers like to invest in a spork, a fork and spoon combo, to cut down on the amount of tableware to carry.

Don’t forget to include a sharp knife for cutting vegetables and meats.

 

Bring bottled water to cook in or boil stream water for a full three minutes to kill any bacteria or microorganisms. Water can also be made potable for cooking or drinking by using iodine tablets or drops.

 

Always wash your hands prior to preparing campsite foods and don’t eat out the same pot as other campers. Divide your stew, soup or chili into individual bowls. Plastic bowls with resealable lids are great for anything from oatmeal and cereal to beef stew.

 

Camping doesn’t lend itself well to leftovers with no refrigeration available, so consume what you make at each meal and discard the rest to avoid food poisoning.

Fill a pail with water to wash your dishes with a little soap and water, using leaves or sand before hand to wipe out any food residue.

 

Virtually any meal you enjoy at home can be recreated at your campsite. But instant mashed potatoes, canned corned beef, canned stew, canned vegetables, rice and canned chicken are all easy cooking ingredients which can be heated and served quickly. Carry milk, juice and water in antiseptic packaging or bottles with resealable caps and open only as needed. Eggs make an economical camping meal, versatile enough to fry, scramble or blend with flour to create breakfast pancakes.

 

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Camping Lanterns – The Best Lantern to Have

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

Camping is a fun activity. You get a chance to enjoy nature’s great beauty. However during the night, a campfire isn’t enough to keep your campground lit. Light is a very vital factor when camping as it illuminates the area and help you see things. To do this, you need camping lanterns. These come in small sizes or large sizes that are very helpful to light up the place. You should always try to get the best lantern which should not spoil your camping.

Most camping lanterns need fuel to make the light. They come with metal mesh globes or glass globes. Glass camping lanterns has the advantage of providing more light since it is transparent, but its downside is that it is easy to break which may not be the best lantern for you. Metal mesh lanterns are quite tougher than its rival type as it is not that easy to break or damage since it is made of metal. Its downside however is that they block some light making the lantern not give out that much light which might not be the best lantern. There are some lanterns which are not fuel powered and require the use of electricity to use. Obviously you don’t want to camp beside an electric outlet near a post so you’ll have to use batteries or small-sized power generators. These lanterns have light bulbs that use electricity to light up. There are also the candle camping lanterns. They are lightweight and only 3.7 ounces but their light output leaves something that is desired to be 1 to 1.5 watts. They’re more like a simple candle that has a protective cover or sheath so that the flame may now go out from the wind blows and it prevents things from burning as it avoids open flames.

When camping, burning lanterns such as fuel utilizing or candle lanterns are recommended only for outside use. They must be placed properly to avoid your camp to get on fire and burn to the ground. They can also be used for roasting marshmallows which is a common camping treat. However, never place lanterns that use fuel to burn or those candle types when inside your tent. Placing them indoors is not recommended as it could cause things to get caught on fire. Use lanterns that use electricity to light up as they have their own unique advantages. First of all, they provide as much light as the other types of lanterns used in camping. They do not use flames to provide light making it safe. And it is easy to replace its batteries and refill its energy so that you can use it more often. Well it all depends on the usage of the lantern to identify which is the best lantern for everyone.

 

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Set Up Your Outdoor Camping Equipment Well

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

When you want to leave the rat race environment of city life for a while, bringing the family to outdoor camping is one way of doing it. Camping can renew lost energy by being close to nature as well as enjoy the company of your family. Employers often allow their employees to take a leave of absence once in a year to break the monotony often associated with routine work. This was found to be an effective way of recharging the body caused by day to day stress. As always, travel light and bring along only those essential items particularly medicines and outdoor camping equipment. Some of the common outdoor camping equipment includes sleeping bag, backpack, cooler, stove, lantern and tent.

You can window shop beforehand from camping gear stores for the appropriate outdoor camping equipment you will need. Outdoor camping equipment stores can give you some pointers to make your outdoor experience fun and enjoyable. Whether you are rafting, fishing, hiking, canoeing or camping, they will assist you in choosing the proper outdoor camping equipment to bring. Also, you may browse the Internet for other information about outdoor camping. However, in the selection of the outdoor camping equipment, try to limit the choices only to essential items that you will need.

Additionally, the proper way on how to use the outdoor camping equipment should also be part of your preparation. The common problem being encountered by campers is how to assemble a tent. Some of them take hours before it can be erected or sometimes never at all. Hence, they will spend the rest of the night at the back seat of their car feeling frustrated. Of course, you do not want this to happen to you at the camping site.

This particular situation can be avoided by being inquisitive with the gear store personnel about the important pointers you have to keep in mind. You can even ask for the instruction manual prior to purchase and take note of instructions that comes on vague to you. By asking questions, you will note that some tools are still needed which you previously thought are no longer necessary as outdoor camping equipment.

Getting your outdoor camping equipment successfully set up at the camping site, will allow you to relax and focus your attention to the loveliness of nature surrounding you. Try to put your litter in the designated places so that others may have the chance to see the beauty of the wilderness around the camping site. By being a responsible camper you are showing your respect to the wilderness.

 

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Renting A Tent For Camping

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

If you are planning about camping for a day or two but you are not someone who camps frequently, purchasing your own camping tent and equipment can prove to be a considerable deal of spending money. However, you could still have a complete and convenient camping experience at the great outdoors through tent rental companies.

For renting a camping tent, first you have to look around at the place where you will be setting up your camp. Camping locales often have companies or shops that offer rental tents and equipments for a couple of days or weeks. Check out all shops for prices and get the average in order to have an idea of how much rental tents really cost.

You could also rent a camping tent on the Web and have it shipped to you a few days before you go camping. You could try reputable online camping stores and look for tent rental options, or you could try people on social networking sites that offer camping tents for rent.

Also look for camping equipment and paraphernalia for rent to minimize costs.

If you have found a rental tent that seem to meet your preference, reserve it in advance and canvas for some more. By doing this, you could still look for other camping tents while not worrying about that tent you think you might opt for in the end. Take your time in choosing and consider what you will need in camping.

Camping tents are also required to be returned in good condition, as any damages can give you additional charges.

Lastly, return the tent on or before the rental period ends, so you could get back your deposit fee. If you rented the camping tent online, the company usually sends a return box for the camping tent. 

 

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