
So, you’re going away on a camping trip? Are you ready to learn the basics? Camping trips can be pretty basic in terms of expectations, but don’t overlook the importance of thinking through your trip prior to leaving on it. Keep reading for camping tips.
Make your kids a “jungle breakfast”. Bring several, small boxes of easy-to-fix foods, such as cereals, fruits, snacks, and other quick, yet healthy, meals. Your children can then hunt these foods when they wake up. This makes an interesting diversion for them during the trip.
If you have a new tent to take on your camping trip, you should set it up at home before you go on your camping trip. This will not only familiarize you with the process, it will allow you to ensure there are no missing pieces or defects. That can also cut down on the frustration some feel when setting a tent up for the first time.
You can use dryer lint to kindle your campfire. A month before your camping trip, begin collecting the lint from your dryer’s lint filter. Place the lint you normally throw in the trash in a plastic bag to take with you. Your kindling will be ready for you to grab on the way out the door for your trip.
Bring along an emergency survival kit, and keep it on you for the duration of your camping trip. Survival kits must include water purification tablets, a knife, a first aid box, flare gun and waterproof matches. For any life threatening situation, these items may be the only thing standing between you and disaster. Keep your kit with you at all times; don’t leave it at the campsite.
Do not forget to pack duct tape for your camping trip so that it can solve neraly any problem! It is good for patching holes in tents, shoes, and inflatables. It is also good for securing tents and sealing up mosquito nets.
Try to add an activity having to do with swimming to your camping trip if at all possible. When you’re out camping, it’s really easy to miss your shower at home. The cool water helps you to feel fresher, and you may just miss your shower a bit less.
If a pet accompanies you to the campground, do not just let him or her run free. Many people are fearful of pets – especially large dogs. You should respect your fellow campers in the area. Also, dogs have the potential to wreck your campsite, or that of someone else, if they are allowed to run loose.
Tumble Dryer
Flashlights are imperative to bring while camping as there is minimal light in the wilderness. You will surely find it necessary to illuminate things once night falls. Having ample light sources can prevent falls or surprise encounters with local wildlife. It is a great idea to bring one flashlight for each person, especially when camping with children.
Dryer lint can make great kindling for creating campfires. Start collecting lint from the filter in your tumble dryer several weeks before your camping adventure. Place a bag near your tumble dryer and just stuff lint from the dryer’s filter into the bag every time it is full. When you are ready to leave on your trip, just pack your bag of lint for kindling.
Make sure that you choose the right sleeping bag for the conditions on the campsite. Lighter bags might be good ideas for warmer climates and seasons to avoid unnecessary weight and space usage, but make sure that you have a heavy enough bag to stay warm in cold conditions. If you are staying in a tent, use a sleeping bag that fits to the contours of your body in order to maintain your body temperature.
Always become familiar with the potential dangers of a campsite before you enter it. This involves finding out which spiders are dangerous, whether flash floods are commonplace and whether there are any sheer drops nearby. Every camping trip has different dangers.
Make sure you always know where your children are. Cars often travel through campsites, and little kids are prone to getting lost. Things happen very quickly and your kids should be supervised.
Plan several activities to do while camping. Fishing poles, decks of cards and games will be fun campsite entertainment. If your kids are along on your camping trip, include as many entertainment items as possible.
Try to arrange all of your clothing in advance before you go on a camping trip. Pack plenty of different items of clean clothing for all types of weather. Also, before you leave, check the climate to determine what types of clothes to bring. Include closed toe shoes or hiking boots if you want to do some hiking.
If you will be camping in an area that is known for having dangerous wildlife, you need to double up your precautions when it comes to food. You should wrap up your food tightly, store it somewhere that isn’t close to your tent, and avoid certain types of food altogether. Making sure to do this, will lessen any chance of a wild animal attack.
Pack your food properly to avoid food poisoning. If the food that you pack for camping is not canned, vacuum sealed or preserved, you exposing yourself to the possibility of experiencing food poisoning from eating spoiled food. Pack numerous ice packs to keep perishable foods chilled and do not forget to pull your cooler’s drain plug so that food products do not get soaked.

Duct Tape
When selecting a sleeping bag, make sure it’s season-appropriate. For instance, you’ll want a lightwweight bag to keep you cool in the summer. Meanwhile, if you are camping during the winter months, you will probably desire a more heavyweight sleep bag that will protect the body’s extremities from frostbite.
Bring some duct tape on your camping trip. There are multiple uses to put it to when camping, just like at home. It can be used to fix a hole in your air mattress. It is also useful for taping up tears in tents, tarps or sleeping bags. Duct tape on your feet can be used to prevent blisters on a long hike. You can also use it to bandage injuries.
Do you know what means you are going to use to cook your food? Decide this before you leave so you have everything you need. If you want to eat food that is cooked over an open flame, you must have the proper equipment.
It’s critical that you take along the right things with you when you go camping. Not planning properly can ruin a whole trip. Write a list of essentials and as you pack the items, cross them off. You need a lot of things to take with you on a trip, and you don’t want to miss anything.
When camping in the cooler weather, dress in layers. In nature the weather can alter dramatically quickly. It may be chilly one moment and sweltering the next. The evenings can then turn cold again. By dressing in layers, you can adjust your clothes to the changes in the weather easily.
Watch your kids closely. Kids love to explore in the woods and they can very easily get lost. It can happen in an instant, so make sure they are always supervised.
Make sure your tent remains dry and properly ventilated. Lack of ventilation can cause condensation to form when you sweat and breathe. You may even wake up wet. Make sure that vents are open to provide the ventilation that prevents this build up of moisture. If your tent does not have a vent, crack a door or window open instead.
Take pictures of your children with you when you camp. While it is a worst case scenario, a child can easily be separated from the rest of the party, and a picture will make it easier to locate them. When camping far away from your house, remember to bring one in case of an emergency.
Keep old shower curtains around to use as disposable tarps for under your tent. You can also use it as a way to control run-off as you are washing or cooking. Instead of throwing out old shower curtains, keep them around for your next camping trip.
Beef Jerky
Handle restroom needs downstream if you camp near running water. This will ensure you won’t contaminate the body of water near your campsite. In addition, you should be more than 100 yards from where you are camping when you use the bathroom.
If you’re planning on camping, you need to remember to pack energy food like beef jerky and trail mix. When the sun sets and you get too exhausted to cook that night’s meal, you can cheat once or twice and eat some of those tasty, filling snacks you’ve now decided to pack. Trail mix and beef jerky are non-perishable foods, so they will keep for very long periods of time; you can even bring them home with you if you do not eat them at the campsite.
Prepare your camp for snakes if you are camping in an area that is known for snakes. Steer clear of thick brush and rock piles that tend to attract snakes. Check everything you have to makes sure a snake didn’t slither into things like your clothes, bags, or boots. Seal off everything before you leave for any walks, that way you don’t get a surprise when you come back.
As you can see, there are a few things beyond the basics that are required for a successful camping trip. Camping trips need not be complicated, but, as you can see, there are some basic tips that can really help. The information given here can help you have a memorable trip!
You must always set up your shelter before dark. If you wait until the sun sets, it might be hard to get things done before it gets dark. No matter what you are using for shelter, it is so much easier to set up when there is natural light outside.
