How long has it been since you went on a camping trip? It’s a great way to relax and enjoy nature. You can leave the stresses of the office behind and completely unplug from the world. Spend some time reading this article, and learn how to make your camping excursion a successful one.
Camping can be extremely fun or extremely dangerous depending upon how prepared you are. You must make sure you are completely prepared before you go camping. If you are camping in a new location, research the local wildlife, geography and the climate before leaving home.
Check the weather before leaving for your camping trip. There are lots of websites that can give you an idea of what the typical weather is like in the area during the time of your travel. This information can help you better prepare for severe weather conditions.
Be sure your insurance policy is up-to-date before leaving for your camping trip. You might need a new policy if you go to another state. This comes into effect, more so, when you are traveling out of the country. It is essential to be prepared in case of emergency.
Combine your camping trip with some swimming. While you are camping in the great outdoors, it can be very easy to miss taking your daily shower. The cool water at a beach or pool will help you feel clean and refreshed.
The lint from your dryer’s lint filter will help you start a campfire. Start collecting the lint from your dryer’s filter about a month before you go on your trip. Place a bag near your tumble dryer and just stuff lint from the dryer’s filter into the bag every time it is full. This is a good way to have kindling ready when it is time to go.
It’s important that you make an effort to ensure that all camping gear you will need is packed before you leave to go camping. For example, your trip can be ruined if you forget your sleeping bag or tent. Make sure you check for the items you need, and create a list before leaving to be certain you have everything you want.
While kids love camping, they need to have activities planned for them. If you’re out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, boredom will set in. While fishing, pitching a tent and starting a fire might sound fun, they are not the activities kids are used to. Get them used to it prior to leaving on the trip.
Kids generally love camping, but plan some activities for them ahead of time. Far from civilization, kids tend to get bored. They may not know what it’s like to fish or do things in nature. Allow them to practice these activities prior to going camping if they’re not that experienced with the outdoors.
Make sure you pack enough of the right kinds of food for camping. You don’t want to bring a lot of food that will easily spoil. Food poisoning could put an end to your nice vacation. Prepare all of your food in the proper way and take any necessary precautions.
Talk to your kids about common dangers before taking them on a camping trip. Ensure you children know what poison ivy and poison oak looks like, what to do if they get lost or stumble upon wildlife.
Pack some duct tape next time you embark on a camping trip. Its multipurpose properties aren’t only useful at home, they can be used in the wild too. It is perfect for fixing an air mattress. You can also use it to patch up a tent, tarp or sleeping bag. Prior to heading off on a long nature hike, place some tape on your heels to avoid blistering. In a pinch, it can even substitute as a bandage.
Packing all the essentials is vital to the success of your camping venture. Forgetting one or two key items could result in disaster. Make a master checklist of everything that you will be needing on your trip and be sure to check off items as they are packed or loaded into the car. Some useful items are items to create a fire, your tent, tarp, a sleeping bag, water (and lots of it), soap, food that is already prepared, and a utility knife.
As you set up your campsite, choose an area that is as smooth and as level as possible for the location of your tent. An area that is sloped or rugged won’t make for the best place to put your tent. Always lay a tarp down first to prevent water from entering or damaging the tent.
If you put some thought in ahead of time, you will not have to worry about drained batteries in your flashlight while you are at a camp out. It is easy to inadvertently turn the flashlight on when digging through your camping equipment. If you want to avoid draining your batteries, keep flashlights stored with backwards batteries in them. Doing this will prevent batteries from being wasted so that you can be confident they will be ready when the time comes to use them.
Always pick an appropriate sleeping bag for the weather. Use a lightweight sleeping bag for hot weather and a heavy sleeping bag for cold weather. You need a sleeping bag that fits snugly and keeps your body heat in if you’re going to sleep outside in a tent.
Camping Trip
Orange peels may protect you from mosquitoes. Don’t worry if the insect repellant was left behind on the kitchen counter. Seasoned campers suggest that you can rub your skin with the inside of an ripe orange peel. This should effectively repel mosquitoes for hours.
Pack extra flashlights and plenty of batteries for your camping trip. Many camping spots are remote, so there will not be a glow from city lights guiding you in the dark. Make sure areas are well-lit to avoid falls or animal issues. If your children are along on your camping trip, give them each their own flashlight.
You can have the relaxing camping trip of your dreams, or you can have the disastrous camping trip of your nightmares. The key difference? Preparation. When you try to consider all the issues that may arise, you can enjoy your trip with piece of mind.
Make sure that your sleeping bag is appropriate for where and when you are camping. Lightweight sleeping bags tend to work better in warmer weather and heavyweight sleeping bags tend to work better in colder weather. You will need sleeping bags that hug your body and help you retain body heat if you’re sleeping in a tent.
Bring waterproof matches as part of your survival kit. Store waterproof matches in a canister that is airtight. You also can create waterproof matches yourself by taking regular ones and dipping them in nail polish or paraffin. You can stash them in a 35mm film canister or a plastic medicine bottle.
Be aware of where your campsite is. Areas with insect nests and breeding grounds should always be avoided when setting up. Whenever you are close to a great deal of vegetation, protective clothing layers are key to stave off insect bites. You should bring insect repellant along.
Seal all your tent’s seams. You can purchase tubes of sealant at a sporting goods store, or your tent may have included some. The seals keep water and pests from entering your tent.
A utility knife can serve you well on your camping trip. An utility knife is the most versatile tool you’ll have as a camper, and bring another one if you should lose the other.
Wearing your clothing in layers is always best when camping outdoors. Even if you check the weather ahead of time, weather can change with very little notice. It can be chilly in the early morning, only to be followed up with a sweltering, humid afternoon. It can get really chilly again when the sun starts going down. You can adapt to the changing weather over the course of any day when you have multiple layers of clothing.
Cell Phone
Here is a quick way to see if you would enjoy camping in the outdoors. Set up your tent in your backyard and camp out for a night. Make yourself stay there all night; don’t go inside for any reason. If you enjoy this, you may like camping!
It is generally a smart idea to leave your basecamp or car with a fully charged cell phone. Another good idea is to keep an additional battery available. A cell phone is a great emergency device; make certain it will keep working.
Bring some toilet paper and baby wipes on your trip. Sure, you may be able to use leaves or something natural, but there’s no reason to torment yourself when you can find toilet paper or baby wipes at most stores.
Make sure to pack some duct tape for your camping trip. Tents are pretty durable, but they still have the tendency to get weathered and torn. A piece of durable duct tape can keep you dry at night, even if your tent was damaged by accident.
Take along some water purification tablets when you go camping. Even when you think you have packed enough water or you have plans to boil that you collect onsite, you might not have the time or you may have underestimated your needs, You should test these tablets at home before using them on your camping trip; this ensures you are familiar with the taste. It is important to not let a bad taste cause you to become dehydrated.
Before going camping, make sure you know how to read your map or how to use your compass. Even if you are returning to a campsite you know well, the area could have changed and you could become lost. Also, this will help to avoid tragedy with friends or family.
Camping supplies should include a lot of food, water and other drinks. If bears are known to live in the area, be sure to stow your food a good distance away from where you are sleeping. Get rid of your garbage by burning in order to prevent interest from bears.
A camping trip can go well with the help of the advice shared here. In addition to the tips listed here, there is a lot of other great information available. Stay on the lookout for more great tips and improve your camping experience everytime you go.
If your campsite is near a body of water, make sure you “take your business” downstream. This prevents the water flowing near your campsite from being contaminated. Also be sure to do this pretty far away from camp.