Why do you need a tent?
Many people are drawn to outdoors experiences like iron filings are drawn to a magnet. To improve any camping adventure, you must become knowledgeable about proper camping techniques, tips, and tricks. By taking time to learn from the advice below, your upcoming trip can become the best trip you've ever had.
When packing for your camping trip, do not forget chairs and a radio. One of the best parts of camping is sitting around the campfire. You could sit on an old log, but why bother when you can pack chairs and be comfortable. The radio is for entertainment sitting around the fire. An even better idea is to bring your guitar for a sing along.
At night, create "bear bags." Tie a rope around the bags with your food and your trash. Then, find a tree and toss bags over a branch, raising until they are at least seven or eight feet off the ground. Tie the rope around the tree so it is secure. This way, bears and other animals will not be able to get into your food and trash during the night.
Make sure you plan out your route in advance of your trip. Look to see if there are any special places that you can stop at along the way. It will make the drive much more enjoyable and you may have a lot of fun in the process. Granted, you may need to get to your destination quickly, but if you have time, taking the scenic route is worth it.
Ask a park ranger or a tour guide to let you know about all the places to check out while you are camping. This is a good idea so that you know you are getting the most out of your camping experience, you don't want to take a camping trip and miss out on a fun experience.
Always pack enough for your kids. There is a lot of mess that goes along with camping. Children seem to be magnetically attracted to dirt. That all means that you will have very dirty children as the day progresses. Take extra clothing with you for your children. Be prepared!
Duct tape is an imperative item to bring with you on your camping trip into the wilderness. It is nearly as useful while camping as it is around the house. You can slap a piece of it on a leaking air mattress. It can also be used on your tarp or tent. You can even use it to help prevent blisters on your feet. It even works as a bandage.
Bugs do not like fire at all, so it is a good idea to keep your fire burning all night while you are sleeping. If you find that there is a huge bug problem during the day, it would help to keep a fire burning at that time as well.
Many people who are not very experienced with camping start out by doing day trips. This can be a great way to adjust to nature without the dangers associated with staying in the woods all night. The best way to do is to find a simple hotel near the campground, but only for sleeping purposes.
While it is not a good idea to be wasteful, make sure to bring more food and water than you think you need. You do not want to get out intro the middle of the woods and run out of supplies. bringing more than enough will ensure you do not run across this issue.
For your first camping trips, try to choose a place that you can drive to. If your car is nearby you can use it as a "fortress" of sorts when you are in the middle of nowhere. Not only can you enter it in case of wildlife attack; it can also protect you from the elements.
Unless you are a wildlife expert, you should never drink water that you haven't brought to the campsite with you. Water may look crystal clear but actually be home to a host of diseases or bacteria. If you are in an emergency, always choose running water over stagnant water.
An indispensable item to pack for your camping trip is Ziploc bags. You can separate items in your gear like sunscreen and bug spray so if they puncture they do not get all over your gear. You can also use them to best camp toilet keep items like matches and cellphones dry if it rains.
Plan several activities to do while camping. Card games, fishing poles or games like a scavenger hunt can be very entertaining in the wild. If you have kids going with you, you may want to go a little overboard with the things you take for entertainment.
When setting up the tent, know how to seal every seam. You may find a tube at many sporting good stores if the tent didn't include any. By doing this, you will prevent wayward animals or rain from making it inside.
If you're bringing your dog along for the camping trip, make sure it's wearing its tags. Losing track of a pet can be heartbreaking. Make sure your dog is wearing its dog license and an ID with contact information before you leave on your trip. Neglecting to do so can have tragic consequences.
Plan to save the light of your flashlight before you go camping. It is easy to inadvertently turn the flashlight on when digging through your camping equipment. You can avoid dead batteries by installing them in the flashlight backwards until you need the light. That way, the flashlight cannot possibly drain the batteries if the ON button is bumped.
For easier food preparation on a camping trip, prepare ingredients at home, and pack them in plastic zipper bags. You might want to chop, and other ingredients can be cooked quickly and easily when the prep work is done ahead of time. Throw a few bags of vegetables and meat into a pot over a fire, and you have soup or stew!
If you're outside in cold weather, keep warm by wearing layered clothing. Not only, can adding more layers make you warmer, but you can easily remove layers if the temperature rises later. Multiple layer's trap heat in between each piece, which will prevent you from losing heat. Try bringing thermal underwear, turtlenecks, sweaters, gloves, coats, and boots on your trip.
Successful campers know that camping is a great life experience. While camping isn't hard, it's important to have basic knowledge about it so that the trip can go smoothly. Use the ideas from the article, and you should be able to set up your tent and start camping whenever you want.