By Paul Turner
Planning your next camping trip? Check out this comprehensive beginners guide for tips on what to take, fun activities to do whilst you're there and how to cope if it rains.
I remembered vividly the first time I went camping. I was just a kid, helped set up the tent and then run in and out of it. My father would then go to the lake and bring back some trout. Wrapped them with lemon and bacon, grilled them over a campfire and we got a delicious meal.
After a long period of night activity, we would sleep in the forest and get up early to watch the sunrise before heading back home. It was an amazing experience but it all comes with lots of preparation. And this is what this article is about.
Whatever kind of camping you have in mind, you can find a place to make it happen. In wilderness camping, everything you need has to be carried, and you set up camp without the benefit of a cleared space or electricity and water.
At a campground, you'll find a level pad for pitching the tent and usually communal restrooms and showers. Recreational vehicle (RV) campgrounds have hookups for running water and electricity. Cabin camping puts you right in the middle of nature, but with beds to sleep in and a real kitchen. We'll focus on tent camping in this article.
First, decide where you want to camp and read online reviews about other people's experiences there. This will also give you an idea of the best time of year to camp at that site. Find out whether there are trails, creeks or other natural attractions to be found at the camp.
If you're planning to bring a pet, make sure it's allowed. Bring along enough prescription medicine to last a few more days than you plan to camp, along with basic health information about each camper. Don't forget eyeglasses and contact lenses and remember to check the weather!
You'll want to bring perishable and non-perishable food on your camping trip. You can plan on eating the food that doesn't last, like uncooked meat, prepared salads and soft cheese, in the first couple of days. As long as you have a good cooler, you can bring refrigerated foods, especially if you'll have access to ice to replenish the cooler.
This should make up the bulk of the food you take for camping, since it keeps without refrigeration. Pasta, rice and bread will fill you up and it's not hard to make them into savoury meals with other ingredients.
Peppers and onions will add flavour to your meals, and radishes, carrots and cucumbers make a salad delicious. Farm-fresh eggs can go in the non-perishable category as long as they've just been laid and haven't been washed, since that removes the layer of protection that keeps them fresh.
The snacks and drinks you bring will liven up your choices.
Oranges, grapes, apples and melons are nutritious between-meal-snacks that stay fresh for a long time. Carrot sticks and celery with peanut butter are snacks you can throw in a backpack if you're going for a long hike. Hard cheese with crackers is a tasty treat, and nuts will always keep well. Make your own trail mix so you can be sure it doesn’t have too much salt or sugar, and pop some popcorn to bag before you go.
Each camper will need to drink about a gallon of water per day, so that's the number one beverage to plan on for camping. If you're doing wilderness camping, that means bringing the water with you. Sports drinks will replace sugar and electrolytes you lose during physical activity like hiking and swimming. The easiest way to bring them along is in a dry form that can be added to water bottles.
Depending on the time of year, your clothing will keep you dry and warm or help you stay cool. It also protects against insect bites, scrapes and too much sun. You need to be prepared for a change in the weather, including rain. Here are some basics to pack for your camping trip, depending on the season.
As you can see from the list above, it's best to avoid clothing and underwear made of cotton. That's because it absorbs moisture more easily and stays wet longer. Cotton bandanas are the exception, because you'll need them to mop or absorb sweat in the heat. One tip you'll see in a lot of camping guides is to bring a lot of socks. There may be days when you go through several pairs!
This is a situation that reveals the value of the extra tarps you brought. If you have to set up your tent in the rain, tie a rope between two trees and hang a tarp over it, then stake the corners of the tarp or tie them to adjacent trees. This will give you some coverage while you set up. If your tent doesn't have a vestibule in front of the door, set up a tarp over the door so you'll have a place to leave your wet clothes and shoes.
You can always play cards and other games or take a relaxing nap while you're waiting for the rain to stop. If the rain doesn't seem to be going away, you might decide to go hiking anyway. That's when the walking sticks will come in handy for keeping your balance on the slippery, wet ground. Make sure the rain ponchos you bring have ventilation and are large enough to cover a hiker with a pack.
Part of your camping preparation should be to read up on mistakes beginner campers make, so you don't make them yourself! Here are a few of the most common ones.
Before you pack up your tent, you'll want to remove and pack up everything inside it. Then sweep up any dirt or leaves that remain on the floor of the tent.
Ideally, a tent should be packed up after it's had a chance to air out, allowing any moisture to evaporate. Open up the windows and unzip the front door and, while you're waiting, take a damp sponge and wipe any dirty areas on the outside of the tent.
Once the tent is dry and aired out, collapse it and fold it toward the openings. This will give the air inside a chance to escape, allowing you to roll it up compactly. The tent poles should be used as a spine to snugly roll the canvas tent around.
Make sure the tent has been folded to about the width of the tent poles before you start rolling, and take the time to make sure it's a tight roll.
Campers should always follow the policy of "leave no trace" when the camping trip is over. It's also extremely important to completely extinguish your campfire. Here are steps to take that will make sure it doesn't reignite and cause a forest fire.
By Paul Turner
Paul Turner is the man behind TakeOutdoors.com where he shares all his knowledge and experiences on camping. Planning for the next trip? You may want to check out his article on camping tips which he's gathered from experienced campers.
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