Can you live on a campsite?
Whether you're having a camp out with your kids in the backyard or you're up in the mountains, being prepared will make the adventure much more memorable. Check out the information provided here for some excellent tips on preparing for a camping trip. The information will be appreciated when you learn that you need it later.
Always keep a close eye on yourself, your family, and your possessions; as they will all get a little dirty. If you are prepared for that before you go, it will cause less stress when it happens. Have fun and go with the moment rather than stressing and worrying about it. You can return to being clean and civilized when you're at home.
Those big, colorful plastic storage bins make excellent places to store and organize all of your camping gear. While at home, keep it in a closet or the garage and right before you leave for your camping trip, pop it in the trunk. It should keep everything air-tight, dry and easily accessible.
Before you leave on your trip, use your backyard to help you work out the kinks in your camping equipment. Put up your tent to make sure you know (or remember!) how to put it up. This will also allow you to see if anything needs to be patched up. It will make it that much easier for you when you get to the campsite.
While a campfire gives off enough light in the general area around it, you want to be sure you take along a flashlight on your camping trip if you plan to venture outside of the campfire's glow. This is a definite safety precaution you don't want to ignore. It can be quite dark out there in the woods at nighttime.
Before you plan to camp in an new area, it is important to be aware of any dangers commonly found there. Figure out if there are any poisonous insects, what the land looks like and how the weather will be. Every camping area has its dangers.
Just because your tent is labeled waterproof, do not count on it to keep you dry when it rains. Pack a couple extra-large tarps to take along with you. Use one to set on the ground under your tent and keep one dry to use to cover your tent if it looks like it is going to rain hard.
One thing that many people forget to pack on a camping trip, and which quickly turns the trip into a nightmare is bug spray. This simple repellent will save you both annoyance and can protect your health as many types of bugs can do a great deal of damage to you quickly.
Check the terms of your health insurance before leaving. If you go to another state, you may have to have another policy. This is especially important if your camping destination is in Canada or another country. Semper paratus doesn't just apply to the military! Be prepared!
If you're camping with your family, try finding campsites that are pet-friendly. This is a great way for you to get your animals out in the fresh air. Your kids will be happy to have your animals there with you, so it can be a great experience for all of you.
While camping, cook easy dinners like "hobo stew". Simply bring potatoes, ground meat, and veggies. Cut the veggies and potatoes at your campsite. Using tinfoil like a bowl, put the ingredients inside and fold the foil over until the food is covered. Place foil on hot rocks or the coals of the campfire, and eventually you will have a tasty "stew".
If you are on a camping trip and forgot the bowls for stew, make your own from large plastic soda bottles that have been emptied. Just rinse the bottle and cut down the plastic to the depth you need. Lightly sand the edges to smooth out any rough spots and prepare to scoop up dinner!
You want to make sure that you don't end up with drained flashlight batteries when you head out on your camping trip. While searching your backpack or bag, it is not too hard to accidentally hit the power button on your flashlight. To avoid drained batteries, store your flashlights with the batteries backwards. This prevents accidental switch nudges so that they will remain fresh when you need them.
If camping with children, place each set of their clothing in a zippered plastic bag or a tied plastic grocery bag. By sorting and packing their clothes in this manner, each morning your child can grab a package and have an entire outfit of clothing for the day. When it is time to go to bed at night, each child can stuff the soiled clothing back into the plastic bag and place it back into their suitcase and not soil unworn clothing.
Zip-lock bags can be very handy in a camper's tool chest. Don't worry about hauling mixing bowls in your gear. A gallon size zip-lock bag is great for mixing foods together and is much easier to carry in your pack. Just secure the top of the bag very carefully, then squeeze, knead or shake the ingredients together. Then discard for super-easy cleanup too!
When you select the location for your tent, be sure that it is the right place. The ground should be level and do what you can to avoid setting it up cpai 84 at the bottom of a hill. This will help you keep it dry if the weather should turn bad.
If you're ready to head to the wildnerness to camp but haven't ventured outside of your home in the past, it's easy to test your readiness. Pick up your tent, set it in your own back yard, and spend the night there. Forbid yourself from entering the house. If you enjoy this, you may like camping!
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!
Pack an emergency repair kit for your tent. You can get them at any camping supply shop. These kits will make it easy for you to repair rips, broken poles and failing zippers. The last thing you want while camping is to have your tent fail and not have the tools and supplies to fix it.
As you now know from the article above, camping is not simply driving out into the wilderness without proper planing. Rather, there are many important things to consider when venturing out to the great outdoors. Keep the tips you've just read on hand and implement them the next time you decide to go camping.