Oh the joys of camping! Taking time out to appreciate nature is a great way to spend time with your family or just with yourself. Camping is a fantastic way to enjoy nature and all it has to offer, if one is well prepared. Read these tips to get the most enjoyment from your camping trip.
Select a sleeping bag which is right for the season. You are going to roast all night long in a sleeping bag designed for cold weather that you camp with during summer. Conversely, if you bring a light-weight sleeping bag to a winter camping trip, you can be extremely uncomfortable the entire time. Packing the wrong sleeping supplies is certainly uncomfortable, and it might even become dangerous.
Camping provides the inevitable experience that you, your family and most of your possessions will probably get dirty. If you’re prepared beforehand, it won’t stress you out when it occurs. Then, you can be as messy as you want, without worry of getting dirty. You can get clean when you get home.
Bring a survival kit that you can carry on your person at all times. This kit should include water-purifying tablets, a first-aid kit, flare gun, survival knife and waterproof matches. This kit can save your life if you get into a dangerous situation. Always keep it nearby and never leave it behind at the campsite.
A survival kit should be packed and carried on you everywhere you go. Things to include in your survival pack are a knife, matches that are waterproof, first aid kit, flares and tablets to purify water. For any life threatening situation, these items may be the only thing standing between you and disaster. If you don’t take it with you on excursions it will serve you no good.
Choose a tent large enough for everyone that will be expected to use it. This helps you to have a more comfy night’s sleep, and trips in and out of the tent will be less disturbing for those who are sleeping.
Take a first aid class, particularly if you are traveling with children. If something bad happens, you’ll be able to take care of it because you’ll know exactly what to do while waiting for a health professional to show up. Be sure to research the area you are visiting. Find out if the local snakes are poisonous or if there may be plants or animals that you need to avoid.
Examine your medical insurance policy. If you are going camping out of state, you may have to add an additional policy for full coverage. If you plan to travel to a different country, such as Canada, then its is especially important. Make sure you have prepared yourself, just in case of an accident.
Dryer Lint
If you’ve brought the kids along, feed them a “jungle” breakfast. Bring several, small boxes of easy-to-fix foods, such as cereals, fruits, snacks, and other quick, yet healthy, meals. Once the children are awake, tell them they need to forage for their meal. This is a wonderful way to add fun to their camping enjoyment.
The lint from your dryer’s lint filter will help you start a campfire. Before you go camping, start saving lint from the dryer’s filter. To make it easy to collect dryer lint, simply hang a bag next to the dryer and fill with your lint. Just grab your bag of dryer lint and go on camping day.
Keep a kerchief or bandanna close at hand. You can use these as hand towels, cleanup towels, pot holders or anything you need cloth for. Its uses are innumerable, so it is smart to always have one available.
Make sure to bring duct tape on your camping trip to fix almost any problem. You can patch holes in tents, shoes and inflatables as well as using it to secure your tent or seal your mosquito netting.
Old dryer lint makes a great fire-starter. In order to have enough lint to start a fire, begin collecting it a month prior to your trip. You can simply stuff it all into a plastic grocery bag you keep near the dryer. By doing this, you’ll have all the kindling you need.
When you decide to camp in an unfamiliar location, you should read up on any dangers that you could encounter. You need to know about the local insect population, wild animals, natural dangers like water or steep locations and weather conditions. Every camping spot has its own potential dangers for the untrained.
Take along pillows that are especially for camping. If you use your bedroom pillows, the humid weather will make them feel hot and sticky. These pillows will also retain water from the air during humid conditions, so they can mildew. Camping pillows have a protective coating on them to prevent the absorption of moisture.
Inform your children of possible dangers before taking them camping. It is simple to show them which plants they should stay away from prior to your trip.
Prior to camping in a brand new area, you must understand its dangers. Figure out if there are any poisonous insects, what the land looks like and how the weather will be. Every camping spot has its own potential dangers for the untrained.
Plan several activities to do while camping. For instance, card games, fishing poles and footballs will help to ensure that you have a fun time in the woods. If you are going camping with children, you need to make sure that you bring a lot of things to keep them entertained during the trip.
Kids love camping, especially when you plan activities that they can do. Far from civilization, kids tend to get bored. Make sure that they get acquainted with different camping activities such as fishing and pitching the tent. If this is their first time, it is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn new skills.
Duct tape is an imperative item to bring with you on your camping trip into the wilderness. It is as convenient for repairs while you are camping as it is at home. It can repair an air mattress should it get a hole. It can also seal rips in tarps, a sleeping bag, or the tent. It can be used on feet to help fight off blisters during long hikes. In a pinch, it can even serve as a bandage for injuries.
Remember the Boy Scout motto – be prepared! Even with a perfect plan, things can still go awry. Anything can change without warning, such as the weather, your environment, or your physical condition. You must always exercise great care, avoid risk and consider your actions always.
Don’t let your children out of your sight. There are many people coming and going all of the time and you do not want them to get kidnapped or lost. An accident can occur quickly, so it is important to be vigilant.
When you find your site, seek out the softest, most level ground to put your tent on. If you pick out a sloped or a rocky spot it can make sleeping and hanging out in the tent very uncomfortable. Put a tarp down before pitching your tent to prevent water from entering.
An orange peel may just be the natural answer to repelling mosquitoes when you’re out camping. If you arrive at your camping destination and realize you’ve forgotten to pack bug repellant, fear not. Rub this inner peel of the orange over your exposed skin and watch the magic at work. This should give you the protection that you need while out in the wilderness.
Decide what clothing you will need before you make your trip. Make sure you have plenty of clean clothes for the duration of your trip. Pack ample clothing items appropriate to the climate you will be visiting. Make sure to pack a good pair of shoes to hike in as well.
Carry an additional utility knife in case your original one breaks. Utility knives are a fantastic to bring along when camping because they have so many uses. Be sure you have one with you and another for backup in your gear in case one gets lost.
If you’re taking along the kids, pack current pictures of them. Should you lose track of your children at some point during your camping trip, having a picture handy could make a world of difference. Always bring an emergency photo, especially if your campsite is far from your home.
Camping can make for a very relaxing weekend in your life or it can be a hellish trip. Whether it goes well or not is usually determined by how prepared you are. By being prepared for various situations, you’ll most likely have fun on your trip.
Trail mix and beef jerky are a couple great things to bring along on a camping trip. These little nutritious snacks can come in handy after a long day. 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.
Even if it seems silly, bring toilet paper. You may be camping in an area that doesn’t offer toilets, so you will need to find other places to go to the bathroom. Leaves are not something you want to wipe with, since you can get poison ivy and a host of other issues. Pack toilet paper.
Make sure you know how to read both a map and a compass. You need to do this even if you’ve been to the campsite before. You may get lost even in a familiar site because so many areas look alike. You can avoid potential tragedy by learning how to use these lifesaving items.
Although camping is very popular, it can also be very dangerous for those who don’t know what they’re doing. The above article has given you all the advice you need to ensure your next camping trip is enjoyable.
Leave your campsite clean when you leave it. You’ll need some trash bags to clean up everything. Don’t leave any food behind either. The thing to keep in mind as you prepare to go home is that the only sign of your stay in the woods should be your own footprints.
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