Camping is the number one outdoor vacation activity in America. One third of U.S. adults say they have gone on a camping vacation in the past five years and only 6% of people who have gone camping said it was not for them. Camping vacationers tend to be married with children at home. The average age of travelers who go camping is 37 and their median household income is $43,000. People who go camping also tend to enjoy hiking, biking and canoeing. Fifty-nine percent of campers said they traveled with their spouses on their most recent outdoor vacation and nearly half traveled with their children. (Source: Adventure Travel Report./Travel Industry Association)
Camping is a wonderful way to get away from the rat race of everyday life in the ''civilized'' world and just relax and enjoy the solitude of the natural world. Folks who like to go camping are known as campers.
Camping describes a whole list of different activities. Hardcore survivalist type campers will set off with little more than the clothes on their backs and the shoes on their feet, whereas ''campers'' who prefer the use of RVs arrive at a site equipped with all the creature comforts of civilization.
Camping may be the primary activity, but many campers also add other activities, such as hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, etc. Sometimes... (to read the entire article, click here)
Facts & Tips •Always seek to leave your site as if you were never there. Bring it in carry it out.
•Put flashlight batteries in backwards when not in use to prevent accidental turn on.
•To keep mosquitos away, rub the inside of an orange peel on your face and arms.
•Don’t forget the duct tape. It has many helpful uses.
•To prevent blisters while hiking rub a bar of soap on the inside of your sock, especially at the heel and toes.
•When you arrive at your campsite choose a level space to set up camp. Sweep the area clean of debris, using a branch if necessary. If you must sleep on an incline, sleep with your head uphill.
•Set up camp when you arrive and set up sleeping bags so they have time to loft up and offer full insulation when its time to use them.
•Stake down tents - even a slight wind can cause problems. If the area is sandy set a heavy rock on each stake. If rocky, place a large rock on each inside corner.
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Facts & Tips •Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue more than twice that of any other color. •Avoid the black soot on the bottom of your cooking pots by using an aluminum pie pan under your pot while cooking.
•Spray garbage cans and around your camping site with ammonia to keep animals and pests away.
•Dental floss has more uses that just teeth. It makes great emergency thread, shoe laces, cord, fishing line, etc.
Facts & Tips •Large Ziplock bags can be used as a pillow. Simply fill with air before sealing.
•Used shower curtains make great camping tarps.
•You can waterproof matches by depping them in nail polish or paraffin wax. Store them in a prescription bottle or empty 35mm film case.
•Pre-make campfire starters by filling paper cups with sawdust and wax -or- stuff empty toilet paper tubes with waste paper
•Empty 35mm film cases make great waterproof storage containers for spices, soap, batteries and a host of other items.
Facts & Tips •Bring frisbees for a little recreation and as paper plate holders. They can also be used for many other purposes.
•Large tin cans make great cooking pans for eggs, hamburgers, soups, chili, or for heating almost anything.
•Plastic bottles make great canteens. When you are done, the bottles are recyclable.
•You can insulate yourself from the cold of the ground or the air beneath a cot by lining with newspaper. The newspaper can be used to start your fire in the morning.
•Don’t camp out under a single tree. It will become a lightning rod in a storm - as will you.
•Check the area for bees & wasp nests or piles of brush or debris that could house animals or snakes. Also check for dry water beds. A rain can turn them into rushing creeks. Don’t set up camp in possible water paths.
•Try to set up camp so the morning sun will warm you when you rise. Set your campfire so breezes blow smoke away from you.
•Use a tarp or other ground cover under your tent. It will reduce moisture in your tent and will reduce wear and tear on your tent.
•The closer you camp to water, the higher the likelihood of insects.
•Clean and dry tents after each trip to prevents mold and mildew build up and to maintain longer tent life.
•Break in new hiking shoes or boots weeks before camping or hiking by wearing them for an hour or two each day.
•Pack a comfortable hat to keep the sun off your head and face during the day and to keep you warm on chilly nights.
•Pack extra flashlights and batteries. The flashlights you shake to activate light are great to save money on batteries. Headlamps are great when you are setting up camp in the dark or need to keep your hands free for cooking and other activities.
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Facts & Tips •To keep warmer at night use a sleeping pad to keep the ground from leaching your heat. If no sleeping pad consider wearing thermals, a cap to keep from losing heat from your head, and do an activity to warm yourself before crawling into bed. Sleeping nude will help your sleeping bag reflect the most body heat back to you.
•Prepare, eat and store food away from the sleeping area so that animals attracted by the smell don’t visit you at night.
•Don’t forget pot holders, cooking utensils, salt & pepper, biodegradable soap, wash rags, a pot to cook in, a small shovel for the campfire and latrine, baking soda for cleansing & deodorizing, matches etc.
•Don’t bury excess food - burn it. Don’t urinate or dump soapy water near a water source. Don’t bathe in a stream, creek or lake with soap (even biodegradable) - it takes a long time to dissipate. When defecating in the wild do so away from water sources and bury it.
•Checkers and a deck of cards are great games to bring along.
•When camping with kids teach them the basics for camping, hiking and survival. To make them feel more comfortable let them bring their own pillows. Give each a flashlight, disposable camera and whistle. Make hand-carved walking sticks for taking hikes.
•If you want to grill meat, shrimp, fish or anything else when hiking to your campsite, freeze the meat before leaving for your camp out. Place in a plastic freezer bag and wrap in newspaper. It will keep cold for a couple of days and be ready to cook when you need it. You can even marinade before freezing if you like for a totally ready to cook meal.
•Glow sticks provide a soft light at night. Great for marking a path to the latrine or for a soft night light at your tent or for marking objects to avoid in the night.
•Space blankets are compact and great for unexpected cool weather when camping or hiking.
•Planning on taking a shower at a public campground? Remember flip flops, your own soap in a plastic container and quarters in case they charge. Bring your clothes to change into in a plastic bag.
•Better yet, set up a shower at your campsite. Camping showers can be found anywhere camping gear is sold. You can even heat the water on the campfire. Some camp showers don’t even require a large tree branch.
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Campfires •Site Selection: Choose an area free of debris with no overhead obstructions, especially tree branches. Sparks cause fires to spread. Clear the fire area. Place large rocks and stones to create a fire barrier. Keep a bucket of water, loose dirt or fire extinguisher nearby in case needed.
•Firewood: You basically need 3 types of wood - starter, kindling and fuel. Starter wood includes twigs, dry moss, wood shavings or a fire starter you brought with you such as toilet paper cardboard rolls stuffed with paper & wax. These should catch on fire easily. Kindling is wood used to give the fire more substance and includes sticks up to about 1” diameter. Fuel are larger sticks and small logs that will keep the fire burning well. Do not store the firewood near the fire.
•Fire Types: There are two basic fire types. The teepee is used to concentrate the fire in one spot. By forming the fuel into a teepee shape the fire provides a good cooking fire. A second type of fire is a crisscross fire to provide warmth and more coals. Simply place the fuel on in a crisscrossing pattern. Most people start with a teepee pattern to get cooking started quickly and then change it to a crisscross pattern.
•Basics: You need fuel, spark and air for a fire. The fuel is the wood. The spark is your match. When building a fire start with your starter wood, or kindling. Leave space for air when you stack these together. Then light. You may need to lightly blow air to get the spark to take hold. As the fire grows you will begin to add the kindling so it can start to burn and sustain the fire. Remember not to over stack the fuel. It needs air to burn properly. •Fire Safety: NEVER build a fire near tents or other flammable items. NEVER use flammable fluids to start a fire. NEVER leave fire unattended. Build a fire only as big as you need. •Putting Out Fire: Make sure to completely extinguish fire. Scatter ashes or embers out. Sprinkle with water. Stir with a stick. Repeat. Smother in dirt. Drench charred logs. Repeat until everything is cold. In case of emergency - you overbuilt the fire and it has caused sparks to fly starting fires beyond your containment field - a fire needs fuel, a spark and air to survive. Water will make the wood wet and unsuitable for fire and will douse the spark. Smother the fire with dirt to remove oxygen from the equation.
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