What do you call a campsite without a tent?
Many people look to camping as a fun, exciting get away from their everyday life and stresses. Unfortunately, if your preparations are not complete, you can have obstacles during the trip. Keep reading to find tips and advice for ensuring that your next camping adventure goes off without a hitch.
Pre-cool your ice chest by filling it with loads of ice, at least six hours prior to departure. When you are about to leave, pack up your refrigerated cooled drinks and block ice, not cubed. Popping room temp beverages will take up valuable ice-life, and the cubes will melt much quicker than a block!
If you are traveling with children, consider staying at a campground that is specifically designated for families. Campers in these areas know what to expect and will not have an issue if you have a cranky toddler or your children want to run around, scream and play. You will probably be more relaxed as a result and have a better time.
When collecting wood for a campfire, focus on three different sizes: the finger-size wood, that will catch fire right away, the arm-size wood that will keep it going, and the leg-size wood that will allow you to keep the fire going for a long time. Getting different sizes of wood helps you to start the fire and keep it going.
Bring a survival kit on the trip and keep it on your person all the time. Survival kits should contain waterproof matches, a survival knife, a first aid kit, a flare gun and water purifying tablets. If you are injured or lose your way, this will give you a greater chance of survival. Keep your kit with you at all times; don't leave it at the campsite.
If you'd like to prevent mosquito bites, but want to avoid using harsh chemicals, use an orange peel instead. Rub the orange peel over exposed areas of the skin, such as the neck, arms, face and legs to naturally repel mosquitoes. Not only will the orange peels feel better on your skin than traditional repelling chemicals, but they will smell better, too!
Take a bandana or handkerchief with you. Not only can it keep the hair out of your eyes, it can also be a sack to carry things, a towel to dry your hands or a potholder to grab your coffee pot from the fire. There are various uses for this fabric piece, so be sure to carry one on your trip.
Consider purchasing inexpensive walkie-talkies to take with you on your next camping trip to provide a way to keep in touch with everyone in your party in areas where cell phone reception may not be available. This can be especially important if you are camping with children and need to keep track of their whereabouts.
Bring a first aid kit. Camping is fun. It can also be a bit dangerous. Always be prepared. Small scrapes and rashes can be especially common out in nature. Bring along an emergency first aid kit full of anything you might need. You'll be happy you did if something goes wrong.
Don't forget to bring back-ups of things like batteries and flashlights. There are times when it is important to be able to see clearly in the dark. Having the ability to light up an area well can prevent injuries and potentially dangerous encounters with wildlife. If you have little ones with you, make sure to pack a flashlight for them, too.
It is important to have a flashlight when you camp, but make sure the batteries are fully charged. One way to be sure the batteries don't accidentally drain on the journey is to put them into the flashlight backwards. That way if the switch is accidentally engaged, they stay charged. Plus, you know where the batteries are.
Make sure that your tent is ready before dark if you don't plan to sleep under the stars. Some camping locations get very dark and this can make setting up your campsite nearly impossible. You also never know when something could go wrong during set-up, such as a broken pole or a sudden tear in your tent.
When camping, many people wake up in the morning, only to find out they they have left items out that are now wet. This is because of the morning dew, which can hardly be avoided. If the weather conditions are right, dew is inevitable, so make sure you put things away.
When you have a campfire, be certain that someone is monitoring it at all times. Summer's weather and dry campsites can be potentially hazardous conditions for fires in unwanted areas. Take turns watching the flames, and be sure to keep a bucket of water and dirt handy to put out any fires.
Make sure you pack enough of the right kinds of food for camping. Depending upon how long your trip will last, you should have plenty of food that won't spoil over the course of your trip. Just a little food poisoning can turn a camping trip upside down. Know what you're doing when it comes to food safety and take the proper precautions.
As you leave for home, clean up your space. You need to bring along bags for trash so you can clean up. Be certain to take your leftover food with you too. The only thing that should be left behind are your footprints.
Make sure you always have a source of clean water with you. When camping, you can't always trust that a natural water source is clean enough to drink from without boiling the water first. So keep a canteen filled with water at your side during any daily adventure. In the evenings, boil any spring water for ten minutes to create clean water reserves for the next day.
One tip that is very useful to anyone who is planning to go camping is to practice finding as well as purifying water prior to your camping trip. You don't want to start this process when you are already thirsty as it could lead to a very dangerous situation.
Pack ready to eat foods in your camping gear, like trail mix and jerky. These used glamping tents for sale little nutritious snacks can come in handy after a long day. Even if you don't eat them, these are non-perishable snacks that have a long shelf life.
As was shown in the above article, camping can indeed be great fun, but it does take some advanced planning to make sure it all goes well. Use the advice and tips shown here to make a checklist so your trip is one of relaxation and not one of "�I wish I would have planned this better beforehand'.