Camping Basics - What You Need To Know

With the large number of reality shows about outdoor life on TV, it is no wonder that camping is becoming more and more popular these days. If you think it’s time to take an adventure of your own, learn a few tricks to make your experience into a great one.

If you want an exciting camping trip from start to finish, plan your activities. There is more to camping than roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Instead, plan activities that each member of the family will enjoy. Don’t forget activities for children of different ages.

Make sure to always finish setting up your tent or other shelter before the sun goes down. If the sun is going down, you may be too late to get your shelter finished before darkness closes in. It is easier to put up any kind of shelter when it’s light outside, so be prepared.

Check over your medical insurance before going on a camping trip. You may need another policy if you’re going to a different state. This is even more of a factor if you travel to another country to go camping, like Canada. Be sure to be properly prepared!

If you camp at a public campground, turn out your lights or put them on timers before going to bed. Do not forget to turn off your RV lights instead of leaving them on like some campers do. That is unnecessary and only bothers people who are nearby.

You can use a shower curtain in place of a tarp under your tent. It can also be placed under cooking and washing stations so you can better handle the mess when those areas are used. Do not throw out any old shower curtains – you can save them for camping.

If camping is something that you are new to, have your first trip close to where you live. You could run into problems with your gear, or you may decide you simply don’t like camping that much. You might not pack enough food, or you may run short on clothing. Lots of calamities can befall new campers, so sticking close to home at first is wise.

Is this your first tent? Give your tent a test run before you set out to pitch it in your first camp site in the wild. Doing this will make you properly prepared when you get to camp. This will also enable you to do this task quickly if you arrive at the campsite, right before darkness sets in.

Many people forget to set up shelter before night falls. Pitching tents in the dark can be almost impossible. You will have to have a flashlight or create a fire. It will obviously be much easier to pitch your tent if the sun hasn’t gone down yet.

When you take children camping with you, make sure to go over some of the dangers associated with camping. Go on the Internet together and read about safety, look at poison ivy pictures and poisonous animals.

Keep a kerchief or bandanna close at hand. These things can help you out of a bind and assist you in doing a variety of things. You can use them to pick up hot pans, or to clean up a tiny spill; therefore, you should always have one with you.

While you may count on Mother Nature to have plenty of wood to stoke your campfire, you may encounter only wet wood that won’t burn. Bringing your own wood never hurts, especially when things are a little wet and you know a fire will be needed.

Newspaper is a very diverse item to bring when you camp. It has its standard purpose of passing time as literature, but there is more to this item than meets the eye. If your campsite is saturated with rain, you can use newspapers to start your fire.

Poisonous plants are something that you should be aware of while camping. These plants can look like ordinary plants unless you are familiar with them. There are books, as well as various sites on the Internet that feature information about poisonous plants. This will stop your from coming into close contact with any of them.

Depending on your ability to plan, you can either have a great time camping, or you can have a miserable time. The difference between each experience all comes down to how prepared you are. If you know how to prepare for everything that may pop up, you’ll be able to better enjoy your trip.

It is easy to see that many things should be considered when preparing to go camping. However, you are now armed with the knowledge you need to tackle any topics that come up. Thanks to this information, you can sit back and relax a bit more while at your camping excursion!