Gather Round The Campfire, Tips For Your Next Camping Trip

Has it been years since your last camping trip? When you camp, you can have a fun time returning to nature. Being in the great outdoors without worrying about work calls or listening to the television blaring allows you time to rejuvenate your mind and body. Read on to learn how to enhance your experience the next time you go camping.

If the area in which you’ll be camping is well known for wildlife that poses a danger, special precautions must be taken regarding your food. Wrap your food up tight and keep it far away from seeing areas. This will reduce the likelihood of experiencing an attack.

It is a good idea to have a cell phone that is fully charged in your car or base camp. It is an even better idea to bring extra batteries as an emergency backup. Your cell phone is the best piece of emergency equipment you have so make sure it doesn’t die on you.

When you’re new to camping, make sure you camp close to home. You may find that your gear isn’t up to par, or your trip isn’t what you thought it would be. You may not have enough food, or realize that you didn’t pack the right clothing. Lots of calamities can befall new campers, so sticking close to home at first is wise.

Be prepared to handle any emergency that may arise and have a plan in place. Always keep the bare basics with you in the kit, and make sure that you have water purification tablets in it as well. Antivenom is another important component to bring with you, depending on the area where you visit.

Prior to camping, write out a list of everything that you need to pack. This is particularly helpful if you have to travel quite far to get where you are going. Pack your bags at least a day or more ahead of time, and keep a list to check off your items.

Never assume that you will find enough wood to burn, because rain can change that in an instant. Therefore, take some wood with you on your camping trip and store it in a location where it can remain dry.

Select the right sleeping bag for the season. If you bring a sub-zero sleeping bag to go camping in mid-summer, you might find that you are sweating all night long. On the other hand, bringing a light-weight bag in the middle of winter could cause you to wake up freezing. You may even develop hypothermia.

Always seek shelter before it is too dark to assess your surroundings. Once it gets dark, it is much harder to find wood for your fire, prepare food, and get your tent ready. This is particularly true for anyone accustomed to city living and unfamiliar with pitch dark woods. Avoid these circumstances by finding the right shelter while it is still light.

Expect that camping is not typically a time you can stay clean easily. Setting the proper regulations in advance can help to combat this. Enjoy being in the woods and allow yourself to let loose and be messy. Things will go to back to normal soon enough.

Old dryer lint makes a great fire-starter. Start collecting the lint from your dryer’s filter about a month before you go on your trip. Keep a used grocery bag on your laundry room door to collect the lint. The morning of your departure, all you need to do is grab the bag and depart, kindling sorted!

Prior to leaving for a long camping trip, pack and repack your bag many times. Doing this allows you to understand the smartest way to pack everything. The other advantage is that you are going to remember anything you have forgotten.

Figure out how to identify poisonous plants prior to going on a camping trip. They may look like a normal plant unless you are aware of what to look for. Read a book or look up the native plants and species online. This will allow you to avoid these plants.

Pack a survival kit and carry it on you at all times. Your survival kit should contain a survival knife, water-purifying tablets, waterproof matches, first aid kit, and a flare gun. Your survival kit can be the difference between you making it out of the woods on a stretcher or your own two feet. Keep your kit with you at all times; don’t leave it at the campsite.

Planning the perfect camping experience is easy when you use tips like the ones in this article. Camping is a great activity to get your family involved in, and as long as you work to prepare well ahead of time and continue to read about great camping tips, you will find camping to be one of the most enjoyable things you do for fun.