Don’t ruin your family camping trip by having the wrong tent.
When it comes to buying a family camping tent, think of it as buying your weekend home for your family. In my opinion, your tent is one of the most crucial pieces of camping equipment that you will buy. Before you purchase your tent, you need to ask yourself some simple questions so you and your family can enjoy the outdoor experience to the fullest.
1. How many people will be sleeping in the tent?
You need to consider this simply because it doesn’t make any sense to buy a camping tent that only sleeps 3, if your family has 5 members. I’m assuming you’d hate to say to one of your children, “I’m sorry, you have to sleep in the car because we don’t have room in the tent.” Most family camping tents can sleep 3-7 people. However, you can purchase large family tents that can sleep up to 10 or more people.
Shopping for camping backpacks is tough, how do I know what to look for?
If you plan on doing any real camping, hiking, or trekking of any sort, you’re going to need an outdoor backpack. And a good one at that! Having the wrong pack can really destroy your hiking experience. It can even be dangerous depending on what you’re doing.
There’s a lot to consider when buying your outdoor backpack and this video from Backpacker Magazine highlights several very good tips to consider when shopping for one.
Today I found a fantastic little adventure that was right in my backyard. Well, more like 13 miles from my house. You see, I drive on a major highway near my home a few times a month for several different reasons. Anyway, I’ve seen the same county park sign countless times and never really paid any attention to it.
Well, today I was sitting at home kind of bored and I thought, “Why not take a quick drive and see what’s at this county park?” Guess what I found? An awesome water fall called Wequiock Falls.
So many campgrounds, how do I choose the right one?
For many beginning campers, looking for the perfect campground is incredibly difficult. Here’s the basics when choosing a campground. There are two general types: Public and Private.
Public Campgrounds
Public Campgrounds are those that are owned by government agencies and mostly funded by tax dollars. Public campgrounds normally reside in very scenic areas such as state or national forests, mountain ranges, wilderness preserves, or along bodies of water.
Now generally speaking, camping in public campgrounds is normally more organized in terms of management and safety. Not to mention they have a great resource for activities in the park and neighboring area.
In terms of pricing at public campgrounds, well, you could expect to pay anywhere from $12.00 USD to $30.00 USD per night for a tent site. The price will vary depending on the location of your site within the campground.
Private Campgrounds
They are not called private because they are exclusive. They’re called private because they are owned by private individuals or businesses. They offer a wide array of services and amenities that range from whitewater rafting, horseback riding, mountain climbing, pools, volleyball courts and everything in between. To try and go more into detail, would be wasting our time. I’ll just say that camping at private campgrounds can be a lot of fun. They can normally be a little less strict on quite hours and really let people let loose and relax.
Let’s face it, it sucks to try and sleep when you’re cold.
Most people only go camping when it’s “in season” (Summer) because generally it’s warmer. There’s no arguing that it can get rather cold in Spring and Fall. But, why stop enjoying the great outdoors, especially if there’s a simple little trick that will help keep you warm for most of the night?
I have gone camping where the temperature at night dipped into the single digits and this one little tip kept me warm until the sun rose.
Here’s the general idea. The reason most people get cold in the middle of the night is because their feet get cold. They wake up from discomfort. So, I’ll show you how to have a heat source that will keep your feet warm while you sleep.
Camping is not always as inexpensive as we would like…
Let’s face it, most people love to camp because they think it’s an inexpensive family getaway. But, when you take into consideration the campground costs, your gas in the vehicle, the food, random camping supplies, and items you’ll purchase at the camp store – that can add up a pretty hefty bill for the weekend camping trip.
Now, there are several things that you can do to cut down on the cost of your camping trip. One of my personal favorites is to NOT purchase any ice for coolers.
“What? How will you keep your food from spoiling?”
The trick is to bring ice, not buy ice.
Let me explain. I like to save the plastic jugs from the milk that I drink. Once I drink all the milk, I rinse the carton and save it until I go camping. Normally a week before I leave for a camping trip, I fill the cartons half to three quarters full of water and stick them in the freezer. I use that frozen gallon (or half gallon) of water as my ice for the coolers.
