If you are a fan of camping you are not alone. You can get the most enjoyment out of it if you plan ahead and learn the best approaches. By familiarizing yourself with the following advice, you can make your next camping trip the best one ever.
Although it is not an essential part of your back country camping gear, a machete is something that you may consider packing depending on where you are going. It is a very versatile tool in the wilderness. You can cut a trail, hack bamboo and vines for shelter, cut coconuts for water, chop firewood, and even use it as protection against wild animals.
Purchase a quality tent. It can be tempting to score a good deal on a tent, but you want to find something that can hold both you, your family members and your belongings. Try visiting a store that specializes in outdoor gear. They tend to have well-made products that will last for a while.
When it comes to food, bring only what you need on a camping trip. Extra food out in the wilderness is a calling card for wild animals to come visiting your campground. If you do find that you have additional food, tie it up in cloth and handg it as high as you can in a tree away from your immediate campground. This will help keep you from unwanted animal introductions.
Keep an eye on the weather. Rain or other conditions may impact your travel time and your experience at the campsite. Make sure that you have gear that is appropriate for the weather conditions that you may face. Adjust your departure time as necessary to try and avoid the bulk of the bad weather, if possible.
Figure out your new gear before you go camping. The practice does really help. No one wants to get to the campground, only to find out that they don’t know how to use something or set up their own tent. Practice with your new gear before you ever set foot on the campground.
Know what is available in the area around your campsite. You may get lucky and have beautiful weather the entire time. However, you may also face inclement weather, too. Have a backup plan in case you need a diversion. This is particularly crucial if you have kids, but adults need a little entertainment as well!
Take along a survival kit and carry it at all times. You need to pack a flare gun, utility knife, matches and a first aid kit. This kit may keep you alive if you are lost and these items are indispensable for a survival situation. Remember to take it everywhere you go when you’re away from your campsite.
When going camping, try to buy non-perishable items to eat. There are no refrigerators in the wild, so everything you bring has to be kept in good order. You can certainly bring a cooler to put food in, but the cooler will be added bulk on your trip. Therefore, make an effort to bring more non-perishable foods than perishable.
At night, create “bear bags.” Tie a rope around the bags with your food and your trash. Then, find a tree and toss bags over a branch, raising until they are at least seven or eight feet off the ground. Tie the rope around the tree so it is secure. This way, bears and other animals will not be able to get into your food and trash during the night.
Read up on your medical insurance. You may need another policy if you’re going to a different state. That can be even more important when you plan to travel across international borders. Make sure you have prepared yourself, just in case of an accident.
You can use dryer lint to kindle your campfire. Start collecting the lint from your dryer’s filter about a month before you go on your trip. Keep a plastic bag right next to the dryer and put the lint in there. Doing this means you can just snag your kindling on the way out the door the morning your trip starts.
If you are interested in camping alone or with friends, make sure you have prepared an emergency kit. This kit should contain the basics, but should evolve as you change your camping locations. Take things for specific creatures as well, like antivenom.
Prepare some of the food ahead of time so you will not have to mess around with it at the camp site. Make up some sandwiches, precook the pasta and take along foods that can be eaten as is to make each meal less tedious. Other meals can be enjoyable to prepare in the woods, but some should be ready to go on the days the weather is not perfect.
Camping can be a very nice experience, if you go prepared. In you want to create a great camping trip and know how to plan it, you’re going to have to do some research. You will be a fan of the joys of camping in no time at all with these excellent tips at hand.
