Tricks for Great Camping

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Just like cooking good food, creating a good camping experience that you will remember for years to come is an art. Now that the camping season is at its apex, you have all the reason in the world to start gearing up for the camp you have been planning for quite some time. The cool breeze with the evenings that only get brighter and livelier, the sprouting daffodils and the fresh scent of nature are all more than a clear sign of packing your bags for this camping season. There are a lot of reasons that people find good enough not to go camping such as the ever increasing pressure of work, spending weekends with kids and family, financial limitations to not being aware of where to start from and where to go. There is no end to this list, but when they do eventually spend a weekend camping, the only question that they are left with is why they didn””t do it more often? Camping is indeed that fun, exciting and thrilling. There is no putting into words what nature and fresh air can do for you, inside out. So, there isn””t no need to hold yourself back. Let””s get started with planning the adventure. Preparation and Planning Phase: In the opinion of every successful adventurer, a good getaway, be it camping or any other outdoor activity, boils down to the kind of preparation and planning you did for it. Every time you think of camping, the mind fills up with great intentions to have the best time of your lives, but it takes much more than intentions to convert that into reality. And of course, many of you may be surprised to know, but it does take more than a day, a week and sometimes even a month to plan the perfect trip. What you can do is that while the winter season is on, you can get started with the process of research. The short winter days and the cold, long nights are always the perfect time to look for places you can enjoy the perfect camping during the next summer. You can gather information such as:

• Where to go
• How to get there
• Activities you can do nearby
• Contact people in charge to seek more detailed information
• Check out websites and other booking pitches

The advantage of this beforehand search is that when the time comes, even if you haven””t thought of spending the weekend camping away if you suddenly feel like it, you can get started. The information you gather from this research will be quite helpful for any unplanned camping trip. A better option is to maintain a full-fledged diary where you can document all your research. From jotting down the names of the possible places you can go camping to the dates that you plan to visit them on the diary can be a tell tale of your camping adventures. Camping Gear: No outdoor getaway comes without its set of necessary gear. In fact, the one thing that you must keep in mind is to have the gear all set and ready with you much before you plan to set out camping. Last minute gathering of supplies increases the possibility of missing out on something vital which later translates into a problem. To start with, create a designated space where you can store all the camping gear you have. Don””t keep half of it in your basement, some of it in your room and the rest of it in your garage. It is easy to miss out on stuff when putting everything together at the last moment that way. An even better way is to put it all together and pack it in your Land Rover that you will be driving during the spring and the summer months. You can get some plastic storage boxes and keep some of the items such as clothes, food, cooking equipment and small sleeping bags in it. If you are not putting it in your vehicle right away, then remember where you put it lest you forget to carry essential gear. The moment that you decide that you want to hit the road, the only thing that you should be doing is pack your vehicle, buy some good and get started. You shouldn””t be panicking about where you kept your sleeping bag or where the first aid box is. There is nothing worse than reaching your campsite tired, worked up and then spending the next two hours or so in setting up the campsite, cooking your food and what not. It becomes less of enjoyment and more of a chore then and its easy to start missing the comforts of your home. Strive to achieve a system where you can set everything up in 15 to 20 minutes. If it is your first time camping, then try setting up the tent at home. After a few times of trial and error, you are bound to learn the right tricks which will help you when you finally go to camping. Remember, the less time you spend in setting up the camp, the more time you can enjoy admiring the beauty of nature, the stars in the sky, eating delicious food while sipping on some beer. Now isn””t that what camping is all about? Food: Food is an important, perhaps one of the most critical aspects of any outdoor activity. This is critical mainly because you don””t have the regular grocery stores and the comfort of your kitchen. Your only option is to pack or buy food or to cook on your own or maybe both. It is, however, a great experience, cooking your food when camping but sometimes you may be too tired to set up the fire, the utensils and take out another hour to cook a sumptuous meal. In such cases, if you have a good backup, it can be your savior. MRE or Meals, Ready to Eat is one such option. Different from the regular packaged and canned food that you get in the supermarkets, MREs are healthier, tastier and much more convenient to carry on outdoor trips. MREs are packed in a hermetically sealed environment which prevents any harmful foreign substances to get into the food packets. They have a long shelf life that ranges from 3 days to at least five years. This makes sure that you are eating healthy and edible food. The MREs are ruggedized for rough use and are resistant to any hard impact. So, you don””t have to worry about the bumps on the road playing with the quality of food inside an MRE pack. Most MRE packs come with water cans as well. This way you don””t have to worry about carrying extra water to drink after each meal. MREs are rich in nutrients. A day pack of MRE has 2000 calories that are more than enough to make you feel full and energetic throughout the day, just what you need on an outdoor trip. You don””t need to heat MREs before consuming them. They come with a self-activated heating feature that heats up the food in an instant. Even on a cold night, you are guaranteed a hot and tasty meal. MRE daypacks come with three meals for the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They include beverages, snacks, and desserts. The MRE bags also have utensils that you can dispose of after use. This takes away from the efforts you have to put in the wash the soiled utensils you brought from home. In short, MREs are a complete food package that offers healthy food, nutrition, energy, taste and convenience. Any day you feel like you are not in the mood to cook. All you have to do is open a pack of MRE and enjoy. Top Tent: A good tent is the one that is easy to set up, not just for an experienced camper but also for a novice. Over the last 20 years, tents have evolved a great deal. Nowadays, once you step into the market, you will be overwhelmed by the absolute quantity of tents that are available for you to choose. From polyester, nylon to the traditional heavy canvas, there are a lot of options. Rooftop tents have also gained a lot of popularity, but since they remain in the expensive zone, not many people go for it. Before you decide on anything, you must remember that a good quality tent one of the best investments you will make in your camping trips. Here are a few things you should consider before you pick up your tent:

• Ease of set up
• Weather proofing
• Ventilation
• Size
• The material of the tent: Thicker fabrics are better suited to cooler climates, and thin materials will be better in hotter climates.
• Weight
• Durability
• Stitching quality

Light Arrangement: Another important aspect of our camping preparation is knowing where you will get the light from. During the day, it is all natural but during the nights you need to have a reliable source of light. From flashlights to torches, whatever works for you is fine as long as you have enough of it. If you are going by your vehicle, that can also be used as a source provided it has enough battery or can be charged in case it doesn””t. If you are concerned about draining the power from your starter battery or you do not have a second built in deep cycle battery or access to a power point, then a dual battery system is the solution for you. You can use it to plug in your extra lights or charge your phone and other gadgets. Portable power packs offer a cheaper solution, they just keep on getting smaller and smaller and should not take up much space. Like good wine, camping experiences grow better with time because you learn from the mistakes you made the last time and remember not to repeat them the next time you set out. The more you camp, the more you learn about what works best for you and your vehicle, but the simple rule of packing light is packing right. Preparation is always the key to opening the lock of a happy adventure. Though impulsive plans sound great, they don””t turn out to be even half the fun and this is simply because going camping is not an impulsive decision. Plan well in advance so you can have the fun you dreamt of having.

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