Become One With Nature With These Camping Tips

Your entire family can enjoy camping. It offers a great opportunity to learn about nature and offers great personal reflection time. Taking the time to explore the great outdoors can be rewarding. The following article can provide you with some great tips to ensure your next outdoor trip is a raging success.

When packing for your camping trip, do not forget chairs and a radio. One of the best parts of camping is sitting around the campfire. You could sit on an old log, but why bother when you can pack chairs and be comfortable. The radio is for entertainment sitting around the fire. An even better idea is to bring your guitar for a sing along.

When collecting wood for a campfire, focus on three different sizes: the finger-size wood, that will catch fire right away, the arm-size wood that will keep it going, and the leg-size wood that will allow you to keep the fire going for a long time. Getting different sizes of wood helps you to start the fire and keep it going.

Avoid any wildlife you may come into contact with. Bears have become a fairly large problem with campers. In some parks they have been known to rip open the trunk of a car to gain access to food. Raccoons are also a big problem in many campgrounds. Not only are they smart and can gain access to your food supplies easily, but they can carry disease as well.

If you are a camping amateur, keep your camping adventure near your home. This is so you can easily get home if you don't enjoy your camping experience. Other problems can be food shortage or inadequate clothing. There are many unexpected problems you may encounter the first time you go camping, so stay close to home.

While you have this vision of a fun-filled camping trip, many times scrapes and cuts just seem to come with all that fun. Be sure you take a first-aid kit with you into nature because accidents just happen, and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, it will stay packed safely away, but you will have the peace of mind that you are prepared if something does happen.

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.

Make a list of things you need to take with you before you go camping. You may think you are great at packing, but little else is worse than being out in the middle of the woods and realizing you forgot your allergy medication. Sit down and create a comprehensive list of everything you might need during the week before your camping trip.

Camping in the wilderness alone is one of the most dangerous things that you can do. It is essential that you always bring at least one friend with you unless you are incredibly knowledgeable about the wilderness. Additionally, bringing several friends with multiple tents is the ideal situation, but this is not always possible.

Unless you are going to be spending a significant amount of time camping, buying expensive sleeping bags is really unnecessary. Even if your old and musty sleeping bag is rated for below freezing temperatures, it is excellent padding for the ground even heavy duty tent fabric when it is hot outside and you will feel comfortable sleeping on it.

Anytime you are camping in a location that features hazardous animals, you must take extra care in terms of food storage. You must wrap everything up tight, store it away from your tent and do not take certain types of food with you. Making sure to do this, will lessen any chance of a wild animal attack.

If you are camping outdoors instead of in a travel trailer or RV, it is important to dress in (or carry with you) layers of clothing. While on a camping trip, temperatures can fluctuate widely. The easiest and most effective method to control your body temperature is through adding and removing layers of clothing. Having layers of clothing also protects you from bug bites.

You should bring food on your camping trips. You should plan out what and how many meals you plan on eating before going on your trip. As far as how much food you should bring, a good rule of thumb is to only carry the amount of food that you need to prepare your meals.

Try to refrain from draining your flashlight when camping. You can easily turn on the flashlight while searching through bags and equipment. Keep your flashlight in a secure place to avoid accidentally turning them on. That way, the flashlight cannot possibly drain the batteries if the ON button is bumped.

Ensure that you clean your campsite up whenever you finish using it. Pick up any piece of trash you can find. This is just common courtesy for the people who will be using it whenever you finish. You would want and expect the same thing in return from other people.

If you are taking your children camping with you, don't forget to take walkie talkies along with you. Although each of you may own a cell phone, the area where you are camping may not have adequate coverage. It is best to invest in walkie talkies that have a range of several miles. By having walkie talkies or Family Radio Service (FRS) radio, you can remain in contact with all members of your family.

A common mistake with newer campers is to set their site up near bathrooms. It may be convenient in some ways, but there are a lot of issues with that. Bathrooms attract many people and also end up lit up at night. Thus the strategy of camping out close to the restrooms ultimately backfires.

Be prepared if you get lost on a camping trip. You should know how to use a map, compass, and GPS device before leaving for your trip. You should also keep these on your person during your trip. If you stray too far from your campsite, these items can help you get back quickly and safely.

For quick and easy lantern hanging, bring along a wire hanger on your next camping trip! Simply bend it into an "S" shape when you are ready to settle in at your site, and hook the handle from the lantern on. The flexible hanger will allow for sturdy positioning at a safe level.

You are now armed with the information you need to plan a successful trip. Whether you are planning an overnight trip or a week long adventure, many of the same items are required. Even if your trip is still in the future, this research can help make planning your trip much easier.