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Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors

By Brian on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 | No Comments

By Gray Rollins

Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and bring the family together. There are many places you can go to hike, canoe or sightsee. Having the correct camping gear will help make your experience more fun and ensure you are not caught in situations without the proper equipment. Before embarking on your trip, make a list of all supplies you need to ensure everything is packed and ready to go.

Sleeping Arrangements

Decide whether you want to rent an RV, pop-up camper, or use a tent. Using a tent is a fun and inexpensive way to get back to nature. Tents are available at most sporting good stores and can also be found at discount stores. They are easy to set up and are a great way to spend a bit of time bonding when you first get to the camp area. Choose tents that are water resistant, but also bring along a large waterproof tarp to hang over the tent in case there is a lot of rain. Get sleeping bags that are warm and the right size to comfortably fit the individual. Sleeping mats, air mattresses, or folding cots that go under the bag are ways to make sleeping more comfortable. If you opt for an RV or camper, these can be a bit pricier but will better protect you from the elements and will also provide other amenities such as beds, a stove and a refrigerator.

Attire and Food

Do not pack a lot of clothing as space is limited. Choose warm, water resistant clothing and good shoes or hiking boots. Pack several pairs of socks and bring both cool and warm weather clothing even if you are camping in summer. It often gets chilly in the evening. Make sure you have hats and sunglasses to protect you from the sun. Bring coolers to store food and beverages. Pack plenty of water and snacks such as trail mix that will give you energy and are easy to eat.

Supplies

Backpacks will help carry food and water during trips outside the camping areas. Do not pack them too heavily as you may be wearing them for long periods of time. Pack a compass so you can gauge where you are in case you get lost. A flashlight is helpful in case of an emergency or to see at night. Make sure to pack any cookware needed for campfire meals. A tripod that goes over your campfire is a great cooking tool, and the best pans for cooking over a campfire are cast iron. Cast iron is heavy though. If you are going to be doing a lot of hiking and are going to be carrying all your gear, purchase a lightweight cooking vessel. A Swiss Army knife can be handy for many tasks including cutting twigs for a fire or roasting marshmallows. Waterproof matches will help light fires and can be used even if it is rainy. A walking stick can be useful on hikes to help ascend steep slopes and combat fatigue.

Safety

Bring sunscreen and insect repellant to protect you from sun and pests. Apply often for maximum protection. Depending on where you will be camping, you may want to invest in bear spray. This is similar to pepper spray for people but is more powerful. A first aid kit is essential and should never be forgotten. Make sure it is fully supplied. These are available pre-made at many sporting good stores and can also be found in pharmacies. You should also carry plenty of rope. A cellular phone may not always get reception but it is advisable to have one just in case.

Camping is a fun way to spend quality family time. Always make sure you are prepared for emergencies and changes in climate. Keep the bulk of supplies at your campsite and take only what is needed, including emergency supplies, on short treks. Use backpacks to carry food, water and first aid items.

About the Author: Gray Rollins is a featured writer for DreamCamping.com. To learn more camping gear and about camping and hiking equipment, please visit our site.

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Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=37987&ca=Recreation

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Night Hiking And Other Backpacking Ideas

By Brian on Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 | No Comments

By Steve Gillman

What do you do when you need to be home instead of backpacking? Dream up new ways to backpack and new ideas for backpacking gear. Here are some of my most recent backpacking ideas for products and techniques.

New Backpacking Ideas – Products

Swamp cooler t-shirt. This is for hot desert hiking. Just soaking your shirt in a stream and wearing it wet is a great way to keep cool from the evaporative effect, but twenty minutes later you are far from the stream and the shirt is dry. The idea here, then, is a shirt that has water bags attached. Once filled, they slowly leak the water into the fabric of the shirt, keeping you cool for hours.

Solid fuel fire starter sticks. Add a strike-anywhere match head to army fuel sticks and you have an instant fire starter. It would be something like a mini emergency flare.

Rain cape tarp. Not of a poncho, but a tarp that has a chin strap and a few velcro attachments down one side. It would be cheaper and simpler to manufacture, and easier to actually use as a tarp. It would also easily cover you and your backpack. If you have ever held a rectangular tarp around you and over your head to keep the rain off, you get the idea.

Disposable water container. The idea here is to have a water container for those long hikes in the desert when you need to carry extra water. When you have used it up, the container, which is made of wax paper, doubles as a good fire starter, eliminating its weight from your pack. Existing waxed milk and orange juice cartons could be used for this.

Backpacking Ideas – Techniques

Create body heat. You can carry less cold weather wear and sleeping gear if you have more body heat. To create more, eat fats before going to sleep. Fats create heat when they are digested (this is why eating whale blubber helps Eskimos stay warm). Corn chips are oily enough to help if you can’t stomach a half cup of olive oil before bedtime.

Air conditioning your tent. On hot and dry days, try wetting any large piece of cloth in the nearest stream and laying it over the roof of your tent. The evaporative cooling can lower the interior temperature of the tent by ten degrees. If you are using a shirt or other clothing that you’ll be needing, allow enough time before dark for it to dry completely.

Night hiking. I purposely planned a five-day backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas to coincide with the full moon. Each night I slept until the cold bothered me, then easily hiked through the rest of the night by moonlight. It got to carry a lighter sleeping bag, and it was a unique experience – one of those backpacking ideas I had wanted to try for a while. However, it did mean taking a leisurely nap in the sun every afternoon.

About the Author: Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His tips, photos, gear recommendations, and a free book can be found at http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=49635&ca=Recreation

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Tips to Ensure Comfortable Backpacking

By Brian on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 | No Comments

By Benedict Smythe

Backpacking basically refers to a combination of hiking and camping. Such activity is very popular as a prime bonding activity for family, friends, acquaintances, organizations, and other groups. If you are planning to go backpacking anytime soon, below are some useful tips that you should consider.

a. When preparing for your backpacking activity, keep in mind that you will have to endure longs walks uphill before you can actually set up camp. That is why you have to pack light weight materials.

b. In choosing your camping materials, make sure that you prioritize size and weight along with durability and quality. If you are planning to be a regular backpacker, do not hesitate to invest on your camping gears because such will keep your camping adventure comfortable and productive.

c. When deciding on whether you should bring a gear or not, you should consider the central question of whether you can actually do without the particular item. If you can, then it will be best if you just leave it behind.

d. Remember that your prime consideration for your luggage is the weight. Make sure that when you pack your things, the most necessary tools are placed on top. This way, you can easily find them whenever you need such things while you are hiking on the way to the camping site.

e. When packing your things, make sure that your back pack is balanced. The sleeping bag usually goes at the bottom of your backpack. Make sure that there is a skeletal structure for your pack. The heavy items usually account for the balance and form of your pack.

f. When choosing which clothes to bring during your backpacking activity, pick those that are very lightweight and those that can dry quickly. This way, you can easily wash and use your clothes during the trip without having to worry about carrying heavy or wet clothing.

g. If you want to make your backpacking trip fun, then you should bring adequate beverages. Make sure that you won’t forget water bottles so you can prevent dehydration while you are on your hike. If there’s a reliable fresh water source on your foot trail or near your camping site, bring iodine tablet. Such can be used for to ensure that the water is free from damaging microbes.

h. In packing food, pick those that are light weight as well. Opt for those foods that you can easily cook with a camp fire. Most of the time, campers bring canned tuna, bread, hotdogs, and chicken.

i. Be ready for bad weather conditions. Make sure that you always pack milkweed fuzz and moss. Aside from your regular dry woods and match sticks, these things will help you make fire even in cold weather conditions.

j. When choosing a tent, opt for those that are made out of nylon. These tents are far more lightweight that those made of cotton or canvass. As for the sleeping bags, choose those that have down insulation. These bags are far more lightweight and compressible than the other types.

k. Regardless of how much you want to keep your backpack lightweight, never forget to carry your first aid kit. Forgetting the kit may lead to hazards during unexpected circumstances. Having a kit makes you a bit prepared.

About the Author: Springfields Army Surplus store is a leading online store for camping equipment. Partingtons Caravan Parks provide an excellent alternative to camping sites.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=312792&ca=Recreation

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Lightweight Backpacking – Ten Tips

By Brian on Friday, October 7th, 2011 | No Comments

By Steve Gillman

Lightweight backpacking or the even lighter version called ultralight backpacking is about going more comfortably. The whole point of cutting the weight is to be able to enjoy the hiking more. Thus even though a tarp weighs less than a tent, if a tent is more comfortable for you, you should bring one – just look for a lighter one. Here are ten tips you can use to lighten your load. Use the ones that work for you.

1. If the rain fly on your tent weighs more than 12 ounces, consider getting a light tarp to pitch the tent under instead. You might save weight and also have a “roof” over your entrance area. You also can keep the tent drier when setting up in the rain, because you’ll pitch the tarp first and then set up the tent under it.

2. On summer nights, you can wear clothes to sleep and use just a sleeping bag liner instead of a sleeping bag. I have done this and slept comfortably on cool nights with just a 5-ounce liner.

3. Trim your closed-cell pad so it covers just all the pressure points, from your hips to your shoulders. Doing this took mine down from 12 ounces to 4, without much loss in actual insulating ability (I throw my pack under my feet at night). Two of these mini-pads stacked up will keep you more comfortable than one regular, and even then save you 4 ounces.

4. Keeping the contents of your backpack waterproof with several plastic bags will save as much as five ounces over using a pack cover over the outside of the pack.

5. Ever fight with the zippers on those convertible hiking pants/shorts? Skip the convertible pants. Bringing both lightweight nylon-derivative hiking pants (8 ounces) and unlined nylon shorts (2 ounces) will give you the same flexibility for less weight and trouble.

6. The lightest sweater or insulating layer? I used a homemade insulating vest for years, even though I made it as a disposable one. It was simply poly batting, the kind that comes in a roll for making quilts or pillows. Cut a piece about 18 inches by 48 inches, then cut out a hole for your head. It is worn like a tunic, under a jacket or other layer. Lots of insulation for 4 ounces.

7. With underwear, pants, and long underwear, It is often uncomfortably crowded in there. Try cutting apart an old pair of long underwear so you can use just the legs. They need to cling sufficiently to stay up, of course. This may reduce the weight by a couple ounces and make you more comfortable.

8. You can carry less water if you know an area well, or learn beforehand where you will be able to refill your water bottles. In some areas water is so frequent that there is no need to carry more than a pint of water with you at any time.

9. The most obvious way to reduce the weight of a backpacking stove is to not bring one. This may be a problem for you or not. Personally, I rarely cook on a backpacking trip. There are many tasty foods that don’t need cooking. This saves not just the weight of the stove, but also the fuel and the pot.

10. For an easy pillow at no extra weight, use your sleeping bag stuff sack. Just fill it with any extra clothes you have and fold the end over.

About the Author: Copyright Steve Gillman. To get the ebook “Ultralight Backpacking Secrets (And Wilderness Survival Tips)” for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wilderness survival section, visit: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=116083&ca=Travel

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