What is real camping?
Camping is a wonderful and magical time where you and your friends can enjoy the great outdoors. The advantages include time away from the hustle and bustle of cities for a slower pace of life for a weekend, enjoying the simple pleasures in life. To make the most of your next camping trip, read on into the following paragraphs.
Did you know that a simple mirror can save your life? If you are camping and end up in a survival situation, a simple hand held mirror can be used to signal for help many miles away. Do not buy the standard glass mirror, many camping supply stores sell mirrors made of Lexan that will float and are practically unbreakable.
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.
Make sure that you avoid any venomous plants. A good way to do this is to stop at the ranger station and ask what kinds of poisonous plants are in the area so you can identify them if you come into contact with them on the trail. Never eat anything while hiking on the trail if you do not know it is edible.
While camping, cook easy dinners like "hobo stew". Simply bring potatoes, ground meat, and veggies. Cut the veggies and potatoes at your campsite. Using tinfoil like a bowl, put the ingredients inside and fold the foil over until the food is covered. Place foil on hot rocks or the coals of the campfire, and eventually you will have a tasty "stew".
One of the most important things to remember when camping is to keep yourself relaxed. The entire point of a camping trip is to get away, so if you are finding yourself stressed by something, leave it alone and go enjoy nature until you are able to calm down. This will keep you happy and safe.
Be sure to bring a supply of oranges with you on your trip; they are both healthy and keep mosquitoes away. Use the discarded peels to rub your exposed skin, and the insects will stay away from you.
If you'd like to prevent mosquito bites, but want to avoid using harsh chemicals, use an orange peel instead. Rub the orange peel over exposed areas of the skin, such as the neck, arms, face and legs to naturally repel mosquitoes. Not only will the orange peels feel better on your skin than traditional urt tent repelling chemicals, but they will smell better, too!
Take along things to do while you are in the wild. You can take card games, a list for a scavenger hunt, and fishing poles for some entertainment. If you have kids going with you, you may want to go a little overboard with the things you take for entertainment.
Oranges will not only fill you up, but they'll keep mosquitoes away. After you have eaten the orange, rub the peel onto exposed body parts and this will repel any blood-sucking bugs.
Kids love camping, especially when you plan activities that they can do. If you're settled among the trees, they may become bored. They have probably never fished or set up tents. Teach them the basics of these activities before leaving for your trip, especially if they don't have lots of outdoor experience.
If you have a young child with you, do the math in advance with respect to how much baby food or formula they will need. Make sure you have supplies for them that will last the entire length of your trip. There are no guarantees that a store near your campsite will have these items or will have the type of items that you want.
If your children are with you, establish a daily routine early on. This will help them adjust to their new surroundings and have a good time. Try to stick to a certain bedtime and eat your meals at about the same time each day. Your kids will be happier, and you will be as well.
If the area you are camping in is known for dangerous wildlife, you will need to be doubly careful with food storage. This means to wrap things up as tight as possible, keeping things away from your shelter and avoiding certain foods altogether. This will reduce the likelihood of experiencing an attack.
Do not take anything that belongs in nature with you when you leave. Have fun and take pictures, but when you are loading up the car, make sure rocks, pinecones and other objects remain where they are. This is one of the unspoken rules of camping. Everyone should have the same opportunity to enjoy these things.
An easy, yet often forgotten tip is to find shelter before it gets dark. When it's dark, it's hard to pitch your tent. You need to make a fire or use a flashlight. It is simply much easier to do this while the sun is still out so that you are all set whenever it gets dark.
Pack mindfully and appropriately. List all of the supplies that you need so that you are not missing anything while on the trip. This is crucial if you are camping in an area that is remote and has limited access to emergency assistance.
If you're outside in cold weather, keep warm by wearing layered clothing. Not only, can adding more layers make you warmer, but you can easily remove layers if the temperature rises later. Multiple layer's trap heat in between each piece, which will prevent you from losing heat. Try bringing thermal underwear, turtlenecks, sweaters, gloves, coats, and boots on your trip.
So many people suffer from food poisoning because food is not stored and prepared correctly. When food is not properly preserved, it can increase the risk of becoming spoiled and make you sick. Take a lot of ice for keeping food cold and pull out drain plugs so you don't soak the food.
Camping means you and your family and friends can get some time both outdoors and away from the modern world, with all its stress, hectic pace and technology. When you keep in mind all the tips from this article, you can sleep in your tent in peace, knowing all your bases are covered.