Having fun at the lake.

Reason #1: To teach skills they can’t get otherwise.

You don’t have to be a Boy Scout troop leader in order to relate some of the great skills that camping can teach. One single camping trip can include skills like fire-starting, cooking, setting up campsites, fishing, swimming, rope-tying, and hiking. In other words, it’s a great way to learn some basic survival skills. Maybe your children won’t ever need to use these skills, but it’s a nice thing to pass on anyway. You don’t want to lose touch with nature, and staying out under the stars for a few nights is all it takes to feel comfortable outdoors again.

Reason #2: Confidence-building.

As a child learns how to be self-sufficient, they also learn confidence. Why? Because if they know they can handle themselves in the wilderness, they’ll learn that they can trust their own skills and instincts. This is a crucial way to build self-confidence and is employed by the Boy Scouts. Sometimes we forget just how easy we have it in a world of air-conditioning and indoor heating that we forget the innate value of self-sufficiency and what it does for our self-esteem.

Reason #3: It’s fun without the consequences.

What does that mean? Well, a year’s worth of video games might not always have the most positive effect on your child’s health. But activities you can do outdoors are almost always healthy and help build their level of fitness. This doesn’t mean you have to tackle an obstacle course when you’re out camping – simply being outside will include walking, jogging, and moving around that you can’t always get indoors. Video games are fun, too, but they can take their toll on the body. The more you can get your kids to play outdoors, the better.

Are these the only reasons to take your kids camping? Of course not. But if you take a trip soon, you’ll start to learn that your family has its own individual reasons for heading into the great outdoors.

Photo Credits: RichardBH

How do you pick a campsite out?

So you’ve just decided to going camping with your family, but wait, where is the best spot to set up camp? A properly picked campsite can make your family outing much more enjoyable and perhaps you will find a great spot that will become a traditional spot where your family camps every year. So how do you find that camp spot? This article will provide you with a few tips to find that elusive campsite.

1) Ask.

This is such simple advice that it’s often overlooked, but a good recommendation from other longtime campers could be the easiest way to find a great spot. If you’re camping in a park make sure you ask any professional questions like “What spot do you think would be good for my family?” or “What places have you recommended to other families before?” It’s also worth noting that internet forums and books are great tools for researching and making a decision.

2) Remember Your Needs.

This tip may not directly help you choose a new campsite, but it will help to narrow down your list. It’s very important that you consider any needs that your family has and choose your campsite accordingly. If it’s important that you can look up and see the constellations, try to choose a spot where there aren’t as many trees or obstructions in your way. Essentially you’re a choosing a campsite based on the interests of your family or group. This will make locating and traversing to your daily activities much easier. Also consider any medical needs, you may want to camp closer to outside assistance of any friend/family has a serious medical condition.

3) Watch The Forecast.

The weather may not always be a factor, but you should also pay attention to the forecast when choosing your campsite. If it’s going to rain, a campsite under the shelter of trees would be preferred to a wide open field. It’s also important to note that during the winter seasons the weather can pose dangerous to you and your family. If the forecast predicts large amounts of snow, it’s important that you and your family remain close to outside assistance in case of an emergency.

Choosing your campsite can prove to be a daunting task, but it becomes much easy when you’re able to eliminate a few of your options. Just remember when choosing to pay special attention to the needs of the people you’re camping with, and extraneous factors such as the weather and park conditions.

Photo Credits: species_snob

Are you a heavy or light backpacker?

If you want to learn more about yourself as a backpacker, you’re going to have to tackle two different ways of learning: experience and experimentation. You never learn anything unless you actually do it, and in order to do something, you’ve got to take a leap of faith and actually experiment.

For those of you light packers out there, how many times have you actually gone backpacking without your light equipment? Is there better equipment out there that improves the quality of life you have when you’re backpacking?

Some people believe that packing light for hiking and backpacking is a great idea. But they don’t think it’s because you should pack light, it’s that you should pack next to nothing at all! Survivalists are people who enter the wilderness, striving to learn how to live by their wits and skills alone (with perhaps a tool or two). Although this skill certainly isn’t easy to learn, it can be easy to maintain with experience.

What kind of backpacker or hiker are you? Are you able to point to an experience in your life where you can definitely say “This is why I know the other way of doing it is wrong”? Have you given another way of doing things an honest try?

If you want to backpack more often, you should learn the many different skills that come with backpacking, not just a specific way of doing things. After all, isn’t the fun of backpacking the novelty of creating new experienced and seeing land you’ve never seen before? Why not blaze a few new trails?

Photo Credits: thechosenrebel

Is deep-sea fishing for you?

There are some downsides to deep-sea fishing, however. The first is the cost – a great experience out on a boat doesn’t come cheap. Usually, you’ll be chartering a boat from the captain, who will be able to do much of the work for you while letting you reel in the big one. You’ll also be out on the water for hours at a time, which means that you’re essentially buying a large portion of the captain’s day.

If you’re not careful, there are some other potential problems – sunburn and dehydration. When you’re surrounded by water, it can sometimes be easy to forget that you need to keep drinking plenty of it (just not the saltwater, of course!). Keep hydrated, fed, and make sure that you keep on plenty of sunscreen.

Is deep-sea fishing for you? It may take a couple of times to really understand if you want to do it again. But if you have the right captain, you should be able to make some great catches and take pictures that can last a lifetime.

Photo Credits: Hello Daly

Go out and hike!

There’s No Training Like the Real Thing

You might be putting in extra hours at the office in order to make sure that you can have this extended hiking trip, but that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze in a few hiking jaunts on your own. If you can, bring your spouse on these hiking trips so that you both receive the benefits. If you venture out alone, make sure you don’t venture far off the beaten path – your goal is simply to re-acquaint yourself with the experience of hiking. If you must have adventure, make sure you bring equipment like a compass and GPS device.

Training Near or At Home

Of course, it’s not always possible to get out there and hike in the woods. How should you exercise and prepare today?

First, take a look at your daily routine. Whether you’re sitting on the couch all day or simply taking a daily walk, you might want to change things up to better reflect what you’ll be doing on your trip. If you’ve been avoiding that big hill on your walk, it’s time to take on the challenge. If your treadmill has an incline feature, be sure to make avid use of it.

Second, make sure you feel okay about leaving indoor civilization for hours at a time, even if your exercise routine keeps you on the treadmill. Ask yourself what you’d need to feel comfortable: plenty of water and snacks, sure. But also remember that on your hiking trip, you’ll want to bring gadgets like binoculars and a digital camera. Most importantly: be cautious and safe, and you should have plenty of fun.

Photo Credits: tricky â„¢

Lost GPS

Today, with Global Positioning System (GPS) gadgets still a new technology, many people are unaware that GPS wasn’t only meant for the open road. It can be used while hiking or camping, and can even help you from being lost when there are no roads or highways nearby.

How is that possible? Portable GPS’s can track your journey, leaving a trail of digital breadcrumbs that keep you secure even on deep-woods adventures.

Here are some of the top strategies for using GPS on the camping trail:

• Plan in advance – Some GPS systems, like the Suunto X10 GPS watch, allow you to coordinate your GPS map with a map on Google, giving you an advanced knowledge of the track you’ll be heading on. You can also cross-section this map with Google Earth so that you have a better idea of the terrain and environment you’ll expect.Planning in advance is always crucial to having a good time when you’re camping and hiking. If you’re planning on exploring deep into the woods or wilderness, you would do good to prepare your general track by merging your computer with your GPS for an advanced map.
• Keep an eye on the weather – Some GPS devices (including the Suunto X10 GPS watch) allow you to monitor the weather before it happens. If a storm is coming, you should know about it before you see it on the horizon, or before you watch the skies turn grey. The GPS extends your “inner meteorologist” and gives you added technology – such as a barometer – to assist you in watching the weather. While this obviously has implications for your cmaping or hiking trip, it’s useful for a variety of other outdoor activities, as well; especially if you don’t have the internet or a TV to access.
• Watching your time and distance – Especially useful for runners and hikers, keeping a track of your distance is great for athletic endeavors, as you’ll be able to monitor exactly how long it took you to walk, hike, or run how many miles.This allows you to monitor your distance, for example, even if you feel like taking a side jaunt somewhere else entirely. If you have your ideal 10k run mapped out somewhere, and need to take a detour, you’d still be able to keep an eye on the distance you’ve traveled.

These are just three of the strategies you could employ while using your GPS watch or other GPS device while outdoors. Much like a GPS navigation system will help prevent you from ever getting lost in the car, today’s technology can even help you from getting lost in the woods. You’ll be able to monitor weather, altitude, and other variables that let you know about the skies you’re hiking or camping under, and you’ll find yourself having a better time for it.

Backpacking Gear

• A Water Filter – Bringing a water filter, especially as you travel along a lake, river, or stream, will be greatly beneficial. Why? It reduces the excess energy you’ll have to spend preparing to filter water while keeping you adaptable. After oxygen, water is the most essential compound we need to get our bodies going: do you want to be ready when your bottle runs out?

  Keep in mind that many water filters are not very heavy. They might take up a little more space than you’d like, but the trade-off is more than worth it.

• Proper shoes/boots – Since you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet, you won’t want to break in a new pair of shoes or boots the moment you decide to go backpacking. Instead, you’ll want some comfortable shoes that have already been broken in, and shoes that you know you can rely on after all of the wear and tear that walking in the wild is bound to bring them. Having your feet well taken care of is also an integral way to keep your spirits up well after you have started your backpacking trip.
• A Swiss Army Knife – We all know about the practicality of a Swiss Army Knife, so why is it so especially important that you bring one along with you while backpacking? Putting the practicality aside, a Swiss Army Knife is tiny, lightweight, and won’t take up the kind of space some of your other tools will. Some people even clip their knives or include them on their keychain. Besides, you never know when it will come in handy.
• The proper “living” equipment – If you’re backpacking out in the wild and plan on spending more than a few nights out under the stars, you’ll need to remain both comfortable and warm. Both are integral to getting a good night’s sleep, which will be even more important when you’re out backpacking throughout the day. Bring a small, lightweight sleeping bag that covers your body and traps heat well, as well as a pan for cooking.

When filling your backpack, keep these essential items in mind so you know what to be prepared for – and how to pack it light.

Hike in Comfort

That’s why you’ll want to start getting your feet ready today. With these five tips, you’ll build up both foot muscle and skin strength so that you can enjoy the hiking trip for the fresh air and views without thinking about your feet.

1. Walk barefoot as much as possible going into the trip.

Many of us walk around with socks and sandals, even around the house, and while this makes us more comfortable, it doesn’t exactly put a lot of stress on the feet. Why is this a bad thing? You want to put a little stress on them to get them stronger and work them up to a toughness that you’ll need once you finally hit the outdoors.

2. Trim your nails and check for possible ingrown nails.

Toenails grow slowly, so it’s sometimes tempting to ignore them. But before you go hiking, trimming your nails will help you to avoid jamming them and breaking them. Check for ingrown nails as well – if your toes look clear and are pain-free, chances are you don’t have any. Get your toenails round and short.

3. Exercise with your feet.

Even a little bit of walking every day will help you get your feet used to activity. For the more ambitious, you could try small hikes and jogs, but as long as you’re working out and using those feet muscles, you should be pretty good.

4. Wear comfortable, thick socks.

This can go without saying, but it’s worth the reminder: socks are crucial to keeping your feet comfortable. Test out a few before going and make sure they don’t hole up easily. You might even test them by going outside and using them – just make sure to wash them again!

5. Make sure your shoes are comfortable.

This will depend on your feet type and the type of terrain you plan on tackling, but if you have a pair of shoes or boots that you’ve taken hiking before and don’t put unnecessary strain on your feet, you’re off to a good start. Don’t bring a brand new pair of shoes on your hiking trip, as these sometimes need “breaking in” time and can give your feet blisters.

Photo Credits: David Plotzki

Give others space.

1. Give other fishers their space. Fishing is often a territorial sport, so if you crowd another fisherman or bring your boat too close to theirs, you’re being obnoxious. You’re also being dangerous, as you want to keep plenty of space between each boat. Some potential consequences to fishing too close together can include scaring away the fish they were trying to catch and creating a wavey wake that throws the other fisherman off their balance. Be sure to keep your distance.

3. Throw a few back. Don’t come into their lake and catch up all the fish. You might think this makes you look good in front of other fisherman, but they’ll only resent you for showing them up. Be sure to throw a few fish back – including some large ones if you have caught some already – to keep the sport in the area alive.

4. Respect the professionals. If you’re in an area where there are professional fisherman around, be sure to give them plenty of space out of respect for their livelihood. This doesn’t always apply to inland lakes, but in coastal areas, you’ll see a lot of commercial fishing boats and you don’t want to get in the way of them and putting food on their family’s table.

5. When in doubt, think. If you’re getting glares, ask yourself, “would I be annoyed if I were them?” Try to put yourself in their shoes and see if your behavior’s been obnoxious. You can’t please everybody all the time, but you can work to be more thoughtful.

Photo Credits: bugeaters

Short camping trip or long camping trip?

Time Off

When you go camping for a vacation, it can make a great vacation, but it’s still a vacation. That means you have to take time off of work, plan to take your family traveling, and manage all of your affairs so you can have the week off. No problem, right? For many people, this is an ideal situation, and if you love camping vacations, there’s no reason to stop now.

Your Level of Expertise

Unless you plan on renting an RV for your entire camping trip, your level of camping expertise will have a dramatic effect on your ability to camp for a week. If you’ve never gone camping before, you can expect to meet a few surprises throughout the week. They won’t all be pleasant ones. Camping is a skill, and if you decide to match your wits against nature for the first time over one week, you may find that nature often wins.

What’s a great way to build this skill? Camping overnight on the weekends until you feel comfortable building fires, setting up camp, and cooking your food.

If, however, you know that your level of expertise is more advanced, you can have a great time vacationing all week – and in fact may find that’s the only way to camp for you.

What works best for you? A true camping enthusiast may find that including both overnight camping on the weekends and week-long camping vacations is the best way to go, and the only way to continue to get your fix!

Photo Credits: ames sf