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Sleeping in Style on the Campsite
Anyone who has ever gone camping before knows that when dawn hits, there’s only one thought on your mind: the quality of your sleep. Sleeping uncomfortably on the ground can be torture throughout the night, not only causing you pain but taking away from precious hours of energy-replenishing sleep.
That’s why it’s important to plan for a good night’s sleep even before you head out into the woods, particularly if you plan on sleeping on a good-sized tent that will protect you from the elements and give you your own “room” outdoors.
First, if you plan on sleeping in style, you’ve got to have a good foundation for a comfortable night’s sleep. In other words, you absolutely have to have something buffering between your bones and the ground.
An air mattress is ideal for this kind of buffer: not only will it provide you with the same kind of comfort that you might get indoors, but they pack into smaller spaces when deflated, much like a sleeping bag.Of course, for those of you who have used an air mattress before, you might be rolling your eyes and saying “an air mattress? How will I ever fill it with air in time to get a good night’s sleep?” The answer? Go online to find the Coleman Quick Pump. Simply fill it with batteries and the air will flow automatically into your air mattress. Voila.
You can’t simply rest on an air mattress all night and expect a decent night’s sleep, however, particularly if you’re in a northern state. In the northern states, the temperature can drop unexpectedly even on summer nights.
It’s tempting to bring extra sheets and blankets, but this might add unnecessary bulk to your load. Instead, simply use a zip-able sleeping bag and unzip it over your mattress. You’ll receive the coverage of a normal blanket with the insulation of a sleeping bag.
As for pillows, this one is up to you. You can bring a pillow from home if you have the room for it, but some air mattresses will also come with inflatable pillows that will be easier to pack. If you’re someone who can’t live without their pillow made from Down, this might be an indulgence you won’t want to leave at home.
Remember to plan your entire camping experience ahead of time so that you have the equipment and know-how for some rustic fun without the discomforts of being outdoors.
Photo Credits: kysbydabeach
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How to Build the Ideal Campfire – Part II
In Part I of this series on how to create the ideal campfire, we spent most of our time looking at site preparation and planting a good foundation for the fire. Up to this stage, you should have a neat, shallow, but large hole in the ground surrounded by rocks, as well as a pile of dirt nearby and a bucket of water for fire extinguishing.
In this article, we’ll finally get down to the fire itself, taking advantage of our well-place foundation to make one spectacular (and practical) campfire.
Keep in mind the tools to have handy: A bucket of water, a shovel, matcher/lighter.
First, you’re going to need to gather wood, but before you even do that, you have to know what kind of wood to look for.
Understand the ideal structure of a fire: a lower layer of tinder, such as dry grass or shredded paper, a middle layer of small sticks, and an upper layer of larger wood that will keep you fire going. When you look for wood, you’re going to have to look for all three different types in order to structure your fire properly.
Gather these types of wood, avoiding “alive” limbs and branches as much as possible – they don’t burn as well as dead or “free” wood. Gather more than you think you need, because there’s a good chance you might underestimate how far your wood will stretch.Once you have plenty of each type of wood (you’ll particularly want plenty of small sticks for the middle layer), it’s time to build the structure itself. A tee pee shape is usually recommended, especially if you have longer sticks that can stretch out for a nice, wide fire. This structure allows you to easily pile tinder low and place sticks over it, allowing the wood to rest on other pieces of wood.
This shape is also ideal because it will allow plenty of air for the fire to consume and a natural progression of tinder to wood that makes for a quick-developing, long-lasting fire.
Once you have plenty of tinder and your structure in place, simply light a match or hit a lighter and get your tinder burning well. The fire from your tinder should be in direct contact with the smaller sticks of the next layer, which in turn should start burning and heating the larger logs.
Before you know it, you’ll have a great campfire that burns high, wide, and long! Set a cooking tripod over it for well-cooked hot dogs or find some more branches for roasting marshmellows, and enjoy.
Photo Credits: independentman
