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How to Make Your Camping Trip More Exciting
Camping trips are meant to be exciting whether you’re going with your family or with a group of friends. Whether your group is adventurous or just looking to brave the outdoors there is something for everyone. If you’re off to a bad start though, what can you do to make your camping trip more exciting? This article will list a few ideas that can get your camping trip back on the right track.
Go Exploring
If you’re already at the campsite what’s stopping you from going to explore the wilderness? You never know what you may find out there and it’s a good way to take your mind off any hardships you may be facing. It’s amazing how even the smallest discovery can be exciting when you’re out camping with a group of friends. It’s important that when you go out exploring that you at least bring other person with you in case you get lost. Two heads are better than one when trying to find your way back!
Play Games
Making up different games is half the fun when you’re out camping with your friends and family. There are all sorts of games that you can come up with using the environment that you may have found, whether that is trees or a lake. From freeze tag to racing the woods is a great environment to play all sorts of games. Try to keep them safe because it could be very easy to hurt yourself in the woods, especially if you’re playing in the water.
Try To Rough It
Many people like to rough the great outdoors when they go camping. To them this can either mean being completely helpless to just have to catch your own dinner, whether that is a fish or whatever. This creates a sense of isolation; some people love this feeling because camping is a way to get away from the hustle and bustle everyday life.
Look For Wildlife
Looking for animals is great fun in the woods because often times they’re smart enough to stay away from you making it hard for to observe them. This can even be turned into a competition of who can find whatever animal first. It’s important that if you do seek out wildlife that you don’t anger it. Even the smallest animals can be dangerous if they attack you, especially if you don’t have the proper first aid.
Remember, camping trips are meant to be exciting, don’t just go outside put up the tent and go to sleep. Try to have some fun, catch some dinner, explore, there are endless possibilities waiting for you in the great outdoors.
Photo Credits: TheNickster
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Shelter Without a Tent – Your Backup Options
You’re out having a great time camping, about to get your tent set up when you realize – oops! You’ve forgotten it. Well, maybe it’s not an easy thing to forget, but it can’t hurt to know what to do for shelter if you ever find yourself without a tent out on a camping trip. After all, shelter should be your top priority, especially if you’ve already found a good source of water. Here are some tips for building a shelter without a tent.
One quick note: to prepare for a truly desperate and dangerous survival situation, you’ll want to do more research than this – and some training from a professional wouldn’t hurt.
Take a look at the resources you do have. Even if you don’t have a tent, that doesn’t mean you don’t have materials with you that can help you build a shelter. Materials such as ponchos and tarps can be effective at keeping out wind and moisture, which are two critical areas you’ll want to focus on. Fly sheets, ground sheets, and simple plastic sheets can also be effective to use in this fashion. If you brought a plastic table cloth to use, you might find that it would go great in a makeshift shelter.
Think about using natural shelters. Natural shelters can get you out of the rain, wind, and cold, but you’ll have to be careful before using one. For example, caves can work well, but you have to be sure there aren’t any predators around or who call it home as well as making sure that the cave is stable. When it comes to big caves, don’t venture too far inside.What about trees? Trees are dangerous during lightning storms, so it’s best to avoid them when it’s storming out. They can help shield you from rain, but if there’s thunder as well, you’ll want to avoid being under a tree.
Make do. Sometimes, it helps to make do until you can find a better solution, such as simply buying a tent. Cars can work as shelter, even if they won’t necessarily work as a great camping experience.
When you’re going camping, remember to bring your shelter with you. Be sure you can be dry, warm, safe, and comfortable, and you’ll enhance your camping experience.
Photo Credits: iNmO_Khem
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The Hiker’s Guide to Finding a Good View of the Stars
If you’re not just hiking, but camping, then at some point, you’re going to find yourself looking up at a dark night sky. That is, if you can even get out of the wilderness for a little bit to find a good view of the stars. If you’re an astronomy nut and want to bring your telescope out to a location far away from the city so you can finally get a great, unobstructed view of all the stars up there, you’re not alone. But you’ll need a few tips to help you avoid some of those trees that might be hiding a few constellations.
Remember that preparation is the key. If you’re hiking in the woods and decide to come back to your camp area where there isn’t a great view of the night sky, you probably didn’t do a whole lot of preparing. Instead, take a few hiking trips where you enjoy hiking, and do this during the daytime. Try to find a view that exposes a lot of the sky: take a look around the horizon and imagine that it’s night time. If you notice a lot of trees blocking the views around the sky, just make a note of that location and see if you can find something better.
If you live in the city, finding a weekend campsite that gives you a clear view of the stars can be a real treat, so don’t give up very easily if you don’t find a site like that right away. Sometimes, even a partially-obstructed view of the night sky is amazing compared to what you might get in the light-filled city.Next, remember that it’s not a good idea to go exploring at night. If you want a good view of the stars at night, it should be where your camp site is, or at least somewhere where you can easily navigate to and from. Do all of your exploring in the day time, and don’t venture too far off the beaten path.
If you live in the city during the week and can’t do any exploring, then check out web sites that show you the positions of the stars given your time of the year and location. This will help you to identify the stars you do see when you’re looking at a more clear sky; you’ll also find this even helps you navigate – though you shouldn’t need the stars to navigate while hiking!
Photo Credits: VinceHuang
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How to Survive a Forest Fire
You might have heard the old catchphrase “Only you can prevent forest fires.” But what if you actually find yourself in one? Granted, for many people this is a longshot, but if you plan on going out and camping in the woods, it might not be a bad idea to be prepared to protect your family and yourself. Here’s a quick guide to what experiencing a forest fire might be like.
First, if you encounter an out-of-control fire that you started yourself, remember the best way to put out these fires: clothing, towels, and flame-resistant tarps or drapes. Using water isn’t as effective as you might think unless you have enough of it to completely engulf the flame. If you can’t find anything else, use the ice water from your cooler, as that will probably be the most water you have access to. If you’re near a river or lake, use this cooler to scoop up water as a last-case scenario.
If it becomes apparent that a fire is out of your control and your life might be in danger, you have to move out. Whether or not you started the fire, the authorities need to know about it as soon as possible – the faster they arrive, the better they’ll be able to control the situation. Don’t worry about anything else except for keeping yourself, your friends, and your family safe.When you move away from a fire, keep into account how a fire moves – the direction of the wind will be important to monitor. The wind will blow fires onto new branches, bushes, and trees, so that will help you predict a better escape route. Keep in mind that fires also tend to travel uphill faster than downhill, since heat rises. Getting down to a lake or river if possible will help, as long as you have a way of escaping. Otherwise, don’t let yourself get trapped. Crossing a river can be helpful if you have no other recourse.
If a situation arrives that requires you to “break through” the fire – i.e., travel through it – you can still take safety precautions, as long as you’re aware that this should be a last option.
To do this, cover your face with a wet cloth – dry if that’s all you have – and run through the fire as fast as possible. Be ready to stop, drop, and roll on the other side of the flames to extinguish any fires that caught on your clothing.
Be sure to have the goal of consulting the local authorities as soon as possible, as long as it is safe to do so. Ultimately, your only job is to survive.
Photo Credits: leppre
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Three Essential Survival Tips for the Lost Backpacker
So you’re enjoying another fresh summer day in your extended backpacking trip, well used to the sounds of trees whistling in the wind and the sound of leaves and branches under your feet. You’re both a backpacker and a hiker these days, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your neck and having little else to worry about. Until you reach a strange new spot, look at the ground under the feet, and realize that you’ve lost the path.
What do you do now?
Here are three tips to remember if you ever get yourself into a situation in which you feel like you’re lost.
1. Get seen.
It’s tempting to continue on with your backpacking trip like you aren’t lost, as if following the woods you were walking through will somehow lead you back to the path you were on. But you need to get seen, especially if you’re in an area that has a relatively high level of human activity. You want to get seen not only to be seen but to see – many times by getting in a clearing or on a higher elevation, you’ll be able to scope out your exact situation. Sometimes, simply “getting seen” at a good vantage point can give you a reference that leads you back to where you were headed.
2. Don’t panic.
If you’re lost for the first time in your life, you might not be sure how to handle it. So the body reverts to its old fallback option: panicking. You want to avoid this. Why? The more calm, assertive, and relaxed you are, the better you’ll be able to function. As soon as you start playing doomsday scenarios in your head, you’re beginning to find ways to make those scenarios happen. So cut them off right away and ask yourself empowering questions like “okay, what’s my next step? Where can I go?” Just taking that first step can clear your mind and get you feeling calm again.
3. Believe in survival.
Survival experts across the world point to your mental attitude as being one of the most crucial elements to any survival situation. After you’ve stopped yourself from panicking, you need to take an empowering attitude that opens up your mind to the right possibilities. Do you believe you’re going to get home? If you don’t, there won’t be much sense in trying – at least to your mind. But if you do believe it, you’ll work for it, you’ll persist, and you’ll eventually find a way to make it happen. Make sure that you do – and believe that you can.
Photo Credits: andrew.petro
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Choosing Your Campsite
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
