TheCampingGuy.com Blog | Camping Tips

As we enter into a new camping season in North America I’m sure a lot campers and would-be campers and starting to think about the new camping season.  So, I wanted to offer The Camping Guy readers a little Q&A capability to answer any questions that you have as you embark on your next camping trip.

Questions like: what do I pack for a family of four? How do I get my kids involved in my love for camping?  Or, maybe some questions on camping gear, and of course my favorite…food!  The best part of camping is that the food tastes better!!

So go ahead…ask The Camping Guy a question by hitting the Comments button at the bottom of this article.  That way you can all share your questions and answers with each other.  Go ahead don’t be shy, I know you’ve got a question…….

As spring is in the air and it starts to warm up, I start to think about camping.  How about you?  So, I went into the garage and opened the cabinets where I keep all my camping gear and started to go through it.  What do I need to replace?  What needs to be replenished?  Take out the sleeping bags and air them out.  You know….all that stuff you know you should do but never get around to it.  Well I had the “itch” so that’s what I do to scratch it.

I also start to think of where and when I’m going camping. In my mind, with the economy the way it is, camping is still the cheapest way to take your family on a vacation.  And with all the tips and tricks on TheCampingGuy website and blog to refer to, you will have a fun time without breaking the bank.

So I thought I would put together a small checklist of things you can do to prepare for the ’09 camping season!

1.    Check to make sure everything works - stove, lantern, fresh batteries in flashlights, refill propane tanks, buy more propane canisters, etc.

2.    Make sure you’ve got all your cooking gear in shape.  Is everything clean or did you forget to clean that pot of spaghetti before you put your cook kit into storage?  Check everything that’s in your cook kit or make one by going here.

3.    Check the tent for rips, check poles, pent pegs.  If you need to do some repairs, here’s a repair kit that I use.  If you’re ambitious, this is a good time to apply some seam sealer to the tent.  Check out how - right here.  This will also give you a chance to set up the tent, air it out, and sweep it out. Then you know you’re tent is ready.

4.    Replenish your basics like: matches, propane, soap, paper towels, aluminum foil, firewood, fire starters, water filters, paper cups, plates, etc.

After this you’ve got most of the preparation complete and you’re ready to start the season.  So go ahead, sit back and dream about the places you’re going to camping to this year.

Happy Camping!!

Camping under the stars, near a campfire or in a tent is always great fun but a memorable picnic, will enhance your campout as well. To get your picnic ideas flowing, I’ve come up with the three simple elements that are essential to your picnic and how you can make each of them their possible best.

Location
Before prepping your meal back at campsite, scout out a couple of local areas ideal for sitting on the ground and be sure that the area is attractive. Be aware of too much shade as the ground there will often be too moist. When possible, try to find a location on top of a hill or near the edge of a safe cliff for a beautiful view. Eating near a stream, when available, is also a pleasant experience. Calm and peaceful.

The Essentials
A great picnic must start off with a great, waterproof picnic blanket. This will ensure that even if you choose to sit where it’s moist, you, your guests and your food will stay dry. Find some excellent waterproof and stadium blankets at www.goblanket.com.

Next on the list, is a perfect picnic basket. I know what you’re thinking–a wicker

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Camping in the cold weather provides a unique challenge….staying warm! Here’s a couple of ways to beat the cold and have a warm and fun campout.

The Traditional Campfire
This age old tradition, when done safely, is a great experience and creates mood and atmosphere for your campsite. Start your campfire right by raking and removing all dead wood and leaves in a ten-foot radius around your fire pit. If you don’t have a fire pit, then create one by removing the first 3 inches of dirt or so. Place a bed of coals or rocks in it and top with your clean, dry wood. Fire-starter bricks are safest and easiest to use in starting the fire but they catch fire easily, so keep them put away when not in use. Don’t forget to keep an extinguisher on-hand for emergencies and a shovel to help restore your campsite when you leave. More campfire safety tips.

Camping Generators
Technologically speaking, the most convenient way to stay warm or to use any appliance while camping is to use a generator like the Yamaha 1,000-Watt Portable Generator. Like other recreational generators, this one is lightweight (28 lbs.) and provides 12 hours of running time on a full tank. They also claim they have dampened the noise with noise absorbing materials. The Yamaha is relatively inexpensive as far as generators go and this model can run several appliances at the same time. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Camping Heaters
Propane Heaters are perfect camping heaters and an inexpensive, efficient way to keep your personal space warm in cold weather camping. They are often safe, convenient and easy to use like the Coleman BlackCat Portable Catalytic Heater. This small, portable camping heater comes equipped an 8″round heater to maximize your heated area, and runs up to 7 hours at 3,000 BTU on one 16.4 oz cylinder of propane. It’s rated for indoor use, since there is no flame!

With these great options at hand and a blanket or two, your next camping adventure is sure to be a warm and comfortable one. For more information about what you need for cold weather camping. Happy Camping.

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If you love the ambiance of the outdoors and the memories of an unforgettable camping experience, pass it along this holiday season. Put aside the usual DVD and socks this year, especially for the kids, and try out these great outdoor camping gift ideas:

• For Young Campers wrap up an outdoor activity like play tunnels, or horse shoes. If you have young ones who have never been camping, start with the basics like a colorful sleeping bag and fun flashlight. Also make sure to pick up plenty of table-top fun like coloring books, crayons and card games like Uno or Old Maid.

• With adolescents and teens, avoiding the electronics may be a little difficult. So aside from an art set for the artists and a magnifying glass for the explorers, portable game systems are the best way to go. For a more practical camping gift, a camping gear backpack or bag filled with camping gadgets like a swiss army knife, waterproof flashlight, travel bath set and a new scarf and hat is a fun gift to open!

• To impress the husband, a new pair of hiking boots with wool socks, gel inserts and spare shoelaces say so much. This gift will certainly make his hiking experience much more comfortable and pleasant. If you’re looking to splurge, get that great digital camera he’s been talking about so he can take some great pictures of the view on his hike and the family camping!

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As technology continues to change and advance, so does the world of camping and with it, camping furniture. From modern gadgets and tools to innovative materials, camping conveniences are improving every day. This is great news for campers with disabilities, aches and pains or those who just prefer to be pampered a little, because camping furniture has become especially comfortable. Here’s what The Camping Guy has discovered about camping furniture:

Camping Chairs
When selecting a camping chair, be sure to avoid the most inexpensive models. They often bend after moderate use and tip back very easily. Coleman, Eddie Bauer and Crazy Creek are trustworthy brands. Crazy Creek has a comfortable long back air chair, which is unique. The seat and back are attached so that the weight of your seat supports the back. There are all types of camping chairs from upright with a footrest to camping chairs that let you lounge and have cup holders! Just like at home, watchin’ the game.

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To me, the most comfortable time of year is absolutely Autumn. It’s that time when the air goes through so many changes and does so much for us. It dances with leaves, contributes to beautiful sunsets and begins cooling things off for us in the States. All these memorable things are what makes fall an excellent time to camp.

Here’s some quick tips for camping in the cool, beautiful weather:

• Firstly, pack layered clothing. Fall can be fickle, so starting off with a t-shirt and add from there is a great way to remain comfortable while camping. Don’t forget sweaters and light jackets or coats.

• Be prepared for any type of terrain. Fall can be dry but is known also for a random shower. Pack both tennis shoes and boots so that your hiking experience is safe.

• Take several thin blankets with you. You would be surprised at how warm most Autumn nights can be in a tent. This way you can lay on top of your sleeping bag if it’s too hot and get inside it if it gets cold.

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Fire roasted, glazed, baked or breaded. However you like it, the best camping food starts with the right ingredients and the best camping cookware. And the stove is the most important part. So, whether you’re camping light…backpack camping or car camping with family or friends, here’s some sure-fire (pardon the pun) stoves to get you cooking!

The Micro Backpack Stove made by Coleman is a great investment to your outdoor cooking if you camp lightly. Coleman has been making camping stoves since 1942 and holds the best reputation for their camping products. The Micro backpack stove is small and lightweight but still powerful enough to cook any stovetop meal. The top regulator and bottom (propane canister) can be unscrewed and packed separately. Remember this is for one-pot cooking, but it gives off great heat to boil water or stew quickly!

If you’re cooking for a whole family, the Coleman EvenTemp 3 Burner Stove is the most popular in camping stoves. This new 3-burner design gets rid of the cold spots that occur when using a 2-burner stove and gives you even heat that’s great for pancakes, bacon, and omelets…you name it! It has two 11,500 BTU burners on the ends and a 5,000 BTU burner in the middle for all types of range cooking as well as side panels to block wind. The InstaStart push button ignition system takes all the hassle out of lighting your stove. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped a match onto the burner trying to get it going.

I hope this helps with your camping cookware needs. Let me know your experiences with other camp stoves, what’s your favorite, etc. But above all enjoy the food! It always tastes better when you’re camping!!

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I was in the checkout line at my local grocery store when I overhead the guy in front of me talking to the checkout gal about his wife and kids at the local campground and how they got rained on last night. They survived…but got a little soggy. Being “The Camping Guy”, I was about to give him some tips, but the line was growing behind me and I was getting “those stares” from other shoppers. So, instead I’ll give the tips here, so everyone can use them.

My all time favorite is Seam Sealer. I written about this a few times and even have a quiz on my blog around this idea. The bottom line is - always check your tent seams. It’s just a good habit to get into whenever you set up your tent. Sometimes it can crack or peel, exposing the stitches where water can get through. A $5 bottle of seam sealer can make the difference between a soggy campout and a dry one!

#2 Ground sheet. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen ground sheets under a tent floor that are sticking out past the tent. Imagine, as the water rolls off the tent roof and down the walls…it puddles on the ground sheet and rolls back under the floor of the tent! Yikes! So, please make sure you fold the edges of the ground sheet under the edges of the tent floor. This way, water will drain off the roof and tent walls and around the edges of the tent and soak into the surrounding ground, not roll back under the tent. (Note to self – make a video on how to properly position the ground sheet under the tent)

#3 Keep your gear away from the walls of the tent! Make sure your sleeping bags, packs, and other gear are not resting up against the walls of the tent. Remember, a tent is designed to deflect the water off the tent and onto the ground. A bump in the tent wall will cause the water to stop, pool and soak through.

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Can you picture this?…you pull up to your campsite, 100 miles from home and start to put the tent up. Everything is going great until the zipper gets caught in the mosquito netting…Rrr-i-p! Now what? You rummage around in your gear box and find your tent repair kit! Don’t have one? Surely you don’t want to ruin your campout by letting bugs get through your torn netting. All it takes is a few minutes to “be prepared”. Ya, I know, that’s the Boy Scout in me talking. But seriously, I found a small kit that I use that has all the essential pieces and it costs peanuts!

It’s the Adventure Medical Tent Repair Kit. In this little zip-lock pouch is seam sealer, a tent pole splint, ripstop adhesive (for the tent walls), netting, a zipper slider, the world’s smallest roll of duct tape, 40 inches of guy line cord, needles and thread. All the tent repair parts you’ll ever need to do a quick fix or repair. Check out all the details of this Tent Repair Kit and have some peace of mind that your tent can be repaired, if needed.

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