TheCampingGuy.com Blog | Camping Tips

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Camping and bugs kind of go hand-in-hand. You expect those pesky flying insects when you go camping and you always need to prepare for them. Mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, horse flies, deer flies…you name it they are all out there just waiting for all you tender-skinned campers to show up so they can feast! So, what do you do?

Lather on the bug lotion, spray on the DEET-based insect spray, light citronella candles around the campsite, eat cloves of garlic? These are all popular and effective remedies that are used, but now there’s another one!

How about a patch that will last for days without reapplying? A new product has come on the market for campers that you should know about to fight bugs. Just like the quit smoking patches, this patch attaches to your arm and wards off insects for up to 36 hours. “Don’t Bug Me Patch”is all natural! no DEET, so it’s safe to use on the kids, and it’s waterproof!

So you can put it on Friday, on the way to the campsite and not have to worry about insect bites all weekend. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will on my next campout. If you get a chance to check it out, let us know your experience by posting a comment, below.

Growing up with a Veterinarian Dad we always had lots of pets around the house to play with. During my Dad’s career he got into breeding and training Golden Retrievers for hunting. At any one time we’d have 4, 5 or 6 “Goldens” in our extended family. Can you imagine trying to take all of them camping with us? Not possible. So, we would take 2 of them at a time and leave the rest in the kennel for next time, giving them all a chance to eventually come with us.

It was always a different kind of outing with the dogs. They would love to swim for hours with us. Retrievers are strong swimmers so we would hold onto their tails and they would tow us through the water. They would spend countless hours doing what they do best…retrieving. Sticks, tennis balls, Frisbees…you name it, they would retrieve it. One of our dogs would even fetch rocks! By mid-afternoon your throwing arm and shoulder was aching from throwing objects for them to retrieve.

When you take your dogs camping make sure you have enough food and water. Dogs will be tearing around, swimming, fetching and burning up more calories than usual and will be hungry often. We also brought kennel crates so when we’re cooking a meal or need a break from them, into their kennels they would go. If left unsupervised they will get into trouble or wander off. We would bring long leashes with stakes so we could restrict their movement, but still give them some freedom. If you can, put the stakes in an area where your dog can get shade and sunlight and place a full water bowl near them.

Things to watch out for are rattlesnakes, skunks and porcupines. That’s why the stakes and kennels are a good idea. Even when we were on a hike, we would carry a leash to ‘reel’ in any wandering dog. And, always on a leash when you’re walking around the campground near other campers. Not all campers are dog lovers! Hopefully, with these tips you can safely bring your dog along to enjoy the campout.

It’s been a dry, hot camping season in most of the country, especially where I live in California. The “Governator” is already warning us of lower than expected water levels and the need for conservation. That makes our beloved camping areas very susceptible to fires. So, as campers we need to pay special attention to our campfires. Most developed campgrounds have well-established campfire rings or pits in their campsites however, you should still be aware of a few wise safety rules when you make a campfire:

• Always clear a five-foot area around the fire ring down to the soil, so leaping sparks can’t start a ground fire.
• Keep a bucket of water and a shovel close by
• Pile your wood upwind and away from the fire. This may be difficult in a shifting wind area, but just make sure wood is far away from the campfire
• Never leave a campfire unattended

Lastly, the most important part is putting your fire out after you’ve enjoyed having marshmallows and telling spooky stories. Allow the fire to burn down to ash and very small coals. Pour plenty of water on the ambers and stir the ashes until they are soaked through. You can tell when the fire is completely extinguished when you can safely put your hand in the coals. This Boy Scout method kind of makes you want to make doubly sure that you put enough water on the fire.

Sorry…post removed while I fix incompatibilities with YouTube and WP 2.2.2

In the meantime go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoToVxLJ0Xc

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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Thinking of bringing your own firewood to your campout? Hold on…and read this. The U.S. Forest Service is encouraging campers not to bring their own firewood. Why? Because insect infested firewood is causing billions of dollars in forest damage.

Many campers travel hundreds of miles or across state lines to go camping and they bring their own firewood and the insects with them. The spread of insects is so harmful that several Midwestern states are banning firewood from out of state. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Maryland are covered by federal and state quarantines to try to prevent infested lumber or wood products from being shipped out. Forest Service officials advise campers to get their firewood at or near their campsite. So, pass on this information to your fellow campers!

Go to the Utah Desert News for the full story.

When I was a beginner camper I would try to remember to pack everything I needed, but I’d always show up late at a campsite and forget some thing like a frying pan for the scrambled eggs! Not to mention, my wife used to get upset when some of her kitchenware was missing for the weekend! So, I eventually got my own camping kitchenware, some checklists and “kits”to help me remember what to bring.

Over the years camping I’ve put together a couple of Camping Kits that make packing and camping a whole lot easier. I can load the truck quickly and know that I have everything I’m gonna need in those few kits - along with tent, stove, sleeping bag and food! There are many kits that you can make to simplify your campout. In fact, I’ve even run across some “Rainy Day Kits” that include games, books, puzzles, etc. But, you can decide what works best for you. Let me show you a couple that I use and see if they’re useful or maybe they’ll give you some ideas for something better.

My kits cover the essentials - Eating and Cleaning! First of all, I always bring my Cook Kit, which has all the pots, pans, cutting board, and all the cooking utensils I’ll need to whip up a tasty camp meal. Here’s a full list of what’s in my Cook Kit.

Next is my Cleanup Kit. Ya, you guessed it, all the stuff you need for cleaning up. A full description and pictures await you at Cleanup Kit.

If you are really ambitious you can create a Camp Box, like the ones we use on Scout campouts. This box has hinged sides that fold down to create two working/cooking surfaces with all cooking and cleaning items in one spot. We drilled four holes in the bottom for legs and got some 3 ft. sections of aluminum pipe for legs.

As you see there’s a couple of ways you can go with your Camping Kits - from small to large. Just get one or two and make your camping easier.

Spring has sprung and it’s time to start thinking about Camping! I know I am…are you? Whether you’re a beginner or just getting your gear dusted-off for another season, you’ll want to read my new article in Camping Life magazine. It’s the cover article “Beginner’s Guide to Camping”, authored by yours truly!

I’ve put a copy of it on my website in the “Camping Articles” section. You can have a copy if you go here

I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions about the article or getting started in general, just e-mail me, or post a comment.

Happy Camping!

It’s hard to think about camping when half of the U.S. is buried in snow! But I thought I would pass on some valuable information that I just heard about for your camping reservations. So, when the snow melts, the birds start singing and the grass starts to get green you are set to go camping!

In the past on my website and blog, I have directed you to www.ReserveUSA.com to book your reservations for state and federal parks, etc. Recently they all merged into one very simple and easy-to-use location www.recreation.gov. This new site takes all of the government agencies such as Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, etc. and categorizes the services each offers by recreation!

The list is huge and covers activities like biking, boating, hiking, camping, fishing, off-roading, etc. And you can search by State, Agency or Activity. This is clearly the right move to serve the recreational needs of Americans and our visitors! I applaud it!! So, check it out and tell me what you think.

BTW - I’m working on two new books. One on Dutch Oven Cooking - the basics, essentials and recipes. Also working on a book of recipes for camping. The “working” title is “101 Reasons to Eat While Camping!” Stay tuned. I will let you know when they are “baked” enough.

As I was sitting watching my son’s lacrosse game in 48° F weather, which is very cold for Southern California, I noticed all the parents standing around freezing their butts off to cheer on their boys. What spirit! What foolishness. With a couple of helpful tips they could be warm and cozy just like me on the sidelines cheering for my boy. I thought to myself, they would surely perish on a campout! Then it occurred to me that I have given you some tips on staying warm at night while camping, but nothing about staying warm during the day. So, this is a good time to do it. And you don’t have to use this information just for camping. It will work at soccer, football or lacrosse games.

When I looked around the sidelines there were about 50+ parents and maybe twenty had hats or hooded jackets on. You lose most of your body heat from your head! So, that was the first reason some were freezing. Even a baseball hat, which I had on, will keep your heat trapped in your body.

Layering is the next most important technique. I saw folks with t-shirts and windbreakers and one poor guy in just a sweatshirt. Not a bad start, but a couple more layers would have helped. Try a t-shirt, sweatshirt and then a jacket/wind breaker. And don’t forget gloves.

Finally, the best tip I can give you when cold weather camping is to make sure you are active during the day. Take a hike, go on a nature walk, or visit a nearby historical site. Just remember to keep active and you will keep warm. In the evening when the sun goes down you will have a campfire and warm food in your belly to keep you warm and ready for a good night’s sleep. Have fun…but stay warm!