A How-To Guide For Successful Camping Vacations

Camping can be a great way to relieve your stress and enjoy the great outdoors. The following tips can make your next camping trip a rewarding one.

Always find your shelter before it gets dark when you go camping. When night falls, making food, finding wood, and pitching your tent can be very difficult. That is particularly true if you aren’t used to the blackness of the wilderness. Avoid this by setting up your shelter ahead of time.

TIP! When camping, get your shelter squared away before nightfall. Once blackness falls out there in the woods, it can be extremely difficult to pitch a tent, find good firewood and prepare food.

When you buy a new tent, put it together once at home before going on your camping trip. This helps you to get the experience needed for erecting your tent. This can eliminate the aggravation felt when setting up your tent in a hurry.

Let your loved ones help you pick a campsite. Discuss what state you want to visit. The U.S. has dozens of great camping options. If it makes things simpler, list your personal preferences and then have the family choose from them.

TIP! All participants should have a say in where you go camping. This will make everyone feel invested.

Bring a survival kit that you and be sure to always have it on your person at all times.Your survival kit should contain a survival knife, a type of survival knife, waterproof matches, first aid kit, and waterproof matches. This kit may keep you alive in case you are lost or something bad happens and you’re stuck outside for a survival situation.Remember to carry it with you and do not leave it in your campsite.

The difference between a fun camping trip and a dangerous one? Preparation. It is a bad idea to go camping unprepared. Find out about the weather, the wildlife and the terrain of any location that you have not been to before.

TIP! Preparation and organization are chief factors to facilitate a great camping trip. Be certain that your camping trips always involve proper planning.

Check out your medical insurance before going on a camping trip. You might need an additional policy if you go to another state. This is especially important if you will be camping destination is in Canada or another country. Be prepared in case anything happens!

Pack a bandanna or handkerchief. You can use these as hand towels, cleanup towels, pot holders or anything you need cloth for. There are many uses for these, so you want to be sure you have one or both of them on your next camping trip.

TIP! Pack a bandanna or handkerchief. Not only can it keep the hair out of your eyes, it can also be a sack to carry things, a towel to dry your hands or a potholder to grab your coffee pot from the fire.

A jungle breakfest is a great activity for the kids. Tie juice boxes, cereal and food to a tree. This activity adds a bit more fun way to bring excitement to the morning.

Oranges are good things to bring for your camping trip, and not only as a healthy snack option. Save all the orange peels. Before mosquitoes attack, rub them on exposed skin.

TIP! Not only are oranges a great snack for camping, but they also serve as a natural mosquito repellant. After you’ve eaten the flesh of the fruit, save all the peels.

Dryer lint can make great kindling for starting campfires. Collect some lint in your dryer and store it in a bag a few weeks before you go camping to prepare for this. Keep a plastic or ziplock bag right next to the dryer and put the lint in there.This allows you to just get your kindling and leave when it is time to go.

Before you decide to take off on a camping trip somewhere you’ve never been, you need to do some research on what the area is like and be aware of the local risks and dangers. Some examples of dangers are flash floods or poisonous spiders. Every camping spot has its own potential dangers for the untrained.

TIP! Prior to camping in a brand new area, you must understand its dangers. This includes things like which spiders are deadly, whether or not there are sheer drops, and if flash floods are common.

When you get through eating an orange, save all of your peels and rub them around your body to use as a natural insect repellent.

When you’re new to camping, make sure you camp close to home. You might have gear problems, or you might figure that you want to cut your camping trip short. You may come to realize that you should have packed different clothing, or need more food. A lot of issues can happen for the new camper, so do not go too far for your first camp trip.

TIP! If camping is new for you, start somewhere nearby. Things may go wrong and you may have to abort your trip early if things don’t go your way.

Make sure to finish setting up camp site is complete before night breaks. If you’re driving an RV, park it in a well secured area. When pitching a tent, find a spot that is level and dry. Doing this before nightfall will allow you become accustomed to your surroundings.

You should always have some duct tape along on any camping adventure. Just like at home, its uses are nearly endless. You may need to patch up a punctured air mattress. Use it to cover any holes or rips that appear in tents or hold together items that break. If someone’s shoe falls apart while out and about, it can hold shoes together quite nicely. Applied to the foot itself can prevent blisters. It may also be used as emergency bandaging.

TIP! Duct tape is a handy item to include in your camping gear. It is nearly as useful while camping as it is around the house.

Bring along supplies to keep you entertained in the trip.

As you set up your campsite, choose an area that is as smooth and as level as possible for the location of your tent. If you pick out a sloped or a rocky spot it can make sleeping and hanging out in the tent very uncomfortable. Just lay a tarp at the bottom of the tent to stop water from going into your tent or damaging your tent.

TIP! When you are at your campsite, pitch your tent on the softest and most level ground you are able to find. Choosing a rocky or sloped spot will result in you feeling discomfort when you have to spend time in the tent.

While camping’s purpose is to survive off the fat of the land, you still need to be prepared with some basic items. While you should bring a sleeping bag, it’s also recommended to have extra blankets. This can help you warm if it gets really cool at night and/or you can use them for additional padding.

Write down a list of all the materials you need before you go camping. If the campgrounds are located at fair distance from your home, then this step will be crucial. Start getting things together a couple of days before you plan to leave, and check things off the list as you pack them.

TIP! Write down a list of your necessary items before heading out on a camping excursion. A list will help you to not forget to bring any essentials.

When you find your camping spot, look for the area of the campsite with the flattest and softest ground. Choosing a sloped or rocky site will make your tent. Always put down a tarp first to prevent any water damage to the tent.

Ensure you bring some flashlights and extra batteries whenever you go camping. You will surely find it necessary to illuminate things once night falls. Without a flashlight, you could easily stumble and fall or be surprised by local wildlife. If you are bringing children on your trip, it’s a good idea to provide each of them with their own light.

TIP! Flashlights, spare batteries and an oil lantern are always handy items to have with you on your trip. There are times when it is important to be able to see clearly in the dark.

Even if you are familiar with your intended campsite, the area could have changed and you could become lost. You can avoid possible tragedy by learning how to use these life saving items.

When you are out in the wilderness with kids, have a photo of them with you. This is the perfect tool in case you can’t find them during the trip. This is particularly useful if you will be camping somewhere far from where you live.

TIP! Keep pictures of your children on you if they are comping with you. In the case that a child goes missing, having their photo at hand could be of great use.

Create a wonderful and relaxing camping trip with some of the great information provided above. Camping can teach you tons about yourself. Use the information here to prepare for an exciting trip you will remember for a long time.

Always make sure that you have a sharp knife with you when you go camping. Utility knives serve many functions so bring along at least one.

TIP! Every camper should possess a basic utility knife. Utility knives have many uses in a campers tool kit.