Living Life To Its Fullest: Nature, Camping And You

When done well, camping is among life's true pleasures. Before embarking on an outdoor adventure alone or with friends and family, it is important to familiarize yourself with tried and true camping tips and advice. The article that follows offers just the start any burgeoning outdoors enthusiast might need to plan their next outing.

Pre-cool your ice chest by filling it with loads of ice, at least six hours prior to departure. When you are about to leave, pack up your refrigerated cooled drinks and block ice, not cubed. Popping room temp beverages will take up valuable ice-life, and the cubes will melt much quicker than a block!

Try to get to the campsite well before nightfall. This allows you to get a feel for the lay of the land and gives you the opportunity to set up camp while you can still see what you are doing. In addition, it lets your children feel a little more comfortable with their surroundings because they will have time to explore.

When you are heading out for that long awaited camping trip, don't forget to take along your cell phone. You may be tempted to leave all the texting and calls behind, but your cell phone can be one of your most important safety lifelines in the event of an emergency. Make sure it is fully charged and keep it protected from the elements in a plastic bag or waterproof case.

Bring supplies for 'Smores. 'Smores are an integral part of any camping trip. Simply pack graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. Toast the marshmallows, then make it the filling to a graham cracker/chocolate sandwich. When you have a 'Smore, you will want 'some more'--bring enough for everyone to have at least two of them!

If you are camping in the summer, go swimming too. When you go camping, you can miss out on things like showers. Swimming can help you feel a little cleaner.

Understand how your food will be cooked. You need to consider how you are going to prepare all meals. Will you need charcoal? Perhaps you need a small propane tank. It can be difficult to cook every meal over an open fire; no matter, how much fun it might seem.

When camping, periodically do a tick check. Look for any brown or black spots that have just appeared on your skin. Ticks attach themselves to the skin without causing too much of a disturbance, so be sure to check yourself and your companions for ticks after spending time camping outdoors.

Before you even leave your camping trip, try practicing pitching a tent in your backyard or some other open space. People do not know how difficult pitching a tent can be; you do not want to get to camp and realize you have no idea what you are doing. Practice makes perfect!

Do not take anything that belongs in nature with you when you leave. Have fun and take pictures, but when you are loading up the car, make sure rocks, pinecones and other objects remain where they are. This is one of the unspoken rules of camping. Everyone should have the same opportunity to enjoy these things.

Try to schedule activities for your children such as board games or card games. They might get antsy once you start to get deeper in the forest. They may not know what it's like to fish or do things in nature. Show them how to do these things before you leave if they haven't spent a lot of times outdoors.

The whole point behind camping is to be one with nature, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared for it. In addition to your sleeping bag, bring a couple of blankets. This makes sure that any warmth that is not handled by the sleeping bag can be augmented by using extra blankets.

If you have other people sleeping nearby your campsite, do not bother them by leave your awning lights on during the entire night. Instead, use a timer that you can set to turn the lights off after a certain time period. By doing this, you won't bother others with your lights.

Unless you are a wildlife expert, you should never drink water that you haven't brought to the campsite with you. Water may look crystal clear but actually be home to a host of diseases or bacteria. If you are in an emergency, always choose running water over stagnant water.

When you select the location for your tent, be sure that it is the right place. The ground should be level and do what you can to avoid setting it up at the bottom of a hill. This will help you keep it dry durable tents for sale if the weather should turn bad.

Wear layered clothing to manage your body temperature. When camping, it is a hassle to have to change clothing when temperatures suddenly rise or drop. However, if you layer your clothing, you will be able to quickly and easily peel off or put on layers of clothing as the need arises.

Make sure that duct tape is part of your supply arsenal while camping. You might have a nice tent, but tears can still happen. A few strips of this durable tape can keep you dry and cozy at night if your tent is damaged during the day.

If you will be camping in a warm area, you may think it is not necessary to bring a nice sleeping bag. That is a huge mistake as many areas cool off considerably at night. Secondly, a sleeping bag helps to mitigate uneven or rocky ground, allowing for more comfortable sleep.

So the next time you have some vacation days to enjoy, make sure you give air conditioning and cable television a big miss. Instead choose to enjoy seeing the natural beauty of the world around us. Camping does not have to mean discomfort, but it can mean a whole lot of family fun!