Is a canvas tent worth it?
One of the best ways to have fun outdoors and enjoy all the nature has to offer is by going camping. However, it is not enough to just head out into the woods without knowing what you are doing. By remembering the following advice, your next camping trip can be one to remember.
If you have a toddler, pack a blanket. You can lay it out on the ground and use it as a makeshift play area. Bring cars, dolls, or whatever items your child is into. They can play without getting too dirty and you can instruct them that they need to keep their toys on the blanket for safekeeping. This will help to keep things from getting too spread out.
Bring a plastic garbage bag and put all of you family's dirty laundry in it. This keeps the items from mixing in with your clean clothing. It also makes things convenient for you when you return home. You can simply dump out the bag in your washing machine and begin working on it all immediately.
Be sure that you have a big enough tent for everyone that's going to need it for shelter at night. This will allow you to sleep more comfortably and get up easier during the night when you need to use the bathroom.
Avoid any wildlife you may come into contact with. Bears have become a fairly large problem with campers. In some parks they have been known to rip open the trunk of a car to gain access to food. Raccoons are also a big problem in many campgrounds. Not only are they smart and can gain access to your food supplies easily, but they can carry disease as well.
Giving yourself enough time to enjoy your camping trip is key. Plan out your trip far in advance and get a couple of days off from work if possible. You want to enjoy yourself camping for at least a few days, that way you feel like you got the full experience out of it.
If you're camping with your family, try finding campsites that are pet-friendly. This is a great way for you to get your animals out in the fresh air. Your kids will be happy to have your animals there with you, so it can be a great experience for all of you.
Collect more wood than you think you are going ot need. Unless you go camping every day, you probably don't have an accurate idea of what "enough wood" actually looks like. You can always leave the extra wood in a pile as a gift for anyone that uses the campsite after you.
Clean up thoroughly when leaving a campsite. Try your best not to leave any trace of you at the campsite you stayed in. This is important, not just in terms of being considerate of other people. There are animals and insects that continue to live in the woods after you have left, so think of them as well.
When kids are in your camping party, it is important to let them know what the rules are as soon as you get there. They must have strict guidelines to follow, or they could get hurt or annoy others. For example, talk to them about screaming and how their voices could disturb others. It is much harder to enforce rules after you have been there for a few days, so get going early.
Make sure you observe the campground rules and regulations. One of the biggest concerns is trash and also noisiness within a campsite. People often think that people can't hear them, but noise travels far in a campsite. It is extremely difficult to have any privacy, especially when people are supposed to be observing quiet hours.
If camping with children, place each set of their clothing in a zippered plastic bag or a tied plastic grocery bag. By sorting and packing their clothes in this manner, each morning your child can grab a package and have an entire outfit of clothing for the day. When it is time to go to bed at night, each child can stuff the soiled clothing back into the plastic bag and place it back into their suitcase and not soil unworn clothing.
Take along a fire extinguisher! You never know when a fire can spread. Being prepared to put it out quickly could save your life, your gear and the woods around you. Find one that is capable of putting out fires of all kinds to be sure you are prepared to extinguish them all.
Make sure that your tent is ready before dark if you don't plan to sleep under the stars. Some camping locations get very dark and this can make setting up your campsite nearly impossible. You also never know when something could go wrong during set-up, such as a broken pole or a sudden tear in your tent.
Look for the softest and flattest ground you can possibly find for your tent. If you choose an uneven area, being in your tent will be uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Always put a tarp down on the ground first so that water can't get in and ruin the tent.
Watch out for irritants like poison ivy. It usually has recognizable triple-leaf clusters. However, poison sumac and poison oak tend to have more leaves and also need to be avoided. Keeping your skin completely covered when near these irritants can help prevent rashes. You should also carry some calamine lotion and allergy medication or antihistamines as a precaution.
Prior to camping, write out a list of everything that you need to pack. This is an important step if you are traveling a distance to get to your camp site. Prepare for your trip a couple days prior to leaving and use a check list to ensure how to waterproof canvas tent you have everything as you pack.
It might silly, but remember to take toilet paper along when you go camping. If your campsite lacks toilet facilities, you will need to use the woods. Leaves can be dangerous alternatives to toilet paper, so don't forget it.
What better way to spend your hard earned vacation time than a stay in the woods by a campfire? Hopefully this article has shown you new and better ways of dealing with all the little challenges posed by roughing it, and will make your next outing all the more fun.