Live In a Tent

It’s great to get away for the weekend into the countryside under canvas. There is nothing to beat breathing fresh air and eating outdoors, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Of course, having the right camping supplies and equipment makes the experience all the more enjoyable. The basics are the most important to get right. Tents vary in price and size, from the simple one-man variety to large family tents. It’s important to choose one that suits the terrain and climate of the destination. Some tents are only designed for summer weather and any winter camping will require a 4-season tent. Most people like to have some kind of air mattress to sleep on. It cushions against the ground and offers insulation too. These come in single, double and king size with pillows and pumps that can be charged up from a car battery. A good sleeping bag will ensure a sound night’s sleep. Again, there is a choice of materials aimed at different weather conditions. Children can have their own junior size versions. A lantern or flashlight with spare batteries is a good item to put on the camping supplies list. Sheltered dining compartments give extra space and make camping more comfortable. Plastic table and chair sets are easy to keep clean and will last for years. There are portable stoves, Dutch ovens and barbecues, kettles and sets of durable pans and dishes. Food, wine and beer can be kept cool in mini refrigerators or cool boxes. For those campers who want to take a break from cooking, camping supplies could include pre-prepared meals that just need added water. There is a good range that includes curries, chilies, meatballs and pasta and some delicious puddings Screens will give protection from interested insects and windbreaks will give shelter from the elements. Water carriers are the most efficient way of transporting water from the campsite’s water supply. Laundry is another consideration when living outdoors. Mini washing machines and dryers will keep the family in clothes and camping supplies should also include a clothes line or airer that can be attached to the tent. Don’t forget the pegs. Campers may want the use of a heater on chilly nights. There are lots to choose from and they have safety features to ensure that they don’t overheat and the thermostat cuts out if knocked over. Toilet facilities are the more mundane aspects of camping supplies but a necessary concern. There is a wide range of portable and chemical toilets on the market.

Mother Nature sure has a way of greeting us. There’s nothing quite like stepping out of suburbia or the city smog and into the great outdoors. That crisp, clean air and peaceful silence always set my mind at ease. Suddenly there’s nothing but birds and crickets chirping around me. Those tiresome sounds of car engines and police sirens are far behind. I could almost live in the woods, in a tent and a few camping supplies. Unfortunately my wife would not be so keen on the idea. She is not exactly an outdoor kind of girl. I guess you’d call her a city slicker. Nevertheless, I convince her to hit the hills with me once a year for a weekend camping trip. I think she secretly enjoys it. You’ve got to give it up for the outdoor life. Just ponder for a moment, the cleaning involved. There truly isn’t any. Your camping supplies consist of a tent, a few sleeping bags, the cloths you’re wearing, possibly a spare set, and the food you bring. So what is there really to clean? You’re not likely going to be cleaning yourself out in the middle of the woods, unless you’re a cat that is. If anything, you’ll be quickly scrubbing off a few camping dishes that you used to cook beans over the fire. Wow, that really does sound like THE life. Anyway, what about those mandatory camping supplies. There are a few items that every camper should have before venturing off into the woods. Number one; bring cloths that suit the atmosphere. Obviously too many are better than not enough. You don’t want to freeze out there. Number two; matches and/or a lighter are essential. Clearly you’ll be lighting a fire out there, so you’d better bring along some fire starters. Number three; always keep a flashlight on your person. Surefire makes the best ones available in my opinion. I never leave home without it. And finally, you should never go camping without a knife. A fine piece of cutlery is the most essential tool on this planet. Remember that and you should do fine. R.E.I. is a great place to begin. This outdoor superstore offers some of the finest camping supplies on the market today. If you can’t check them out in person, try their online store and browse as you please.

Though I don’t go camping any longer, I will probably do so again in the future. One thing I learned in the past when we did our yearly camping trip was that you should avoid buying stuff in camping shops if you can at all help it. It didn’t seem to matter how well prepared I thought I was, I was always running out of something or had forgotten to get something altogether. There were even times when someone we camped with had forgotten to tell us what they were bringing, and we would have to go get something needed for preparation. As a rule, camping shops tend to be more expensive. You will find these at campgrounds and that is because everyone needs something, and no one wants to have to drive back into town to get something like butter or perhaps a tent stake that has turned up missing. Camping shops know that people don’t want to do this, and they can charge more money for what they have. They seem to have a knack for charging just enough so that you have to pay more, but driving into town is still not worth it. There are great things about camping shops though. There is the fact that they are right there when you need them, and also that they tend to carry things that you might not be able to just grab from the shelf in your local grocery store. Camping shops seem to have just what you need for camping and each of the little things that pop up. This comes from years of experience with campers and knowing what people always seem to come in to look for. Camping shops will probably have things like string and fishing line, extra tent stakes, and things like butter, ketchup, and soda. These are all things people forget or run out of rather quickly. I noticed one year when I ran out of butter I could buy a stick for two dollars. Normally I can get four sticks for that price at my local store, but it didn’t seem worth it to travel to town and back just for butter, so we bought it. Camping shops are convenient but they certainly are expensive. I guess it’s worth the price if you don’t have to cut out half of your camping day to run down the mountain for butter.

One of the things that people seem to forget over and over again is the amount of difference that a good nights sleep can make. When you are at home, it can be easy to find a routine where you get a good night of sleep. You can invest in a good mattress, get to bed at the same hour every day, and use mind tricks to help yourself fall asleep. Although some people have a lot of trouble sleeping anywhere, for me it is much harder to get to sleep when I’m camping. There are bats, coyotes, night birds, and various other creatures all rustling around in the darkness and keeping me awake. Having the right camping mattress makes a huge difference. Of course, a camping air mattress is not the first thing you think of when you are shopping for camping equipment. It is true that a camping mattress is not really necessary. You can get by with nothing but a sleeping bag, and a lot of people prefer to do it this way because it saves a lot of room. Camping mattresses, however, really do have their advantage. Without a camping mattress, for example, you will be at the mercy of the terrain on which you camp. If the ground is a little bit uneven, you will have no camping mattress to protect you from having rocks poking into your back all night. In some situations, a camping mattress is even a necessity. If, for example, you are faced with a heavy downpour, you need to have something under your sleeping bag. At the very least, you will need to have a sleeping pad to keep you a little bit off the ground. Otherwise, your sleeping bag will get soaked. A camping mattress is the best way of doing it. It will put at least 4 inches between you and the ground. This is crucial if it is raining. It means that, even if the edge of your sleeping bag falls off the camping mattress, it still probably will not get very wet. Although you will have more to carry, you will be glad that you took it along. Without the camping mattress, you can really have a wet and miserable trip. Sometimes you never realize that you need a piece of camping gear until it is too late. I hope you do not make this mistake in the case of your camping mattress.

Deciding what kinds of camping lanterns to bring on a trip is really a subject of considerable debate among outdoor enthusiasts. Although most people believe that you should bring at least a flashlight among your camping equipment, even this is not a universally agreed-upon opinion. Many people believe that bringing a camping lantern really ruins the ambiance of being outdoors. Not only does it create artificial light at night, but it also creates a lot of heat. Camping lanterns, in addition to stopping you from immersing yourself in the natural rhythms of the outdoor world, are a fire hazard. Nonetheless, camping lanterns do have their fans. I used to be skeptical of them myself. I knew that, if I had more than a backup flashlight, I would have the light on all the time. I would never sit back and listen to the sounds of the night. One time, when I was first camping with my cousin, I didn’t take any camping lanterns along. At first, when I found out that he had a camping lantern of his own, I was a little bit irritated. I figured he would have it on all the time, and we would not get to sleep until 11 or 12 at night. One of the things that I like about camping outdoors is that you naturally fall into the same rhythms as the rest of nature. Camping lanterns can prevent this by allowing you to create artificial light late into the night. Nonetheless, by the end of the trip I was glad for camping lanterns. You see, we had a little bit of an emergency in the middle of the night. There was a wild animal rummaging through the campground. Although it turned out to be nothing but a raccoon, at first we were very scared. My flashlight only cast a narrow beam, and I could not spout the source of the ruckus. In the camping lanterns light, however, we could see what it was. The noise we made and the light we shined scared the beast off. Because of the camping lantern, we were able to handle things quickly. We cleaned up all of the mess that it made, stored our food more carefully, and went back to sleep. Doing this kind of thing without camping lanterns can be very difficult. If you have camping lanterns with you, however, you will have plenty of light to get any job done.

A lot of people think the camping in Michigan is boring. I grew up in Michigan, in fact, and I still had this perception. Sure there are the Great Lakes, but the whole state is flat. Let’s face it. Michigan is one vast wasteland of urban sprawl. Nonetheless, even the Great Lakes State has its areas of unspoiled wilderness. There are plenty of good campgrounds in Michigan if you know where to look. The best place to camp in Michigan, of course, is on one of the Great Lakes. There are plenty to choose from. Personally, I have always loved to camp on Lake Superior. Most people don’t think about the upper Peninsula when they consider camping in Michigan, but it is really one of the best spots. When I reached the age of 16, I went on my first serious camping trip in Michigan. My dad took me, actually. We went way up north and camped together for about a week. It was one of the best times that I have ever had. Camping in Michigan with my father was like no other adventure. I had never realized that he had a spirit of adventure at all. He is such a workaholic, you see, that it did not occur to me that he can cut loose and have fun too. But fun we had! Of course, many of the campsites in Michigan are not very well maintained. If you are in the back woods like me and my father were, this is just something that you have to deal with. Camping in Michigan is definitely a mixed bag. You can look at various trail guides and tour books, but the only way to really figure out the best places to camp in Michigan is to consult an expert. Someone who knows the area is ideal. If you don’t have someone like that to talk to, you’ll just have to take what you get. Nonetheless, it is worth it. Some of my very best memories are of camping in Michigan. The flat, monotonous terrain does not matter when you have the Great Lakes in front of you. It is every bit as beautiful and majestic as the ocean if you ask me. You can sail, kayak, canoe, or even swim. I have gone camping in Alaska, California, Ohio, and Ontario. My camping trips in Michigan, however, still holds my best memories.

Alaska is one of the most beautiful places in the world, offering a true wilderness. There are several protected areas in order to preserve the landscape, animals and flora. Tourism is increasing, as people want to see the mountains, glaciers and lakes and breathe in the clean air. RV touring and camping in Alaska is an ideal way of seeing the country close up. There are companies that organize guided tours, driving visitors between favorite destinations and supplying all the necessary equipment. In addition to marveling at the scenery, many tourists like to take advantage of the adventure and sports opportunities here. For the really adventurous, there is dog sledding and cross country skiing in the winter. Summertime is the season for canoeing or sea kayaking. Photographers also love this region and may be lucky enough to snap a whale or seal. One of the most visited areas is the Kenai Peninsula, which includes the glacier covered Kenai Mountains and beautiful lakes. This is usually on the itinerary for camping in Alaska. Fishermen love it too as the Kenai River is famous for its salmon stock. Several towns are also situated here. Another popular spot is the Denali National Park, an important area for flora and wildlife such as beavers, caribou, grizzly bears, black bears, tundra swan, golden eagles, hares and wolverines. Many mountaineers and backpackers come here and enjoy a variety of terrain, including glaciers, tundra, rock and forest. Snowmobiling is allowed but restricted to certain areas. The park contains Mount Mckinley, the highest peak in North America. Standing at 6,194 meters, it is the perfect backdrop to camping in Alaska. The period from March until the end of October is when the public is allowed access on to the Matanuska Glacier, a magnificent valley glacier containing ice falls. It is the largest glacier accessed by car in the state and the climate is unusually sunny. The Wrangell St. Elias National Park is part of a Unesco World Heritage Site and is the largest area of National Park in the USA, covering an impressive 13 million acres. This wilderness attracts backpackers and hikers wanting to experience camping in Alaska on a big scale. The park can be accessed by car and there are charter flights too. The glaciers and ice fields are home to caribou and grizzly bears. A ferry trip brings visitors to Prince William Sound on the south coast. This area contains small islands and fjords and the Chugach National Forest, a rain forest with beautiful lakes.

Camping in Alaska can be quite an adventure, but it is not something to be taken lightly. After all, most of Alaska is a vast, dangerous, frozen wasteland. Even the coastal areas can have some of the most unpredictable weather in the country. I have a cousin who wanted to go camping in Alaska by himself, but I managed to talk him out of it. I told him that he needed to go with a tour group, and he finally admitted that I was right. He, in turn, convinced me to come along with them. At first, I thought going to campgrounds in Alaska was a bad idea. It may have been a bad idea, but I’m glad that I did it. It was one of the most exciting things that I’ve ever done! Our trip was based out of Anchorage Alaska, but we were only there for a few days. We got our camping equipment in Anchorage and then set off for more remote reaches of the Coast. Because it was our first time camping in Alaska, we agreed to stay in the coastal areas. It was the summer, after all, and the Alaskan coast can be downright mild and pleasant. Although we did not see a lot of darkness, we had brought sleeping shades so we were okay. This is one of the things that I can’t recommend enough if you’re going to go camping in Alaska. Pay attention to what time of year it is. If you have not gone before, make sure that you are going camping in Alaska during the six months of light, and bring sleeping shades. Otherwise, you will not be able to sleep the whole time! One of the great things about camping in Alaska is how remote it is. It only takes a days hike, and you are far enough from the cities to receive almost no light pollution. It is amazing how big and beautiful the skies are. Even in the middle of the summer, you can see Northern lights sometimes. This is one of the great thrills of camping in Alaska, but it is by no means the only one. You can see all kinds of native wildlife. There are deer, elk, moose, as well as a wide variety of birds. There are tall trees and low scrub. The best thing about camping in Alaska, however, is the thrill of being in one of the last unspoiled wilderness refuges on earth. Nothing can compare to that!