Camping is a great hobby to have and a great way to experience the outdoors. Whether you are setting up a tent on designated campgrounds or backpacking to find your own secluded space, it is a great way to enjoy being in the presence of your friends and family.
But before you set out with all your gear, here are a few things you need to know before earning the label of pro camping amongst your group.
Preparation and Planning
Before you even set up your tent at your campsite, you want to make sure that you are well prepared and have your camping trip planned out. Planning will incorporate a lot, from the items that you pack, the park or site that you will be at, the food that you ration, to the gas stations that you will stop at on your drive over. You will want to plan and know if you have certain amenities available or if you will need to figure that out for yourself such as toilets and running water. Should you get a portable toilet? Or will a shovel be enough? The portable toilet experts at Parked in Paradise emphasize the importance of having this part of your trip planned out in terms of will your site have these utilities or are you roughing it.
You might want to consider bringing your own toilet, or maybe just a shovel with you. If not, you might end up having to resort to buckets or bottles to relieve yourselves. Planning ahead for this part of your trip will help determine the success of how smooth and stress-free your bathroom experience on your trip is. Planning ahead will also allow you to designate roles and responsibilities to your trip mates, and ensure that you are all carrying your own weight.
Picking the Right Spot
Choosing the right spot is not always easy. If you are camping in a site that has designated lots, it is not as difficult choosing a spot, although opting to stay further away from playgrounds, common areas, intersections, and bathrooms will make your experience a little quieter. Otherwise, when you are selecting a place to camp, ensure that it is both safe and spacious enough for you. Make sure you are on solid ground and not downhill to avoid any issues if it starts to rain. The more you camp and backpack, the better you will be at recognizing the best spots to set up your tent and the rest of your gear.
Setting Up Camp
Once you have a good grasp of choosing the camp location, you will want to learn and master your set up skills. This means unloading everything quickly, setting up your tent, preparing the surrounding areas with nets and canopies if necessary. When you have mastered all this, you’ll find that the task of setting up your site is not as daunting or time-consuming as you previously thought. You’ll have your campsite ready to relax and get on with the rest of the activities you have planned.
Making Fire
Making fire is a skill that you’ll want to eventually master when camping. You can always use a lighter but if you want to take in the full experience, learning how to start a fire with some flint or wood is a great survival skill to have as well. Even if you choose to start a fire with a lighter, you want to develop good skills that are strong enough to keep a long-lasting and safe fire. This will come in handy when you want to cook some marshmallows or BBQ, or even just enjoy the company of friends and family circled around a firepit.
Cooking
Cooking is a life skill that you need to have in general. There is, however, extra skill and care that needs to be learned when it comes to cooking while camping. This can vary depending on how serious and remove from the technology you and your trip mates are. If you do not have access to outlets to use, then you will want to learn the basics and tips of cooking over a fire. If you are also catching your own fish, you’ll want to learn how to properly clean and fry them as well.
First Aid
It is always a good idea to have strong first aid skills, and this comes into play especially when camping. In most cases when you are out in the wilderness, you won’t have the same access to emergency services as you would typically have when in the city. This means that responses will take longer and for your basic and minor injuries and issues, you will want to know certain first aid techniques and practices. In the event of such emergencies, having these skills can provide you the extra time you need to get responders to you or reach a hospital or clinic.
A lot of camping is about preparation. Make sure that you have all the necessary skills and plans to make your trip an easy but memorable one. Pretty soon, your friends and family will be asking when the next camping adventure is.