August 2007

from www.family-fun-camping.com

Issue # 2
August 2007

In this issue

1. Choosing the perfect campsite
2 . Campsite Layout Ideas
3. Preparing for rain and the unexpected
4. Tarps a overview

Welcome to the second issue of around the campfire we are will be doing more with this monthly feature so please be patient, for now we are trying to get the basics done while providing you some free information!

Please feel free to visit the site and use the contact us forms located on many pages to make a suggestion or comment.

When your trying to determine if you have found the ideal campsite there are a few questions you need to consider , first is it level enough that if you get heavy rain you won't be flooded out? Second Will all your gear fit and leave room for the kids to have room to play? Third Are there any natural features like tree stumps,rocks, drop offs Ect. that may pose a safety concern with your children.

When you choose to camp last minute you may have to take what ever site is assigned to you there fore make sure you can adapt to make the best of a site that may not answer yes to all the questions above.

While we are talking about camp grounds lets cover a few basic house keeping items, You usually will need a copy,email or written receipt to check in. Most private camp grounds are installing gated entry systems that are locked for the night after a predetermined time,finally most camp grounds have a enforced quite time.

Section 2: Campsite layout ideas

Once you have located the perfect site its time to pitch your tent and the rest of your gear, however you would be wise to take a minute and plan out where every things going first. You will want to take safety, function and overall ease of use in mind when setting up.

Before setting up your tent I would suggest raking or sweeping the ground first to remove any small rocks or branch's to protect the floor of your tent. Also check for any broken off tent stakes left in the ground by previous careless camper I have ruin one good air mattress to this problem.

Where to put the gear? Yo would be well advised to keep your eating and sleeping areas as far apart as possible, you might be asking why is this so important? Simply put if your camping in an area with predatory animals such as bears this helps keep your family out of harms way.

Kids are going to want to play so factor in some room for them to run wild and try to keep the fire area out of there path, make sure you have a defined area for the toys to be stored when play time is over nothing is more frustrating then tripping over a loose toy at midnight when you r trying to make the bathroom.

Section 3 : Preparing for rain and the unexpected

The most common problem you will encounter is rain, when you are prepared this is really nothing more than a mild hassle. As some of you more than likely have found out not being prepared can ruin a camping trip. Some simple actions on your part before the rain can save your family a major headache. Invest in some good tarps to cover over your tent, screen house and the kids toys/bikes, some inexpensive painters tarps on a roll work great and some extra stakes and tarp clips.

The purpose of these items is to simply move the water away from your gear, having a folding shovel aids in the efforts by allowing you to dig trenches to channel the water away from your tent.

Cold weather and high winds are the two others major problems your likely to encounter these are fixed by having extra tarp clips. rope extra clothing and blankets, Recently my family found out how cold July nights can be in New Hampshire thankfully we were prepared with the afore mentioned items.

TIP

You should monitor the weather for at least two weeks prior to your vacation and print out the seven day forecast so you have a idea of what to expect.

In the previous section I mentioned tarps a lot, now lets take a look at what you need to know about them and where to use the,Tarps are generally made out of a woven material with plastic embedded in it the corners are reinforced and there are grommet (holes ) along the edges.

The overall key quality feature here is the thickness anf the construction of the grommets, You are going to see "mil" listed on most tarp packages this is a measurement of the thickness the higher the number the better, also look for closer gromett placement and strong corners these features when combined make for a strong and durable piece of gear.

I would suggest that you carefully measure before just buying any size tarp the bigger they are the harder they are to clean and fold, a great tip My wife and I can share here is to use your picnic table as rest when cleaning and folding you larger tarps.

I really hope you got some ideas from this months issue, next months issue will include more goodies and sections so please be patient as we learn the ropes.

thanks