September 2007

from www.family-fun-camping.com

Issue # 2
September 2007

In this issue

1. Choosing The right tent
2. Sleeping bags
3. Coolers
4. Packing the car
5. Tips and trick (General)

Welcome to the third 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.

Choosing the right tent is one of the most crucial decision’s you are going to make when it comes to your gear, not only do you need the have the right style ,quality level and layout you also need to be comfortable with setting it up, using it and breaking it down.

There are many different options available to you these days how ever the same basic types of tents are still going strong they are pup, dome, cabin, and ultra light. When choosing a tent please understand that when a company say sleeps six they mean six people with little gear and no room to move around. Your gear will usually account for a person in the stated total capacity of the tent, so if you’re a family of four I would suggest getting a tent that sleep’s at-least six to seven persons. The next important detail is construction you want to avoid single seam tents, thin materials and tents with small rain fly’s, any one of these features could make for a real wet or cold camping trip.

A very useful feature is “no see um” mesh screening on your windows and doors, this material is excellent at keeping flying pests outside. A “tub Bottom” is also helpful this is basically a one piece molded floor that extends up the tent wall and keeps everything nice and dry. When it comes to doors look for a “D” style door this will help keep bugs out if your kids are always coming in and out of the tent.

The each style will have their own benefits and drawbacks so doing a little investigation will definitely pay off. When you’re staring out the natural choice people make is to buy the smallest cheapest tent they can find, this is great if you’re a small family or just trying camping for the first time. This is a activity where you really get what you pay for so please invest wisely you can save money on some gear how ever your tent, sleeping bags and coolers shouldn’t be part of this list they are to crucial to your trip,

I have a whole page dedicated to this subject located at http://www.family-fun-camping.com/tent.html if you like to see some pictures and get more detail. My family uses a cabin tent that is 12x18 with an attached screen house this provides us plenty of room for gear, people and just moving around. This was quite an intimidating piece of gear at first now we have no trouble and really enjoy camping with it, I have mentioned this because I don’t want you to be scared by large pieces of gear it is better to invest once than several times over.

Next to your tent sleeping bags are the most crucial item you are going to want to invest in; they keep you warm, dry and comfortable so you do not want to cut corners here. One of the most useful ideas I have seen with sleeping bags is zippering two bags together to make one large bag, this way each person gets their own zipper and you have some more room to move at night.

The first natural decision is what style should you get Mummy Bag, Rectangular, non traditional or kids, each style has its own benefit there fore this is not a cookie cutter choice the bag must literally fit the person.

Let us explore each style to help you make a proper decision, first up is the mummy bag this style retains heat better since the bag’s foot is narrower than the head, most will only unzip part way leaving the feet protected this is helpful when camping in cooler seasons or climates. Mummy bags are a single person solution because of the heat loss concerns.

The rectangular bag is either square or rectangular as the name implies this style is the most common and will suite the needs of most campers staying in warm to moderate climates. The bag is sewn with a zipper on three side allowing easy in and out access this style also can be zippered together as mentioned above. Storing this bag is easy because you can roll or fold the bag up into a small area.

The non traditional bag creates its own category it offers the best of both worlds by allowing the freedom of movement of the rectangular bag and the reduction heat loss of the mummy bag. This style seems to be taking advantage of newer insulation materials.

When you have decide on the style that you feel will serve you best, remember to buy some rope or short bungee cords to help with rolling up your bag(s).

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 Coolers

My family has two very different coolers we take camping one for the frozen goods and the other for drinks and items not needing to be super cold. You are going to find enough choice with coolers to drive you mad, so I am going to give you the must have features so you can cut to the chase.

Depending on if you plan on hiking in with your gear wheels can be very helpful, on the wheelie coolers make sure you check how strong the handle is secured when you load this cooler down you definitely do not want to handle to break.

You will find most quality models will actually give a hour or day rating of how long they will keep your food cold, For instance I have seen seven, five and three day coolers while shopping.

Once you have the basic details in hand focus on the latch and the hinges, poor construction here will severely reduce the life of your cooler. I would try avoiding the split lid design if you have smaller campers it turns into a toy.

We have looked at traditional coolers lets expand or view to electric coolers/heaters, when you camp on a site with electricity you have the option of using an electric cooler this works like a mini refrigerator. You can even purchase coolers that have a heating element to keep food warm.

I now have a handy tip for you, as your ice melts down do not drain all the water out it actually helps keep your food cold. You also want to try laying some of your drink in the cooler and then adding ice this helps make more room.

The single most important accessory for your cooler(s) is a couple of strong bungee cords to tie them up at night and keep all the pests like raccoons, squirrels and mice out.

Section 4 packing the car

You now have all your gear together and are ready to pack the car or are you? Most people make the mistake of just throwing everything in without a plan and end up repacking the car.

When you pack your car or truck plan to layer the large items on the bottom and work the smaller items in between the larger ones. To save room I use “Space Bags” for putting clothes, sleeping bags and linens in them.

Depending on if your buying food at your destination does not overlook the inside(s) of your coolers as an excellent way to increase storage in the vehicle. The floor in front of younger campers is just waiting to hold some last minute extras as well.

A car top carrier is another very useful option when room is short, packing these requires some thought you do not want to over load one side of the car and travel loop sided all the way to your campsite. This is where we usually put our coolers with the lighter items when we travel.

Everyone is always searching for a way to make their life easier and campers are no different, Let us explore some simple time saving ideas.

When you need to fold something like a tarp, tent or any large item use your picnic table as a rest, this can be like having two extra people helping. A broom inserted into the tarp can help create a nice tight fold and result in a smaller folded item.

Camp fire any one? no problem during the year set aside a couple of thirty five millimeter film rolls cases and save some dryer lint, dab some petroleum jelly on your hand and roll up the lint into the jelly. When you need to start a fire break out your film case and separate a few threads of lint, place them in the fire and light. (You will be surprised how effective this is)

Oh no it’s raining again! Do not worry you can use inexpensive rolls of plastic to temporally keep the rain off you ten, kitchen area and fire area and kids toys. Not sure what to use to secure the plastic? I have used chip clips in the past and they work great.

Remember just because your camping does not mean you can’t have good food, use aluminum foil to bake potatoes, cook chicken or make toast.

Well that’s this months Ezine look for next months to include some specific’s on map reading, roadside safety, travel clubs and some bonus features.

Thanks
For visitng
Scott D Stone