Camping Tips

Camping Equipment That You Need
By Simon Lee

While planning for a camping trip with your family or friends, there are several things that you should take into consideration. What camping equipment that you should bring along depends on personal needs. It is also requires common sense decision making while planning on what equipment to purchase and bring along.

It is mandatory and important to have at least a basic first aid kit, the kit should includes the antibiotics or prescription drugs, sterile gauze squares, rolls of sterile gauze, cotton balls, pain relievers and so on. You will also need a few boxes of moisture proof matches so that you can use it even during raining. Also do not forget the rain suit, lanterns and a battery operated flash light with additional batteries for standby purpose.

If you are camping in a deep forest, it is recommended to have a map and compass, just in case you get lost in the wilderness. Other than this, a GPS system can be a good alternative but it is quite costly. The rescuers will know your exact position in case you are lost in the forest. You should also keep up to 3 weeks of emergency food supply in case the rescue team needs more time to look for you.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to buying camping equipment. There is no specific reason which shops that you have to get the equipment, as long as they can provide the things that you need and the price is reasonable, I do not see a reason why you should not do a business with them. Make sure you list down all the necessary equipments to be brought and enjoy the venture into the wilderness; this is an experience that can last you the rest of your life.

Simon is the owner for Portable Propane Grill review site, visit http://www.portablepropanegrill.org for more information.

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Winter Camping Meals
By Nicole Munoz

Cold weather camping is much more harsh on your body than camping in warmer seasons, so it is important to place extra attention on taking care of yourself by staying warm and eating the right foods. If you are camping in cold weather, you should allow yourself an additional 1,000 calories per day in your diet. Winter camping meals and snacks should be very high in carbohydrates to fuel your body through the extreme cold and should also contain plenty of fats and proteins.

Winter camping trips offer more flexibility for the types of foods you can pack because the cold temperatures are much friendlier to foods that may spoil quickly in the heat. Cooking and preparing your camping meals in the cold, however, is much more difficult. You will want to plan winter camping meals that are easy and quick to prepare and that are just as simple to eat. Plan on packing a good bit more food when camping in cold weather and pack several emergency meals as well.

Instant soups are simple winter camping meals that help warm you up on a cold night. Bring along plenty of hot drinks, like cocoa or coffee, and a Coleman 14 cup percolator to keep your body temperature higher before you wrap up in your sleeping bag for the night. Lunch will most likely take place on the trail so plan easy to eat foods that are high in carbs and proteins to keep your energy and strength throughout the day. It is important to continue to eat all day long because your body will be burning calories at a rapid rate, not only trying to keep your body warm, but to produce energy to hike as well.

High protein snacks like jerky, nuts, and trail mix are great for eating throughout the day regardless of the type of weather conditions you are hiking in, but are especially important winter camping foods. Dried fruits are also very beneficial to your body during strenuous cold weather activities like backpacking and hiking. Bring along plenty of raisins, trail mix, and fatty type snacks. Chocolate is even a good snack for winter camping and backpacking trips and it won’t melt along the trail!

Camp cooking in the cold can be a tedious task, but it is very important to eat well and to stay warm. Plan your winter camping meals ahead of time and consider the fact that things take longer to heat in cold weather. Avoid raw vegetables because it will be nearly impossible to cook them at camp. You can prepare vegetables at home and simply warm them to save time. Always cook with a covered pot or pan to retain more heat in the cold and warm your meals faster.

Consider hearty winter camping meals that can be prepared in a single dish and eaten with little effort. Prepared canned foods, like beef stew or chili, are great energy providers, but can be heavy to pack. Vary these heavier foods with light winter camping meal selections, like foil packets of tuna, pasta, and bagels, for a healthy menu for your cold weather camping adventures.

For more tips and information about Camping Gear, check out http: http://www.summitcampinggear.com.

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Written By: Mike Nowacki

Here is a description of how to build a snow quinzee or snow mound hut. These, like most other snow shelters, require a fair bit of work to complete, therefore start well before dark. These are usually used when you plan on spending more than one night in the same spot due to the effort involved in making this. If built properly a quinzee hut will be much warmer to sleep in than any tent.

Basically, this is a combination of an igloo and a snow cave. You are going to shovel a pile of snow into the shape and size of an igloo. Let it harden and then hollow it out. This is especially useful in marginal snow conditions, or when a crust is not available for igloos and also when there is not enough (1.8 - 2.4 metres) deep packed snow for a snow cave.

The quinzee hut is possible because temperature differences exist within the layers of snow. By mixing snow of different temperatures you create a sintering process that causes even powdered snow to harden.

For a quinzee with an inside diameter of 1.8 m, mark off a circular area that is at least 2.4 - 2.7 metres in diameter (allowing for the walls). Now mix up the snow within your circle to get it sintering. Start piling snow on top of this area by using snow that is from outside of the circle. As you shovel, alternate flipping the snow over so that it gets well mixed (one shovel full right side up, the next gets thrown on upside down…). Your pile should get to about 1.8 metres high. Flatten off the top to give it a dome shape, but don’t pack down the snow. Poke a couple dozen 30 - 45 cm long sticks through the top and sides of your snow pile. These will be your guides to wall thickness when you start digging it out.

Now you sit and wait to let the sintering process do its thing. Depending on the outside temperature it could take between one and three hours. The colder it is the faster it will harden. Make yourself something hot to drink, cook dinner or go on a short hike to pass the time and keep warm.

Now it’s time to dig. You should be in waterproof clothes and someone else should help to move away the debris you shovel out. Trade off regularly, the person inside doing the digging has the toughest job. Use the excavated snow to make a sitting and cooking area just outside your shelter along with a wind break. Start off by making a small opening at ground level. As you progress inwards, start slanting upwards so that the sleeping platform is slightly raised. This will allow the coldest air to flow down and out while you are sleeping. Keep hollowing out until you reach the ends of the sticks you poked through earlier. When finished the walls should be at least 30 - 45 cm thick and you should have a dome shaped ceiling. Smooth the ceiling as much as possible to prevent dripping.

Ventilation: You will get a thin crust of ice build up on the inside, due to condensation, making the snow airtight. You will need to make, and keep clear, a ventilation hole in the ceiling. Also, don’t shut the door up too snugly, allow some air to circulate through it. You can use your pack as the door. Mark your entrance by standing you ski poles or snowshoes on either side of it. Scoop out a shelf or two on the inside wall for candles. Poke a stick part way through to suspend your candle lantern.

You may also want to make a windbreak out of snow around the entrance. This will keep brisk winds out as well as to help prevent drifting snow from burying your doorway. Just as a precaution you should keep your shovel or other digging utensil inside with you at night in case you have to excavate your way out in the morning.

Cooking inside is not recommended (due to CO build up), but if you must make sure you have an extra ventilation hole directly above your stove. Always leave the doorway partially opened while the stove is on. Set the stove outside when you first turn it off; this is when it gives off the most fumes.

It is also a good idea to bring along a small tarp or tent fly. In the dead of winter it can still rain, even in northern Canada. A few unfortunate campers have found this out the hard way. Day One it was -25C, during the night it warmed up and rained hard. They woke up at 5:00 AM with their quinzee caving in on them followed by pouring rain. Everything got soaked. Later that morning it dropped back down to -20C and all of their gear and clothing was frozen solid. Throwing tarps over the roof of your quinzee during a rain storm will greatly increase it’s chances of making it through the night. Just make sure your ventilation hole is not obstructed. If so you’ll have to poke another one off to the side.

A tarp or ground sheet is also required for the floor. Set this down and put your thermal pads and sleeping bags on top. You might also want to consider a bivouac cover for your sleeping bag to prevent your bag from getting wet from falling snow when you accidentally brush your head against the roof of the quinzee.

These shelters are perfect for 2 or 3 people. If you have more in your group then you can build two adjoining quinzees with a small opening connecting them. There are many easier and quicker snow shelters that can be made for one individual.

Written By: Mike Nowacki

Thinking About Winter Camping?
By Ian Kurz

Have you ever thought winter camping might be an adventure you’ll remember forever? I’ll bet it will be if you have the guts to try it. You need to take some time and plan just how you’re going to go about it but it can and will be all kinds of fun and an experience you’ll always remember.

Camping in the snow offers you the ability to get away from sleeping in a tent and making your own shelter by burrowing into a pile of snow and escaping the harshest elements that way. These little snow huts are known as a quinzee and can provide a great degree of comfort and warmth when you need it. The Eskimos have lived in houses like these until fairly recently and it has always worked for them so you know it’s going to be more than adequate for you.

It takes time to build one of these little huts. You need to shovel snow into a mound until it reaches about six feet in height. You then will take small sticks at a length of about a foot or a foot and a half and poke them into the bank so that they point into the center. These sticks will act as a guide to what thickness you are making the walls of the structure while you excavate it. It will take a good amount of sticks to do this, maybe a couple of dozen or so..

Once you’ve made your pile and poked your sticks into it then it’s time to walk away for a while and let the pile harden. If you were to try and dig it out right know it would just cave in on you. The colder it is outside the better the pile of snow will harden. Likewise the longer you leave it to sit the more it will harden as well.

When you start digging out your quinzee be sure to start at ground level and if possible, work your way up so that the sleeping area is slightly elevated. This will help ensure the cooler air flows down and will help to keep you warmer when you’re inside your quinzee. Keep digging until you begin to reach the ends of the sticks you had poked through the wall earlier. As I said before, these are the gauge of how thick your walls are so don’t dig past them or your structure will be weaker. Be sure to smooth off the roof area on the inside so that water doesn’t have a place to drip from and irritate you or worse yet make you wet, cold, and uncomfortable.

When you’re winter camping in a quinzee or a tent then it’s imperative that you stay warm. A quinzee will be much warmer than a tent but it is quite a bit more work. In either case be certain to use a self inflating air mattress to keep yourself insulated from the ground. A good four season sleeping bag in conjunction with it and you’ll be toasty and comfortable.

One thing I like about the idea of winter camping is that many of the animals that can be either a nuisance or a danger tend to hibernate in the winter so in a way it’s safer to camp in a way, as long as you’re prepared for the cold.

Give winter camping a try. Build yourself a quinzee even and be amazed at not only how comfortable you are, but what a great time you can have when you’ve properly prepared for your winter time camping trip. Add a hot meal and a piping hot cup of coffee or cocoa and things just don’t get to be much more perfect.

Ian Kurz is an enthusiastic camper and the owner of the website http://www.everything-about-camping.com where he provides tips and advice for new campers on numerous topics. Be sure to check out his winter camping tent page for more info on the difference between 3 season and 4 season tents.

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Winter Camping - 10 Ways to Stay Warm
By Trisha L. Elliott

Christian O’Gorman’s house had just burnt down and his truck was about to be stolen when he decided to leave home and venture into British Columbia’s Stein Valley for a winter camping trip. It was February 2003. Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.

“I’d hiked and camped the Stein in the other three seasons and always loved it so I thought I’d give it a shot,” he said.

Cabby Chris (as he’s known by locals) was no stranger to the cold white stuff. He experienced the unwelcome guest on spring camping trips, fall camping trips and even summer camping trips in the alpine, not to mention his two winters living in a teepee. He felt it was time to take this fleeting relationship to another level.

Chris and his three traveling companions hiked six hours up the Stein River and set up a base camp. “We chose a sheltered spot under some cedar trees and stamped out a flat spot in the snow for our tent.”

But how did this bush man stay warm, I ask you?

“I got a cooking pot and dug out the snow down to the dirt for a fire pit. We gathered dead standing branches for the fire and set up benches, “said Chris, “I heated up some water and filled my water bottle with it. Then I threw it in my sleeping bag in my tent, for a half hour before I jumped in. I was toastier than a grilled cheese sandwich.”

Winter Camping Tips

1. Take an avalanche course.

2. Research the snow conditions (shallow or deep, powder, packed, breakable crust, variable….).

3. Consider buying snowshoes, back-country skis or gators, and hiking boots.

4. Layer your clothing.

5. Have a warm enough sleeping bag for the conditions and store it in a waterproof bag.

6. Bring an insulated sleeping pad.

7. Bring a camping stove in case fires are difficult or impossible.

8. Don’t eat snow! Melt it first by boiling for at least 10 minutes. This saves your body from using energy to melt the snow, and also rids the water of potential bacteria.

9. Be aware of ice covered in snow on the ground (i.e. rivers, ponds, lakes….).

10. Always carry a first-aid kit.

To find more articles written by Trisha Elliott, check out her portfolio at http://www.sayitloudwritinganddesign.com

Happy Trails! Trisha Elliott is the owner-operator of Say it Loud Writing and Design, a freelance communications firm based in British Columbia, Canada specializing in Information Renovation. Her writing and graphic design has appeared in newspapers, magazines, corporate manuals, websites, quizzes, forms, surveys, ads, and newsletters. To see her portfolio and other helpful industry content, please go to http://www.sayitloudwritinganddesign.com

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RV Maintenance - How to Prepare a Motorhome For Winter
By Myles Long

Most motorhomes are used in countries with seasonal climates, hence motorhomes tend to get used during the summer time and then parked up during the winter. Inactivity and a harsh winter can cause untold damage to your campervan. Here are some tips how to protect your motorhome during the winter.

First up, if you can garage your motorhome, you should do so. Keeping it out of the wind, rain, snow, ice and even sunshine offers protection to both body and engine. Due to the size of the vehicle, it may not be possible to keep the vehicle indoors, so most vans will have to winter outside. One point to note if a van is indoors over the winter — on occasions moving it outside on dry days is highly recommended. When housed indoors over an extended period, moisture can form in various places, causing corrosion. Putting the vehicle outside on a dry windy day is ideal to dry out these areas.

The second point is essential for any mechanical vehicle - don’t leave it inactive for an extended period. Many parts of any vehicle work better and last longer, when used regularly. For example the brakes - the components stay lubricated when in regular use. The brake pads may perish if not used for long periods. Therefore, take your motorhome for a 20 minute spin every weekend or fortnight. At the very least, start the engine regularly. Top tip — if you commute to work and have easy parking, then drive to work, once a fortnight.

When you finish using your vehicle, give the exterior a good clean and polish. This helps prevent dirt building up on it over the winter. You may wish to consider a protective cover for your motorhome or RV. These come in full cover or half cover forms and do offer much protection to the exterior. Icy conditions can cause damage, with water lodging in crevices and then expanding into ice, in extreme temperatures. Sap from nearby trees, bird droppings, black rain streaks etc can all be avoided with the use of a motorhome cover.

Battery maintenance is essential over the winter. Motorhome leisure batteries tend to lose their capacity over long periods of inactivity. The effect is even worse during cold periods. The best solution is to keep your battery fully charged during the winter using a “trickle charge”. You can either remove the leisure battery from your vehicle and plug it into a trickle charge device in your home or attach some kind of trickle charging device to you battery as it resides in the vehicle. If you choose not to trickle charge, at least be disciplined to charge and discharge your battery on a regular basis over the winter.

By following the these simple tips on how best to winterize your campervan, you stand a better chance of your vehicle being ready for the road in spring time. For more information on motorhome maintenance and all about motorhomes, visit AboutMotorhomes.

AboutMotorhomes.com promotes best practice when it comes to caring for your leisure vehicle. For all about motorhome maintenance and all you need to know about RV’s, campervans and motorhomes…..enjoy AboutMotorhomes.com

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Winter RVing, Cold Weather RV Travel, and Winter Camping
By Spencer Arnold

Tis the season for winter RVing and cold weather winter camping. This is the time of year when the weather is at it’s best. The air is clean and crisp and rv destination offer you a lot more solitude then at any other time during the year. For those of you who are sports enthusiast or outdoorsman winter RV travel offers you a great opportunity for skiing, cross country skiing and even hunting.

If you are going camping this winter you should take the time to make sure your RV is ready. Below are some of the things you should do to ensure you are prepared:

First always bring plenty of warm blankets, Extra fuel and extra food. If you are camping in the mountains, try to avoid periods of heavy snowfall or blizzard like conditions. (You may just get snowed in.) Fuel is especially important to help keep you warm during a crises. If you have a generator, make sure it is full and you may also want to carry and extra 5 to ten gallon with you. The same thing applies to propane heating.

Always have and emergency get with first aid, and emergency survival materials. Sometimes these include items to help people find you such as whistles, radios, compasses, and even a flare gun. You may also want to bring your cell phone. It may surprise you the coverage you van get in some areas.

Always make sure someone else knows where you are. Sign in with the national park you are visiting or have a freind or family member know where you are going or when you plan on returning.

Some RVs come with a winter package or an arctic package. This will provide you with better insulation against the elements and it should keep your what and plumbing from freezing. This type of RVs are definitely recommended if the outside temperature is going to be below 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remember, Winter RVing is a lot of fun. Cold weather RV Camping is something that you should be well prepared for.

For more information on buying used RV Repos or RV Foreclosures come visit our site!

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RV Winterizing Methods - To Blow Or Not to Blow?
By Les Doll

RV Winterizing Methods To Blow or Not to Blow? Using an air compressor to blow out your RV water lines vrs winterizing with RV antifreeze.

The debate rages on, as it has for years - Do I blow out the water lines with compressed air or use RV antifreeze to winterize the RV water system.

Many people argue that they have “blown out my RV water lines for umpteen years, and never had a problem”

This article is meant to express my opinion, as a certified RV technician (15+ years), who has personally winterized in excess of 3000 RV’s over the years.

1. Compressed air does push most of the water out of the lines, but not all. Any remaining water does what water naturaly does - it runs downhill and collects in the lowest point. RV plumbing has many up and downs as it runs through various cabinets and over various obstacles and the water that collects at these places will freeze.

2. The compressed air does not blow out the water that is inside the water pump. It can’t do this because the pump has internal valves to prevent backflow and is designed this way.

3. Air compressor air can be dirty and contaminated with traces of oil - without a very good filter, do you want this in your water lines?

4. RV water systems are designed to operate at 45 PSI pressure - any air pressure used should be regulated to not exceed 45 PSI - you can’t just run down to the gas station and use the tire filler to blow out your RV lines!

5. Most RVs will take about 2 gallons of antifreeze to winterize - at $2.50 or $3.00 a gallon, that’s 5 or 6 bucks. And the time for either method is about the same.

I live and work in central BC, Canada where winter temperature go to -30 and lower. I have worked for 4 separate RV dealers in my career and all of them use the antifreeze method to winterize the lot units. (maybe 100 to 300 RVs per dealer!) The cost to winterize these units with antifreeze is substantial. If they could just “blow out the lines”, don’t you think they would do that?

The final choice is up to you, of course, but I am reminded of that old TV commercial slogan - “pay me now or pay me later!”

Les Doll - Certified RV Technician

RVers Corner.com - A vast resource of RV Maintenance Items
RV Repair Manual.com - Articles on RV Repair

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Arizona Motor Home Vacations
By Elizabeth Morgan

The most popular tourist attraction in Arizona is the Grand Canyon. This is because the Grand Canyon National Park, which covers over one million acres, offering some of the most breathtaking sites and a number of outdoor activities like hiking. As a result, millions of people visit the Grand Canyon, which can make it very hard to book lodgings and the necessary documents that people who go to the Grand Canyon need, like camping permits. Given this, people who plan to visit the Grand Canyon should plan ahead of time so that they can book the necessary items they need for the trip. However, for those who only plan to visit the Grand Canyon for a day, planning ahead may only involve getting a camping permit because one of the best ways to visit the Grand Canyon for a day is to do it using a motor home.

Bringing a motor home to the Grand Canyon

One of the best advantages to bringing a motor home to enjoy the sites of the Grand Canyon is that you are not confined in a hotel and can enjoy the sites while still enjoying the comforts of home. In addition to this, being able to bring your ?accommodations? to some locations around the canyon allows you access to the materials that you would need to enjoy other activities like hiking, camping, and rafting. However, bringing a motor home to the Grand Canyon requires that you get a camping permit for the places where you plan to park your motor home. In addition to this, you should also try to arrive in the canyon as early as possible because there are other people who wish to bring their motor homes to the national park, making the process of finding parking a bit of a challenge.

Arizona’s most popular tourist attraction is the Grand Canyon, which offers breathtaking sites and exciting outdoor activities to those who visit it. However, one very good way of enjoying the sites that the Grand Canyon offers in a convenient and practical way is to bring your motor home to the Grand Canyon. Doing so can allow people to have a closer look at the magnificent sites of the canyon while enjoying the comforts of home.

Arizona Vacations provides detailed information on Arizona Vacations, Arizona Golf Vacations, Arizona Vacation Rentals, Arizona Spa Vacations and more. Arizona Vacations is affiliated with Phoenix Arizona Real Estate.

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Camping Gear - A Great Family Christmas Idea
By Richard Mas

In our high-tech world, spending a week or weekend camping with the family is a great idea. This Christmas you can find great deals on camping items that will allow you to more easily spend time outdoors with your family.

When I was growing up, we did not take family camping trips. My parents were not what one would label as “outdoorsy” types. We did, however, have a little cottage that we would go to in the woods which was similar to camping without the hassle. This inspired a love of the outdoors which later segued into outdoor camping with my kids.

Many families eschew camping simply because of the hassles of getting everything together. The preparation is thought to take as long as the weekend. However, camping is no longer as difficult as it used to be and it makes for a great family outing without all of today’s technology interruptions.

Here are some great camping items that you can buy for Christmas to make for the ultimate camping outing when the weather permits.

Obviously, the first thing that you need is a tent. Today’s tents, compared to those in the past, offer easy setup in about 10 minutes and there are tents to fit every size family. A company called Eureka has become synonymous with fabulous outdoors equipment at very competitive prices. Their tents are designed with an “expect the worst” mentality meaning that they can withstand all sorts of treacherous weather. Thus, if it’s pouring raining outside, you can remain dry inside your tent enjoying the varieties in the weather without being affected by them.

After a great night sleep in one of these tents, you do not have to sacrifice your morning meal just because you are outdoors. With just a few camping extras that won’t break the bank, you can make a terrific breakfast, lunch, and dinner as if you were making food at home.

The first thing that you will want is a sizable cooler to fit your food. Coleman, another name that all campers know, makes coolers of all sizes that will fit your family budget and all of your culinary necessities. Along with this, Coleman also offers a 24 piece enamelware set with plates, bowls, and utensils.

To cook this food, you will need only a fuel stove and these can be had for under $100. For those of you who want to go the extra mile, you can find portable outdoor grills that allow cooking for many people at under $200.

One of my favorite pleasures when camping is my morning cup of coffee. Taken outdoors with the sun rising, it’s a feeling unlike any other. Thus, I always bring along a percolator to get my day going with a great cup of coffee.

But what makes this outdoors time so special is the time spent with family. We live our lives driven by interruptions from computers, phones, and televisions. Spending an interruption-less weekend away camping with your family reminds you of what life is all about.

So, this Christmas, get the camping gear you need at great deals and plan a camping weekend with your family. You will be glad you did. I promise.

Find this camping gear and other great family Christmas gift ideas at the Christmas Store Online, where you can find the Best Christmas Gifts each year. The author, Richard Mas, is a retail specialist and senior editor at The Christmas Store Online.

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