Camping Tips - Family Tent Camping

24 08 2008

By: Nicole Munoz
Camping in a tent is a fun and memorable experience for families. Camping vacations are great for relaxing and spending quality time with those you love. To ensure an enjoyable and comfortable outing, consider these tent camping tips.

Always use a rainfly that provides full coverage of your tent. A rainfly is a tarp that covers the top of your tent to improve water resistance. Many tent models include a rainfly designed to cover the windows and doors, allowing them to be opened for ventilation without letting water in during rain.

You will also want to use a groundsheet beneath your tent to protect the floor from water and dirt, as well as sharp objects like sticks and rocks. A plastic tarp will work fine for a groundsheet, just be sure the tarp is the same shape as your tent and a little bit smaller than the tent floor to prevent water from collecting around the sides of your tent.

If you have purchased a new tent or haven’t used your tent in some time, you should set it up and inspect it before your camping trip. Check all the seams and stitching and make sure you are not missing any stakes or poles. Once a year, you should waterproof the tent’s seams with a quality seam sealer and you may consider spraying the outside with a water repellent as well, especially if it has been used in the rain.

When you arrive at the campground, try to select a campsite with a good, flat area to pitch your tent on. Avoid camping on sandbars or in areas that may be subject to sudden flashfloods. Sunken areas of ground or large depressions are not good choices to set up your tent on either because these areas will collect water when it rains, possibly soaking through your tent floor.

Use a special mallet designed for driving tent stakes or a hammer to secure your tent in the ground. Sturdy aluminum stakes are generally the best choice for stability and durability, especially on gravel campsites common to many campgrounds. Be sure your tent is securely anchored before you retire the first night of your trip and inspect the stakes each day.

During the summer months, avoid camping near areas of standing water. Stagnant water is nesting ground to mosquitoes and other biting insects. You may want to consider a screened shelter, like the Coleman Insta-clip Screenhouse, for summer camping. Screened shelters provide protection from insects, as well as sun and rain, and are ideal for mealtimes or just relaxing and enjoying the outdoors.

Always bring along a small whisk broom to keep the inside of your tent clean and free of dirt and debris. You can also put a small doormat or carpet square in front of your tent’s door so you and your family can wipe your feet before entering.

When your camping trip has ended, be sure to shake out any dirt and ensure that your tent is dry before packing it up. Use a specially designed stake puller or a small loop of strung rope to pull out your tent stakes and remember to put all stakes and pole back into their storage bags.



Tips in Camping Kitchen

24 08 2008

By: Nicole Munoz
One of the great outdoor recreations is camping. Basically, being out in the in the woods means playing and relaxing. But do not get so excited because there are still chores to do to make sure that your stay will be very fruitful and enjoyable. Being in the woods, one will definitely have to set up the tents and the other gears. Playing with the family seems like the only thing you want to do because you want to get closer with the rest of them. Deepening your relationship with your children is technically what you want to accomplish with this trip.

When doing nothing except playing everyone will feel very hungry at one point and the food you eat will always taste better when in vacation. Cooking up a delicious meal is not a very complicated thing to do. Grilling up a few meats with some seasoning will taste exquisite when eaten with family and in the woods. After everyone is full cleaning up the area is the next thing to do. Consider some of these tips.

You have exactly chosen the perfect spot where to camp out but you should have also considered the kitchen location. Every vacation needs food because eating is a very gratifying thing to do in this world. So keep in mind while looking for the best spot you will have to cook and eat at that site.

Preparing all the ingredients is an easy task. You can ask your children to help you out with this. Wash all the ingredients before cooking them for sanitary reasons. It is also important to know the time of the day to eat on the right time. It is very practical that you brought along with you discount watches and in case they got wet, lost or damaged you would not regret that you have brought them with you. Plus, you need to know the time when cooking for a meal. Some foods require that you time them when cooking to get the best texture and taste.

Perishable food should be placed in a cooler with lots of ice. Replenish ice as needed to prevent easy spoilage. Place the cooler under a shaded area and not directly under the sun to prolong the coldness of the ice. If some of the raw foods do not smell so good, throw it. Do not even think that it is passable to eat because you might get food poisoned. That will surely ruin your supposed to be a perfect camping trip.

Dry foods such as canned goods or chips should be placed where wandering animals can not reach them. One more thing about them, make sure that they have not yet reached the expiration date. Store them also in a place where they would not get wet when it rains.

Before washing up, dispose all the food wastes properly in a garbage plastic. Wash the dishes properly using detergent soap. Conserve water. Wipe off the excess water before storing the utensils in a clean place. Clean utensils will prevent nasty pests from crawling on them.

When being out and playing with the rest of the family, surely appetites will fly high. Everyone will eat much more than they used to back home. Kitchen duties are more likely one of the things you have to put more effort in. A perfect site for camping should also have a perfect place for you to cook and eat. Choose a place where there is more shade. Eating at the proper meal time is important particularly for the kids so it is ideal that you have brought with you discount watches that you bought for camping.. Dry foods should also be stored in a cool place. After eating, dispose all food wastes and keep leftovers. Wash up the dishes to prevent pests from crawling on them. Remember, it is good to be hygienic. Whenever you are on a vacation and you will cook for your own, remember these tips.