Camping

Are you ready to try camping? This five-lesson course will help you get started. By the end of this course you'll know what camping gear you'll need, how to find a campground, what to expect when you get to your destination, how to set up your campsite, and how to be a good camper.
Camping is fun, and easy. Common sense and a little knowledge will get you started. The rest is up to you. Do your homework, be prepared, and enjoy the great outdoors.

1. Gear Up
Camping is a great way to enjoy the great outdoors. If you are new to camping, the first thing you should do is become familiar with the basic camping gear that you will need. One way is to go camping with a seasoned camper. You can quickly learn from them. Basically, you need a shelter, which could be a tent, cabin, or RV, and you need a bed, which could be a combination of sleeping bags and pads, cots, air mattresses, and comforters, and you need to eat, which may or may not require cooking utensils.

First time campers usually start out as tent campers, who are also referred to as car campers because they carry all their campground needs in their car (rather than an RV). Your first tent need not be expensive, but it should provide adequate weather protection. Similarly, you can find moderately priced sleeping bags that work well too. With a little care and maintenance most camping gear will last for many years. And depending on your eating habits you may need nothing more than a cooler, a bag of charcoal, and a spatula.

Choosing A Tent
Why do you need a tent? A tent shields you from the wind, sun, and rain. A tent protects you from unfriendly outdoor pests like flies, mosquitoes, and noseeums. A tent provides a place to store clothes and other gear out of the weather. And a tent offers you a place to go for a little privacy. Remember there's nothing wrong with sleeping out under the stars, weather permitting. But sooner or later you'll likely need a tent.

Sleeping Bags and Pads
Making a bed at the campground is easy. First you need to have some type of padding to cushion you from the hard ground. There are inflatable pads and various closed-cell pads that work quite well. On top of the pad you'll place your sleeping bag. If you're a beginner, you're probably summer camping, so you won't need an expensive sleeping bag. A lightweight rectangular sleeping bag will do. If it gets too warm, you may opt to sleep on top of it with a sheet and/or blanket. Don't forget to bring a pillow.

Campground Cooking Supplies

Outdoor cooking is enjoyed by many whether at the campground or in your own backyard. So if you're a backyard chef, you already have lots of recipes to try at the campground. If not, you can always get by with a cooler of drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. Most public campgrounds provide a grill and picnic table at each campsite. With a bag of charcoal and a spatula you're ready to make steaks, hot dogs, and hamburgers on the grill. Add a propane stove, a skillet, and a few pots, and you're ready to cook up lots of stove-top meals. Get a Dutch oven, and now you can bake at the campground too. Depending on your cooking skills and equipment, you can make meals at the campground that can rival home cooking.

Get Organized - Make A Checklist

A camping checklist will help you remember essential items, like the can opener or your toothbrush. Make a list of your camping gear and refer to it every time you go camping. Revise it as needed.



2. Setting Up Camp

As you approach the campground entrance, the excitement begins and your heart beats a little faster. Don't get too excited yet, there's still the matter of checking in, picking out a site, and setting up camp.

Checking In

When you first arrive at the campground you'll want to stop at the campground office and check in. Identify yourself to the campground hosts, and tell them whether you have a reservation or not. They'll have you fill out a registration form and state the number of campers, how long you intend to stay, and whether you're tent camping or RVing. While registering, ask to drive through the campground to pick out a site. Tell them this is your first time here, and you want to see what's available. The office may have a map so that you can see the different areas of the campground. If you have any location preferences, like close to the bathroom and showers, or next to the lake, or away from RVs, ask the attendants. This is also a good time to ask some questions about campground rules, quiet hours, garbage disposal areas, emergency contacts, ranger patrols (good to know if you're camping alone), or whatever else comes to mind.

Preparing Your Campsite

You've finally arrived at the campground, and you're scoping out the area to see which spot looks best for setting up your campsite. What should you be looking for?

• Look for relatively high, level ground
  There is some truth to the saying "high and dry." Pick an spot to set up your tent where it is elevated from the ground around it. In a storm, rain will flow away from your tent, rather than under it. You should never set up your tent on a slope, or you'll find yourself rolling out of your sleeping bag all night. So avoid campsites in low areas.
  
• Check for a water source nearby
  Water is essential for camping. You'll need it for all your drinking, cooking, and cleaning up. When choosing a campsite, check to see how far it is to the nearest water source. You don't want to have to walk far with a five-gallon container.
  
• Find an adequate area for cooking
  Don't ever cook in your tent. Most campsites have a grill and picnic table. For cook stoves, locate a flat area away from any leaves, twigs, or brush that may catch fire. And never leave an unattended campfire burning.
  
• Pick another area for cleaning
  Campgrounds typically have cleaning stations and water faucets. Please don't use bathrooms or drinking fountains to do your dishes. Don't kill the flora with hot, soapy water. Use bio-degradable soap, and only dump gray water in designated areas or where it will do no harm.
  
• Find the garbage cans
  Always keep a clean campsite. Collect all litter and keep it gathered away from your tent in a location out of reach of any of the local critters or pests. It's a good idea to bring plenty of plastic garbage bags and change them daily.
  
• Pick a campsite with some shade
  It's nice to have a shady spot to relax in during the heat of the day or while hanging out at the campsite. But as a word of caution, don't set your tent up under trees when it's likely to rain. Not only are you a target for lightening strikes, but you'll also get rained on long after the storm has stopped.

Time For Recreation
After setting up the campsite it's time to go do what you came here to do, go play. Now is the time to enjoy doing whatever it is that you like to do. To many campers, myself included, seeing the campsite set up and smelling the country air is a refreshing change from all of the confines of the city. I like to take this time to just sit down, get something cold to drink, and relax a spell. It's usually around this time too that the thought goes through my mind, "what did I forget to bring?" It never fails, there's always something useful that gets left behind, like a bottle opener, or the clothes line, or something.

More Campsite Tips

• Keep a checklist
  Itemize your gear and all the essentials that you use while camping. Depending on when and where you like to camp and what you like to do, the list will be ever changing. But most importantly use it.
  
• Plan meal times
  Whether it's just two of you or the whole family, let everyone know when it's meal time before they run off to play. Meals take more time to prepare at the campground, but it's also one of the chores that everyone seems to want to help out with.
  
• Keep a clean campsite
  After meals do a thorough job of cleaning the dishes and the eating area, and put all trash in appropriate containers. Never leave food unattended at the campsite because critters will make quick use of it and usually leave quite a mess in the process.
  
• Observe campground rules
  Campground rules, which are usually posted near the campground entrance, were made so that everyone can enjoy the campground. It only takes one camper from hell to ruin it for everyone else. Be a good neighbor.
  
• Take a late night walk
  Check out the stars, listen to the silence, smell the fresh air. It doesn't get any better than this.

All good things sooner or later come to an end, and the same goes for camping. This is a short but important lesson. There are two important things to learn: don't leave anything behind, and don't leave a messy campsite.

3. Breaking Camp
When it comes time to pack it up and head back to our other lives, consider these tips before departing:

• Stow your gear
  Use a whisk broom and/or rags to wipe off gear as you stow it. Try to pack your gear as you had it when you came to the campground. It's also a good idea to separate dirty clothes so that they will be ready to be washed when you arrive home.
  
• Check the cooler
  Dispose of any food wastes, empty out excess water, and replenish the ice, as needed, for the trip home.
  
• Dowse the campfire
  Make sure the campfire is out. Dowse the area with the excess water from your cooler or another source.
  
• Gather all trash
  To state it simply, leave no trace.
  
• Police the area
  A broom and a leaf rake come in handy for grooming the campsite and gathering up the last of any litter. Always leave your campsite cleaner than you found it.
  
• Take a potty break
  Before leaving, take advantage of this opportunity to take a final bathroom break and to wash up a bit.
  
• Take a final walk around
  Time for one last check. Walk around your vehicle and look around the campsite to see if anything was missed.
  
• Say goodbyes
  Until next time ...

Checking Out
Be sure to stop at the campground office to let them know you are departing. This way they know the site is available for any arriving campers. Now enjoy the ride home and the memories of your camping trip.