Helpful Tips for a Successful Camping Trip

It’s always a good idea to go into a camping trip with some idea of what you’re doing. It is not going to be the most glamorous experience; you probably won’t have any kind of plumbing, and it’s almost guaranteed you won’t have any cellular service. All of this aside, camping is such a great experience that allows you to disconnect from the world and get it touch with Mother Nature.

When camping, it’s a good idea to look at the weather beforehand and plan accordingly. In my opinion, the best time to go is during Autumn, because the leaves on the trees will be changing creating a really nice fall landscape. The only downside to going during this season is that it will get pretty chilly at night. My suggestion would be to bring lots of layers to sleep in, as well as lots of blankets to go over top of your sleeping bag. Another way to warm up your tent would be to lay down cardboard on the floor of the tent – cardboard acts as an insulator, so it will minimize the cold ground temperature from penetrating the bottom of the tent.

Another way to conserve heat in your tent is to lay a thick blanket underneath your rain fly in order to trap in the heat that is trying to escape through the top of the tent. However, only do this if there is ventilation in other places in your tent. If you block the only source of ventilation, your warm body can cause condensation to build up on the walls of the tent causing everything inside to become slightly damp. Finally, if the night gets very cold you can scavenge around in the woods and try to find large rocks, then heat them up by putting them next to your campfire for about an hour or so. Then take these rocks away from the fire and have them cool down enough to touch, then wrap them in towels and place them at the center of your tent and at the foot of your sleeping bag. They’ll serve as small heaters, and this combined with lots of blankets will keep you warm for hours!

An additional problem facing camping, and a large part of why people don’t want to camp, is rain. Being outdoors in the rain is never fun, and can cause you to become sick. However, there’s no need to postpone a camping trip just because of it. One way to combat rain and is to string a tarp from surrounding trees above your tent. Most tents are waterproof, but if it’s raining hard enough some water is bound to slip in. With this extra layer, you’ll have insurance in waking up completely dry. An additional tip to camping in the rain deals with the location of your campsite. Tenting away from bodies of water, even the smallest streams, will ensure that you won’t wake up to four inches of water surrounding your tent. You’ll also not want to set up directly underneath large trees, for they will keep dripping water on your site long after the rain has stopped.

A final note to keep in mind when camping is to keep all food away from your tent. Animals have a much better sense of smell than people, so even if you leave out a sealed bag of food, they’ll be able to tell. Hearing animals outside your tent is always undesirable and honestly a bit scary, so save yourself the hassle and keep all the food that you brought in your car. This way, you will be guaranteed to leave with all the food you came with.

Camping is a great time, and following the above tips will help to ensure a knowledgeable, and therefore, successful experience!