Camping Tips

Try out these handy camping tips from NWF:

Learn a new tip or two, or add your own in our Flickr discussion boards. We have a Camping with toddlers discussion board as well.

CHOOSING A TENT

First and foremost, tents are shelters, and the role of shelters is to provide protection: from rain, from wind, from cold, and from insects and other biters.

It needs to be large enough to give adequate space for the correct number of people - that number being up to you - and you may want it large enough to provide space for your gear. Tents are available in numerous styles from little more than a thin nylon roof and walls to luxurious models with an array of extras such as mosquito netting on doors and windows, two-way zippers on door and windows, and interior storage pockets. Generally speaking, the more extras, the more the tent will both cost and weigh.

But tent weight is also a result of the material used in manufacturing and the number of tent poles and stakes. If your plans include only summer trips, you will usually be well protected in a light tent with a few poles and stakes. To extend your hikes into spring and fall, a three-season tent will be required - with more weight due to the stronger nylon and a greater number of poles and stakes for more stability in heavier winds and rains and perhaps a little snow.

Tarp

If it's not too cold, windy, or buggy, consider a tarp instead of a tent.
Most tarps are lighter in weight and cost less than most tents.
A tarp can be tied between trees or set with the ends held up by poles such as trekking poles.

A-Frame Tent

An A-frame is the simplest and oldest design in tent styles.
Steep walls shed water well, but, unless pitched very taut, those same walls rattle more under high winds than those of other designs.
The steep walls cause some loss of floor space where the walls meet the floor.

Freestanding Dome Tent

Dome tents are available in numerous shapes - roundish, sort of a square or rectangle, even geodesic - but they all look something vaguely like an igloo.
The rounded shape of the walls provides greater access to floor space than in A-frame tents.
This one is freestanding, holding its shape without the use of tent stakes or guy lines.

Non-Freestanding Dome Tent

The freestanding characteristic of tents is created by poles that crisscross. This tent is not freestanding.
It is more difficult to pitch than a freestanding dome or an A-frame.
Once it is pitched, there is good access to floor space, and the rounded walls shed wind well.

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TIPS FOR CAMPING WITH KIDS

Camping with kids is great family fun. We are all kids at heart when it's time to go camping, but when your camping trip includes young children, some extra planning and precautions will make the trip more fun and memorable. Here are some tips to help you start thinking ahead about camping with children:

Teach young children to stay within eyesight, and older children within earshot.
Teach children to stay where they are if they discover they are lost. Instruct them to find a nearby tree and stay with it until they are found.
Children over the age of four can carry a simple survival kit, or at least a whistle around their neck to call for help when lost. The standard distress signal is three blows to indicate "I'm lost" or "I need help."
Sort and pack each day of your children's clothes within individual small plastic grocery bags in his/her suitcase. This way your child can grab a bag in the morning and have a full set of clothes for the day, and at night he/she can stuff the dirty ones back in the bag, thus not mixing up the rest of the suitcase.
Children get cold faster than adults. The key to comfortable camping with kids is to dress them in several layers, which can be peeled off as they get warm or added on as they cool off.
Provide each child with a flashlight. To prevent any arguments, make sure each one has their own.
Children love to play with flashlights, and having one also makes them more at ease after dark.
Flashlights are also handy when making trips to the restroom, for making shadow puppets on tent walls, and for reading before bed.
Bring along a game you all like to play at home. Playing it outdoors with a lantern or flashlights will add to the fun.
Teach your kids to treat the outdoors kindly. Make sure all waste is disposed of properly when camping or hiking along the trails.
Camping with children is more fun when you bring a playmate along. Two or more children will entertain themselves for longer periods than will a single child.

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TIPS FOR SAFE CAMPING

Camping is a safe and fun activity enjoyed by millions of people every year. Just like every day to day activity we spend our time on, camping has its ups and downs. Big problems are very unlikely, but some safety awareness can help you deal with the little things that pop up, so they won't become trip busters.

Here are some tips for camping safety:

Weather can be unpredictable. Check the weather forecast for the area where you'll be camping.
Take enough food, clothing, and equipment to keep you comfortable in case of emergency.
Tell someone where you will be and when you plan to be home, in case someone needs to find you.
Plan to return to camp well before dark. Remember that daylight hours are shorter in the fall and winter.
Be alert to approaching storms, dress properly, and seek appropriate shelter.
Poisonous snakes, ticks and poisonous plants may be found along trails. Exercise caution.
If you are a beginning camper, use the camping checklists found here.
Avoid tick bites by staying on trails and avoiding grassy, brushy areas. Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be seen. Tuck shirts into pants and pant legs into socks. Do not wear shorts on the trails. If a tick is attached to your skin, grab it with tweezers and remove it. Do not crush the tick's body, as this can force bacteria into your skin. Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. If you think part of the tick has remained in the skin, or if you think the tick has been attached for longer than 48 hours, seek medical attention. Be alert to a subsequent fever or skin rash. Report these to a doctor.
Always plan where to meet should one of your fellow campers become separated.
Check your first aid kits before each trip. Replace any missing items, like band-aids, and check expiration dates on medicines and ointments.

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CAMPFIRE TIPS

Campfires are an enjoyable part of camping. While they are a favorite part of being outdoors, they may not always be allowed at your campsite. Be sure to check with the campground manager or the local forest service about possible restrictions due to forest fire hazards. Here are some tips to get the most out of your campfire experience:

Keep the fire small.
Softwoods, like pine, fir, and cedar, are best for starting a fire.
Have water available to extinguish the fire properly.
Never leave a fire unattended.
Maintain a debris-free area around the fire, so sparks cannot ignite vegetation and spread the fire.
Make sure ashes are cold when you leave the fire.
Build fires only in fire rings, stoves or fireplaces.
Use only dead wood lying on the ground. Do not cut live trees, or branches from trees near the campsite.
Start the fire by building a small teepee of dry sticks and igniting it with a match. As the fire gets started, add larger pieces of wood.
Extinguish all fires by pouring water on them, stirring the ashes and pouring more water.
Leave your fire ring clean for the next campers.

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FAMILY TENT TIPS

Your family camping tent will be your house and home. The tent you choose will probably be the most important piece of gear you buy. A good tent, taken care of properly, will last a lifetime. A good tent will let you sleep soundly at night without needing to worry about rain, wind, bugs or other creatures of the night. Select the best tent you can afford, set it up properly, take care of it, and then just enjoy your trip.

Here are some tips to help you get off to a good start:

Set up a new tent at home before your trip. This lets you check its condition, and learn how to set it up without the pressure of darkness or rain at camp.
The seams on all nylon tents must be sealed before using a new tent, and periodically thereafter. Seam sealer is sold in applicator bottles, which you rub along the inside of all waterproof seams.
Avoid setting up camp next to stagnant water, which is home to biting insects.
Don't set up the tent on a sandbar or in a dry wash. The water will probably rise if it rains. Dry washes can flash flood due to a rain storm many miles away.
Don't set up the tent in a low spot or depression. Rainwater will collect under the tent and soak through into your sleeping bag.
During bug season, you might want to take a gazebo. This is essentially a rain tarp with mosquito netting on all sides, to provide shelter from bugs, rain and the sun.
Put a plastic tarp on the ground under the tent. It should match the "footprint" of the tent so that it doesn't gather rainwater. This groundsheet protects the floor of your tent from stones, sticks, and general wear and tear.
You can get special stake-driving mallets, or use a plain old household hammer, to pound tent stakes into the ground.
Don't use your axe for driving stakes. This can damage the axe head, and possibly cause it to fly off.
Get the sturdiest aluminum tent stakes possible. Most campgrounds build sites with gravel, and this hard ground will bend or break most lightweight and plastic stakes.
The rainfly is a special tarp that is spread over the top of the tent to make it waterproof. Most tents come with a matching rainfly included. The rainfly should allow the tent windows to remain open for ventilation while protecting the seams from potential leaks.
Use a stake puller to help pull tent stakes out of the ground, or just loop a short rope under the stake's hook and pull on the rope to pull up the stake.
Keep a whiskbroom in the tent for sweeping out dirt and leaves.
Use an old towel or small piece of carpet as a door mat for wiping off feet before entering the tent.

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