Camping Tips: Follow & Make Your Camping Experience Memorable

As a scout leader, I am sure you will find it no surprise when I tell you I regularly camp both summer and winter. I have camped in regular campsites, backpacking, and hiking in various remote places around the coast. Camping skills come naturally to me . As I have been doing it since I was 8 (as I write this, I am 30)

These tips for those new to camping might help make those first few camping trips a little more comfortable and enjoyable.

Perhaps some of these tips may seem common sense, although I am surprised to see some people camping!

Tents

1. Choose the right camping tent. Make sure the tent is suitable for your needs, camping, etc. For example, I would not use a Dome tent on a wild and woolly mountain, but they are great for sheltered campsites and festivals.
2. Ensure the ten has an excellent outer to protect you from the elements. For some cheaper tents, the exterior is a bit small in size. make sure the router is big enough
3. Check the material. Many tents nowadays are nylon which, if you are camping in hot climates, may not be suitable due to condensation. I would recommend polycotton as a good allrounder. It makes the tent heavier but does not suffer from condensation.
4. Ventilation – some cheaper tents have very little ventilation, so they will get damp inside even when it is dry due to condensation (and smelly)
5. When you buy a product, choose a brand that gives five years guarantee for their products.
6. Whatever your budget, make sure you go for the best quality you can afford, as the tent will protect you
7. You must know how to put your tent up! 

A Good Nights Sleep

1. Always make sure you go to bed warm and never wear the clothes you have been wearing during the day as they won’t have the same insulation. The best thing to do, which is what I tell the scouts, is to put tomorrow’s clothes on the night before. They will be clean, dry, and keep you warm. Change the next night again.
2. Have a hot drink before bed as this will help keep you warm
3. Please make sure you go to the loo before bed as there is nothing worse at camp than getting up at 4 am when it is at its coldest and often dark to go to the loo. Also, your body uses more energy if you need to go to the loo so that you will feel cold.
4. If you have a sleeping bag, take it out of its sack before sleeping. This will give it time to rise and get very hot.

Food and Cooking Tips

As far as possible, always cook outside the tent for safety reasons. Stoves, especially those burning petrol and paraffin, can catch fire if they have not been preheated enough. 

• If the weather is terrible, sit in the shelter of an awning with the stove within easy reach.
• Make sure the furnace is on a stable surface; you don’t want the stove to fall over with a boiling water pan!

• Stoves are more efficient when shielded from the wind,

• Make sure you do your laundry in the evening and get rid of your trash, as the smell can attract nocturnal visitors like foxes.

• Keep food sealed to prevent the life of ants and other insects from munching on your food. Make sure you close the lid of the milk carton, as slugs love milk!
• Do not pour hot water from pasta etc., directly on the ground as the heat will kill the grass. Strain the water into something, carry it to the wash-up point with your washcloth and discard the water safely. It would help if you always did minimum impact camping.

Other tips I can suggest at the moment are

• Keep a torch in various places in your tent so it is easy to find at night.
• Please ensure you have plenty of carrier bags for your dirty clothes, so they are kept separate.
• If the weather is very damp, I tend to wrap my sleeping bag up during the day in a waterproof bag, so it stays nice, dry, and warm.
• Don’t go into the inner tent with your shoes on; otherwise, this will get dirty and muddy.

What Camping Furniture do I need?

When people think of camping Camping, they think of campfires, possibly cold and damp tents, and a sleeping bag. But as a seasoned camper, I can assure you this need not be the case. 

Many camping furniture bits can easily be purchased from eBay, Amazon, or your local camp shop. These range from camp chairs to ottomans, tables, lamps, cupboards, and much more. 

There is no reason why you cannot make your campsite look like home.

When you get into your tent, you needn’t have a sleeping bag on a hard floor as there is a range of camp beds, including ones with built-in sleeping bags and carpet on the floor.

You must never forget when purchasing camping furniture that any oversized items will be difficult to transport to the camp and likely to be heavy. 

However, if you are going to camp by car and not moving around, this will not be a problem. They will not be good, however, on a hiking camp.

Some of the best bits of camping furniture you can get for your tent must include inflatable beds or a cot. 

At the very least, even if you are hiking on an inflatable mat, these are small and light and insulate you from the ground. These items will also help keep you dry and warm in rainy climates or if the temperature drops. 

Including a small table will help keep other items off the ground and allow you to have a reading lamp should you wish.

As I have mentioned in a previous post about outdoor camping gear, there are a variety of camping chairs available made from different materials that will all aid in a happy camp.

As you can see, with all the gadgets and outdoor camping furniture, you can camp in luxury. With all the available camping furniture, you can now camp in luxury.

Why not check out eBay, Amazon, or other outdoor shops for camping equipment.