Everything For The Outdoors!

Camping is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  However, without the right gear, camping can be miserable.  Some important things to bring with you camping are: a tent, flashlight, body warmers, ponchos, sleeping bag, and a cooler.  These items are necessary because they will ensure that you have a happy, healthy, and safe trip.

A good tent is important because you never know what the weather may do and a tent is a great way to ensure you stay warm and dry.  You will also need some sort of light source for at night.  You may choose a lamp or a flashlight, either are great.  A full body warmer can heat up to 150 degrees and last as long as 20 hours, ensuring a warm sleeping environment.  Rain ponchos are great for unexpected downpours and help you to stay dry.  A good quality, soft sleeping bag is a great way to ensure warmth and a comfortable night’s rest.  Lastly, a cooler is very crucial.  You will need to bring food and this is a great way to transport it and ensure it stays fresh.

Recently, I planned an all-girls camping weekend with five of my best friends from college. We wanted some time away from civilization, away from the blackberries, the cable TV, the internet and all distractions. We found the perfect spot in Mississippi. Horn Island which is part of the Gulf Shores National Seashore is just remote enough to have great peace and quiet but still populated enough to be accommodate six city gals and their need for social interaction.

Packing for an all-girls weekend is fairly standard but there are some exceptions that you should take care to make. While tents and sleeping bags are a must, don’t forget a solid, durable and weather proof pad. Not that a girl can’t rough it, but why spend the night uncomfortable when there are plenty of padding options that feel just as good as a king sized bed. Just like the princes and the pea, your picky girlfriends will thank you for the extra comfort. Pack extra lanterns so that every lady has her own light and make sure you have whistles or some other kind of alarm for safety sake. Lastly, don’t forget the camera! Documenting your adventure into the wilderness is a necessity and will give you years of happy memories!

Do you know how to choose a good camp stove? Seeing a floor model at the store or online is one thing, but how do you know how it will perform and how you will like it once you get out on the campground and use it in real life? While there are a number of factors that feature into your decision, there are some basic rules of thumb for choosing a good camp stove for your outdoor needs.

Camp stoves run the gamut from $30 all the way up to $300 or more. They come in a variety of sizes and styles. A good way to measure the quality and power of a camp stove is the length of time it takes to boil a pot of water. This time is listed on the product specifications when youÕre shopping for stoves. A good camp stove can boil a pot of water in about 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

A few months ago my friend and I were going on a camping trip and we packed everything we thought that we would need. We had our tent, food, water, sleeping bags, everything that one would normally bring on a camping trip. We happen to have accidently left our binoculars on the table as we were leaving the house.

It turned out that where we were camping was below a mountain ridge and we saw some stuff moving on the ridge in the evening and in the morning but we couldn’t make out what it was. We found out from a neighboring camping group the later that there was a family of mountain lions on the ridge with cubs and everything. They had spent all last night and the next morning watching them. We, without our binoculars, were crushed. So now, we always remember to bring them.

If you are planning to travel around the world then carrying a good binoculars helps a lot to make that trip memorable. Because you will always needs a good binocular while travelling to see the things which are at distant places. For example if you are going to a hill station then it will not be possible for you to see everything clearly at the top of hills. You can use binoculars at that time and you can enjoy the beauty of nature easily.  There are many binoculars available in the market and you can choose a good binocular by comparing one binocular from other.

You should review the binocular available in the market before buying one.  A good binocular really helps in any trip that you plan to start. You should always carry a compact and good quality of binocular ready.  Most of the times you will travel to place like beaches, at beach you cannot see much with your eyes but with the help of a good binocular you can enjoy viewing beach from closed angles.

During our first camping trip, my boyfriend continually teased me about the presence of bears.  While hiking he pointed out bear scat, as well as claw scrapes on a tree and paw prints in the mud.  I laughed off his observations and firmly held onto the belief that he was wrong.

We returned to the campsite site at dusk to cook a nice steak dinner on the grill. Looking up, I was shocked to see a large bear lumbering towards us and whispered urgently, “Honey, there’s a bear”.  With the day’s previous joking in mind, he chuckled and said “Oh yeah, where?”.  I nodded my head behind him, and he turned around to discover a black bear standing not 10 feet away from us.

He picked up the flashlight and chased off the bear by yelling at it to go away.  We quickly finished up with dinner, and then I nearly hurled myself into the tent.  Pulling down the zipper securely, I announced that finally we were safe from the bear.  My boyfriend didn’t have the heart to tell me that a few microns of nylon were not about to keep a determined bear out of the tent.  But luckily we had taken all of the right precautions such as hanging our food from a branch, so we had no unexpected visitors that night.

Every savvy camper knows the supplies you pack can either make or break the trip.  There are certain items that must be included in your overnight bag to make the trip fun and comfortable.  The basic supplies include the tent (if your campsite does not include a shelter or cabin.) An air mattress or sleeping bag is also essential.  If using a sleeping bag, you may want to consider a pad for underneath. Large plastic containers are important for storing food, as this keeps your food dry and prevents animals, such as raccoons from scavenging.

Other must have’s include hygiene items such as soap, shampoo and deodorant.  Your camping buddies will not want to sleep in the same campsite as you if you forget these items.  Hand sanitizer, if you will be fishing or hunting is good to have on hand.  Paper towels, napkins and even moist towelettes are useful since you will likely be making smores over the camp fire.  You definitely don’t want to over pack, but having the essential items will make the trip less stressful.

For that rugged, hardcore, outdoor hunter not only is having the right equipment, such as bows and rifles, important.  You’ll also need a place to rest, lay down, and sleep…in other words the right tent.  Take a quick look at our newest article detailing this:

Tents For The Hardcore Hunter

Flashlights vary in sizes, color, weight, length, technology, etc.  You would use a different depending on your situation.  For example, if you want a flashlight to have in your home for power outages, then you would want a simple cheap flashlight.  If you are going to be out in the woods or using it for rugged work, then I would recommend a flash light that is made of a durable material.  Preferably metal.

Another thing to consider is the flashlight technology.  Most flash lights require the use of batteries, but there are new designs that eliminate the use for a battery.  These new flashlights require you to shake the flashlight in order to recharge it.  Flashlights are also doing away with the traditional light bulb and have switched to LED’s.  The LED’s are far brighter than the light bulbs that are used in many flashlights.  They are smaller, more compact, and use less energy.  These new LED lights are more durable than a traditional bulb.  The flashlight can be dropped on the ground and there is no fear of the LED breaking.  A bulb, on the other hand, has that chance.

If you are planning on doing the majority of your camping primarily in the Summer months, as the average American does, you will probably be just fine without spending the extra money on an all weather tent. If you are a diehard camping who plans on making trips year round, in different parts of the country, then an all weather tent is most certainly for you.

Of course, the most important thing to consider is the climate in which you will be camping in. Do your research on the area beforehand so you will know what to expect. If it is going to be cold, you may want an all weather tent to help stay warm. On the other hand, you could always pack a down filled sleeping bag or some extra clothes. If you plan on making several trips throughout the year, again you will probably want an all weather tent – there is just no reason to take a chance on ruining a planned vacation because you don’t have the right tent for the weather.