Monday, February 27, 2012

How to Make the Most Out of Your Next Camping Trip

Are you interested in going camping? If you are like many other campers, you may be looking to go camping for more than a day. If you are interested in doing so, you are doing more than just going camping; you are actually taking a camping trip. Unfortunately, extended camping trips give many opportunities for boredom, but there are many steps that you can take to make the most out of your camping trip.

When it comes to making the most out of your next camping trip, you are advised to examine what your intended goals are. For instance, are you looking to have your camping trip double as a family vacation or are you interested in using your camping trip as a romantic getaway? This is an important question that you should take the time to answer, as it may have an impact on how you can go about making the most out of your next vacation.

Whether you are interested in using your camping trip as a romantic getaway or a family vacation, one of the many ways that you can make the most out of your camping trip is by taking part in all of the activities that you are granted access to. In many campground parks, especially in the United States, you will find that you can do much more than camping. For instance, many campground parks have lakes, which you can go boating, fishing, or swimming, on or in. It is also common to find hiking trails that you can hike and so forth. When you pay an admission fee at a campground park, you are, essentially, paying to participate in all these activities; therefore, you should take advantage of them.

In addition to gaining access to many “standard,” campground park activities, you may also want to think about creating your own. For instance, if you are taking a camping trip with your family, you may want to think about brining along some board games or outdoor sporting equipment. This may help to make your next camping trip enjoyable for everyone; especially if you let your children help you plan your camping trip, such as the activities that you will all participate in.

Another one of the many ways that you can go about making the most out of your next camping trip is by preparing for the unexpected. When we go camping, we all hope that there will be clear, sunny skies. Unfortunately, we all know that the weather often has its own plans. If you have campground park reservations in place, there is a good chance that you do not want to cancel those reservations just because of bad or rainy weather. If this is a situation that you end up running into, you may want to consider brining along additional supplies. These supplies may include board games, transportable entertainment items, and so forth.

In addition to camping and enjoying many outdoor activities, camping is also often associated with eating outdoors, namely at barbeques. Many campground parks have picnic tables and barbeque pits at each of their campsites. Should you have access to these neat camping accessories, you will want to make full use out of them. Yes, driving a few minutes away to eat fast food or at a fancy restaurant may sound appealing, but why would you want to or need to do so when you should have everything that you could want or need, food wise, right at your own private campsite?

As outlined above, there are a number of different ways that you can go about making the most out of your next camping trip. Perhaps, the most important thing to remember is that your campground park should be filled with an unlimited number of outdoor and possibly even indoor activities. Since your admission fee includes these activities, you should make sure that you get great use out of them. Not only will you get your money’s worth, but you and the rest of your camping party should have a fun, exciting, and memorable time.

camping trip

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Water Purification


By Val Shortt

When hiking, camping, hunting or any other outdoor activity it is always essential to have clean, pure drinking water. There are many reasons to know about water purification . It is certainly not just a matter of having our water taste good. There are many water-borne illnesses that you can get from different sources.

Whether you are wanting to drink from a lake, river, small stream or a well you may not always be certain about its quality. They can all be polluted from such things as sewage, runoff, animal waste and pathogens.

One of the most common illness you can get from drinking such water without a water purification treatment is Giardiasis or beaver fever which is a nasty intestinal parasite. There are a variety of methods that can be used to treat water to make it safe for drinking.

water purification Tablets (Iodine Tablets) are one of the methods that have been used for many years. Depending on the water, one or two tablets are needed to destroy the bacteria and viruses. Most brands take about 30 minutes to purify the water.

The iodine kills many but not all of the most common pathogens in water. Many of the kits come with 2 types of tablets, the iodine and a vitamin C tablet to help eliminate some of the iodine taste, but should not be added until the iodine has done its work.

Boiling water will kill bacteria and other microorganisms commonly found in rivers and lakes. This will work to kill off certain pathogens but will not get rid of pollution.

The combination of boiling the water and using a charcoal filtration system after will do the job of getting rid of bacteria and pathogens an pollution as well. The draw back to this type of water purification is the time and fuel needed to do the job.

UV water purification (SteriPen) is a hand held device that sanitizes one quart of water in ninety seconds. It is powered by batteries. The Traveler model can treat 100 quarts of water. Taking extra batteries for this type of system would be the best idea.

There are a variety of Filtering water bottles on the market for water purification with micro-filters and purification cartridges. On average, water bottles can be filled over 100 times before a filter or cartridge needs to be replaced.

It is usually a 3 step system that first, removes the sediment, second ,uses an iodinated resin kills microorganisms, including E.coli, cholera, polio, hepatitis and other viruses, and third, the carbon removes much of the unwanted flavors, odors and iodine.

It is always best to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the health of yourself and those traveling with you by never drinking water out of a rivers, lakes or streams without using a proper water purification method.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Secrets to Preventing and Surviving a Bear Attack

By Val Shortt

     If you are hiking in bear country there is always a risk of a bear attack. If you know there is a bear in the vicinity it is best to try and avoid the bear by detouring around it.  Most bears are not interested in people and if you make a lot of noise you may discourage unwanted contact. It is always better to hike in bear country as a group.

     If you do come in contact with a bear, do not run!  Back away slowly if possible. Stay calm and watch the bear to see what the reaction the bear has and try not to do anything that may agitate it.  Don't make direct eye contact as this could be seen as threatening to a bear.  If you have to, you may need to make yourself look smaller to look less threatening.


 If you have a backpack, keep it on.  It could help to protect you in case of a bear attack. If you have bear spray with you, take it out and be prepared to use it. If not,in case of attack you need to get on the ground and curl up protecting your abdomen with your hands over your neck. Stay in this position until the bear leaves.

     If you are camping, there are some things to help keep bears away from your camping area.  Do not store any food or cooking utensils near your sleeping area.  Cooking should be done at least 300 feet from your tent.  Make sure you do not have any cooking smells on your clothes or hands.  Wash your hands well and wash and hang your clothes away from your sleeping area,in case there are any lingering odors. It is preferable to have a separate set of clothes that you wear while cooking that you leave at the cooking area.

     Be sure to burn all traces of leftover food scraps and tins in the fire and take the tins to be properly disposed of after.  keeping your camping area clean is essential.

     It is always best whether you are hiking or camping to do your best to avoid a confrontation and take the time to do whatever is necessary to avoid a bear attack. Man and bear can both live in harmony with a little extra effort.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Life Saving Tips- Lost In the Wilderness

By Val Shortt

No one ever likes to think that they could ever get lost in a wilderness situation, but it does happen.  Here are some life saving tips you will want to know before you go out in the woods hiking, camping or hunting.

The first life saving tip is to avoid the possibility of getting lost in the first place. Of course before you leave on your trip make sure you inform someone where you are going and when you expect to return.  As you begin your adventure into the forest be sure to check the direction of the wind.  Also, you should have a compass with you and know how to use it. Check it often.  Take close note of passing landmarks such as rivers, streams, hills, trees and anything else that may stand out to you.

If you find yourself lost, the first reaction will be fear and panic.  this is a normal reaction, however panic can cause you to not think rationally and start running.  This is not what you want to do as you will find yourself in a more serious situation and one where you might cause yourself injury.  You need to adjust your thoughts to a plan for survival.  If you can develop a plan it will turn your mind away from feelings of hopelessness.

The next  life saving tips is to stay put in the area where you are and remain calm.  When the people you informed in advance realize you have not been in contact they will begin a search for you.  Look around and find the best place to make a shelter.  You need to immediately ration any food you have with you and look for water in the vicinity. It is best to make a shelter as quickly as possible and a fire.  If you have an abundance of wood you should keep a fire going at all times.

Having a plan will raise your morale and keeping yourself busy from the time the sun rises until it sets will help you to better be in control until help arrives.  Remember that it is important not to take any unnecessary risks that could lead to carelessness.  Keeping calm and having a plan will give you a much greater outcome.






Wednesday, February 08, 2012

How to Turn a Simple Picnic into a Fun and Exciting Day

Are you interested in having a picnic with your family in the near future? As fun and exciting as picnics can be, many children, especially teenagers, tend to associate them with boredom. To ensure that everyone, including your children, have a good time at your next picnic , there are a number of steps that you may want to take. A few of those steps are outlined below for your convenience.

One of the best ways to go about turning a simple picnic into a fun and exciting day involves carefully choosing your picnic location. What you need to remember is that there are a number of different locations that make for the perfect picnic destinations. These locations may include your own backyard, as well as a public park. As nice and easy as it is to have a picnic in your own backyard, a change of scenery may do you and your family some good.

Another one of the many ways that you can help turn your next family picnic into a fun and exciting day is by carefully choosing the foods in which you plan on eating, as well as the snacks and drinks. Nothing can ruin a good picnic more than complaints about the food. For that reason, you may want to have your family, namely your children, give you some input as to which foods they would like to have available at your next family picnic. This is particularly ideal if you have young children, as there is often some pride that is associated with helping to plan a family event, like a picnic .

Another way that you can go about turning a simple picnic into a fun and exciting day is by remembering that picnics involve more than just eating great food. You may also want to plan a number of different fun family activities for everyone to participate in. For instance, if you are interested in having a picnic in your own backyard, you may want to think about setting up a volleyball net or playing other fun outdoor sports. If you are planning on having your picnic at a public park, you may want to choose one that allows you to go swimming or fishing or one that has a playground for young children.

In addition to having a small family picnic, with one that mostly just involves your immediate family, you may also want to consider having other guests attend as well. You can consider inviting some of your neighbors or have your children invite some of their friends. This tends to make picnics much more enjoyable, especially for children. With that in mind, if you would like to keep your family picnic a private one, where you are able to spend quality time with your family, the decision to do so is yours to make.

The above mentioned steps are just a few of the many steps that you can take to make your next family picnic a fun filled day, as well as a memorable and exciting one. As a reminder, it may work out to your advantage if you allow your family, namely your children, to assist you with the planning of your next scheduled family picnic.This assistance could include helping you choose your picniclocation, choosing some of the food, snacks, and drinks that you will have, as well as helping you prepare those foods.

Monday, February 06, 2012

How to Find Affordable Camping Equipment

Would you like to go camping? If you would, you may be interested in turning your next camping adventure into a camping vacation. camping vacations are fun and exciting, whether you choose to go camping by yourself, with a group of friends, with your romantic partner, or with your family.

One of the many reasons why camping is so popular is because it is often referred to as an affordable activity. Although camping is affordable, it can be relatively easy to spend more money than you need to or even just more money than you wanted to. For that reason, you may want to keep costs in mind when buying your camping equipment, should you need to do so. If you are looking for affordable camping supplies, you will want to continue reading on.

When looking for affordable camping supplies, like outdoor cookers, tents, or lanterns, you will want to keep an eye on your local yard sales. This is particularly easy if you would be visiting yard sales anyways. If you are just looking for camping equipment, you may want to examine your local newspaper classified advertisements. Many times, you will find that people hosting yard sales outline some of the items that they have for sale. This can help you find yard sales that may have used camping equipment available for sale.

Speaking of your newspaper classified sections, you should examine them and look for sales. Many people want to sell their camping equipment, but they may not have enough items to host a yard sale. In this instance, the owners of the camping equipment may just take out a for sale newspaper classified advertisement outlining the items that they have for sale. As with yard sales, this a great way, not to mention a nice and easy way, to find affordable used camping equipment.

Online auction websites are another one of the many ways that you can go about finding affordable camping equipment. What is nice about online auction websites is that you can often find a large selection of camping equipment, including equipment that is both new and used. Online auction websites are a quick and easy way to search for and find affordable camping equipment, as you are often given detailed product descriptions, as well as pictures. This is nice, as you usually want to see ahead of time what you are buying.

Online auction websites, newspaper classified sections, and yard sales are all great ways to go about finding affordable camping equipment. With that in mind, most of the equipment that you will find will be used. If you are looking for affordable, but new camping equipment, you may want to look elsewhere. One of the many places that you will want to look is in department stores. Department stores are nice, as they often have a large selection of products, including camping equipment. You should be able to find camping equipment, such as tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, and so forth. Department stores may also have some of the food, drinks, and snacks needed for your next camping trip as well.

Sport stores and specialty camping stores are another one of many places that you should look for affordable camping equipment. When doing so, it is important that you be on the lookout for sales. These sales may be advertised online or in local newspaper inserts. Speaking of using the internet, you may also want to checkout of the online websites of department stores and camping stores online. These online websites can easily be found with a standard internet search.

By taking the above mentioned approaches, you should be able to find affordable camping equipment. Of course, the decision as to whether or not you want to take the time to find cheap camping equipment is your decision to make, but you should know that there are a number of benefits to doing so. Those benefits include saved money and the ability to enjoy yourself without having to worry about how much money you have or how much money you are spending.