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Camping Gear Info
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PACKNcamp's online
camping store with camping gear tips and supplies for campgrounds, and camping
trips to your favorite State Park and Recreation areas. Whether you’re in
Florida, California, New York, or anywhere in the United States, you'll have a
favorite campground located not too far away in one of the many State Parks,
Lake Reservoirs, or Nature Preserves. Start your camping trip here with basic
camping tips and ideas to get you off on the right foot. Start gathering your
vacation information for camping safety, fun, and comfort. Read great tips on
camping food, campsite set-up, and safety. Get ideas for camping games and
campfire songs. Start your check list now and be well prepared before
traveling.
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Wenzel
Beartooth
Wenzel
Big Piney
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Lakeside
Camping
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Planning
Proper planning
for a camping trip will make your camping experience much more enjoyable.
Before packing your gear and traveling, take time to make an itinerary of your
activities and leave an extra copy with a few friends or family members. If
you're going to be in a remote area, leave a copy in your automobile, also.
Plan your meals ahead and this will help reduce unneeded food that you would
normally have to pack in your coolers. If you're not sure about how much food
to take, consider taking canned food that doesn't have to be refrigerated. If
the canned foods are not used while camping, they'll still be good to take
back home for future use. For more information on this, read How
Much Food to Take Camping. Consider the features of the park, lake, or
campground where you will be setting up your campsite. What activities and
amenities does the park or campground provide?
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Activities
Many of the state
parks have activities areas such as horseshoe pits, tennis courts, and
basketball courts, as well as hiking and backpacking
trails, disc golf courses, bike paths, and playgrounds for kids. If you think
you might want to use any of these, be sure to take the proper sporting gear
to do so. There are also many things to do that can be creative fun and don't
need specific sporting gear. Nature walks, bird watching, treasure hunts, hide
and seek, and tag, are just a few examples of games and activities that can be
explored with a minimum of necessities. Some sporting gear you might consider
taking along would be:
• tennis balls and racquets •
baseball and gloves
• backpacks •
fishing gear and bait • horseshoes
• volleyball •
football • bicycles • skateboards
• roller skates •
croquet set • lawn darts
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Campground Fishing
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Setting Up
Before packing
your tent or
screen house, check to make sure all of the tents poles and stakes are
together and in good shape. Be sure to take along a hammer or mallet to drive
the stakes. A regular steel claw carpenter hammer seems to work best. Although
some plastic stakes can break using a metal hammer, the hammer claw is a great
tool for pulling steaks from the soil, but use caution. It's a good idea to
pack a few extra tent stakes from an old tent, canopy, or shelter that is no
longer used.
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Coleman
Tent Kit
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When setting up your camp site,
try to place your tent and dining canopy strategically. Be sure to set-up your
tents and canopies away from the location of your campfire ring. The tent is
normally better suited towards the rear of the campsite, while the dining
canopy or gazebo should be centrally located. A campground picnic table set
beneath a screened
gazebo makes for a great dining and gathering area. Your camping chairs
might be best located around the campfire ring.
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Tent Sleeping
As for the tent
and sleeping area, try to select the most level and smooth surface of the
campsite. This will make sleeping much more comfortable and also helps setting
up the tent properly. If the ground is hard or bumpy, you'll need sleeping
pads or air beds
below the sleeping
bags. If the ground is cool or damp, use a tarp or "footprint" below the
tent. This protects the tent from wear and provides an extra barrier for
insulation. Another thing to consider when choosing a location for the tent is
shade. To keep the tent cool, try to set the tent up below a nice, leaf-filled
tree. If shade is limited, a "cheap" canopy can be set up over the tent.
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Insta-Bed©
Airbed w/built-in pump(queen)
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Swiss
Gear
Rechargeable
Lantern
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Lighting
Lighting your
campsite adequately is very important. Not just for safety, but also for
comfort and relaxation. The proper amount of light will generate a soft
ambience to the area and add a warm feeling to your campsite. Not enough light
will make it difficult to relax. Heavy darkness makes even small chores
difficult, and this increases anxiety. Too much light will show every object
in your campsite. It's nice in the evening to let a few shadows cover up some
of the gear. This helps you to focus on the your fellow campers and brings
relaxation and enjoyment to the evenings. Make a special effort before packing
to give some thought to your campsite lighting. Be sure and check all of your flashlights,
camp
lights, and lanterns before leaving home. Make sure all bulbs are working
and lanterns have good mantles. Gas and fuel lanterns should be oiled to keep
the pumps working properly. Many campers today enjoy decorating the campsite
with colorful camp lights or rope lights. Be sure to take enough extension
chords to reach areas where electrical camping lights will be used. For more
information on setting up your campground, read The
Enjoyment of Screened Gazebo Camping.
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Care
It's always
important to provide for our loved ones. Camping with our family and friends
allows us to experience the wonder of life and share memorable moments
enjoying the beauty and wonder the world is so filled with. However, life can
occasionally throw us a curve ball and sometimes one of natures little
creatures can let us know a little more than we would have preferred. And
insect bite, or bee sting is sometimes goes along with the territory. This
brings us to the conclusion that thinking about camping safety is not an
imprudent thought. There are a few things we can do to be ready for those
little bumps and bruises that may come along. A few small medical items can
sometime be the difference between a boo-boo and a boo-hoo. Here are just a
few things to think about and when in the event first aid is needed.
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First aid and camping
safety
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Atwater
Carey©
First
Aid Kits
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Safety
We should try to
maintain an adequately stocked first aid kit with aspirin, bandages, ointment,
suntan lotion or sun screen, snake bite kit, etc. Examine the campground for
protruding roots, sharp objects, and dangling or broken branches in the trees
above. If you have combustible fuel for lanterns, keep them stored away from
the campfire and out of paths or in children’s reach. Any type of camping
tools and gear such as a hatchet; or cleaning agents, fire starters, matches,
or lighters should be secured and out of reach of younger campers. If you're
camping in a modern campground with electricity and using extension chords, be
sure to use them carefully. Try not to run the chords across heavily traveled
paths. Make sure the chords are in good condition. Never string extension
chords where people will walk below them. Keep your coolers in shaded areas
and store your camp food where animals can't get to them. Shoo away wild
animals from a distance such as raccoons, skunks, or possums by clapping your
hands if they are intruding the campsite. Never feed wild animals. Keep
garbage off the ground and emptied frequently.
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State Parks and Campgrounds in
the US.
These camping
tips and ideas are only a few suggestions to help make your camping trip more
enjoyable and relaxing. There are many other resources available for camping
information. If you're looking for a new place to camp and would like some
ideas, visit www.Recreation.org.
This is a great site to find campgrounds in America as well as local and State
Parks with camping and amenities.
Have a great camping season.
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Shop CAMPING GEAR PRODUCTS
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