Tag Archives: Camping

Camping

Camping 101 For First Time Campers

I recently met a new family the other day. She is the mother to 5 boys and 1 girl all under the age of 9. My kids are now good friends with her 6 kids and her and I have wonderful conversations about everything under the sun. We recently spoke at a picnic and in conversation I mentioned that our families should go camping together. She confessed that they had never gone camping. I stood there starring in disbelief thinking, how could this be? She added that they did not own a single piece of camping equipment either.

Later that night I shared this information with my husband. Although I was still shocked, he reminded me about the time we went to our local REI and participated in a family camping event. REI loaned out gear to the families who were interested in learning more about camping and trying out some new gear. They put on a free campfire show with a fantastic Spanish guitarist/storyteller, while we all enjoyed an evening of camping together.

During that fun trip, we all camped at a local campground just 20 minutes from our home. We met a dozen or so wonderful families and were amazed to learn that this was their very first time camping. I guess it just never dawned on me that there are so many families out there who have never experienced the joy, adventure and sheer fun of camping. Perhaps the reason might be that there is a huge fear of the unknown about camping with young children, or they simply do not have any camping gear so they never investigated the idea further.

Some basic and simple ideas to get started are:

  • Do not worry about gear. Just find a local KOA where you can rent a cabin for a few bucks for the night.
  • Survey the area you are thinking about camping at first for safety from cliffs, or other dangers for kids. Maybe even picnic there first.
  • Plan on one night excursions at first to get an idea of what food quantities will be needed for longer trips.
  • Bring food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast again as well as snacks – healthy ones of course.
  • Make a check list to help you confidently pack for your trip.
  • Always bring a first aid kit, just in case.
  • Bring some fun toys/games, flash lights, blankets, rain gear, and remember to bring a camera.
  • Prepare yourself for some real relaxation, and family bonding time.
  • Start thinking about other campground locations,and start planning your trips.
  • Bring appropriate clothing and rain gear to be comfortable in unpredictable weather.
  • Remember, you can always rent your gear at local sporting goods stores at reasonable prices, a tent, and some bags should suffice.

Through the years, I have discovered that not only does camping rejuvenate the soul and get you back in touch with the reality of life and nature, it is also one of the most affordable family activities out there.

So my quest is to help new campers to find the confidence, and information to get started on the journey of a lifetime, with minimal expense, for maximum results.

Camping

Easy Food For Camping – 7 Tips To Make This The Best Trip Yet!

Ahhh the great outdoors. You know, you’ve got to love it… crystal clear night sky, crisp fresh air, communing with nature. It doesn’t get much better than this does it?

Or does it?! If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to make your camping experience more enjoyable.

Well, how would you like some really handy tips on how to make your camping cuisine just plain easy?! (Well as close to easy as is humanly possible?)
You would, you say? Alright then, that’s what I’m going to do (and you’ll find more great tips and ideas when you mosey on over to here: Food For Camping. Just make sure you read these tips first!).

So here we go, Easy Food For Camping 101:

1) How many times have you cooked a burger, only to find that it hasn’t been done evenly? Well, no more! All you need to do is make a smallish hole in the center (like the size of your pinky) and when it cooks the hole will disappear (because eating a donut-shaped burger just isn’t right) and it’ll be cooked much more evenly!

2) You’ve heard about the Hobo Meal right? No?! Well you take your heavy-duty foil (an essential to any camping endeavor), your meat, peppers, potatoes, onions, corn etc. and pile it all into the center of the foil. Now, pull up the corners into a sack and twist that sucker closed. Throw it onto the coals and wait for some hobo-inspired tasty goodness!

3) So you’re into your tuna salad huh? Well here’s an idea: instead of mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, just throw them all into a sealable plastic bag, remove the air and just give it a shake to mix the ingredients. You can then just cut off a corner and squeeze out just the amount you need for your salads, sandwiches etc. But don’t stop there, think how many other foods you could use this idea for… the possibilities are endless!

4) Hey, did you know that the hidden power of ice-cubes can be used to clean your grill. That’s right, just after you’ve finished with the grill, put on the ice cubes and as they melt, the grease and dirt will fall right off. So take that evil grease-spawn! (If you really want to go to town, use our friend the handy half-an-onion to finish the job).

5) Washing up?! Yep, you know, I knew there had to be a down-side to all this tasty-food goodness. But there is a way to make it easier – if you rub some bar soot over pots and pans it helps prevent soot from building up (campfire cooking) thus making it a breeze to clean! Alright, alright, not exactly a breeze, but much, much easier!

6) Speaking of which, you know when the bar of soap gets too small to use by a normal human? Don’t throw it away – make sure you’ve got a nylon stocking which you can put it into. The nice thing about this is that nylon lathers up really well AND you’re able to tie it to a tree close to the washing up area, so you’ll always have soap at hand.

7) So it’s your last day, huh? But you’ve got all these leftovers! Don’t worry about a thing. On your last day you can take all your leftovers and whack them into one tasty omelet (or a few different kinds of omelette’s)! And hey, presto! No leftovers.

So there you have it, some really useful, easy food for camping tips. Hope you enjoyed them, and remember, that’s just the tip of the marshmallow… there’s a whole lot more, just waiting for you! So what are you waiting for!