How To Camp. Some
Quick Ideas And Tips.

If you're new to camping you may be wondering how to camp, or how do you go about camping?

While I have to admit I wanted to start this off by making a smart-aleck comment about how to camp, I quickly realized that that wouldn't be fair because I've camped since before I can remember. And that if I put myself in a similar situation, it would be much like me asking a knitter how to make a sweater. My current knowledge consists of knowing there are needles and yarn involved. So I really shouldn't judge... While camping comes easily to me because I've done it for awhile, making a sweater, well, let's just say it would turn out very interesting... without some instruction. ;-)

Now, while visions of tangled knots and dangling thread dance in your head... hey, quit that! ;-) I'll just get started with how to camp.

Let me first say, there are no right or wrong ways to go about camping... unless of course you decide that a bear cave looks like a mighty nice place to spend the night. "That (as my scuba diving instructor used to say in a dry mono-tone voice) would be bad". But seriously, there are as many ways to camp as there are ways to knit a sweater... actually I'm not sure if that's true or not... Let's just say there are lots of ways to camp and leave it at that. ;-)

In truth everybody has a different definition of what camping is to them and how to camp. Where I prefer a tent, others prefer an RV (recreational vehicle). And this is where some would say that anybody that drives their $250,000 RV to the campground complete with a kitchen, queen size bed, and satellite television isn't really camping. But hey that's not for anyone else to decide... it's camping to the RV'ers, and that's all that matters.

So really what it comes down to isn't about how to camp, but how comfortable it is you want to be when you camp. If you like getting back to nature in a "rustic" kind of way, then open pit (vault) toilets, missing daily showers, and not having electricity at your site won't bother you a bit.

And if the idea of getting away from people for awhile sounds appealing, and your middle name is 'self-reliance' then maybe backpacking is right up your alley. Just make sure for safety to let people know your planned daily itinerary, so just in case something happens they'll know where to start searching for you, seriously. Also make sure that your safety check-in person is going to be around the entire time your gone so that if you haven't returned at the appropriate time they'll know it. Better yet go with a group of people too.

But if you're just starting out I'd recommend starting off at your local campground for several reasons...

1. If you don't like it, you can get home rather painlessly.

2. If you forget something critical or anything else that might have slipped your mind that could make your trip better, you'll only be a short distance from home. This sure beats re-driving 300 miles because you forgot something, or worse, cutting your trip short.

3. You'll know the area and have an idea of what it is you'd like to see and do.

4. You'll enjoy your trip more because you'll be less stressed about the details.

I've also put together a camping list (i.e. checklist) which will go a long way toward making sure you have everything whether you're learning how to camp or have camped for years.

A quick tip: If you like the idea of washing the smell of smoke out of your hair on a daily basis, and like to avoid the oh-so-sweet smell of pit toilets, than you'll probably want to stay away from the "rustic areas" I mentioned above. Instead, when you're making reservations, ask the campground if they have hot showers, flush toilets, and if you need it, onsite electricity/water. This usually won't be a problem unless you're camping in some really remote location.

You'll find more information about selecting camping tents or other camping gear and hiking equipment here. Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere for sweater ideas. ;-)

I hope this has helped you learn more about how to camp.