CAMPING

Camping

                Personally I love the outdoors, though I probably don’t need to say that because its already known… considering I write in a blog labeled Sporting Outdoors.  One of the most popular ways and easiest ways to enjoy the outdoors is through camping.

                Camping or Camp is defined in Webster’s dictionary as,

intr

ansitive verb

1: to make camp or occupy a camp2: to live temporarily in a camp or outdoors —often used with out3: to take up one's quarters : lodge4: to take up one's position : settle down —often used with out<camp out in the library for the afternoon>transitive verb: to put into a camp 

 

I will discuss the first part of the definition “making and occupying a camp”.  One of the main things to think about when going camping is what you need to bring.  This depends largely on what the weather is going to be like in the area that you plan to camp in and the terrain that you plan to camp in.

                The first piece of gear to look into is a tent; find one that will fit your needs.  If you are to be camping with a large family all in one tent then naturally a larger tent will be ne

eded.  However the larger the tent the less it can withstand.  If you’re going to do a little more rigorous camping then a one or two man tent is the better choice.  These tend to be built a little sturdier and will be able to with stand a larger beating.  Another upside is that they are much lighter.  This is because they usually have aluminum tent poles unlike the larger tents that use fiberglass.  Below are pictures of the two mentioned tents. 

                

The next thing on the list is dressing for the weather.  A lot of first time campers will go out and buy the most expensive gear out there.  However they never stop to think that for centuries people have been surviving in the outdoors without a $500 North Face jacket.  And how did have people doing this I might ask?  The answer is…Layers!  What I mean by this is that when you layer clothing such as throwing on two tee shirts will keep you warmer then wearing an article of clothing that is the thickness of the two tee shirts put together.  This is because the air that is trapped between the two shirts acts like insulation just like the insulation that is between the interior and exterior walls of your home.  Though just because layers may keep you warm they will not necessarily keep you dry.  In this aspect our resources have improved.  The outer shell or your clothing should be a synthetic tightly woven fabric.  This will keep out the wind and rain. 

                If your feet are unhappy then you will be unhappy.  It is very important to make sure that when you go camping you bring with TWO comfortable pairs of shoes, one pair that you will use as your main pair and the other pair to ward off Murphy’s Law.  that is that, if you only bring one pair, they will get wet, burnt, a shoelace will break or all of the above (shoes could get wet so you dry them by the fire, forget about them then they light on fire when they’re on fire the laces burn and break and you have nothing to put on your feet…yes it has happened to me).  If you are going to be doing a lot of hiking through the woods get a pair with some ankle support, if it is all well beaten paths then regular tennis shoes will be fine.  If you are going to go out to buy a pair, make sure that your camping trip is not the first time that they are put to the test.  Any time I buy a new pair of shoes I make sure that they are very well broken in before the trip.  I buy them at least a month in advance and make it a point to wear them every day before the trip.  This makes sure they are broken in and if there are any problems with them it gives you time to return them and get a different pair.

(TO BE CONTINUED)