Camping Tips For Everyone

Note - All photos courtesy of John and Margie Anderson

Camping is the ideal outdoor adventure – it can be inexpensive and close to home, and gets you out in the fresh air and away from the news stories. If you're new to camping, don't feel like you need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff. You can probably borrow a lot of what you need from friends and family, or find used gear online. Find out if your neighborhood or church has a "Buy Nothing" program. Once you sign up, you can get a lot of gear for free, and also give away things you don't need. You can barter, too!

I've been camping since I was a kid, and I absolutely love it. John and I and Mochi have our gear down to the minimum and we can load it all up in a Jeep and be on the road in less than half an hour. And Mochi, our Brittany spaniel, gets the entire back seat to herself! Here are some tips for you if you're new to camping.

Do A Trial Run

Camping can be as expensive as you want it to be, but when you are just starting out, you'll probably want to keep your gear as inexpensive as possible. Fortunately, there are a lot of good, inexpensive tents, sleeping bags, stoves, and other necessities available. You may even be able to borrow some of what you need from family or friends.

Camp In Your Back Yard

One way to find out what you need and what you don't need is to do a trial run – camp out in your back yard and see how it goes. This is also a great way to make sure you know how to set up and knock down your tent. Those pop-up tents in particular set up instantly, but there is definitely a learning curve when it comes to folding them back up. A good online video is the best way to learn that. You may not have any cell service where you are camped, so it's best to master the tent at home.

On your trial run, set up your tent, roll out your sleeping bags, and do all the cooking outside. You'll soon discover what's essential and what you can leave home. If you plan to bring your dog along, the trial run is the perfect time to get him or her used to the tent. Some pups are hesitant to go into the tent at first. Just be patient and give him time. Our little French Brittany was a bit spooked by the way the tent popped up, but once we climbed inside she came right in. She's a great little camper now.

National Forests

There are commercial campgrounds that you can set up in, and there are also pay-per-site campgrounds in National Forests, National Parks, and State Parks. These usually have nice flat smooth areas for your tent, as well as tables, fire pits and grills, drinking water, and restrooms.

National Forest Explorer

The US Forest Service has an app you can download called National Forest Explorer. Be sure to open the app and click on the forest you plan to visit – there may be information that needs to be downloaded in order to be current, and you'll want to do that while you have Wi-Fi. We generally prefer dispersed camping, which is simply finding a place in the woods off the road where we can set up the tent and spend the night, but you still need to know of any special regulations that are in effect.

Nothing beats watching the sunrise through the trees from your nice warm sleeping bag.

I strongly suggest you visit the National Forest website if you plan to camp in one. For instance, in Arizona we often have long periods of time when all campfires and even charcoal fires are forbidden on all the National Forests in the state, whether you are in a developed campground or not. This is common during forest fire season. No worries there – even though it's a bummer not to be able to sit around the campfire at night, a simple Coleman propane stove means you can still have a hot meal and your morning coffee. You can even toast marshmallows over the gas flame.

Camping With Dogs

In addition to making sure your dog is okay with being in the tent, common sense rules apply when bringing your dog along. Be sure to check to see if dogs are allowed if you are planning to stay in a campground. If he is noisy or aggressive, leave him home if you are in a developed campground. Also, keep your dog leashed at all times. It's the law in campgrounds, but even when we are camped out in the woods by ourselves, we keep our dog on a leash. One way to give them a bit more freedom while on a leash is to string a rope between a couple of trees and connect the leash to that – they can run back and forth that way.

You Never Know

Even if you feel sure your dog will stay with you, you never know what he will do if he sees another animal close by. You don't want any encounters with skunks or porcupines or bears. Make sure your dog can't reach the cooking area or knock down the tent – string his tether line up close to you but far enough away to avoid catastrophe.

Don't leave your dog's food out overnight because it might attract skunks or raccoons or even bears. If your dog doesn't behave well in the tent, try letting him sleep in the car – maybe in a crate. Bring along his own bed from home and put it in the tent or wherever he is going to sleep. He'll feel calmer with the familiar smell and feel of his bed. Don't forget to take him for walks as well – the forest is just as much fun for him as it is for you.

Not Alone, Please

Don't leave your dog alone in the campsite if you leave, even if he is in a crate, especially in a developed campground – he may cry or bark the entire time he's alone, and you could be asked to leave. When we took our little Brittany on her first campout and she was great – she slept at our feet in the tent all night (on her bed from home) and we never heard a peep out of her.

Fun Stuff To Do With The Kids

One of the major reasons people want to camp is to spend time with their kids. Kids absolutely love to camp – and it's a great opportunity to get to know them better and even teach them things that they will think are great fun. My dad was a Chippewa Indian and he started taking us camping almost as soon as we could walk. Some of my favorite memories are of sitting around the fire, taking turns telling stories. He also used camping trips as an opportunity to teach us valuable skills, and you can teach your kids these same skills, like map reading and survival skills.

Maps: A Crucial Skill

If you don't know any survival skills, this is the ideal time to learn them along with your kids. Reading a map is a crucial skill that many people think is no longer necessary. All the maps you need are on your phone, right? But phones die. Paper maps don't.

If you're in the woods and not in a developed campground, you can just hike down the Jeep trails near your campsite. You can use your map to locate springs and tunnels and things nearby.

Benchmarkers

One thing my dad and I always did was look for benchmarkers. These are marked on maps with a number and the letters BM. You'll know when you find one because usually out in the middle of nowhere they are metal disks set in concrete. We always take a photo and circle them on the map when we find them. Dad used to set up little treasure hunts with us using the map – pretty simple ones, but we felt very accomplished when we got to the goal and found the reward – which could be a simple as a waterproof notebook and pencil, or even a new compass of our own.

One of the most fun things kids can do is build shelters. You're not usually allowed to cut trees or branches without a permit on national or state land, but there are almost always plenty of big branches and lots of brush around that you can drag to your building site. The great thing about kids building shelters is that it's fun, but it also wears them out so they'll sleep well at night. If they do a good enough job, maybe they can sleep in their shelter!

Simple Shelters

The shelter can be a simple lean-to or even a teepee – whatever strikes the kids' fancy. Make sure they get into the habit of kicking branches and logs over with their feet instead of using their hands so they can check for bugs and critters. If the branches or small logs are too long, you can help cut them to the right length. I've never known a kid that didn't love building his or her own shelter. Usually the branches aren't big and heavy, but it still pays to check for sturdiness before letting them sleep inside.

Another valuable skill to teach your kids is how to build a fire. If fires are forbidden, of course, you can't do this right now, but the time will come when fires are allowed again. Get some non-match ways to start a fire and teach your kids how to use them. I taught my granddaughters how to use a simple striker tool out on the back patio with some cotton balls for tinder. Kids feel like a pioneer when you let them build the fire without matches. Find some dry grass or peel off the fibers under the bark on your shelter logs for tinder. Once they get a spark on the tinder, you can use a GoFire packet to keep it going long enough to get some wood on it.

Incredible Stars

When the sun goes down, the stars are absolutely incredible, especially if you are used to seeing the night sky over a big city. My dad always brought the star chart along on camping trips, and he taught us to recognize the north star and many constellations. He even told us the myths behind the constellation names. Believe it or not, this skill came in very handy one dark night on Bartlett Lake, long ago before the road in was paved and the shore was pitch black at night. I was able to navigate us back to the ramp using just the lake map and the stars. The star chart in the photos is the one my dad taught us with, and it's pretty beat up but it still works. You just stand facing south (again, the compass comes in handy) and hold the chart up. The chart shows how the sky looks when it first gets dark. You can find all kinds of star charts online and in map stores.

If your tent is big, you can use the side of it as a movie screen at night. Or you can tie a sheet up to a rope stretched between two trees. We have a tiny projector that plugs into an iPhone so that we can project movies onto anything we want. A little Bluetooth speaker lets us all hear the soundtrack. When it's time for bed, a simple little lantern with a nightlight function is a great thing to have for the kids. If they need to get up in the night, they can easily find the lantern and light their way.

When Nature Calls

By the way, if you need a latrine, a five gallon bucket with a trash bag liner and some cat litter inside works great. Just slice a pool noodle and push it down over the edge of the bucket for a seat that also holds the bag in place. You can just seal up the whole bag and dispose of it when you find a trash can.

Speaking of trash – many campgrounds do not have trash service, and of course you have no trash service if you are out in the woods on your own. You have to take all your trash home with you. My policy is to reduce the amount of trash we make to the bare minimum. We don't use paper plates or cups (if fires are allowed though, you can burn these) – we have lightweight camping tableware that is easy to clean and store.

Minimize The Throw-Away Stuff

I try to open all food packages at home and pack the food in hard containers with watertight lids. That way I can put them in the cooler and nothing gets wet or crushed, plus I don't have trash to deal with. When the contents are eaten, the containers stack and store easily. We each have our own water containers – insulated bottles – and we fill them from a big Stanley jug with a lid that latches on so it won't spill even if it tips over in the back of the truck.

We also bring some collapsible 5-gallon water jugs for things like washing hands and dishes. I make coffee with a JetBoil. It boils the water in about a minute and a half, and I have a Stanley French press. We use Stanley insulated coffee mugs so the coffee stays nice and hot. The mugs look more like glasses, so they fit in the car drink carriers too – and they won't spill.

Plan Ahead For The Perfect Getaway

Whether it's a chance to get out of the house and stretch your legs, or just to relax in the woods with your kids, a camping trip is the perfect getaway. Do a little planning beforehand and you'll have a great time.

Final Tips And Advice

One thing we learned about camping is that your sleep area needs to be comfortable or you'll have a miserable experience. We tried inflatable pillows and they were awful, so now we just use regular bed pillows – use Space Bags to make them easy to pack. A small throw blanket is great if it's really cold – you can use it to keep your head warm. A decent sleeping pad is essential as well, so you don't end up with rocks poking you in the back all night. If your tent is big enough, you can even use one of those pump-up mattresses. I have a very small battery operated pump that is perfect for blowing up the mattress on a camping trip. Hammocks are good, too, if you don't fall out.

• Sleeping bags are rated by temperature. For instance, the Cinch 40º by ALPS Mountaineering is designed to keep you warm in temperatures down to 40º. Be sure to get one that is rated for where you will be.

• Get a duffel bag and designate it as a camping bag. Put the table ware, camp cooking set, utensils, paper towels, foil, matches, toilet paper – all the basics – in that bag so all you have to do before a trip is check the bag, then toss it in the truck with your tent, chairs, and bedding.

• When you set up the tent, keep the screens zipped so flying insects don't get in before you do.

• Try to get dinner and dishes done before dark. It's so much easier. There are lots of great ideas for camp dinners online, and many of them can be wrapped in foil so there is virtually no clean-up. Just crumple the foil up and toss in your trash bag. Be sure to lock the trash in the vehicle at night to keep animals away.

• To help keep trash at a minimum, invest $32 in a GSI Outdoors Cascadian 4-person Table Set. You can get a set where each place setting is a different color. You get a plate, bowl, and cup for everyone. They are light and easy to pack and clean. Store them in your camping bag. Find one Here.

• Don't forget to pack flashlights for those bathroom trips at night. Also, keep a pair of flip-flops handy so you don't have to try to put your shoes on or walk barefoot in the dark.

• Try to keep your camp as electronics-free as possible. You can't reconnect if everyone is buried in their phones.

• You can't count on there being conveniently placed logs and stumps at your campsite, so having some folding camp chairs is a good idea. RIO has some excellent chairs starting at under $40. We also have a little folding table with a nylon top that we bring along.

• A cheap ice chest is almost worse than no ice chest at all. Also, you will probably need more room than you think so buy a good-sized ice chest. Freezing a couple of jugs of water will not only help keep the cooler cold, you can drink it as it melts and it won't get all your food wet.

• Even if you're allowed to have a fire, you're still going to want to have a nice camp stove. Fires get pans so dirty, and that soot is hard to clean off. Coleman has been making great camp stoves for decades, and they have lots of different sizes and styles. You might also want to get a small backpacker stove like the JetBoil so you can always have water going for coffee and cocoa and doing dishes.