Camping Out Ideas

Anyone have any great camping tips, tools, or advise they want to share?

I camp regularly with my family in the wild and rough great outdoors (middle of nowhere). I am looking for great tips on every aspect of camping to help make my trips better. Everything from meal ideas, to equipment that you can't live without.

Public Comments

1. www.sportsmanguide.com
2. i can't live without L.L. Bean gear www.LLBean.com
3. We always take a B-B gun. There is always a tree branch or frog or sign that makes a perfect target. Must have for every camping trip.
4. Remember totake along a bag for garbage
5. load up on batteries from the 0.99$ store (they wont last nearly as long, but it still ends up being alot cheaper. clean your cast iron cookware with apple cider vinegar (to not strip the seasoning), bring baby wipes. we also have a seperate old small tent that we keep our food and stuff in. spread a big tarp under your own tent (also helps keep moisture out if it rains too). bring a small shovel, like the kind that fold in half, hatchet/axe. ez-ups rock (from my experience, it's gotta be the ez up brand - we've had all kinds just get trashed) and anything Coleman you can trust. get some BIG durable duffle type bags & pack things together, ie: cookware & 'kitchen' stuff in one bag, flashlights, lanterns and stuff in another, etc. that way when you unpack, it's easier to bring only the stuff you need right away. dont forget your can opener.
6. Sometimes with kids I've done a make-believe theme for the trip. Like Voyagers (talk with french accent and pretend you are fur traders) or PIRATES!!! YARRRR!!!! Eat or drink something from the natural environment. Something as simple as pine needle tea which provides you with your vitamin c for the day. I bring my pocket regional mushroom guide, but only if you know how to use it and are sure of what you're eating!!Tasty! Fishing/hunting of course (don't forget to buy a licence). Make camp pizza!! Fry up the dough like a pancake first. Spead on hot tomato sauce, top with diced cheese and fried salami and cover on low heat (no flame on the fire). Personal time: everyone go off by themselves for 10 minutes, up to however long you want. Share something about your experience with the group when you get back. Or bring something back, it could even be a gift to exchange. Bring a frisbee, but it's safer if you use it in the water since uneven ground can break an ankle when you're busy watching the 'bee! Give your kids a warm rock from the fire to get them to sleep.
7. http://camping.about.com/
8. Google "camping recipes" and you'll have a good time trying to figure out what to eat on your trip. Bring a bird or plant ID book and binoculars. Bring a camera. Look for an old book about "Camp Craft". I think you'll dig that. As for me, I bring as little as possible outdoors and soak in the pure nature. By the way, it's called SportsmansGuide.com - Dude forgot the "S". Also check out SierraTradingPost.com for great deals. But SportsmansGuide.com has awesome surplus gear.
9. hook a generator to a extension cord run it to a sump pump trow the pump in a five gallon bucket pitch it in the river and run a hose to your trailer .start the gen.and refill the trailer for baths and dishes .hook up a water filter to the kitchen sink for water drinking safety .make sure you put a filter between the trailer and the pump to keep sediment out of your holding tank .
10. be positive wish for the best , prepare for the worse
11. Not mentioned so far is finding those "in the middle of nowhere" camping locations. Tent and RV campers have similar issues when they try and find remote location campsites. Nearly all federal public lands allow dispersed camping. "Dispersed Camping" is defined by the USDA Forest Service as camping outside a developed campground. How you find those spots when you are new to an area is the tricky park. http://www.rv-camping.org/Boondocking.html has tips for finding dispersed camping locations. www.rv-camping.org has a ton of state specific information links to all public lands web sites including USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife, state parks, national parks, Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, and just about every state wildlife area in the country.
12. A good and sharp pocket knife and a good multi tool. That is all any one needs that really roughs it.
13. Be as prepared and organized as possible before you go. Make a checklist of Kitchen supplies, gear, and personal items. I use plastic tubs to keep food in that does not need to be cool. I have another tub for all of my kitchen supplies and misc. stuff like batteries and extra flashlights. Seperate things into heavy duty ziploc bags. It will make things easier to find. I also like to have a backpack for all of my shower and bath things. That way all you have to do when you are ready to shower is grab clean clothes and a towel, throw them in the backpack and go. Always make a menu and go from there on your checklist of food items. I have learned that the more work I put into organizing my camping trips before I go, the more relaxing and fun it is when I get there. Don't forget the bugspray with Deet and a good sunscreen.
14. Pie Irons for cooking all kinds of foods and Dr. Bronners soap. It is all natural and biodegradable- you can use it for everything and it is very enviromentally friendly, won't hurt the rivers when you bathe or anything.