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For over 30 years my family has been making annual trips to Vermont to go camping in the late Fall. Over the years it has grown from being just four of us (my Mom, Dad, Sister, and me) to over a dozen people, family and close friends.
I know a lot of people on instructables are into backpack camping, so they have to be careful about the weight of what they are bringing since they have to carry it in and out.
Odds are these tips won't be of much help to you.
Our annual trip is by no means considered lightweight. But we bring the things that make the camping trip fun and comfortable.
*8/20/2011*
updates to step 3 and step 4
added step 7
*8/21/2011*
update to step 4
*8/24/2011*
update to step 4
*9/3/2011*
added a link to the recipe for Mom's Beef Stew in step 4
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Signing UpStep 1Lean-to Tarp
The state park has really nice Lean-to sites available. A Lean-to is really nice for getting you up off the ground and providing protection from the elements. The only down side is that the entire front side is open to the elements.
For years we would nail a tarp up to the front of the lean to using the grommets on the tarp. If it was nice out we would string the tarp out to make an awning over the picnic table (we would move the table over to in front of the lean-to).
If the weather got really nasty, or if we were turning in for the night, we would drop the tarp down to cover the front of the lean to. The tarp helps to retain heat, as well as keeping out any nasty weather.
A few years ago we picked up a 10' square pop up tent. Since We started using that over the table, we have not needed to use the tarp as an awning.
In order to make it easier to get in an out of the lean-to during the day I came up with a new way of setting up the tarp.
By stringing a length of rope across the front of the lean-to and inserting shower curtain rings into each of the grommets in the tarp. It makes it very easy to slide the tarp off to one side during the day so it is out of the way, and then slide it back into place at night.
For years we would nail a tarp up to the front of the lean to using the grommets on the tarp. If it was nice out we would string the tarp out to make an awning over the picnic table (we would move the table over to in front of the lean-to).
If the weather got really nasty, or if we were turning in for the night, we would drop the tarp down to cover the front of the lean to. The tarp helps to retain heat, as well as keeping out any nasty weather.
A few years ago we picked up a 10' square pop up tent. Since We started using that over the table, we have not needed to use the tarp as an awning.
In order to make it easier to get in an out of the lean-to during the day I came up with a new way of setting up the tarp.
By stringing a length of rope across the front of the lean-to and inserting shower curtain rings into each of the grommets in the tarp. It makes it very easy to slide the tarp off to one side during the day so it is out of the way, and then slide it back into place at night.
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making campfire twists is one of the highlights of the evening for the kids (and most of the adults too)
They collapse and take less space as they get used up Plus have a dispenser cap already built in.
Or steel wool and a 9V battery can be fun.
Newspaper, rolled into a rod, tied with bits of twine, cut to 1-2" lengths and dipped in paraffin wax will light even slightly damp kindling.
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bear+resistant+canisters.html
apparently stringing your food up in a tree is not a foolproof method of keeping it safe any more (tricksy bears) .. but something is better than nothing.
I knew food would attract animals but I was unaware that they are also attracted to such things as soaps, detergents, cans of soda, and pans used for cooking.
Thankfully we have not had to deal with bears where we go, but I can not stress enough that it pays to plan ahead and know about the area you plan on going camping at.
camp safe everyone.
The ones which anyone who goes camping should know:
Taut-Line Hitch: A slip knot that stays in place until you adjust it
Square Knot: Good for securing items, but tension on the wrong pair of ends will turn it into a double-half hitch
Trucker's Hitch: Good for when you need a really tight line. Basically a pulley system. According to the linked website, it offers a ~1.6:1 mechanical advantage after friction is taken into account.
Not as necessary, but still useful:
Square lashing and clove hitches can be used to improvise many implements for around the camp (although round lashing can be used for making a tripod).
My personal fire starter is birch bark. It's quite common where I go camping, so I don't even have to remember to pack anything special.
I also seem to remember reading a few instructables about fire starters a while back. Many of them seem to use some combination of dryer lint, wood chips, and wax to make something that lights easily, lasts long, and lights damp.
thanks for the great comment.
I also do the trucker's hitch a bit different than anywhere I've found online. The starter knot is a simple slip knot, and I finish it off with a few half hitches. As long as you are careful to make the free end be the one that controls the size of the loop, you gain a bit more mechanical advantage. Granted the trucker's hitch already tends to be good enough to snap some flavors of twine....
One other thing that I forgot is a good way to store rope. Something like this: (It's called a butterfly coil in case youtube decides to be stupid)
you can carry several with bits if tin foil in a leak-proof container, such as a waterproof containersold to hold matches for camping. load each cotton ball, presoaked in petroleum jelly, with an individual patch of tinfoil, say 2.5 inches in diameter, in the middle of a respective u-shaped bit of string, so that each cotton ball and folded tin foil base can be retrieved by pulling the ends of the associated length of sting. all the string ends are kept near the mouth of the container as you pack in the balls.
In my scout corps we teach the scouts from age 10 and up to make fires without firestarters in normal conditions. (Normal would mean temperatures from -15 to +30 degrees Celsius, from sunshine to light rain and not too much wind, probably less than 6 m/s, when they can do this and from about age 13 we challange them with more severe weather conditions)
They get a small axe, a knife and 3 matches for the firestarting to get the merit badge. Of course there is some other requisites for getting the badge, like knowing where to find kindling and wood, types of wood and their qualities and a number of types of fires for different uses. We have seen that after they learn this they take pride in knowing how to make a fire and doesn't need any firestarters.
What will you do if you use up your firestarters? What if you loose them? When you don't practice your skills you'll loose them too. :-)
Keep camping and start your fires "naturally".
Happy trails, Jim
Counting on a fire starter as your sole method of making a fire can definitely have its drawbacks.
Knowing how to make a fire several different ways, but using a fire starter because it is easier is a different story.
I agree with you that if you don't keep practicing your skills you will have problems when you are in a situation that you need them. That is why I make sure to practice making a "one match fire" at least once each camping trip.
Next year's camping trip I will start teaching my oldest how to build and light a fire properly, and as the little ones get older they will learn too.
You can never have too many practical skills in your repertoire.
After breaking the glass on our propane lantern I found a replacement made of a durable metal screen that still let's plenty of light out! In stock at your favorite camping store.... the tinfoil is a great idea. So are headlamps, our scouts love those.
I have not used a screen on a lanterrn before. Is there any difference in light output or problems with wind if you use a screen?
headlamps are awesome. I love having a hands-free light.
--awww. don't frown at me like that
you can keep them entertained the whole ride up.
--why do you look like you are about to cry?
It is only 7 hours each way.
--hey wait .. come back ..
hey hunny, come see how fast Mrballeng can run.
We are very fortunate that the largest animal we have had to deal with was a racoon (although I still think the skunk was more worrisome hehe ).
It is really worth it to know as much as you can about the area you are going to before hand, so that you can make plans accordingly to keep everyone and everything (food and gear) safe from curious / hungry animals.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." - Benjamin Franklin
Since we mostly camp in October .. sunscreen isn't a major concern. When we do go camping in summer time it is definitely one of the first, third, and forty-second things we pack.