Monday 8th January 2024
Plan with Military Precision for a Good Camp Experience.
Did you sleep well?
The perennial question campers ask each other as they emerge from the sleeping bag, groggy and scruffy in the mornings! Its great not to be near mirrors when camping! Camping can be awesome - after you`ve managed to book your pitch at your favourite campsite, days out in the fresh air, lots of outdoor activities, cheap accommodation in places of Natural Beauty, getting away from daily stress and the usual grind! Nobody wants to wake at 3am feeling cold and uncomfortable with pine cones sticking in unmentionable places so preparation is the key and here are some camping tips to help. At the end of the day, a good night`s sleep is all any camper wants. So to guarantee you`re not cold, uncomfortable or damp, and get a great night`s sleep, a few essential preparations must be made - include wine or hot chocolate in that list, too!
Pitch your tent early
Think ahead about booking your pitch, and get that sorted out, then you can concentrate on the cooking and have a large enough water supply container - or two - with a tap that doesn`t leak! Hand washing and clean drinking water is vital to avoid tummy upsets. It seems obvious, but for some people think getting to the pub or going out on a walk is the first thing on the list. But this is a mistake: one of the first camping tips are that drunk/ tired people are not good at pitching tents and lighting fires and setting up your kitchen when you are hungry unless you have the type of tent that pops up like lightening, and are eating out, setting up your tent, your kitchen area and blowing up your sleeping mats or air beds first will avoid delays later and difficult night pitches. Exactly this happened to a young friend of mine, Rupert, who after a day`s shooting thought nipping off for a swift half would be ok before he set up his camp. Rather a lot of pints later, a long walk back in the dark, trying to pitch his tent in the drizzle and sleeping in a puddle was the miserable result. Be clever. Don`t be like Rupert!
Insulate under as well as over!
Use proper sleeping mats, and insulate underneath with a good foil blanket to prevent damp and cold coming up from the ground during the night. A good memory foam mattress with insulation under, not over it will ensure total cosiness. When you book your pitch try and get a nice high spot on the campsite - there have been issues when it rains - I once saw a whole field of tents underwater at a major event in the height of summer! Get a good sleeping bag, that gives you room to move about in it, but isn`t too big, as excess space will not give you that `warm bubble` feeling. A light fleece blanket lining will make a lot of difference if your bag is not quite warm enough. You can make your own by sewing two small ones together.
Socks, Socks, Socks! Bring the Right Clothing
What you wear at home or for a walk on a day out isn`t going to suffice on a weekend`s camping with variable conditions. Wear light layers over warm underclothing because a few flexible layers is better than one thick coat. A thermal top and leggings under looser top layers with a waterproof jacket, scarf and hat, and gloves. One of my most trusted camping tips is: wear your new boots in before you go tramping for miles in them and extra socks of different weights are well worth bringing. A nice fresh warm pair of sleeping socks will be a blessing at the end of a long day. Not to mention mittens! A cosy knitted hat will keep you warm in the coldest part of the night - about 5 am is usually a tough moment and can be surprisingly chilly especially on clear days. Pack a bottle that seals securely, fill it with hot water the night before, and keep in your sleeping bag; it will help you get cosy and give you a warm drink in the morning or a quick start to your coffee brew.
Plan meals in advance
Pack food that is easy to cook and store. A good camping tip is to pack portions and pre-measure things like pancake mix. If you are away for more than a few days, a good cooler with 12volt connection will keep your food fresh. Best tip is to plug it in at home, to cool it down before you leave and your stuff will remain cool for several days. Its best to pack everything in sealable bags so that the bottom of the cooler doesn`t fill up with leaked fluids. Juice you can cope with, but blood from frozen leaking beef steaks is not healthy at all. By the way - you can book your pitch with electric supply, which makes life easier, but if you`re depending on the car only use the 12volt connection when your car is running, or your car battery may run flat. A solar setup with battery is a good investment and can also charge your phones, laptops etc but can be costly - and don`t you want to get away from civilisation for at least a weekend?
Don`t take too much stuff - get quality stuff!
Choose a good quality tent, that suits your needs and budget. But one camping tip to save you a great deal of money is: don`t go too big! Smaller tents are a little cosier than big ones. I made the mistake as the children got older of getting gradually bigger and bigger tents and more equipment to accommodate everyone but it became a struggle and as kids get older, getting their own pup tents might have been better than a huge home from home substitute. It might seem there`s nothing nicer than playing with yet another camp grill or inflatable sofa. But remember these things add to the weight in your car; you are camping, don`t try to transport your whole house to the field! Bigger tents are heavier, and limit your choice when booking your pitch; the sheer weight and time spent getting out all that camping stuff can take over your camping experience and hamper your freedom, be exhausting to get out and pack away. Kids tend to melt away when there`s work to be done so getting high quality camping gear at the start, which packs up small but does the job, and keeping your focus on a speedy set up and pack down rather than filling the site with paraphernalia will mean you get more out of your camping and see more of the local area - and spend less on fuel to get there!
Personal needs....
The last thing you need once you are cosy and warm, is to wake needing a wee! Again, think ahead. You can prevent unneccessary stress by not drinking too much too late, but if you do have to visit the facilities, a foldable camp toilet is easy to set up and have nearby in your tent, but you can book your pitch near the toilet facilities and there`s often a light near them which helps unless you really love to look at the stars! Cat litter in the bottom of the bag will avoid spills in your tent and can be disposed of in the bin. You can have a toilet tent set up if you have a group camp away from the facilities, but usually a short walk to the camp toilets at night is all part of the experience - good camping tips here are: make sure you can find your torch, shoes and coat or dressing gown in the dark for that trip to the campsite loos! The joys of midnight trekking over the dark field to the loo certainly make you appreciate home when you get back to it. Some privations can be all part of the joys of camping but that smell of coffee and sizzling bacon around the camp fire in the morning as you contemplate the Nature around you will surely make up for the lack of plumbing!
Lastly - remember to pack your medication, if you need it, mosquito repellent, dog`s food, check the car`s oil and water, and bring the marshmallows, hot chocolate - and wine!
