Re: Great camping/outdoor tips
-Buy the best tent you can afford.<br /><br />-Gamma Seal bucket lids on 5 gallon buckets make great ridgid storage. On a 7 gallon, you can stuff an oversize sleeping bag into it and keep it dry. They float.<br /><br />-Make everyone eat raw garlic. It helps repel bugs, and as long as everyone is eating it, nobody notices
<br /><br />- Mix some sawdust in with the dryer lint to make firestarters.<br /><br />You can't have too much insect repellant.<br />- Pack a couple of 5-minute fusees (road flares). Not only are they useful for emergency signalling (which hopefully is never necessary), but they WILL get a campfire started in the WORST of conditions!<br /><br />-You can't have too much rope.<br /><br />-You can't have too many bungees.<br /><br />-A good LED Head-lamp is worth every penny. Also good for working under the car, plumbing under the sink. etc.<br /><br />-Night-Eyes (reflective thumbtacks) for marking out trails. We need them on out trips because we cannot always get all the campsites conveniently close together, but we have one main campfire to hang out at. If the consumption of adult beverages...well.. you know...<br />If your site is far from the fire & you're plastered, these'll get you back to your tent.<br /><br />- A Hammock & a tarp will work wonders when your cheap tent is waterlogged & broken.<br /><br />-Cotton Kills.<br /><br />- You can't have too many dry socks.<br /><br />-Invest in the Boy Scout Manual. If you're ambitious, also get the Boy Scout Field Book.<br /><br />-Set up your new tent at least once at home before you go on your trip...You may think you'll get there with plenty of daylight & nice weather, but it isn't fun when that turns into teeming rain at 9PM in the dark!<br /><br />-UCO candle laterns are great! I prefer the tealight version, but the 3-candle one is really nice. Get the neoprene socks for them, too.<br /><br />-Cards, backgammon, Scrabble, RummiTile, etc. can be LIFESAVERS on the third straight day of rain!<br /><br />-MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ALLERGIES! Especially the type that require EpiPens. Make sure everybody else knows how to use the Epi-Pen, just in case.<br /><br />-Buy the best foul-weather gear you can.<br /><br />-You can't have too much sunscreen.<br /><br />-HAVE A CHECKLIST. You will forget something. Trust me.<br /><br />MOST IMPORTANT:<br /><br />The whole idea of camping is to get away from it all. Ideally, everything goes according to plan. When things get iffy, or downright nasty, sit back & take it in stride. Look at it with the right attitude - after all, you could be sitting in the office, right? They Scouts have it rihgt: BE PREPARED. Captain Murphy is always along for the trip!<br /><br />I can't wait to go on my annual trip to Lake George!
