Stay Safe From Bears While Camping
Bears can be a common problem while camping, so you need to be prepared. There are several precautions you can take in order to reduce the risk. Out of sight, out of mind – if you see a bear in the distance and it didn’t see you then you want to go the other way. Leave the bear alone and it will likely continue doing what it intended to. If you see bear tracks then you also want to avoid following them.
Bears are wild animals, but they are also curious. Don’t leave food out where they can smell it or get into it. Don’t try to lure the bears closer to your campsite with food either. Coolers should be locked and food that is placed into the trash should be secured as well. Bears have a great sense of smell so you need to keep your campsite free of garbage. Your food should be stored in an air tight cooler to prevent the smells from escaping. Use Ziploc bags too for foods that could be enticing to bears.
How to Pitch a Tent in Foul Weather
Pitching a tent can be challenging even in the best of weather. Many tents are just confusing and, often, the directions have been lost. If one has not set the tent up before, it can be hard, as many tents are different — they have different amounts of poles, different lengths of poles, and even different amounts of sheeting that need to be set up. Pitching a tent in foul weather is much worse for a number of reasons. First, it is darker than on a bright, sunny day, and that makes it hard to see what poles got through what loops, how many poles there are supposed to be, and how the main body of the tent is supposed to stand. Second, there is the additional discontent from the rain and wind, or from the snow. This can make the tent hard to handle. Third, there is the added sense of urgency, since the tent is the source of cover, and one of course wants to be out of the foul weather as quickly as possible. In short, it can be a nightmare. There are a few things that can be done, however, to make pitching a tent a quick and painless process, even in the worst of weather.
First, find some cover from the wind. One of the hardest parts about pitching a tent is fighting against the wind, especially if it is gusty and seems to be coming from all directions at once. The sheeting will roll up and fold on itself and blow away entirely if it is left unattended. Sometimes trees can work as a source of cover, if they are very thick and close together, but these are not perfect, as the wind can move through them. What one really wants to find is a large rock or, better yet, the side of a cliff. One should get up as close to this as possible. If there are two rocks or cliff walls that come together, go as far into the middle area as possible without going so far that the tent will not fit. One wants to get the wind under control first, as it will make the rest of the process easier.
How to Find a Free RV Camping Site
Imagine parking your RV near a lake shore with magnificent views of the water and forest beyond it or on a beach next to the Gulf of Mexico. And one of the best parts is that this beautiful campsite is free.
Free RV campsites actually are not difficult to find. Besides Wal-Mart, casino and truck stop parking lots for overnight stays, scenic free campsites also can be found on federal land in wilderness areas.
When Loud Neighbors Attack
As is often the case, it is not something huge and dramatic like a roaming bear suddenly strolling into your campsite or becoming hopelessly lost in the wilderness that is most likely to ruin your outdoor experience: rather, it is something as simple as a noisy neighbor in the next unit preventing your from enjoying the piece and quiet that lead you back to nature in the first place. So, what are some basic steps you can take to neutralize this threat to your camping experience?
The number one thing to do is likewise the most obvious: simply go to the neighboring campsite and ask the people if they could quiet down. You would be surprised, you would be outright shocked at how often this will love the problem. Chances are that the party in question really did not know that they were being so loud, and with not a small amount of embarrassment, they will immediately stop.
Frugal Camping Ideas
Camping can be a ton of fun, but at times, it can also be an expensive hobby. It’s often surprising how “roughing it” can cost so much money. There is the food, the supplies and gear, the cost of traveling to and at staying at your destination, and often little miscellaneous expenses for which you just aren’t prepared. Sometimes it almost makes you wonder if it might be cheaper just to set up camp at the nearest Holiday Inn Express off interstate exit 90 — but that would take all the fun out of it, wouldn’t it?
Camping doesn’t have to cost as much as many of use think however. There are certain areas and aspects of camping that can be cut back upon, and still allow you to have a great time. Sometimes reducing the cost of camping makes the experience even more fun or rewarding as we find ourselves following in our ancestors’ footsteps, cooking over an open fire, foraging for our own wood, and sleeping out under the stars.