Great RV
Camping Trips Make Excellent
Traditions
Copyright,
Valerie Giles
"A wonderful way to invest
in your families treasure trove
of memories is by spending time
in the great outdoors. RV
Camping trips can be an
excellent tradition that your
family will look forward to and
in time, look back upon with
fond memories."
Whether you plan to
camp at the same place every
year or seek out new places
doesnt matter as RV camping is
always filled with new
adventures. Your family might
have a favorite place you go to
every year mixed with a new
spot you select together for
another weekend or extended
holiday during the year. There
are so many national parks to
explore; your options really
are quite limitless.
RV camping doesnt have
to be an overly expensive
expenditure. Again this all
depends on how youll be
camping. Camping in a tent
carries a completely different
dynamic than camping in a fully
equipped camper. Camping in a
tent is also relatively
inexpensive. Perhaps the camper
is something youll decide to
invest in after a few years of
tent camping, then again there
are some who prefer to only go
tent camping. There's something
to be said about the rustic
quality of sleeping in a tent,
you can hike to far off remote
spots where you couldnt get to
with a camper in tow.
Regardless of how youll be
camping youll want to have the
proper camping gear and
accessories. First off you want
to have the best tent and
sleeping bags you can possibly
afford. As your tent will be
your home away from home for
your trip and your sleeping bag
will keep you warm and covered
for those long nights under the
stars (there are tents
available that have mesh roofs
for star gazing, of coarse if
it starts to rain, you can just
cover it up with your tent
fly), youll want to be sure
that both these items keep you
appropriately covered so to
speak.
Next youll want to have
proper camp accessories; a
trustworthy camp stove, a
lantern, flashlights, a first
aid kit, tarp, cooking and
eating utensils, a little axe
(for chopping firewood, also
doubles as a hammer for
hammering in tent pegs), some
rope (for clothes lines and
securing tarp), and cooler.
Along with your sleeping bag
youll want to remember comfy
pillows (unless your
backpacking then you might want
a convenient inflatable pillow)
and very importantly a good
sleep pad. An uncomfortable
sleep experience on hard ground
may steer you off tent camping
altogether, so come prepared, a
good sleeping pad is worth its
weight in gold. A good idea to
help you remember all these
items is the camping check
list.
Its a good idea to store
your camp gear in some plastic
containers. This way its all in
one place (with your camp list
included), so when its time to
pack up and go camping you can
go through the containers
making any necessary additions
needed. Its very important to
check that all your equipment
is properly maintained and
cared for; there is nothing
worse than getting to your
destination and finding that
your camp stove is not working.
Youll also want to be sure that
your camp fuel supply is
replenished and you have extra
batteries (for flashlights,
lanterns or radios).
One of the best things about
the whole camping experience is
the food. Now depending on
where youre camping and what
time of year it is, if youre
lucky youll be able to do some
of your cooking around the
campfire. During dry seasons
there may be fire restrictions
due to forest fire concerns, if
thats the case youll do all
your cooking atop your camping
stove. Every meal always seems
to taste a bit better when
youre camping, it might have
something to do with all the
fresh air, or maybe all the fun
activity builds up youre
appetite, either way youll want
to bring along some family
favorites. For dinner maybe
some grilling of the families
select choices, accompanied by
some corn on the cob and
potatoes wrapped in tin foil
cooked on the coals with a nice
salad and later for dessert
smores (marshmallow and a slice
of chocolate sandwiched between
two graham wafers), add to that
some hot chocolate before bed
and thats a night of food to
dream about.
The activities (or lack of
activities) will also make your
camping trip one to remember.
Hiking, kayaking, cycling and
sailing might be on your
agenda. Most parks offer
excellent groomed hiking
trails. Research in advance the
area you will be visiting to
know what activities will be
available, you may be able to
rent a kayak and take a lesson
at the same time. Many areas
also offer great bike trails
that the family can cycle on
together. A late night walk is
among favorite suggestions; you
can check out the stars and
just listen to the silence.
Bring along a book you've
wanted to read or some
magazines. Games are another
excellent pastime, a deck of
cards or a board game might be
some fun. Of course you can
always bring along some
baseball gloves and a ball for
a game of catch. Soccer balls,
badminton rackets and a net or
volleyball and net all make for
a fun day at the park.
If your family has little
ones youll be presented with a
whole new challenge. Depending
on the ages of your babies or
toddlers youll want to pack
some extra conveniences. There
are excellent baby back
carriers available allowing you
to hike all sorts of terrain
with baby in tow while keeping
your back feeling comfortable,
as well there are a numerous
variety of baby strollers to
select from which are great for
using on trails. For toddlers
you may want to bring a playpen
to keep baby safe. You can
never bring too many toys; the
more your child has to keep
them entertained you can rest
assure they will be more
content.
Be prepared for weather
changes by bringing along extra
clothing. Most likely you will
be camping in the warmer
spring, summer and fall months.
Its wise to remember however
that the evenings can often get
quite cool. Bring along heavy
sweaters or extra jackets for
added warmth, it can never hurt
to bring along a couple of
extra blankets for comfort
beside the fire (or for use at
a day picnic). Rainwear is
another excellent addition to
your camping wardrobe. With
good quality rain jackets,
hats, rain pants and boots you
can take advantage of the rainy
weather and actually go out for
a hike rather than staying
inside the tent or worse yet
ending your camp trip all
together.
RV camping certainly
has its challenges. Knowing
what to bring and having the
proper equipment and
accessories is the first
hurtle. Once you arrive at your
destination and set up you want
to keep everyone as comfortable
and happy as possible, whether
its keeping the kids occupied
without the use of video games
or cooking a surefire dinner.
Rest assured that after your
first couple of trips when you
find out what everyone enjoys
doing and you realize all you
like to include on your trip,
you will certainly add camping
to your families list of
favorite excursions and
traditions. The wonderful thing
about RV camping is its
always different, perhaps the
site is different or the
campground you selected is
unique to the last you stayed
at, whatever the difference is
it always seems to be an
adventure that the whole family
can enjoy.
Resource Box:
_____________________
Best Camping Supplies is a
camping resource site owned and
operated by Valerie Giles. It
features tents, campers,
fishing gear, boats, kayaks and
outerwear, making your camping
experience enjoyable.
Everything for camping
enthusiasts at reasonable
prices! http://www.best-camping-supplies.com
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