Outdoor Camping

Backpacking light has become one of the fastest growing trend. It seems that the less you carry without sacrificing the essentials, the more you enjoy backpacking. You feel free, unburdened, and close to nature. Your tent or shelter is the best place to start if you want to reduce your pack weight.

There have been some good lightweight shelter options for many years, especially if you backpack with a partner. The weight of the tent can be split between the two of you. One carry some some parts and the other carry the rest.. But the options have increased in recent years and a two-person tent that weighs four pounds isn’t even considered ultralight.

Tents that are too heavy are still produced even today. Cheap and heavy material are still used today to make these tents. If you take care of your tent well it can last you for many years of use. Mainstream tent makers are still outperformed by specialty tent makers in the ultralight field.

With the introduction of ultralight silicone-imbed nylon, 2 person tents are now weighing less than 3 pounds. One person tents are even lighter, obviously. Fabrics aren’t the only thing that’s gotten lighter. Poles went from aluminum to ultralight carbon fiber. A 45″ tent pole can now weigh less than two ounces. Many new tents are designed to use a hiking pole as the tent pole. This means that you don’t need to even carry tent poles anymore. The use of titanium rather than aluminum reduce the weight of the tent even further.

If you want to really go ultralight why not take a tarp instead and save a lot more weight. It protects you from light rain if you set it up correctly but it’s also a good way to feel closer to nature. Poncho tarps double as rain gear if you want to go a bit further. Using gear that serves multiple purposes is one of the core principles of ultralight backpacking. If you like sleeping under a tarp, but want some extra rain protection, a lightweight bivy sack or sleeping bag cover can be as light as six to seven ounces. Use a ground cloth to protect yourself from getting wet as a result of rain water on the ground.

For protection against insects use an insect repellent or mosquito net. If you want something less confining, use just enough no-see-um netting so that the netting stays away from your face.

If insects are just about the only concern you have, use a bug bivy. It’s a really doesn’t weigh very much.

Most lightweight tents are not freestanding like your old cabin dome tent. But they’re fast and easy to set with parts not included like a fly sheet. Instead the tents rely on well-designed ventilation on all sides.

If you sometimes hike solo, consider the advantages of having a separate ultralight one-person shelter for those times you go alone. Your tent should be as light as possible becaue there won’t be anyone to share the burden with. A two-person shelter is flexible because you can also use it for solo hiking for extra space and comfort.

Look closely at all the new options for ultralight shelters. See which ones have the features to fit your needs.

The tent is usually of the heavier and bulkier things you have with you on a camping trip so if you take the lightweight option it will really save your back and the need to use bigger backpacks.

The time to prepare to be rescued is before you ever need to signal for help. Following these survival tips will greatly help. When you travel, leave an itinerary of your trip with a responsible, trusted person at home. Include times that you anticipate being at specific places. Indicate wherever you’re traveling, your path, and the time you’re anticipated.

If your itinerary changes, let your contact person know right away. List any possible alterations to your route. Arrange planned gathering places in case members of your party get split up. Rescue workers will more easily locate you if you become lost.

It’s also helpful to include entries about the physical condition of the group members, medicines, tents, clothes, water and contact information for immediate family and physicians.

“I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” Daniel Boone

If you find yourself “confused” and in need of rescue there are a variety of ways to let your rescuers know your location.

You can utilize a variety of materials to signal for help including fire, smoke, flashlights, brightly colored clothing, reflective mirrors, whistles, or electronic devices. The ability to calm yourself will enable you to creatively consider ways to alert rescuers to your location. Knowing how to accurately assess your options can save your life.

If you should lose your way, your position should be marked right away. Pile some rocks together, bend some branches, or create some other easily recognizable sign so that you will know the spot. Your home base is now established. If you decide to try and make your way out, this is where you will return for another try if your first attempts fail. This will also be the place you wait for rescuers.

If you choose to move away from your base, leave a note at the marker. Announce your plans and your travel direction. As you move along your path, mark your way with piles of rocks, broken sticks or some other sign at even intervals. These markings will help search teams determine your location.

Discover exactly how to signal for help and many more ideas from Survival Scoop.

There’s a lot of preparation and planning involved when you’re camping with kids and you need a lot of patience too. Kids are a lot of fun to bring along camping if you made the right preparation and planned well.

Considering the kid’s needs should be the top priority and you may have to make some sacrifices. Now while it sounds bad, I can assure you that it’s well worth it and the kids will love you for it.

Hiking, playing and exploring the great outdoors is simply rewarding as spend quality time with them. If you love you kids so much, you woudn’t mind putting in all the extra effort involved.

But just to help you get by before they drive you crazy and you want to pull your hair out, here are some helpful tips for camping with kids:

- Get the kids involved with the planning and preparation. Ask for their suggestions and ideas regarding camping activities and places to visit. Allow them to pack their own stuff but make sure you supervise them.

Children are more likely to act responsible if you show them that you trust them and value their opinion.

- You don’t need a high quality kids sleeping bag. A cheap children’s sleeping bag is sufficient.

- If you do backyard camping beforehand you’ll discover anything that you missed during planning and preparation so you can adjust accordingly.

- Elicit their help in setting up the campsite. Teach them how to pitch their own tents and ask them to help Mom with the cooking. No, they don’t need to chop and slice or boil water over the stove. They should only be involved with kid-friendly chores.

- To prevent unwanted incidents, set up some safety rules like not wandering too far away from camp and not eating wild berries.

- Do some campfire singing and story-telling.

- Take the kids on day hikes and show them the wonders of nature.

- Don’t forget to teach them how to keep themselves safe at the camp. No playing with fire and no swimming in the lake alone are just some of the many rules they have to be familiar about.

- Creating games out of camping chores will get the kids interested in doing them

- Kids love to play with binocular so take them birdwatching.

- Remember to take the insect repellent and sunscreen.

- Give your kid a flashlight or glow stick so that they feel more secured at night.

- Do some star-gazing.

- Remember the first aid kit.

- Have some night snacks. Not inside the tent of course. Before you go to sleep, a few chats and chips will surely be a great finale to a great day.

- Take some camping games for the kids.

- Be sure that you have a camera to capture the unforgetable experience.

Family camping trips are a fun way to spend quality time with your children. Although it takes double the effort, just seeing the delight on their faces or hearing their squeals of laughter all make the trip worthwhile.

The best time of year, Summer, is finally here! A lot of kids and adults think about camping trips and hiking trips when they think of Summer time. To get the most out of a get away doing some planning before hand is important. A very important part of planning is choosing the best camping gear. The gear is not the only important thing to consider. Another big thing is choosing where to go.

The first thing to consider is the shelter where you will be sleeping. This can be as simple as a tent or as advanced as staying in a cabin or taking a motor home. Price is a big factor here. Tent sizes and selection vary depending on your group size and budget. Make sure not to buy too small a tent or you may regret it.

Something to sleep on such as a mattress helps a lot. Remember sleeping bags are made for different temperatures. If you are going somewhere cold make sure to check what temperatures the sleeping bag is made to keep you warm in otherwise your nights may be colder then you wished.

You will also need to take equipment for cooking in the outdoors. Using stuff from your home kitchen helps save money but more equipment will likely be needed. Make sure to plan ahead based on what meals you will be preparing.

To help you prepare research will be needed. One of the best and easiest ways to research and learn more about what types of products you will need and if they will meet your needs is to read some reviews online. Using online information can be a huge help.

So go and get ready for a great summer spent in the wild or not so wild out doors. Spending time out in nature if fun for the whole family and can be a really rewording experience that your children will always remember. Just make sure to take the correct type of gear and equipment to avoid a nightmare and make sure to plan ahead based upon where you will be going.

Do not forget to take a pad of paper so you can keep track of what you should have brought on your trip. This will help you for the next time so you can better plan. Each camping trip is a learning experience so the more you go camping the more you learn what you will need next time.

Who knows what can happen in the violent world today? Disasters can strike at a blink on an eye.

You need to have your rucksack ready in case you need to evacuate fast. A survival pack should sustain you both in the short term and long term.

A good survival pack should be lightweight and include items like knives, tools, water, seeds, clothes, fire, shelter, light. These items should be able to help you survive in the harshest of conditions.

To carry less, you need to know the likely conditions. A hiking backpack that’s prepared for all the possible conditions are probably the best but they’re also bulky and heavy. If it was to be carried in a car you wouldn’t to worry about size and weight.

But a disaster doesn’t only happen when the car is around. Different experts will have different choices of survival equipment in their backpack. These guys are always trying to be prepared for sudden manmade or natural disaster in a variety of ways for the unexpected. A good survival equipment should take up little space and an indefinite shelf life.

Want to know what military operators and hunters carry?

They carry a fixed-blade knife in a sheath strapped to the outside of the pack, and a Leatherman Wave multi-tool inside the pack, along with two very compact Mylar blankets that have a variety of uses like signaling for help, collecting water or as a waterproof lean-to.

These professionals also carry waterproof matches, a disposable lighter, a magnesium bar with striker, a credit-card-sized plastic Fresnel lens, a zip-lock bag filled with mugwort and a two-quart Platypus bladder system or a hydration pack for drinking water.

For clothes are two pairs of underwear and socks, a hat, a fleece skullcap and a pair of lightweight gloves, plus two pairs of sunglasses, two pens, a notepad and a pair of pruning shears. Other useful items include garbage bags, zip-lock bags, freeze-dried meals and some utensils.

Don’t forget the first-aid kit, water purifier, ground tarp, compact binoculars, synthetic and leather cord, roll of electrical tape, wind and weather meter and roll of toilet paper. You may also consider carrying firearms and a lightweight bivouac sack.

The typical cost of a survival pack is around $2,000 but there are economical ways to pack an effective survival pack. A topic we hope to cover soon.