Camping Chairs, Do You Use One?
July 5, 2010 by Owen Jones
Filed under Camping Tips
Do you enjoy going camping? A lot of people do, especially those under forty or those with children. I am not convinced that it is more male orientated than female, but it is a close call. It could be.
When you go camping, there will usually be a lot of planning done in advance and provisions and equipment will be bought and laid out in readiness for the great trek, whether you drive to the hiking starting point or walk there from your front door. You will have a backpack, of course, food, clothing, a tent, sleeping bags or blankets and every other little thing you should have, but will you take a camping chair?
Yes, you could sit on a fallen tree trunk or a log around the camp fire to talk and do your cooking. You could even sit on the ground or on a blanket, but have you ever stopped to consider how heavy a canvas and aluminium framed camping chair really is? It weighs a pound or two and can hang off the outside of your backpack or knapsack.
A camping chair can greatly enhance your camping holiday, whether you are going to a camping site or just wandering in nature, but probably even more so in the latter situation. If it is raining or has recently rained, logs, rocks and the soil will be damp. If there are lots of ants around, you will not want to sit on the ground anyway.
What about bugs and other creepy-crawlies? Or snakes even? The fact is that a camping chair does not take up much space, does not weigh much, but can provide a lot of comfort.
Of course, the more complex the camping chair, the heavier it will be, but you not have to have much to feel good after a long trek, particularly if the weather was bad. A stool is better than nothing, but I would want something with a back to it; something like a canvas director’s chair the same as you see in movies.
Your camping chair can double as a table, if the weather is fine and you have other places to sit down. If you serve your food on your camping chair you will have fewer problems with ants and other insects. However, the best reason for taking a folding camping chair with you on a camping holiday, is the luxury of being able to take your boots off and lean back in your camping chair with your feet up after you have made camp. It may not be macho, but I like it.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with recliner slip covers. If you are interested in a black recliner or any other type, please click through to our site.
Where To Buy Camping Gear And Supplies
July 4, 2010 by Owen Jones
Filed under Camping Tips
When the weather turns warm, the hearts of millions of families, individuals and groups turn to camping whether it is for a long vacation or just a few days break. The necessity therefore arises for these people to start thinking about where to buy camping gear and supplies. If you are a keen camper, then you will probably already have most of your camping gear, but everyone needs to stock up on supplies before they actually depart.
Fortunately, there is no lack of suppliers of camping gear and supplies and with the Internet too, you will never be short of somewhere to buy camping gear and supplies. However, before you hurry to get your wallet out, you first have to work out what you require. It is often useful to split the stuff you have to have to go camping into two distinct types.
First there is camping gear or equipment. which includes thing like the tent, sleeping bags, rucksacks and tools and then there are the supplies, by which is meant foodstuffs, toiletries, matches et cetera.
The first type of places to try for buying camping gear and supplies is sport shops, if there is no specialist camping store close to you. Many sports people such as fishermen and hunters take a tent with them when they venture out, so you will find nearly everything you need for camping at these sports shops as well. You are bound to find a hunting and fishing or sports shop close to you or you will find large sports shops on line. The sports section of a large department store is also apt to stock these items.
Department stores may not stock such a wide variety as camping and sports shops, but you will often find that the prices are lower. Be wary of the quality though. Equipment bought from a sports shop will normally be robust and of high quality, whereas gear from a department store may be for children to use in the garden. It is better to do some research on line for respectable brands and then go to see what is available locally.
Army and navy surplus stores often offer high quality, military grade camping equipment. After all, if people trust their lives to this gear in battle, it must be good enough for you to go away for a week or two camping, must it not? As long as you like camouflage colours, that is.
No happy greens, yellows, reds and blues in the army and navy surplus stores though. Still, they are excellent if you want to observe nature or go fishing. They will also have the correct tools too, like collapsible spades and camping stoves.
You could break camping supplies up into two parts too really: luxuries and essentials. The luxuries, such as Coco Pops, beer and the like are far cheaper in the supermarkets. Try to buy the dried varieties of anything you take, like dried milk and instant coffee, especially if you are hiking a long way.
The necessities can be obtained in the supermarket as well, but you may find some interesting food products in the army and navy stores as well. There could be soldiers’ ration packs and instant fire lighters. These are serious products intended for soldiers on active duty, but you may like to try them out for amusement and experience.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is currently involved with Poconos camping. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations
Camping And Snowmobiling In The Poconos
June 26, 2010 by Owen Jones
Filed under Camping Tips
Do you like camping out in the winter? Have you ever tried camping in the Pocono Mountains with your tent on your back? Well, one thing is for certain, it is not a family style holiday! It is definitely an extreme sport for the hardened outdoor type. Whether you go traipsing through the snow on skis langlaufen style, use dogs and a sled or go by snowmobile, it is still an arduous enterprise. Issues from the cold such as frost bite and hypothermia are very real dangers.
Holidays such as these must certainly not be undertaken lightly. The days in the Pocono Mountains during the winter are cold enough, but at night the temperature just nosedives. If you have never tried such a holiday before, then you are not ready to take one on your own now. You will have to have specialized knowledge either from the military or from other such institution.
Planning and research are the two most important aspects. You will have to be conscious at all times of where the nearest help centres are. Places such as mountain rescue, hospitals, towns, shops, garages and first aid centres. You should also be conscious of the weather conditions and future weather predictions.
Staying overnight on such an arduous trip only increases the chances of encountering danger. Besides the cold there are wolves and bears. Wolves are not normally dangerous unless they are famished, but bears can be a problem. You will have to know how to maintain a clean camping site so as not to draw wild animals, but you will also have to know what to do if they do come poking about.
Thermal clothes are essential for any winter activity like snowmobiling and they are even more vital if you are going to sleep outdoors overnight. If you stay outdoors overnight you will also need a very warm sleeping bag. You will also have to take account of how long you will stay away and what provisions you will need to endure the length of time of your holiday. You will clearly have to eat, so suitable, nourishing food will have to be taken with you, unless you propose travelling from town to town.
Water will not be a problem with the snow available which is very handy for re-hydrating dried foodstuffs such as packet soups and drinking chocolate, both of which are very warming after travelling all day in sub-zero conditions.
Fuel will be a chief consideration for your snowmobile, but if you plan your journey well, you will be able to pick up a few tins of petrol every day. In this way, ten to fifteen gallons should be enough to see you through every day.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is presently involved with Poconos camping. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations





