Smart Family Camping: A Guide to Successful and Entertaining Camping with Your Family brought to you by Smart Family Camping Family Camping: Tent Camping Camping is an incredibly rewarding experience and is just a really good way to enjoy a weekend with the family. Women especially need to plan ahead because we get stuck with providing clean clothes, innovative menus and all the niceties of being home. For awhile, camping for me was a nightmare. I had to wash clothes in the most primitive conditions imaginable, produce food over a campfire (no gas grill here, sweetie!) and make like I'm having good time. For you and your family, you have to really reach to fail at having a positive camping experience. The kids will love it. The man will feel much more manly. It's just a win-win situation. And here's the super bonus -- the benefits of camping do not have to happen on the shoulders of Kilimanjaro or the peaks of Mount Everest -- it can happen in your own back yard. Yes. It is that much fun. Hard to believe, I know, but true. Let's Go Camping So let's go tent camping. If you don't already have a tent, you will need to purchase one. Keep in mind that the only thing you will be doing in the tent is sleeping. Remember too, that in the case of inclement weather, you and your family may have to spend some extended time in the tent as well as some food preparation. Be sure that the height of the tent you choose is Smart Family Camping
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something you can live with. Remember that you will have to crouch down to get into and out of the tent each time you enter or leave. Moving around inside the tent very much in a crouching position is very tiring. The tent must also be large enough for all members of the family to sleep without being crowded. Where to Buy Camping Gear You can spend a little or you can spend a lot on camping gear. I recommend that you start with the basics and see what you can't live without. Then add to your gear. Part of the fun of camping is the "roughing it" part. However, camping in luxury has its benefits as well. Good sources of camping gear are sports and outdoor retailers such as REI, Big 5 and the like. Watch for bargains at WalMart, KMart and Target. Amazon has some very good prices especially on larger items like tents, stoves and sleeping bags. Keep an eye on GoodWill, the Salvation Army and other thrift stores. These are excellent places to get used cookware, grills, flatware and blankets. You may find the occasional percolator coffee pot and other camping goodies. Military surplus stores have some good finds as well, but watch the prices. Another excellent source is yard and garage sales. It takes some shopping but the benefits are great. Practice Makes Perfect Anytime you get new gear, check it out at home first. Put up the new tent and see how everything goes together. In fact, let the kids sleep in the yard for a night. It's fun. If you just bought a new stove, fire it up and cook dinner on it to see how it all works. Roll out your sleeping pad and sleeping bag to see how it feels. Do you think it will be OK for a whole night? Or maybe you'll find out that you need a different kind of pad. These things are good to know before you find that you're 100 miles from the nearest WalMart. The time to learn how to use a fire stick or a compass is before you find yourself in an emergency where you absolutely need to know how the thing works. Using a flare is pretty simple and it's not easy to test one prior to Smart Family Camping
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having to use it. However, be sure to read the instructions so that you have an idea of what you need to do and when you need to do it. Where to Camp Camp grounds vary greatly in their facilities from quite elaborate to nothing except a fire ring and a place to park you vehicle. The fees vary accordingly. Most state parks have a campground with toilet and shower facilities. Many KOA campgrounds have pools. Decide where you want to go before you get there. If you can, call the campground and get a list of the amenities available at that particular site. A good place to start your search for a good campsite is online. Simply search for "campgrounds" and the location where you want to camp. You will get a pretty good list of available campgrounds in that area. Conclusion Camping, for those who enjoy it, in really fun. Kids seem to love it without exception. If you ever went camping with your family, I will bet that you have some really fond memories of it. Your kids will, too. Go camping. Relax. Enjoy the outdoors. Don't take so much stuff that you spend the entire time unpacking and packing back up. If you don't enjoy cooking, bring already prepared food -- sandwich makings, Church's fried chicken. Get some potato salad at the deli. This a time to enjoy, not work yourself into a frenzy. Pack a good book. Bring your fishing gear. Don't forget your good hiking boots. Get out there in the woods or the desert and let the world go away for a while. Happy camping!! Get even more camping information at http://www.smartfamilycamping.com portable grills for tailgating, rv parks and campgrounds, camp games, tailgate food, rv park reviews, camp 4, camp atterbury, camp beds, camp bow wow, camp games, camp sites, campers world, campground, campgrounds, camping, camping 2, camping accessories, camping and general, camping bc, camping beds, camping biarritz, camping cassis, camping chair, camping chairs, camping checklist, camping club, camping cots, camping en france, camping equipment, camping food, camping food ideas, camping games, camping gas, camping gear, camping hammock, camping holidays, camping in california, camping in colorado, camping in cornwall, camping in florida, camping in france, camping in ontario, camping international, camping ireland, camping la rochelle, camping list, camping marseille, camping meals, camping nice, camping recipes, camping shop, camping shops, camping shower, camping sites, camping store, camping stores, camping stove, camping stoves, camping supplies, camping table, camping tables, camping tent, camping toilet, camping trailer, camping trailers, camping uk, camping world, campings, camps, campsites, caravan sites, coleman camping, cool camping, cotswold camping, free camping, go camping, lake district camping, lake george camping, camping, naturist camping, reserveamerica.com, rv camping, rv park reviews, rv parks, rv supplies, sleepaway camp, summer camps, tailgate, tailgate food, tailgating, tailgating recipes, trailer park, uk camping,
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vacances camping, wild camping, yosemite camping
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