Public or Private Campgrounds: Which Should You Choose?

When it comes to camping, you’ve got plenty of options in terms of what campground you’d like to stay at. The two main types of campgrounds are public and private. Public campgrounds are owned and operated by government agencies. Examples of public campgrounds include state park campgrounds, national park campgrounds, municipal campgrounds, state forest campgrounds, national forest campgrounds, projects form the Army Corps of Engineers, and other types as well.

Private campgrounds are campgrounds owned and operated by people or companies in the private sector. Often, these private campgrounds are especially geared toward RVs, although that isn’t always the case.

Public campgrounds are often more common than private campgrounds. Public campgrounds are very often scenic areas, located in an area set aside to preserve the natural environment. Public campgrounds tend to be less expensive than private campgrounds. However, public campgrounds typically don’t have as many amenities available as private campgrounds. In addition, public campgrounds can vary greatly in amenities and quality from one location to the other.

Private campgrounds tend to be more on the expensive end of things. Private campgrounds may be operated by a national chain, or they may be operated by local companies or individuals. Campgrounds that are part of a national chain may offer discounts to people who stay at more than one of their locations. In most cases, you can count on similar amenities and service from one campground in a national chain that you can expect from another campground in the same national chain.

Locating private campgrounds can be something of a challenge, as well. While most state park campgrounds have some sort of Internet presence or another, private campgrounds can be harder to locate. You have to rely on camping directory web sites or on brochures to find many private campgrounds.

If possible, shop around a bit. Check out website reviews of campgrounds. Ask friends or family as to their experiences with a certain campground. The fact of the matter is that some public campgrounds are much nicer than some private campgrounds, and some private campgrounds may be less expensive than some public campgrounds.

How To Break Camp

On your final day of camp, there is plenty to do. In fact, breaking camp can be just as much work as setting up camp, if not more work.

The most important thing to remember about breaking camp is that you don’t want to leave anything behind. This includes your camping equipment, obviously, but it also includes trash. You should try to leave your campsite cleaner than when you arrived.

Here are some basic things to do on your last day of camping:

• Clean your camping equipment. Sweep out your tent. Check your equipment for food spills, tree sap or other dirt and debris. Wipe your equipment down with a wet rag if it is dirty.
• Pack your cooler. Get rid of any leftover food you might have been storing inside the cooler, and get some more ice so that your food will keep on the trip home.
• Try to pack things in the same places you packed them when you arrived. This helps to insure that everything will fit back into their containers, and that it will all fit just fine back into your vehicle.
• Separate dirty clothes from clean clothes. The best way to do this is to keep a separate bag for dirty clothes throughout the entire time you’re camping. That way, you can just wash the contents when you get home.
• Make sure your campfire is out. Douse it with water. If there are especially hot coals, wait for a while after pouring water on the campfire to make sure that it’s really out.
• Pick up your trash. Look around for small trash items, such as wrappers, cigarette butts or animal waste. Again, your objective should be to leave no trace that you were even there.
• Make one last look around the campsite to see if you’ve missed anything.
• Once everything is loaded up, make one last stop by the bathrooms. This saves you the trouble of having to stop on the way home.
• Don’t forget to check out. Some campsites may charge you for an extra day if you don’t check out with the office.

How to Buy the Right Tent

Are you buying a tent for your next camping trip but feel overwhelmed by all the options available?

Picking the right shelter for your family’s next camping trip might seem daunting at first, but buying a tent is easy once you know what your options are.

Essentially, tents start off as one person and move up to accommodate 8 or more people. One-person tents are much more lightweight and portable, often used by hikers and bikers for their convenience out on the trails.

Another point to consider is the time of year during which you intend to camp. Some shelters are all-weather, but some are summer or winter specifically.

A winter style will have you sweltering in the early morning sunlight of July, and a summer tent will leave you freezing on an October night, It’s best to consider your options before you buy. Three-season tents are often your best option.

Tents with certain features are always more convenient than other. Look for collapsible poles that are made of a durable material, like strong aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber. Color-coded poles make assembly easier, especially in low light conditions.

Waterproofing, especially a rain fly, is a great feature to have in rainy climates. Be sure your tent’s stakes are durable enough for use in any soil.

Mesh windows with zippers allow for good ventilation that seals up nicely during storms. Skylights are romantic and practical, as they allow heat to rise out of the shelter and fresh air and light to circulate throughout.

What To Do On Your First Day Of Camping

If you’re preparing to camp for the very first time, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what exactly you need to do. Here are the primary things you’ll need to do in order to make that first day smooth and enjoyable:

Check in

When you get to the campground, you’ll need to stop into the office. If you have a reservation already, you will sign in, fill out a registration form, get your campsite number or choose your campsite, and pay for your stay. You will also be asked how many people will be camping, the license plate of the vehicle that will be parked at the campsite, and other information. You will probably be asked to provide identification, as well.

If possible, take a look around the campground to hand-pick your campsite. You want a campsite that isn’t completely out in the sun, that isn’t too close to the bathrooms, and that is on fairly high ground. If you’re camping with children and would like to be near the playground or beach, make sure you indicate that when you check in as well. Pick a campsite that has room to cook, and that is near a water source.

Setting Up

Once you’ve arrived at your actual campsite, it’s time to do some setting up. You’ll want to set up your tent, screen tent or other dwellings first. As you unload your vehicle, you’ll be unloading your camping equipment into these locations.

Choose a spot for your tent that is dry and elevated, but not on a slope. Keep the tent away from your campfire and from your cooking area, if possible. Often, a far corner of the campsite will work best for the tent.

If possible, try to have a sack lunch ready, rather than having to try to cook while you’re setting up camp. This gives you the afternoon to get things set up, before you need to worry about cooking.

Unpack

Once the tent is set up, you’ll unpack your camping gear. Place your sleeping gear in the tent, and your cooking equipment near where you’ll be cooking. Unload and set up your camping chairs, and stack your firewood somewhere near where your campfire will be.

Enjoy Yourself!

Really, that’s all there is to it. Once you’re set up and unpacked, you can start enjoying a nice campfire, a game of Frisbee, or whatever other activity you’re interested in.

How to Weather-Proof Your Tent

If you want to add additional weatherproofing protection to your tent, treat your tent with a sealant. You can increase the water-resistance of the fabric by applying a chemical sealer. Sealants can be purchased in most hardware and camping supply stores.

If you decide to apply a sealant to your tent, there are a few things to remember:

• Like any product, you may get what you pay for. If you skimp to save money, you might end up getting soaked anyway.

• Read labels to make sure the sealant that you purchase will work for the type fabric that your camping tent is made of. It’s best to buy one that is designed specifically for tents, rather than an all-purpose sealant.

• Be sure to follow the directions carefully. You will usually have to apply at least two coats. Even if the label does not specify two coats, you should do this anyway.

Apply sealant outdoors to avoid inhaling fumes. Allow to dry thoroughly between coats. You should allow a minimum of 24 to 48 hours of drying time. This will ensure that the sealant adheres strongly to the fabric. Allow the second coat to dry another for 24-48 hours before using your tent.

Tent seams are very prone to leaking. This includes the stitching around zippers. It’s important to note that spray sealants do not always provide the best coverage for seams. To rainproof seams, you should use a brush-on gel or wax.

Apply at least two coats (both to the outside and the inside of seams) and allow each coat to cure between applications.

Finally, give your tent a test run before you hit the woods. Pitch it in the backyard and make sure it really does stand up to rain. If you can’t wait for a downpour, give it a good soak with the water hose and see how it performs.

If water is still breaching the fabric, apply another coat of sealant and try again. This will ensure that you stay warm and dry the next time you camp out.

Low-Cost Camping

Camping can be expensive. You can spend several thousand dollars, even tens of thousands of dollars, on an RV, for example. There are literally hundreds of products available to make camping more convenient, as well, from shower tents to binoculars. The fact of the matter is, however, that you don’t need all of those things to camp.

Low Cost camping is often a great alternative to staying at a hotel, as well. In some areas, you can stay at a campground for less than a third of the cost of a hotel, and camping affords you a lot more space than most hotel rooms, to boot.

Camping does have some up-front costs. You need some basic equipment to camp. You need a tent, sleeping bags, flashlights and a cooler. Beyond that, a camp stove and some used pots and pans are extremely helpful, as is an air mattress or sleeping pad. Overall, you should expect to spend at least $600 on these items. These are one-time expenses, however, and can be used over and over again.

As for the actual camping trip, the expenses will be much smaller. Here are the things you can expect to have to pay for on a camping trip, at a minimum:

A Campsite

If you stay at a public campground, such as can be found in a state park, you can expect to spend less than $30 per night for your campsite. On the other hand, there are expensive private campgrounds that may cost more than $100 per night. Sticking to public campgrounds should help keep the costs of your camping trip down.

Gasoline

Depending on how far away you want to camp, you might have to invest quite a bit in gas to get there. Don’t forget to factor that in when you’re choosing a campground. Choose a nearby campground to save on travel costs.

Disposable items

There are some things you’ll need when camping that you use up when you use them. This includes things like food and drink, batteries, sunscreen, and bug spray.

How a Shower Tent Expanded Our Camping Options

Our family likes to camp in a rustic setting. We don’t need electricity when we camp, and getting water from a pump is just fine. However, one of the things that we can’t live without is a shower.

Unfortunately, that limited us to camping in places where shower facilities were available. We couldn’t camp in State or National Forest campgrounds, because they don’t have any facilities for showers.

That was, until we found our shower tent. What is a shower tent? Most simply, a shower tent is a tent in which you shower. Shower tents typically are as tall as 8’ at the center, and have a base as large as 5’ x 5’. Shower tents usually have mesh windows that can be zipped shut, and may have mesh sky panels that you can cover with the help of a closure.

How does it work? Shower tents use a bag of water attached to a hose. The hose has a spray valve on the end of it that you use to get wet. Some camping shower tents have a remote-controlled light that can be attached easily for giving you excellent nighttime security and visibility.

There are several things to look for in a shower tent. When choosing a shower tent, makes sure that it is roomy and there is enough space in one section to allow for a drying-off area. The best shower tent is one that is perfect for a large person as well so that he doesn’t feel awkward in the tent. It should have a place for all your things, including a towel bar. It should be sturdy enough so that it easily stays up during strong winds.

Here are some things you can do when considering a particular shower tent:

• Before buying, make sure that the tent does not have any defects.
• Check to see if it has accessories such as shelves, towel bar, and gear loft.
• Analyze whether or not the carrying bag is well built.
• Always opt for a tent whose door zipper does not get jammed after a few uses.

Last, but not least, make sure that the tent has thick metal stakes. The cheap plastic ones break very easily after just two or three uses.

Tips For First-Time Campers

When you’re camping for the first time, there are many ways things can go wrong. Following these easy tips will help insure that your camping experience is a fun and worry-free one.

• Get the right gear. Get a tent that’s big enough for your family’s needs. Get sleeping bags that are rated for weather appropriate to the season. Beyond picking the right gear, you also need to know how to operate it. When you arrive at the campsite, it’s not time to figure out how to set up your tent. You need to set the tent up for the first time at home to avoid time and frustration while you’re camping.
• Bring all of your gear. Make an extensive list that tells you everything you need to bring with you on your camping trip, right down to the extra pairs of socks. By using a checklist, you’re more likely to keep from forgetting something.
• Plan your food ahead of time. The fact of the matter is that you’re going to get sick of sandwiches and hot dogs. There are plenty of foods that you can cook when camping. Planning a full menu helps you to know what there is to eat. In addition, you can plan quick meals for those days where you’ve got lots of activities planned.
• Along these same lines, make sure you think about how your first day at camp will go. You want to be able to arrive and set up during a time when you don’t also need to worry about cooking. Stop for lunch just before you arrive at the campground, or pack a sack lunch for that first day.
• Know and follow campsite rules. Many campgrounds have rules about quiet hours and other issues. Familiarize yourself with these rules ahead of time.
• Camp nearby. The first time that you go camping, if it is at all possible, you’ll want to camp somewhere near home. This allows you to return home in an emergency for items you may have forgotten, which means you don’t have to purchase extra equipment you may have sitting at home.

Dome Tent Camping Basics

When it’s just you or just you and a friend or spouse, you don’t need to have a huge cabin-style tent with all of the bells and whistles. Generally speaking, a small dome tent will do just fine for one or two people. Depending on the size of those people, a dome tent may be able to accommodate up to three.

In addition, you can use a dome tent as an extra room when you’re camping. You can use it for storage, for example. When children in our family bring a friend camping with them, the child and their friend usually want to sleep in their own dome tent, where they can giggle the night away.

Here are some of the basic things you need to know about dome tents:

• Dome tents are simple to use, and come in a variety of designs and sizes.
• Dome tents are lightweight. You don’t have to break your back carrying a dome tent to your campsite.
• They can come in either single or double skin. These dome tents have a mesh ceiling, and a rain fly is positioned over the top of the tent. This helps keep the inner tent dry during wet or humid conditions.
• They have a rectangular floor and two poles. There are special fittings at each corner of the dome tent that go into the sockets of the poles.
• The pole tension of dome tents keeps everything in shape. Unlike other tents, dome tents do not require guy ropes and pegs to give it a structural format.
• Some dome tents allow the addition of a third pole. This pole is angled away from the tent and is used to create a mini-porch that can be used for extra storage.

There are also larger dome-style cabin tents available that can sleep 8 people or more.
An alternative to the dome tent is the pup tent. Pup tents tend to be more difficult to set up than dome tents, and often have heavier poles than the fiberglass poles used in a dome tent.

7 Habits of Good Campers

There are certain rules, some of which are unwritten or unspoken, that you should follow when you’re camping. Generally speaking, courtesy and common sense will go a long way in knowing what sorts of behaviors are acceptable when camping, and what sorts aren’t acceptable.

Here are seven habits every good camper ought to cultivate:

1. Pick up after yourself. Leave your campsite cleaner than it was when you arrived. Clean your campsite each night so as not to have a huge mess at the end. Clean pots and pans immediately after using them to help prevent critters from wandering into the site.
2. Be quiet during quiet hours. Most campgrounds have quiet hours. Observe them. Turn off your TV or radio, and keep your voice down.
3. Don’t walk through others’ campsites. Even if it means you’ve got to walk way around, don’t walk through other peoples’ campsites. It’s much like walking through your neighbor’s living room to get to the place next door.
4. Drive slowly through the campground. There may be children playing, or even adults walking on the road. Be alert at all times when driving in the campground. Obey the posted speed limits within the campground.
5. Wash your dishes at your campsite, not at the drinking fountain or water pump. The food debris from your dishes can contaminate other people’s water.
6. Watch your children. Make sure they’re being courteous to other campers. If they’re disturbing folks, ask them to stop. The same is true for your pets. Keep them on a lead or a leash at all times, and keep them out of other campsites.
7. Don’t leave food out where it can attract animals. Store your food in locking coolers. If possible, store your food inside your car. Make sure that all of your trash, especially trash that may contain food, is disposed of properly in the campground trash bins every night.

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