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    PostHeaderIcon RV Camping Checklist

    Comparable to every other outdoor venture, when you decide to go RV camping, the simplest way to avoid finding that you have ignored to take crucial things along is to create an RV camping checklist beforehand. This is in particular important for RV camping seeing that folks often depend on the inherent safety of the RV plus the idea that many vehicles are available already furnished with quite a few valuable things and equipment.

    On your checklist, you ought to first put down your camping checklist essentials, that are handy on any holiday, irrespective of the style of traveling: sheltering and basic safety items, common camping items, clothing, personal hygiene and health related items, food storage and food preparation items, eating and cooking area items, and the like. A vey important change is that it is possible to have along a greater assortment of useful items than with backpacking or car camping, and that you do not need to bring around tents or camping stoves, in the event that your RV is in addition furnished with a small kitchen area. The morning just before leaving, it is suggested that you give your itinerary to your family and friends plus that you check the weather reports regarding your vacation spot. Taking a cellular phone together with additional battery or charger is as well very valuable, in addition to a weather radio, roadmaps and dependable GPS.

    Various other useful things are binoculars, backpacks, folding knife, products for killing bugs around RV and campsite, electric fan, electric extension cord, firewood sawing tools, groceries, beverages and storage units, dishes and utensils, grill, fuel and charcoal, water-resistant matches, dishwashing items, garbage bags and so on.

    Whenever you are organizing an RV camping checklist, you might also want to think about going fishing, participating in water activities or bringing your pets along. That suggests that the camping checklist ought to additionally incorporate watercraft, sunscreen, life jackets, swimming attire, air pump for inflating water toys or rafts and snorkel gear. Regarding fishing, make sure you write down fishing gear and license, fish bucket, fish cleaning and preparing instruments, while for pets, you must not ignore to provide food, water and bowls, treats and toys, leash and harness, plastic bags intended for cleaning up after them and blankets or clothes for wintry weather.

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    PostHeaderIcon The Best Way to Pack a Backpack for Camping or Hiking

    Personally, I hate camping.  Every time my brothers take me camping I see a snake and I am hysterically terrified of snakes.  However, my brothers love to go hiking, backpacking, and camping and usually drag me along.  Despite myself, I have learned quite a bit about camping; how to pack the right way and the wrong way.  Here are my top tips for packing a backpack to carry when camping or hiking.  Number one tip is, of course, watch out for snakes!

    No matter what kind of sleeping bag you carry, make sure it is stuffed into either a waterproof stuff sack or a garbage bag and then a stuff sack.  You definitely don’t want to sleep in a wet sleeping bag!  Since you won’t need your sleeping bag until the evening, it should go in the bottom of your bag.

    Heavy and dense items, such as food, should be kept in the middle of the pack and as close to your back as possible. This helps maintain good balance.  The best way to pack is to fill up any “dead space”.  For example, cooking pots can be filled with food.  If you are carrying any fuel for cooking stoves or whatever it should be BENEATH your food.  If it leaks, you don’t want it to leak on your food.  For internal packs, try to keep everything inside the pack. You will have a more balanced pack. Things are less likely to come up missing, and it just looks better.

    On top of your food should go items that you might need quickly accessible like a first aid kit.  Trust me, if you ever went hiking with someone like me you want that first aid kit at hand!  If you need it, rain gear is another item to add to this layer.

    The very top of your pack, or the outside pockets depending on your backpack’s design should be frequently used items; sunglasses, sunscreen, compass, map, camera, etc.  Tighten your pack’s compression straps to make the load more balanced and compact.  Now you are ready to hit the trail!

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    PostHeaderIcon Camping Tarps – How to Use Them

    If you’re a person that enjoys camping then you should experiment with using a tarp at your campsite. A tarp can sometimes make the difference between you having a great trip that you’ll remember forever, or a trip that you’ll never forget because you were soaking wet and cold.

    You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that tarps are going to help keep your immediate area dry.  The bigger the better for that matter. I’ve been in campsites with my kids, family campgrounds of course, and seen people that will go out and buy a big blue tarp like the ones you might find at Wal-Mart etc. I immediately thought that this was a great idea because it obviously allows you to sit outside of your tent or trailer whether it’s raining or not.

    The only problem I had at the time with using a tarp that size is that when you try to pack them down so you can transport them to your site, they’re huge. They ever pack down to the size they are when you buy them originally and this makes them increasingly difficult to take with you.

    I suppose they’re not so much of an issue when you’re camping from your car or trailer, but I happen to be one of those backpacking/paddling type campers that likes to pack light. To be more accurate, I like to bring everything I think I’ll need on a backcountry trip, but in such way that my load is as light as possible.

    I’ve opted to use nylon tarps for my trips. I have two of them. They’re both the same size, 9 feet by about 12 feet.  These tarps were a little bit on the pricey side but I’m so glad I spent the money on them. The difference between tarps you buy from an outfitter and tarps you buy from Wal-Mart are that outfitter –bought tarps are built with camping in mind. They’re water-proof and light weight and they pack down to a very small size if you do it properly, making them almost unnoticeable to bring along with you when you camp.  They’re small enough that I always bring two with me. I don’t always use two but it has come in handy to have both.

    I sleep in a North Face Morraine tent which is a three person tent, and therefore doesn’t take up a lot of ground space. I put up one of the tarps above my tent in such a way that the water will run away from the tent if it rains, so I obviously need to be aware of the lay of the land while I’m setting up. I also try to set it up in such a way that I have a bit of extra room at the front entrance of my tent. I do this because it helps to create an area of dry ground should it happen to rain, which ultimately helps to keep the inside of your tent dry.

    The second tarp I use only sometimes, depending on the conditions. Sometimes I set it up as tarp I can cook and eat under, other times I’ll set it up in such a way that it acts as a wall. This is helpful at times when you’re camping on the point of a lake and the wind is keeping you cold and making life difficult.

    A little experimentation on your part will help to identify how they work best for you but the basic lesson here is this: always take two tarps with you, one for your tent and one for whatever else, and always spend your money on the right gear. These Wal-Mart tarps just aren’t that much cheaper and they don’t last nearly as long so in the end you’re saving money by spending a bit more now.