Camping Accessories
Camping Accessory Information
Archive for May, 2009
Now you have a camping tent and sleeping bag. What other camping gear do you need? When I first started camping that was about it. We cooked over an open fire and put the sleeping bag right on the tent floor. As I got older I found that a quality air mattress was worth the investment. Recently I purchased the Supreme Air-Flow Raised Queen to rest my senior citizen body at night.
The Supreme Air-Flow Raised Queen120 volt keeps you 20 inches above the ground. It has a built in electric pump for easy inflating and deflating. You do have the option to use your own pump if desired. The only problem is you might not want to go home.
The Supreme Air-Flow Raised Queen is constructed to have smooth air flow reducing the rocking effect you can have with other air mattresses. It is constructed to hold over 600# so put off your diet until after camping season is over.
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Busy campers seldom get everything done during daylight hours. Propane camping lanterns provide a lot of help but do have a drawback of being relatively heavy and requiring the camper to carry fuel. Not a big deal if you drive your car to the campsite, but it is a bigger problem when you hike to a campsite. The ClipMate by Streamlight is one solution to this problem.
The ClipMate has three 100,000 hour bulbs that are visible for almost a mile and will go 40 hours on a battery. The ClipMate attaches easily to almost anything, yet is small enough to be easy to carry. The Clipmate is a must for many camping needs.
Camping on a budget can be challenging especially if you are only going to camp once or twice a year and you have small children. In addition if this is your first try at camping you might be reluctant to spend a lot of money on a camping tent just in case camping isn’t for you. The Chinook longstar tent makes a great entry level tent designed with your budget in mind.
The Chinook tent sleeps 6 and has over 95 sq feet of floor space. This means that you have room for your stuff while leaving plenty of room for the requirements of younger campers. It is light enough both for carrying to the place you want to pitch the tent and also packing in the car. If properly taken care of the Chinook tent will give years of use. I would suggest having a pad under the floor to protect against tears and general wear.
Camping under the stars in cold weather can be a true delight. However, cold weather camping present different challenges that have to be considered if you will enjoy the experience. Your choice of sleeping gear will determine how well you sleep, which helps determine if you have the energy to enjoy experience the next day.
One of the most critical is the choice of sleeping bags that need to be able to keep you warm at night. The Casper sleeping bag by Eureka fills that bill. The Eureka Casper sleeping bag is rated to +15 degrees yet at only three pounds it is light enough to carry on hikes or in a canoe. A good mattress pad also helps not only to be comfortable but to retain body from going into the ground.
Grand Trunk (formally The Travel Hammock) was started by two experienced hikers who met traveling in Thailand. Hammocks traditionally have been used as a way to relax both at home and while camping or just spending time near a beach. However, new hammocks are light enough in weight to make it reasonable to take on a long hike and use instead of a tent.
Let your imagination run wild. Go on a hike to a remote site and tie your hammock to two trees close to a remote beach. The peaceful setting will drain your stress away and might make you not want to come back. The double hammock not only makes for a cozy afternoon, but is light enough to permit you to carry other necessary items.
Select your hammock based on your weight and intended use.
A well built camping tent is designed to be used right away without having to water proof the seams. If after a few years of hard use you notice water coming through a seam, I suggest spot sealing with Seam grip by McNett. Upon rare occasions it might be necessary to reseal all seams in a tent.
You should always store your tent in a dry temperature controlled area. Don’t store your tent in the garage or attic as they have a wide range in temperatures and humidity. It is also a good idea to roll your tent out every few months to prevent mold. There isn’t any need to pitch the tent.
There’s nothing better than a hot meal after a long day of hiking. Even if the meal is a dehydrated dinner, this can taste like five-star cuisine after many miles of hard trekking. But in order to enjoy this kind of meal, you’re going to need a way to boil water, and for that, you’ll need a camping stove. These portable camping stoves can make all the difference between an enjoyable hike and a miserable trip. After all, you’ll be burning a lot of calories on these hikes, and food will be the thing that keeps you going.
If you’re without a stove, though, you’ll have to subsist on items like granola bars and sandwiches. Even after one meal, that can seem a little lackluster. Hearty and filling meals are almost always going to require the aid of a small butane stove. Just make sure the stove is as lightweight and compact as possible. Some options are even collapsible, which is the most convenient option around. Without a way to enjoy these hot meals, you might find yourself short on energy when it comes to your next day of camping.
Have you ever wondered if the drinking water at your camp site or cabin as actually safe to drink? Although most water sources in public camp grounds are safe if you enjoy camping or have a cabin the possibilities exist that the water isn’t as pure as assumed. The Katadyn TRK Ceradyn water filter solves that problem.
The Katadyn water filter is used by the U.S. Armed Forces (Navy SEALS, Army Operations’ Force, Marine Corps, etc.), the U.S. National Parks, Forest Service, International Red Cross, along with many other relief and government agencies worldwide. Microporous, silver incorporated CERAMIC with pore size of 0.2 micron, retains suspended matter, all harmful bacteria and parasites such as cryptosproidium and giardia. Essential minerals remain in the water
Choosing the right sleeping bag is always a challenge. How it will be used should determine what type to buy. Consider also what the possibility that it will be used for things besides official camping trips. Things like having all your friends over and sleeping in the porch. Sometimes it pays to own more than one sleeping bag.
In Minnesota we often camp in cool weather. The Cooper River Long is rated at 30 degrees and its mummy design keeps the head warm as well. This sleeping bag doubles as winter survival gear for traveling across country moderately cold weather. The sleeping bag is big enough to work for most people.
The Stansport tents were created to enhance the camping experience of all campers. These tents were created by people who took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and the challenge to create products that would live up to the rigors of the outdoors. One of the challenges is creating camping tents light enough in weight so carrying them a reasonable distance to the camp site is not difficult.
The Stansport Olympus Backpack Tent does just that. With a trail weight of under 5 # for the 4 person camping tent it can be easily carried to the next camp site. In addition the tent is rugged enough to stand up to the rigors of being moved from one site to another and having children playing in and around the tent.