Camping Accessories
Archive for August, 2009
At one time or another, we’ve all wondered how we would survive if left alone out in the wild. Would our atavistic impulses take over, making us completely self-reliant? Have modern conveniences made us lazy and soft? Orienteering is a sport that takes these hypothetical questions very seriously indeed. In its most extreme incarnations, orienteering pits man against nature. Participants are armed with little more than a digital compass, a map, some water and their own wits.
Orienteering helps people to develop highly specialized survival skills, which come in handy when routine camping trips go awry. Once you possess the confidence and techniques to flourish in the great outdoors, you’ll be able to remain rational and calm in case of any emergency. Whether it takes place on a remote island or in the middle of a dense forest, orienteering is a skill that never loses applicability.
Some campers put away their gear and start thinking about their warm weather vacations this time of the year. Hardy campers start thinking about taking a winter camping trip. One thing that is a requirement if you plan on sleeping outdoors in the winter time is a warm sleeping bag. An Eureka sleeping bag rated down to 0 degrees works well for this.
Staying dry and out of the wind are important while planning an outdoor camping trip in the winter. Keep in mind that body heat can easily melt some snow and then cause you to lose additional body heat as it dries. As your body temperature drops your brain can do funny things to you that could be dangerous. For that reason alone always winter camp with reliable buddies.
For over 100 years Eureka tent has been making tents. I don’t know about you but that is long enough for me to know that they know something about tents and what campers need to have. The Cooper Canyon 10 is a good example. It has 100 square feet and the cabin style allows camp cots to be used. Having a camp cot makes fall camping a lot easier.
The Cooper Canyon 10 is easy to set up and sleeps 5 or 6 people. Keep in mind that as a general room you should subtract 1 from what the manufacture states. How much gear you have also affects the amount the tent will sleep.
Camping in remote areas, long hiking trips or time spent at grandpa’s cabin all have one thing in common. Most people either haul water or trust that the water source is safe. Rivers used to be a safe water supply and many times still are but a person needs to know for sure. Bottle water is expensive and the bottles wind up in the landfill forever.
A better safe solution is a Katadyn water filter. Katadyn water filters are used by the U.S. military to provide safe water. It is a lot easier to carry a water filter and drink water from a stream than to carry enough water for a long hike.
Last summer I watched the wind blow a camper’s tent around creating extra work for the camper to reset up their tent. The ground was dry so the campers didn’t pound stakes into the ground hoping they wouldn’t need them. Plastic tent stakes break when pounding into the ground and are harder to remove.
Steel tent stakes have eliminated that problem. They go into the ground easily and pull out without out too much work. They are longer so you have sufficient holding strength even on soft ground. Tent stakes sure have changed from the wooden ones I had as a child.
An inflatable boat or kayak can multi task better than its rigid cousins because the flexible sides makes it more versatile for many fun things. Not only can it go across the lake or down a river but it makes an excellent diving platform. There are a couple of things to do to make the boat into a diving platform.
Attach an anchor to the boat to prevent it from floating away. The anchor will also turn the boat into a fishing boat if you want to go fishing. In addition attach a rope ladder to the boat to make it easier to get in. The nice part of having an inflatable boat as a diving platform is you won’t have to worry about banging your head on the boat. Be sure you avoid the anchor when you dive and don’t dive into too shallow water.
As summer winds down we have some of the last real nice days to sit on the deck or around a camp fire in warm weather clothes. In Minnesota the late summer and early fall days are also know as sweatshirt season. Although to me and many others, this might be the best time of the year, bigger flying insects are also busy. There quantity of big insects is less than smaller insects so a bug zapper works great on them.
Eureka makes a 12 volt bug zapper that runs for 8 hours with the power pack. Put the bug zapper on your deck, on the picnic table or around your camp fire an hour or so before you are ready and let it get rid of those annoying pests. The nice part is there aren’t any fumes that you for you to smell.
Teenagers love to have sleepovers and they many times want to sleep in places that weren’t designed for sleeping. Places like the back porch or deck along with the family room are frequent destinations. However, taking care of a sleeping bag isn’t necessarily on the top of their list of fun things to do. Providing a Stansport sleeping bag like Scout Rectangular makes a lot of sense.
The Stansport Scout Rectangular is rated down to 35 degrees and with cotton lining and nylon shell will hold up well to the abuse teenagers will give it. The cost is reasonable enough so the sleeping bag can be tossed out when it no longer can be cleaned. Actually this sleeping bag will work well for the younger generation on most camping trips as well.
An Eagle Nest Hammock is a great item for fall hiking. Start out in the morning and hike to a great view along a lake or on the side of a mountain. Eat your lunch, read a book or take a nap while lying in the hammock. One of the beauties of living in the northern areas is the change of seasons. Spend the afternoon watching the leaves fall while you rest your legs.
The size and weight of an Eagle Nest Hammock permits it to be taken a long distance. I suggest having a double even if you plan to be alone. The additional material will give you options that could be fun. When hiking in the fall start back in plenty of time. The temperature near and after sun down drops rapidly and if you have hiked a long way you won’t want to be looking for a way out in the dark.
The Eureka Sunrise is always a great camping tent for the budget minded camper. The Eureka Sunrise is a 4- 6 person tent that has enough head room to have a camp cot in the tent. This is one big requirement for cold weather camping. The camp cot permits sufficient amount of air under you do provide some insulation from the cold ground.
A Eureka tent can also be a great tent for the kids to use in the back yard or at grandpa’s cabin. There is sufficient floor space to sleep several kids right next to the lake. Just be sure to dry it out before storing the tent