Things You Need to Know Before Your Next Camping Trip
Have you ever been on a camp trip, and everything went on smoothly? I bet this is something you wish to experience all the time. Camp trips can be fascinating and memorable when everything goes as planned. Unfortunately, there are occasions when camps don’t go as expected.
You can avoid bad memories on a camp trip by preparing well. Besides preparing, you also need to have some facts at your fingertips. I was recently on a camping trip that taught me many new things, and that is what I want to share with you in this article.
Right from preparation, I realized it was broader than I expected. Typically, we focus on what to carry and forget what not to carry. Camp trips, unlike most trips, are meant to help you relax and unwind. The main idea is to change the environment and have some quality time away from your usual environment.
Adequate preparations for camping will help you enjoy every bit of your trip. Here are a few tips that you should be aware of as you prepare for your next camping trip;
Never Pitch a Tent Under a Tree
Pitching tents under trees is common because of how interesting it is to see the sun penetrate between leaves. It also more private than erecting it in an open space. These factors seduced me to pitch my tent under a tree.
The following morning packing was a problem because the tent was coated with sap from the tree. It was so sticky to handle and fold, not to talk of unfolding it later. I also realized there was a possibility of big branches falling from the tree. Cleaning the fly sheets was hell with the sap permanently stuck.
Don’t Carry Electronics
As aforementioned, when preparing for any trip, we majorly focus on what to carry but ignore what we should not take. Because of this, we end up going with things that are not necessary and should remain at home instead.
During the trip, I also realized that the biggest mistake we make is carrying electronics. This includes phones, one of the most addictive gadgets of the decade, laptops, and iPad. If you have to take them, which I am sure you can’t afford to miss, turn them off or in flight mode to allow you have full concentration on the trip.
I had my laptop with me, and the trip looked boring because of divided attention. The only option left was to put it away and concentrate on the natural phenomena. Carrying speakers can also be wrong if you are visiting a place with birds. How would you enjoy listening to birds and frogs with speakers on? I also did not realize the impact they had until I was there.
Never Carry Ceramic or Glass Items
Ceramic or glass are usually heavy to carry around. When packing, you may not realize this but wait until you move around for some minutes. When beginning your journey, they are relatively easy to carry but suddenly become heavier as you go on.
Once you get to the actual camping site, you will also realize what you have caused yourself by carrying either or both. Since this was my first time, I did not discover anything until it was difficult and stressful handling the items. They were heavy and required special attention, or I lost them.
Carry Trash Bags
Carrying foodstuffs is relatively easy to remember but forget to bring trash bags. You may leave the bags intentionally in some cases, thinking that you will get others at the camping site and this is what I did.
Not all camping sites have trash bags, and I had difficult moments dealing with trash from foodstuffs and other packages. Improvising one was also not accessible due to the different types of things to dispose of.
Bottom Line
The experience was generally incredible, with a lot of lessons learned. The main lesson learned was always to understand where you are going and get everything ready and in time. Last minute preparation are likely to put you in trouble.
Erecting a tent is equally not simple if you do not have any background information. You can go through tutorials on how to pitch a tent before embarking on the trip to avoid embarrassments. It is something simple and takes less than 20 minutes if only you know how to do it.
