Swank Camping Advice

[Not Afraid]

I offered services in return for use of your Kindle!?!?!? Did I perform said service?

[Alex]

Yes, you prevented me from procrastinating on the reading I needed to actually do. Though if you'd been two essays farther along you could have just read out loud for my benefit as well.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Alex

And I was forced into mooching a "gourmet" marshmallow.

I totally think Plush Puffs should be a requirement for Camp Swank.

[Snowflake]

Okay, I'm overwhelmed already!

But, how much mooching leeway will I have if I bring not only lots of bacon, and local gourmet marshmallows (chocolate or vanilla or mint flavored) and treats for Thurston?

[Not Afraid]

For camping with a group, your most important gear will be the personal stuff: tent, sleeping bag, ground cover, pad or mattress and light source. It also helps to have your own mess kit. Beyond that, it just depends on who you are camping with and what they already have. I ended up having Chris take my stove home with him because we didn't need it at our campsite.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Then, of course, there was Gemini Cricket's ordinary Eveready flashlight ... which could project a spot on the Moon.


He used it to do live planetarium shows on the real starry sky.

And I didn't even break out the bigger flashlight. Imagine what that one could have done...

[Stan4dSteph]

There are also LED flashlights that you can power by turning a crank for a little bit of time. No batteries or fuel required.

[Morrigoon]

I had been meaning to post a list of lessons learned at some point, so I guess here's as good a place as any:

1. My camp chairs were totally inadequate. They were inadequate last year, and I thought I could pull off another year with them, but broke down and bought a new chair at Wal-Mart while travelling between camping trips. (This was going to be a note to myself about getting a new chair, but then I got one). The inadequate chairs were one that was too small and had no armrests, so is not comfortable for any significant length of time (but makes a great inside-the-tent chair for removing shoes), and one that was bigger and has armrests but also has a leg rest so you're in a permanently reclined state and it's a PITA to get out of, not to mention the whole feet thing prevents you from getting close enough to the campfire to be warmed by it or roast marshmallows. The chair I finally picked up was big enough to be comfortable in, had a reasonably high back (I would like higher so I can rest my head, but it's a low priority), and had armrests with a drink holder. Drink holders are essential.

2. The $5 folding table (also from W) was one of my best investments this year. Makes eating SO much easier, not to mention any other occasion where you might wish to set something down that you're using while in your camp chair.

3. That reminds me, this was a major lesson learned this year: MORE TABLES! I think next year I may get myself one of those folding picnic tables. Yes campsites have picnic tables, but between cooking and dining, you can always use more table surfaces.

4. Bring a pillow. Remembering that air mattresses puff up at the head and feet I thought I could get by w/out one this year. I ended up stuffing two seat cushions into a pillowcase because I found I did need at least some pillow (but you can get by with bringing a flatter pillow, if you're like me and you keep pillows of varying heights). One major reason is, you can pull corners of your pillow up over your shoulders and prevent cold air from entering your sleeping bag.

5. As much as I love my Disneyland hoodie, it has one major flaw: the pockets are on the side seams. This does not work well when your hands get cold sitting around the campfire, and it also does not work well when you sleep in your sweatshirt in cold weather, again, because you cannot reach way back to the side seams with any degree of comfort. Next year I'll bring my USC hoodies, which have the traditional front (along the center zipper) pockets. Seems a small thing, but actually, the decision to bring the wrong hoodie impacted me quite a bit.

6. Bring a ski cap/beanie/tuque to sleep in. Keeping your head warm makes a HUGE difference!

7. Laying a tarp down on the ground and setting your tent up on top of it is very helpful in keeping your tent warm and clean. Originally, I was folding up the corners to clear the spots where I had to stake my tent, but then as my brother pointed out, "it's just a tarp", so I stopped wasting my energy and just hammered the tent stakes right through it. Right way to go. BTW: Big Lots has cheap tarps. 8x10 or smaller are super cheap, but under your tent, I've learned you really want to just get the size you need to cover under the whole thing. Since the small ones are cheap, get an extra and place it on the ground in front of your tent door. That helps keep dirt out of your tent as well, since you'll walk across the tarp first, removing some dirt from your shoes.

8. Listen to earlier comments about lamps. You want a lamp, not just a flashlight.

9. Don't bring too much food. You will anyway. The only thing you want spare of is canned drinks, and they don't necessarily have to be in your cooler.

10. Extra batteries

11. Sandwiches are not only "good enough" for lunch, but probably desirable. They travel well when you go hiking. Also the pieces of them don't take up much space in the cooler.

12. Freeze food (you don't need the first day) ahead of time. It'll thaw slowly over time, staying colder longer, in addition to helping keep your overall cooler colder by acting as additional ice.

13. Neosporin. I had to mooch some after I couldn't leave my mosquito bites alone and things got infected. And Benadryl. Especially if you're allergic to mosquito bites. I had to mooch that too. Wish I'd brought my own because I'd have used both more often.

[Morrigoon]

These are great. I'm currently coveting the full-size, and now that my old one is broken (I used it as a guest bed for a while, so it was seeing some use), I have a good excuse to get one next year.

[Morrigoon]

These are great. Not totally essential, but definitely holding a place on my "future equipment" list