Things To Know Before Camping

Maybe you are new to Canada or grew up in a city your entire life. You may have noticed that many Canadians do the camping thing or many of your friends go camping and love it. You may be thinking I would like to try camping out for myself.

What things do you need to know before camping? You need to learn how to eat, sleep, and prepare to live outdoors. Once you learn each of these skills you will be ready to go camping.

What To Eat?

What do you bring food-wise on your camping trip? While the type of camping you are doing will to some extent influence your food choices, there are some similarities between them.

If you are a first-time camper you most likely will be doing some car camping. This means you will be able to park your vehicle close to where your campsite will be. This set up gives you the most flexibility in what food you would like to bring since keeping your gear lightweight does not need to be a top priority.

Most likely you will need to think about what you will eat for:

• breakfast
• lunch
• dinner
• snacks

In order to tackle these meals, you can choose to head in two different directions with regards to food. You can try to prepare simple and quick meals. Or you can focus on more extravagant meals.

Here are the pros for simple meals:

• more time to enjoy other activities
• less time laboring over a hot fire or stove
• less to clean up
• less to pack
• less to carry in
• more experience and skills gained for wilderness camping
• probably less expense
• less overall work

Here are the Cons:

• you may like the cooking experience
• you may not be able to eat your favorite meals
• you may not decide to bring as much junk food
• you may not eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables as you like

We personally prefer to pack easier to prepare meals. One meal we lean towards during camping trips whether car camping or wilderness camping is freeze-dried food. Mountain House is our favorite freeze-dried food brand. Their meals are quite tasty.

Freeze-dried food is not as tasty as a freshly made meal, however, the trade-off is that they are extremely lightweight and easy to prepare. You only need to add boiling water and let stand for under 10 minutes. We usually add side dishes to add to the meal. This can be more instant food such as potatoes or rice.

You can always bring some fresh fruit such as apples or vegetables and make a backpackers treat called bannock to add to the enjoyment of your trip. Your main meal however will be simple and quick to prepare. You will have minimal preparation and cleanup time. If there are a few days that you would like to prepare a more elaborate meal than you can pack for it. If there is a day you don’t feel like cooking a lot you can always have instant food as a backup.

The advantage of learning to camp this way is if you ever want to try interior camping, backpacking, canoe camping, etc. packing simple and lightweight is essential.

During these more remote wilderness locations, you can learn to supplement your simple and easy to prepare meals with fish and game caught and prepared in the field. This method will stretch your packed meals by providing you with the necessary daily caloric intake.

Fire Vs Stove

Next, you will need to decide what will be your heat source to cook your meals. The two choices that you have is to use a fire pit or a camp stove. Making a fire is a necessary skill for camping. At the very least a campfire can be a source of heat, light, and comfort while camping. Out in the bush, a campfire can keep a person alive and is a necessary skill to learn.

What are the pros and cons for using a campfire to cook your meals?

Here are the Pros:

• Food tastes the best
• with a grill, you can cook a lot of food at once
• its fun to cook over the fire
• you can stay warm while cooking
• only need to bring a lighter or other means of ignition
• in the backwoods wood, fuel is generally free and unlimited

Here are the Cons:

• you need dry wood
• not fun to cook in the rain (see our how to set up a tarp over a fire article)
• must make the fire properly
• need a grill or other means of cooking the food (unless boiling water only)
• kettle, pots will get charred unless coals just right
• need to wait until the fire is ready for cooking
• dealing with smoke in the face and eyes
• gathering and chopping wood is a lot of work

Here are the pros for cooking over a stove:

• Quick and easy to cook food
• easier to control the temperature
• can cook out of the rain
• equipment doesn’t char

Here are the Cons:

• food generally doesn’t taste as good as fire
• need to bring fuel
• fuel supply limited
• fuel and stove cost
• limited to one or more burners

In most cases, it is good to have at least a small burner as a backup when you go camping even if you choose to use the fire. This is just in case dry wood is not available or you have other challenges in getting your fire right for cooking. You can very easily use a stove to quickly boil water for most of your meals and use the campfire for cooking other food you like.

How Do I Sleep Outdoors?

In an emergency situation you can learn to build a survival shelter. Some people prefer to pack extremely light and just sleep under a tarp. The tent however is the preferred choice for sleeping outdoors.

A tent is a shelter from the rain and wind. It is a place one can tuck away and rest. There are various shapes and sizes of tents. What are some factors to consider when purchasing a tent?

• how often will you be using it?
• what sort of camping are you doing?
• how many people will be sleeping in it?
• how much comfort are you looking for?
• where will you be camping?
• what time of year will you be tenting?

If you are doing car camping for the first time than really an entry-level tent would probably work fine. A tent that is larger and that you can stand up in does increase the comfort level. However, these tents will be too large to bring on any backcountry trips.

You can easily get away with a smaller tent if the cost is a factor. Most campers only use a tent for sleeping, unless there is a lot of rain. It is good to also purchase a ground sheet to place under the tent. Make sure the ground sheet is not sticking out from under the tent. Rain or morning dew will run down the tent and get caught up underneath the tent. A ground sheet will protect the base of the tent from wear or damage and will act as a barrier against moisture and to an extent the cold ground.

Since you will be sleeping on the ground purchasing an air mattress is essential for a good night’s sleep. The air mattress is an important investment and it is the one item that some money should be spent on. There are camping mattresses that combine air and foam or other technology that provide a barrier against the cold ground and at the same time provide great comfort.

While you could get by with a very cheap closed foam mattress. Most likely you will not be happy. A simple foam mattress just compresses flat through the night and you will certainly wake up feeling like you definitely slept on the ground.

The other large purchase you will need to make in addition to the tent and air mattress is a sleeping bag. You will need to consider these factors when purchasing a sleeping bag:

• the temperature of the nights
• what sort of camping you will be doing
• how much you money your willing to spend

If you are only camping in summer and the nights will be warmer then you can purchase a summer sleeping bag. These can be purchased relatively inexpensively and are good for temperatures from 5c and up.

If you are going camping in temperatures colder than 5c you may want to consider purchasing a down-filled sleeping bag. These sleeping bags are the warmest, lightest, and coziest for sleeping in colder weather. Look for bags with the that has at least 550 fill power of duck down. A down bag if well cared for will last for many years.

Prepare To Live Outdoors

Living outside is a skill that takes time to develop. When the weather is nice and you are close to your car outdoor living is quite easy and enjoyable. There are some roadblocks to getting the most out of your adventure, these are:

• biting insects
• ticks
• heatstroke
• dehydration
• hypothermia
• rain
• wind
• lightning
• tree fall
• wild animals
• pests
• lack of home comforts
• tides

This is by no means an exhaustive list. However, these are common challenges that you may face during your camping trip. The chances of these things happening can range from certain (biting insects) to unlikely (struck by lightning). However, the key to succeeding and having an enjoyable camping trip depends upon being prepared for these outdoor challenges.

Biting Insects

Mosquitoes, blackflies, horseflies, deer flies, noseeums, and the many other types of biting insects is the scorn of most warm weather campers. Many of these insects become active once the temperature begins to climb above 10c or 50f. If you can go camping in late fall or early spring (if you live in the northern hemisphere) you can avoid these insects all together.

Some of the ways to help protect against biting flies is as follows:

• wear insect repellant (ex. repellents that contain DEET)
• wear long-sleeve shirts and pants
• tuck pant legs into your socks
• wear a bug jacket (mesh protective clothing)
• wear a thick base layer (example nylon or a brand such as Rhino Skin)
• wake up before some insects become active
• go to bed after some of these insects have become inactive
• light a fire (fire smoke tends to repel insects)
• learn to accept them as a part of the outdoor experience

Ticks

While not all ticks carry Lyme disease. Some species do. Learn what species in your area carry it. Of the species that are carriers, only a percentage carry Lyme disease. This percentage depends on the area that you live in.

In many areas ticks pick up the disease from songbirds or other animals. It takes 24 hours for a tick to potentially pass the disease on to you. If you are camping in an area known to have ticks, it is important to check and see if any are on you.

Ticks head for warm and humid areas of your body such as the armpits, behind the knees and elbows, hairlines, waistline, and between the legs. If you find that a tick has attached it is important not to squeeze its body. Here is a quote from www.cdc.gov “Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers.”

If you are diagnosed with Lyme disease the general method for treatment is with antibiotics. Following the doctor’s diagnosis usually leads to a cure, although there can be damage done depending on when the disease is caught and treated.

Dehydration

It is important when active out of doors to drink a lot of liquids. Many campgrounds have potable water. If you are unsure of how safe the water is to drink there are several ways to purify the water. One way is to boil the water. Boiling water for a period of time will kill any harmful bacteria. This is fine for drinking tea, or coffee but drinking the water only after boiling tastes flat.

There are various water filters on the market that can be used to purify the water straight from the source. Most filters remove harmful bacteria and some also remove viruses. Filters are great to have since they don’t change the taste of the water and are faster and more convenient than boiling your water.

There are tablets that you drop into the water that kill micro-organisms in water to prevent diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and other diseases. Many of these tablets are chlorine-based and can leave a taste in the water.

Heatstroke

Heatstroke can be more deadly than hypothermia. If you are in constant excessive heat for long periods of time your body can become overwhelmed not being able to cool itself down. Lack of drinking water can also contribute to heatstroke. It is important to find shady areas and get proper rest. Cooling off by getting into the water can be a great way to fight heat stroke.

Rain

Before you even decide to go camping its important to check the weather forecast. Rain can turn an otherwise great trip into a miserable one depending on how prepared you are. In some cases, if the weather forecast is gloomy you may consider rescheduling your camping trip.

During your drip, you may need to deal with a few rainy days. It’s important to pack proper rain gear. At the very least a rain jacket and rain pants would be good. Rain pants are particularly important if you will be sitting in a canoe, open kayak, and around the camp.

Bringing a tarp that you can store some of your gear under and also sit under during the day can be helpful. With the tarp positioned correctly you can usually have a fire in the open and sit under the tarp close by and stay dry. By making a tarp high enough and the fire small enough you can even place the edge of the tarp above the fire (in rainy conditions) and in most cases don’t need to worry about any burn holes from sparks in your tarp (although there are no guarantees that you won’t get a few). If you are doing this its important to never leave a fire unattended.

Making sure your tent is watertight is important. Make sure your tent has been properly taped or sealed along the seams. You can purchase various sprays, and tent sealants in order to ensure your tent is ready. You can also set up a tarp over your tent to catch and drain most of the water. Make sure your groundsheet is not protruding from under your tent.

Wind

While camping out in the open on a beach or field can be great in calm weather, when there are strong windy conditions it can make things a challenge. This is particularly the case if it is also cold, damp, or rainy. In these cases, it is better to set up your camp in a more sheltered area, such as further away from the shoreline back in the forest or using other land features as a buffer against the wind.

Keep in mind when choosing a site that conditions can change quickly. This is particularly the case if you are by the ocean or large body of water. It is better to camp back away from the shore and bring what you need on the beach or shoreline rather than having to move your entire camp during blustery conditions.

Lightning

Lightning can be very dangerous depending on where you are while it’s happening. It is unwise to be out in a lake or body of water during a lightning storm. Really it’s dangerous to be anywhere where you happen to be the shortest route for the lightening to take to the ground. Pitching a tent by a lone tree or other similar situation can as well be risky. Using common sense in this area to protect oneself against lightening is a good idea.

Tree Fall

Before setting up camp it is a good idea to have a look around your camp at any potential hazards. If a tree looks as though it could fall at any point in windy conditions or otherwise, it would be wise to either remove the threat or move your camp away.

When you are taking any dead wood it is important to be mindful of where the tree will fall as well as any kickback. In most cases, it’s a better idea to cut smaller diameter trees that are dead rather than large ones. These tend to be dryer and burn more efficiently.

Wild Animals

When it comes to camping in Canada and the U.S.A. you will need to deal with certain animals that are common. If a campground is in an area known for smaller animals such as chipmunks, squirrels, birds, etc. than keeping your food in a cooler would be fine. Though raccoons have been known to open coolers in most cases they will be fine unless the campground has a known problem with them.

In areas with larger animals such as bears, it is always a good idea to hang your food from a tree high from the ground. There are “bear-proof” containers (your vehicle not being one of them), however they are not always 100% effective at stopping bears.

Under no circumstances should food or perfumed products be brought inside your tent. Animals can easily chew through the tent and enter. The larger predators will view you as an obstacle to the food.

In no cases should anyone feed wild animals. They will habituate to humans and these situations always end badly for the animals.

Tides

It is important when you pitch your tent to know where the water level may climb to. This is particularly important when camping on a riverbank. Water levels along a river can be unpredictable with fluctuations of rainfall, and ice melt. These events can happen far upstream and you will suddenly wake up in the middle of the night in water or worse washed downstream with all your gear.

Lack Of Home Comforts

Going camping for the first time may take some getting used to. You may miss the comfort of being at home. Camping is about getting away from your usual routine, which includes all of these comforts. While these comforts such as T.V., wifi, oven, microwave, etc. are great to have, some of these things can also occupy a lot of our lives.

Camping helps us to take a break. Clear our heads and get closer to the simple things of life such as relationships and nature. It may require more simple living, however, this way of life can help you truly recharge your batteries, relax and feel refreshed.