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INDEX
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How To Make Your Campsite A Castle
Part Four: Accommodations
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In Part Three, we looked into some of the things that you would do to select a camp site. Now, let's talk about what you are going to put on your site.
Home, Home On The Range.... Welcome words indeed after a long day of hiking around with rocks in your pack. What kind of home waits for you back at camp? The answer could be almost anything. There are so many types of commercial shelters available
that it boggles the mind to think of them all. You are limited only by the location of your campsite,
your imagination, and your individual finances.
If you are new to the outdoors, then I suggest stepping back from the experience temporarily and doing lots of research on the subject. I started off by renting different types of backpacks, sleeping bags and tents before I ever thought of actually
buying them for myself. If you are an occasional camper, renting is the ticket for you. You can get the use of some extremely good gear for the short run and not have to pay the exorbitant price that some of this stuff costs. When the time came to buy
my gear, I had a good idea of what I wanted.
If you don't have a budget, motor homes/RV's could be your solution for campsite accommodations. You can relax in an air conditioned environment while enjoying the latest movie on the VCR while you look over the days finds. The problem is that these big
guys don't go everywhere. You have to walk farther to get your collecting site if you can even get close to it at all. I don't know if they make a 4 wheel drive version of these things.....
Let's go on to towed campers. You have more options here. You can get a 4 wheel drive truck to pull your camper to lots of places. Some limiting factors here are your ability to get out of problem situations and the length of the truck and camper. In
a tight situation you can't get around sharp corners towing a camper. But, if you can use one, you have a good shelter to stay in while you are out in the wilds. This is also a good way to establish a base camp. You park the camper and go on with the
truck thereby cutting down the distance that you have to walk or carry things.
Now let's get to tents and other things. 'OUTSIDE' AND 'BACKPACKER' magazines both have issues that deal with tents and other gear. Read them, they have lots of good information that you will need to know. Go to the library also. Next, make a
pilgrimage to R.E.I. and check out their camping section. I go into overload every time I visit them, but they are a good place to look at gear. Once again, I am not handing out endorsements.
Tents come in many styles and sizes. One thing that you can count on is that the four man tent really only suites two or three people, size dependent naturally. A two man tent will do for one, etc. Unless you subscribe to the 'sardine can' approach, I
suggest going for a higher body count tent because it's nice to have the room to stretch out in. Can you change your clothes while zipped into your sleeping bag? If you can't, get a bigger tent.
I like the pop-up dome tents personally. I like to be able to get the tent up in just a few minutes and then zip the buggies/crawlies out.
Where you are going and how you are getting there determine the type of tent you need. Weight counts when it's on your back. If backpacking, split the weight up by dividing the tent and poles amongst the trekkers. If you have a base camp you can use a
larger, heavier tent. Or bring more of them to suit your party.
If you are using tents, don't forget the ground cloth. A tarp serves this function very well. Put it out on the ground and then put the tent up over it. Tuck any loose ends up under the tent, otherwise they funnel condensation/rain up under your tent.
BTW, the ground cloth is supposed to prevent condensation from the ground from entering your tent.
NEVER, NEVER, NOT EVER, TAKE FOOD OR FOOD SCENTED ITEMS INTO YOUR TENT! (food, gum, toothpaste, deodorant, perfume, get my drift?) NEVER, NEVER, NOT EVER, COOK IN YOUR TENT. I DON'T CARE IF IT IS RAINING OUTSIDE! This is a recipe for
disaster.
Also, don't expose your tent to high heat sources, like fire. And some aerosol propellants can cause the waterproofing on your tent to degrade, so leave the hair spray at home. Tents are important in the overall scheme of things so treat yours with a
lot of respect.
Two things to always carry with you: One is a space blanket. This can be a blanket, a sarong, a ground cloth, a tent, or any thing else that you make it into. It weighs nothing but can be a real lifesaver. The other thing to carry is a plastic poncho.
Again, this weighs almost nothing. You can make the poncho into a single person tent in an emergency by folding the head piece over (on the outside!) and using the grommet holes on the corners to structure the tent. Neither item will make a comfy
situation, but in an emergency comfy isn't always a consideration.
If you are staying in a State run, or public, campground, you usually don't have to do too much to get ready to put your tent up or set up your RV. The sites are usually level and free of brush. Always walk around your site before using it. You never
know what you will find.
If you are in the country and selecting your own site, don't be too quick to take the first place that you find. Take the time to look around and see if the site meets your needs, if not then move on. This is why I am an advocate of getting camp set up
before it gets too close to sunset. I want to know something about my overnight home. That 3AM trip to the little girl's tree can be a thrill if you camp too close to water, or cliffs...and it's amazing how everything looks alike...which helps in
getting you lost after your trip to the tree of your choice.
Never buy a new tent and just go out camping. Put it up at least once before you go out. Make sure all of the pieces are there and that you can get it up. The directions can go something like, "Minor assembly required." This phrase is enough to make
my blood run cold. But needless to say, always take the stuff out of the box before you put it in the car to go. Make sure that you have rope and bungie cords, too. They can help stabilize the tent in a high wind.
Also, if you are new at this, try a trip to the nearest camp ground. You are in good hands, usually. This gives you a trial run to test your gear before you really have to know what you are doing. A large back yard will do if you have one.
The most important thing to remember is that you should be familiar with your gear and comfortable with it. Know the limitations of this stuff before you find out the hard way.
Bon Voyage!
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Copyright, 1997 by Jan Noble
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Jan Noble
The Steel Magnolia
Writer, traveler, rockhound and Mom are only a few of the descriptions that apply to Jan Noble. Jan is a genuine lover of geology and enjoys taking her family with her on field trips when ever time permits. She always has rocks in her pockets and time
to hear a good story. Besides filling her time with rock hunting, writing and work, she enjoys off-roading and camping whenever possible.
Jan is currently in the middle of relocating (with her husband, kids, 10 cats and 2 dogs) to Dallas and is looking forward to exploring Texas thoroughly.
You can email her at steel_magnolia@mindspring.com or visit her web site at http://inthewind.home.mindspring.com/.
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