Camping Fan

New Year’s Eve Camping

Now I know that some of you that have never been winter camping before are going to think I’m nuts but…

Some of my fondest New Year’s Eve memories revolve around the camping trips we have taken on that holiday.

There is usually NOBODY anywhere near you, you can spread out and have lots of room and pretty much do anything you want. If you think about it, most of the people that go winter camping are die-hards, boy scouts or really, really hardcore outdoor types.

Now on New Year’s Eve most of the boy scouts aren’t doing a trip because they are stuck going somewhere with their families or some sort of teen party. The die-hards and hardcore types are usually involved with some sort of friend/family get together so you can pretty much have the campground to yourself.

The only potential “sticking point” is if you want to bring alcohol. A lot of times the only campgrounds that are open on New Years are state or federal campgrounds which for the most part don’t allow alcohol and it’s pretty obvious to the people who work there that if you are camping on New Year’s Eve and there are more than say 4 of you that there will probably be alcohol involved. So they can either be nice and as long as you aren’t doing anything stupid leave you alone or they can bust your chops…it kind of depends.

But if you can find somewhere that will look the other way as long as you are being pretty responsible you can get outside and if you are lucky enough to be away from any major city you can enjoy the night sky with it’s million lights and just kick back and relax with a nice warm campfire.

That is my idea of a truly enjoyable New Years Eve party!

Eric

So why use a dutch oven? Why not just use traditional pots and pans and such?

There are many advantages to using a dutch oven including but probably the single most significant one that I can think of is the ability to only bring 1 cooking implement and 1 fuel source. You can fry, bake, broil and boil all in one container and all you need is a small bag of charcoal to cook it all with!

No need for multiple frying pans, pots, grills and griddles.

No need for propane, wood or any other type of fuel.

It’s easy to use, easy to store and even easier to clean!

Not sure what to cook in your dutch oven?

There are currently 7 different cookbooks available for purchase that feature recipe’s for dutch ovens or you can look through dozen’s of web sites that contain recipes like:

Dutch Oven dude: http://www.dutchovendude.com/dutch-oven-recipes.asp

Byron’s Dutch Oven Recipe’s: http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipes.htm

You have got these great plans, lots of really cool gear, a great place to camp and lots of friends/family to hang with…now what are you going to cook for this trip?

There are many different ways you can go when it comes to cooking. You can pre-cook it all and then just reheat as needed. You can fast food it most times/places. You can do the “minimal” thing where all you eat is sandwiches and such…easy to prepare kind of things.

Or with a little prep and a little thought you can eat like KINGS!

I’m not even talking about burgers and hot dogs…I’m talking roast pork, big old NY strip steak, lasagna, beef stew and so much more!

Cooking on a camping trip takes a little more prep, a little more thought but when done right it can be some of the best eating you’ve ever had!

There is one key ingredient that you really must have: a Dutch Oven.  So go out buy a good one and buy a good cookbook for it. You won’t regret it!

Since It’s Friday I decided to just have some fun today so I wanted to see if I could make you all smile a little bit.

To do that I have pulled out my “weird files” which are just some notes I have taken over the years of some things I have found in my time on the internet that are quite interesting.

So take a little time, check some of these things out and I hope they put a smile on your face!

Jonny Glow – this product is actually kind of useful but it definitely begs the question: how many times did the inventor “miss” what he was aiming at in the dark before he invented this product?

Electro-Stun - Now this gadget sounds pretty cool during those summer camping months when the gnats, flies and mosquitoes are really driving you nuts.

The Bumper Dumper  This one is just unbelievable! Who the heck would want to do this?

I save the best for last:

Ultimate Swiss Army Knife – this is the ultimate tool for gadget guys! It’s 9 inches long, has 85 different tools and comes with it’s own suitcase!

Have a great Day!

Eric

“Best Campground I have ever seen!”…my wife’s words.

We have stayed in many, many campgrounds over the years and I have never really asked her which campground she liked best because it didn’t really matter since we vowed to never stay at the same place twice because there are so many campgrounds out there.

But the other day we got to chatting and we were talking about some of the campgrounds we stayed at and when I mentioned Sea Pirate that is what my wife said!

We visited the Sea Pirate  last fall when they were having their Annual  Crab Fest and the place was awesome!

Their sites are clean, well sized and well maintained. The common areas are immaculately maintained particularly the bathrooms which are a big deal to my wife.

If you are in the South Jersey / Jersey Shore area this place is definitely worth a visit. 

So now you have a tent…Congratulations!

Now what are you going to put in it?

Air mattresses, sleeping pads, sleeping bags or just pillows and blankets?

Again it all depends on where and when you are going camping.

If you are going winter camping in North Dakota your sleeping equipment will be very different then if you are camping in July in Florida.

Air mattresses are great in the summertime for especially for those that have not been camping a lot but in the winter they are not such a good idea…the air inside them gets really, really cold and will suck the heat right out of your body.

As far as sleeping bags go, do you want a bag that is a little more spacious or one that conforms to your body? Do you need a 40 degree bag or a -40 degree bag? Will you be carrying it on your back or in your car?

Lots of questions, please take the time to properly consider who, where and when before you purchase because if you buy the wrong bag the person who is sleeping in it will be miserable and potentially very sick.

Eric

So you know how many people you have to sleep, you know what time of year and the most likely weather you will be experiencing and you have some idea of how much money you can afford to spend on a tent.

Now it’s time to go shopping!

My suggestion is to always go bigger then you absolutely need, so if it’s you, your spouse and two children then at a minimum you need an 8 person tent. To me that’s the absolute minimum, I would actually think about buying a 10 or 12 person tent if you have the funds to make sure you have some extra room.

There are lots of places you can go looking for tents, here are a few of my favorites:

Campmor

REI

Cabela’s

Coleman

REI and Cabella’s are expensive but they only carry the best quality gear you can find. Take your time, compare prices, compare materials, compare size and extras and make sure you find the tent that is best suited for you.

Eric

Okay, you’ve got the place picked out, you know what time of year and you have some idea of who is going with you.

Based on that information you can figure out exactly what to pack to make sure that everybody is safe and has a good time. So let’s talk about gear now.

Let’s talk about tents first.

There are many, many different options in tents out there from the 3 ounce one man backpacking tent to the 20 person army type canvas tent with a built-in wood burning stove.

Choosing the right tent can be time consuming because you have to figure out how many people you need to sleep in it, how much room each person needs, are they going to sleep on the ground or on a cot, what time of year and ease of setup required.

When the manufacturers of tents list how many people can sleep in a tent they mean only people – no gear in the tent and they also mean nice and snug. So unless you are going to leave all of your gear somewhere else AND you are very, very friendly with everyone in the tent my recommendation is to cut that number in half. So if they say “sleeps 4” it means it sleeps two comfortably.

Eric

So now you’ve got your destination picked out I hope. What’s next?

What time of year are you going?

Who is going with you?

Who is responsible for cooking?

What kind of gear do you already have?

Where will you be sleeping?

What is the normal temp range during this time of yes in this location?

What possible severe weather situations occur where you are going?

What is the limit of severe weather you are willing to live with before you pack up and go home?

All very, very important questions when planning a trip particularly if you are camping with inexperienced and/or young campers.

For people in their 20-40’s who have been camping several times you can pack lighter and not sweat the small stuff…but if you are going with complete novices and/or young children the amount of gear you bring increases exponentially.

You have to take some time and consider all eventualities and be as prepared as possible to avoid the novices and children from having a bad time and never wanting to go camping again.

Eric

There are lots of little details to think about when preparing for a camping trip and all those details depend on what your goal is and what the trip is about.

So what do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Is this a one person hiking trip or a multi-family getaway weekend or a couple’s romantic weekend or an empty-nester second home situation?  Or is it somewhere in between?  Is there a specific itinerary such as a weekend trip where you spend most of the day(s) at an amusement park or beach or will you be hanging around the campground the entire trip?

That’s the first step, figure out what kind of trip, how long, who will be attending and the geographic area you are visiting.

Eric