Camping Fan

So are you all getting the idea that I think food is important?

Especially when camping food can really make or break the trip. When you go camping you burn lots more calories than you do in your normal day-to-day activities unless of course you have a very physically demanding real world job!

So when planning your food for the trip always add at least 25% more than you think you will need. That way when you son who normally only eats one burger asks for a second or even a third you have enough to feed him and keep him going.

What I’ve actually done is taken a page from what I learned when planning a cub scout camping trip for my kids and plan a menu according to the following guidelines:

Breakfast

Morning snack

Lunch

Afternoon snack

Dinner

Dessert

When planning the main meals use much larger portions than normal. For breakfast if you normally eat a 3 egg omelet…make it a 4 or 5 egg. If you have 3 slices of bacon make it 5, if you eat two pieces of toast make it 3.

The snacks should be mini-meals in themselves. An apple, a pack of cookies, a sweet treat and a juice box are about the minimum.

Hopefully these extra little tips will help!

Eric

The most important thing to remember when planning your menu for a camping trip is to Keep It Simple!

Camping can be a challenge and the last thing you want to do is make it more challenging by creating this menu that will take hours and hours of prep and/or cook time.

That is one of the best parts about cooking in a dutch oven, all you have to do is figure out what you want to make, combine all the ingredients get the heat going and then just monitor it until it’s done.

Please don’t misunderstand me, this is not a fire and forget cooking method. It takes some time to prep and you must watch over things but if you follow the recipe and think things out ahead of time you will be able to eat some very, very good food and not spend every waking moment of your day sweating over a hot stove.

Eric 

One of the most important things when you start to think about going camping, whether it be spring, summer or winter is treading lightly. I am by no means a “tree-hugger” but I do agree with them that we have a significant impact on the world around us and not always for the positive.

So when you go camping try to make sure you leave the campgrounds better then you found it. This is actually pretty easy to do if you think and plan for it. Extra trash bags, only camp where others have camped before, take a little time to make sure you’re campfire is in a safe and approved area, etc…

Here are a couple more tips:

·         Plan Ahead and Prepare

·         Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

·         Dispose of Waste Properly

·         Leave What You Find

·         Minimize Campfire Impacts

·         Respect Wildlife

·         Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information visit: http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php

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

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