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Camping NeedsCamping Needs - Ensure your campout is a comfortable, relaxed adventure not a National Lampoon Outdoor Vacation, by having all the camping needs with you. Wilderness, truck (car), camp ground, or RV. The basic camping needs for each of these camp-out experiences are the same, they simply differ in the amount and size of the gear you take with you. Not taking care of your camping needs can turn a relaxing fun vacation into a nightmare.
The camping needs for a backpacking wilderness camp-out are the most critical as it requires you to have all the necessities of life with you. The very minimum wilderness camping needs are a tent, tarp, or camping hammock, bedding, cookware, eating utensils, fire making supplies and/or a camp stove, personal necessities (never forget the toilet paper and extra socks), outdoor clothing, first aid kit, water containers, lights and enough food for the length of time you intend to be in the wilderness. Fortunately, all the essential camping needs also come in small, lightweight sizes. If you are going to truck (or car) camp, the camping needs are quite flexible depending on where you stay each night. If you sleep in the vehicle and eat at restaurants, your camping needs are small, a sleeping bag, or mattress and blankets, personal necessities, changes of clothing, a road map. and a Campground guide book. On the other hand, if you go to the end of a wilderness road, stay at a state park or a commercial campground, you will need to have more equipment. The camping needs for these situations are similar to wilderness camp-outs, except for the need for a tent, although you can increase your comfort with the use of a truck tent. With this type of camping you can greatly increase your comfort level with coolers for your food, large water containers, extra cookware including a large pot to heat water for bathing and dishes, a two or three burner camp stove and propane lanterns, all hooked up to a single propane tank. A folding table and camp chairs are easy to pack and will allow you to eat and relax in comfort in any camping situation. Tenting at a commercial or park campground can be very comfortable or fairly rustic, depending on the site. All campgrounds will have toilet facilities ranging from outhouses to full bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. Oh the joy of a hot shower in the morning! They will also have a picnic table for each camp site, the end of which makes a great kitchen. This reduces your camping needs but not necessarily your wants. It is so much more comfortable sitting around the fire on your own camp chair, moving as the smoke moves. These campgrounds often have larger campsites that will accommodate groups, family tents and more intimate ones for backpacking tents. Finally we have the camping needs for people with an RV, camper or trailer. Some would question calling this a camp-out but for others it fits the bill nicely. This is a very comfortable, easy way to be in the outdoors, a home away from home. When staying at an RV park the camping needs are few, possibly a few camp chairs, a cook stove when you don’t want to cook inside and a lantern or two to light the area around the campfire. If you are in an area with no power your camping needs may include a way to create your own power. Just like a holiday to a foreign country, it helps ensure a great RV holiday by getting a book with RV camp sites. This will help you find the campsites at the end of a travel day and also let you make reservations, if necessary, to ensure you have a place to park at that special place you want to see.
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