Use Air Beds As Your Camping Bed

The single most important piece of camping equipment you bring with you on your next camping trip is your camping bed.  Don’t get me wrong; there are other important pieces of camping equipment too but if you don’t get a good night’s sleep and plenty of rest, your second day of camping can turn out to be a nightmare.  So find a camping bed that is comfortable for

Air Beds - Serta Dual-Zone Queen-Size Pillow-Top Air Bed With Integrated Pump

you.  It might be a soft, cushy sleeping bag, a cot, an air mattress or just a blanket on the floor.  Air Beds are awesome and they offer comfort beyond that of a basic air mattress.  If you went camping on memorial day weekend, it was probably hot in the tent which makes it tough to get to sleep and stay asleep.

I highly recommend you bring two things; an air bed and a battery operated fan.  Air beds are really comfortable and the closest thing to sleeping in your own bed.  And a battery operated fan will keep a gentle breeze flowing past you to keep you cool.  I highly recommend the Serta Dual-Zone Queen-Size Pillow-Top Air Bed With Integrated Pump.  It has a build in pump that can be plugged into your car lighter and inflated in just a couple of minutes.

The pump can also be used to deflate the air bed in the morning.  The height of this air bed is it’s real draw.  It’s like sleeping in your own bed at home.  You won’t believe how high it sits off the ground.  It takes up a lot of space in a tent but it’s well worth it.  Add an air bed and fan to your camping equipment so you are ready for your next camping trip.

Canopies for graduation

The High School Graduation season is coming in a few months so you’re probably preparing your child’s graduation party.  It happens only once in a lifetime so it’s a very special time for your child and you.  There will be many relatives and friends

Canopies

coming to your house so you want to hold the party outside.  You hope it will be nice outside but there are no guarantees.  It may rain or the sun may be scorching hot.   What you need is one or more canopies to provide your guests with shade from the sun and shelter if it rains.  Canopies can also be used when you go camping.

Many people rent canopies but if you have more than one child and you have some party space in your garage or shed, you should buy one or more canopies this year.  It will come in handy for your child’s graduation party this year and other occasions such as wedding receptions, camping shelters it the years ahead.

Family Camping Tents with two rooms

Everyone know family camping tents come in various sizes but if you haven’t been camping in a long time or you are new to

Camping Tents - Mountain Trails Grand Pass 2 Room Family Dome Tent

tent camping, you’ll find the 2 room family camping tents to be awesome.  Mountain Trails Grand Pass 2 Room Family Dome Tent sleeps 6 to 7 people comfortably in a 170 square foot tent area. Base size is 18ft x 10ft x 76″ center height. This tent has a divider curtain to separate the tent into 2 rooms for your added privacy. Spacious enough to sleep up to seven people comfortably, the Mountain Trails Grand Pass family dome tent is a great choice for large families and groups. The Grand Pass boasts an 18-foot-by-10-foot footprint with a 76-inch center height. As a result, campers have plenty of room to stretch out, stand, or store their gear. The tent is also a breeze to set up, with shock-corded fiberglass poles and a pin-and-ring system. And to keep you cool on warm evenings, the tent offers large mesh roof vents and windows for ample cross-ventilation. You can even divide the Grand Pass into two rooms to enjoy added privacy.

 

Truck Tents and SUV Tents For Camping Outdoors

Truck Tents - Sportz SUV Tent-84000

Most people seem to buy family tents, backpacking tents or dome tents and set up their tent at a camp site they’ve reserved at a campground.  But you really haven’t tried camping until you’ve tried truck tents or SUV tents. Set up camp wherever your truck or SUV will take you.  Truck Tents  allow you to sleep high and dry off the cold, dirty ground and in the bed of your truck.  They set up in just 10 minutes in the back of your open-bed pickup, creating a comfortable, restful sleeping area for two people.

SUV tents transform your SUV, Minivan or Hatchback vehicle into a convenient home away from home.  These innovative camping tents wrap around the cargo area of your vehicle allowing you to access the interior of your vehicle for storage or additional sleeping area.  Sportz is one of the top manufacturers of truck tents and SUV tents.  SUV tents from Sportz have a patented removable vehicle sleeve on all models that can be completely removed to convert the tent into a stand-alone ground tent making it easy to drive away from your campsite.

Canopies for Partying, Events and Shelter

Canopies

Canopies are typically used for three primary purposes.  The first purpose is probably the most common and that is to use a canopy when throwing big parties to celebrate things like birthdays, weddings or graduations.  My wife  (Kay) and I set up canopies  in our front yard for each of our three high school children graduation parties and it worked out perfectly.  The elderly were able to site in comfort out of the sun and enjoy their lunch.  Others were able to relax in comfort as well.  The second most common purpose for using a canopies is when holding a special event like an outdoor baseball tournament, concession stand or a vegetable stand at a flee market.  And lastly, canopies can be used like shelters to cover cars, trucks, boats, snowmobiles, four wheelers etc and protect them from the rain.

Canopies are available in lots of different shapes, sizes and colors to satisfy personal preferences.  You can rent canopies but I think you’ll find they pay for themselves after about only two uses.  The comfort of knowing your guests will have some protection from the rain during your event is worth the price of the canopy.  I live in Minnesota where there is a lot of standing water in lakes, streams and rivers.  With lots of standing water comes lots of mosquitoes and no-see-ums.  A canopy with a screen around it (or screen tents)  makes a perfect shelter to protect you from these insects.

The Spring season is normally full of parties, events and the need for shelters to protect outdoor valuables from the rain so consider getting a canopy today for your next party, event or shelter instead of renting and I think you’ll be happy you did.

Which fabric is the best for camping tents

If you are in the market for a new tent there are a few things that you should consider as you are browsing the different types of camping tents. When you are tent shopping it isn’t enough to just consider the size and style of the tent, you need to think about the fabric your backpacking tent, family tent, and expedition tent or dome tent is made of. There are 6 main types of fabric that many manufacturers use to make their tents. Each material has its own set of characteristics and knowing these characteristics can impact the type of camping experience you have.

Camping Tents

Nylon is the most popular tent fabric and there is good reason for this. Nylon is strong and durable yet lightweight. Nylon is also easily waterproofed. The breathable fabric allows water vapor to pass through while keeping you dry. Nylon can also be dyed easily and maintains its color longer than other fabrics. There is an extra benefit of Nylon, it doesn’t rot. Meaning a packed wet nylon tent would have material that is functional but mildewed.

It is important to note that mildew can eat away at the waterproof coating which will cause your tent to be useless. An important note here, uncoated nylon does not absorb water; it is water resistant, but that does not mean it is waterproof. To help make the nylon material waterproof it is coated with polyurethane which will lock out most of the water.

Rip-Stone Nylon

The difference between rip stone nylon and regular nylon is the fact that about every 12 or so stitches there is a heavier fabric that is woven in. The purpose of this stitching is to prevent the spread of a tear. So if you are one that likes to set up camp out in the middle of the woods instead of an open clearing, you might want to consider rip stone nylon over regular nylon.

Polyester

A material that is almost identical to nylon is polyester. The main difference between polyester and nylon is that it resists UV damage better. Ultraviolet damage weakens the strength of the material your tent is made of, this happens to all materials. This is why it is recommend that you set your tent up in a shaded area instead of in an area of direct sunlight.

Cotton Canvas

Before nylon was invented, cotton canvas was the material of choice by many tent makers. Cotton canvas is an all weather material that is very durable. Originally these tents were coated with an oily or waxing coating to prevent water absorption. This coating still allowed the tent to breathe. Cotton canvas tents were not and are not waterproof. They rely on the rain’s surface tension between the fabric fibers to prevent leaks. Though you can still find canvas tents, they aren’t as prevalent as they used to be.

UV-Tex 5

This fabric has the strongest UV light inhibitor, which means it has the greatest resistance to UV degeneration. If you are someone that camps frequently throughout the year, you might want to consider a tent made from this polyester fabric. UV-Tex 5 also has a higher standard of resistance then other polyester fabrics but it is identical in all other aspects to polyester.

Polyethylene

Though an entire tent is rarely made out of polyethylene you want to make sure the floor of your tent is. Polyethylene is waterproof; water will not pass through this material unless there is a hole. It is durable but it is also bulky and rather heavy. It is also problematic to get this material back into its original form once it has been open.

Folding Camping Chairs or Adirondack

Most camp sites have places to sit like a picnic table bench or a tree stump and sometimes they have steel or iron chairs but I think one of the most comfortable outdoor chairs ever made is the Adirondack chair.  I remember sitting in one on the beach at Gull Lake in northern Minnesota in the early morning and watching the sunrise over the lake while leaning back in that chair.  I thought I was in heaven.  The only problems with Adirondack chairs are they are very expensive and are normally

Camping Chairs - Alps Mountaineering Directors Chair (Khaki)

difficult to transport.  While great for lounging around the outdoors, they are not necessarily good camping chairs.  I have seen and sat in plastic camping chairs  that are Adirondack-shaped  but they simply are not the same as a good wooden ones.

I searched high and low and finally found a folding camping chair that I think is just as comfortable as an Adirondack chair, a lot less expensive and very easy to transport.  Its the Alps Mountaineering Directors Chair.  In fact, I take it on every camping trip now and I take it everywhere that I am going to be spending time outdoors.  I’m a big guy so I’m not very comfortable in a standard web based lawn chair.  And those lawn chairs are not sturdy enough for me.  The Alps Mountaineering Directors Chair has plenty of room and is very sturdy.  This folding camping chair is really convenient and extremely comfortable.

I took that folding camping chair to the Rum River in Minnesota a couple years ago and sat in it while watching the sun set with my wife, daughter and her boyfriend.  We each had a win cooler and roasted some potatoes over the fire.  It felt like I was in heaven again.  So if you are looking for a comfortable, sturdy, inexpensive and easily transportable folding camping chair, check out the Alps Mountaineering Directors Chair, go to the lake or river and find your little piece of heaven.

Ever Sleep in the bed of Truck Tents?

One of the things I really love about camping during the fall and spring is scouting the terrain for animal tracks.  I’m not able to walk as far as I used to when I was younger so taking a my pickup truck and sleeping in the bed of the truck is appealing.  Just think how much easier it would be to set up a truck tent back in the woods and how much easier it would be to scout the territory where you hunt.  At literally any spot along the trail, you can decide to stop and pitch camp.  You can set up a truck ed tents in minutes and then after scouting the terrain around the truck, you can prepare and campfire, have dinner and then sleep right in the back of your pickup truck.

Truck  tents keep you off the ground and away from critters.  You can put a full size air mattress in the bed of the pickup truck and sleep like a baby.  You can wake up in the morning, have some breakfast, pack your backpack and head out further into the woods with very little effort.  So if you enjoy hiking, scouting and exploring and don’t want to have to walk great distances, consider adding one or more truck tents you your camping or hunting gear and sleep in the bed of your pickup truck. And remember, ‘The Joy is in the Journey’.

Portable Camp Showers Can be a Shower Room and a Changing Room

Portable Camp Showers – The Stinky Pete

Many people refer to tent camping as roughing it.  Why?  because most the the things you have at home are taken for granted and are not always available and certainly not as conveniently accessible at your camp site.

For example, at your camp site you don’t usually have running water or electricity and no restroom or shower conveniently available.  When camping I have often wished I had a Shower Room, Changing Room and Potty easily accessible to prevent long walks to the shared amenities at your campground.

Portable Camp Showers like The Sneaky Pete have several camping equipment uses; you can use it as a portable camp shower, toilet enclosure or as a portable changing room.  A self draining floor allows water to run off and a mesh ceiling provides maximum air flow.

A rain fly on top keeps the inside protected and provides privacy. A large hook is sewn to the top to hang up to a 2.5 gallon shower.  It isn’t the same as being at home but having The Sneaky Pete as part of the camping equipment you take with you to your camping site makes things a lot more convenient, accessible and enjoyable for all; especially the women and young teenagers seeking some privacy.

Eliminate Kids fear of camping with quality camping tents

In November of 1987 my employer transferred me from Minnesota to Texas.  At the time, the Minnesota Twins were on the verge of winning the World Series and eventually did that year.  My wife, Kay was carrying our third daughter Lisa who was born January 4, of 1988.  When Lisa turned 5 in 1993, we joined a YMCA program called Indian Princess where dads and their daughters spend time together with other dads and their daughters learning about Indian culture and pretending to be Indians.  Many tribes were formed and I was the chief of our little tribe.  The Indian Princess program sponsored two camping trips each year and Lisa and I went on both trips.

One of the key things you must do to ensure girls are not afraid of camping is to bring one of their friends along with you on her first camping trip.  This is extremely important because the girls get to see how the other behaves during the times when they might become afraid.  Both of the girls wanted to act like a big, grown up girl and NOT be afraid of the dark or animals or sleeping outside in the camping tent.  Lisa’s best friend was part of our Indian Princess tribe and she came with us on our camping trip.  Lisa’s friend’s name was Melissa and her dad’s name was George.  Lisa, Melissa, George and I all slept in a small 4 person camping tent.  3-4 Person Tents like the Browning Camping Glacier 4 are perfect for two dads and their little girls. We had a blast.  We told stories, roasted marshmallows, played games and really bonded with our daughters.  I know we eliminated all fears of camping for Lisa on that weekend because she is an avid camper today and has her own camping tents at home.  She will be graduating college in December 2010 and will be a teacher for young children at the end of this year.  She has moved out on her own and recently purchased her own camping tent.

When it’s time for your young child to go camping for the first time, make sure you bring one of their friends.  You won’t regret it.