Important Camping Tips and Equipment

Well, a fair percentage of people like camping. Some of them, during weekends, would even desert their well-furnished bedrooms and pitch a tent in their gardens where they would then spend their nights.

Please be sensitized that camping that is done very often can be addictive.

Did you know that retired soldiers that have spent a good part of their service time staying in camps that are located in isolated places like forests, jungles, woods and mountains always burn with desire to go camping?

If you want to go camping at a very far place you should make a very good plan for your trip before you go. Always make sure that somebody trustworthy who is not going with you knows the coordinates of the place that you are going to camp at.

The other thing he/she should know is the length of time you are going to spend away. This is a very important matter in case something bad happens to you.

I really feel obliged to share with you this story of what happened to one of our brothers while he was camping with his family.

The story goes like this, “On Saturday, at daybreak, this guy together with his wife and their two teenage sons got inside their Land-Rover and left their house. The vehicle was laden with all necessary camping equipment and foodstuffs.

They were going to be back on Sunday at noon.

Six hours later, their vehicle stopped and they all alighted and stretched their bodies. They were in an area that was colonized by savannah vegetation. The area was also infested with zebras, wild-beasts and antelopes. Though tired, the four quickly pitched up three tents.

The first tent was for the man and his wife, the second one was for the two boys whereas the third tent was for housing their camping provisions.

After they had their lunch, they left the camp and went west shooting videos and taking pictures. Towards sunset they returned to their camp. They were just some two hundred meters away from the camp when they saw something like a mound next to their tents. The third tent had been pulled down. That thing that had invited itself to their camp was a male elephant.

The four waited until the elephant decided to leave the camp. They watched it as it went eastwards slowly limping. Its left hind leg was injured. It had either been injured by another male elephant or perhaps some poachers. They shook their heads as they stopped next to the tents.

All the fruits, vegetables and bread that was in the tent had been eaten by the elephant. It had only left them some canned foodstuffs. It had also crushed two twenty litre water bottles.

After assessing the damage done by the elephant they erected the tent that had been pulled down. Later on they were enjoying their supper around the fire. Around 2300 hours when it was now time for them to go to bed, the boys told their parents point-blank that they were not going to spend a night inside their tent.

They were afraid that the elephant might return to the camp at night and cause serious havoc.

The father honoured the boys’ emotions and presented them with the key for the Land-Rover. After the boys had gone to the vehicle, he kissed his wife and then put off the fire and then they went to their tent.

On the following morning after breakfast, the man went to the vehicle. He wanted to park it under a tree before they leave the camp to tour the surrounding area like on the previous day. He turned the key but the vehicle could not start. The battery had been chewed away. The boys had left the car-radio playing music when they slept last night.

The radio had played the music the whole night until the battery discharged all its power.

They were now in real trouble! The nearest settlement was 75 miles away and they were around 10 miles away from a sandy road that could be referred to as a main road. And that sandy road was seldom used. All the phones that were in their possession had lost network. It was now obvious that their vacation had been ruined!

The man suggested to his family to remain behind meanwhile he goes to search for somebody who could assist them with a battery but his family disagreed. Without him on their side, they felt unsafe. They broke the camp and loaded their stuff into the vehicle. After locking the vehicle, they set off on foot eastwards carrying a few valuable items.

After covering around mile, they met a pride of lions that were coming their way. They quickly changed direction and ran southwards. On their flight they went through another pride that was resting. The lions were full, they did not attack them. Next to them, there was a carcass of a buffalo which they had killed and eaten over the night.

They changed direction again and now ran westwards and changed direction many times. By the time they stopped running they were now all lost. None of them could tell the direction to the sandy road they had desired to reach.

After undergoing tougher obstacles in the savannah for good five days, they were very fortunate to be found by game scouts who were scouting for poachers that had killed a rhino for its precious horn.

From the game scouts, they learnt that the elephant that pulled down the tent that was housing their provisions had been probably attracted by the scent of apples. Elephants like apples!

LIST OF ITEMS YOU NEED FOR CAMPING VACATION

1. Tent, camp-chairs, propane-stove, camp-beds, sleeping-bags, collapsible camp tubs

2. FIRST-AID KIT (For your medical needs that do not require very serious situations)

3. MAP (If you are not familiar with the place you want camp to camp at, you really a map because you might get lost)

4. WEATHER REPORT (Be update with the weather report or else yo may find yourself in the path of a tornado.)

5. REFUSE-BAGS (Keep your environment clean. Wherever you camp, put your rubbish in the refuse bag)

6. ROPE (At least 10 meters long. You may need it to tie something or tow a car)

7. CANNED FOOD (They will not go bad quickly in case you overstay)

8. WATER BOTTLES (Always take five more bottles than you need. The radiator might leak unexpectedly)

9. PROPER CLOTHING (If you camp in the jungle you really need a hat. Snakes from branches above will strike your head)

10. TORCH AND NEW BATTERIES (For lighting in the dark)

11. MATCH-BOX AND CIGARETTE-LIGHTER (Matchbox can be soaked by the rain but not the cigarette-lighter)

12. SHOVEL (Good for digging a hole for a temporary toilet. Also can help when your vehicle is stuck in the sand)

13. An AXE (For cutting firewood)

14. PLATES AND CUPS (It is up to you to choose whether you need disposable one or not)

15. POTS (It is up to you to decide the sizes and the number you need)

16. PAPER TOWELS (Get them according to your needs)

17. Spare-wheel (Can be of great help in case one of your tires get torn)

18. SET/PACK OF VEHICLE TOOLS (It should be always in your car)

19. KNIVES (Get them according to your needs)

20. LAPTOPS AND CELL PHONES (These are optional. Other people need constant connection with the world and others need privacy when camping)

21. EXTRA-MONEY (You might need to hire somebody to tow your car)

22. Fuel (Ensure that there is sufficient fuel for the trip. It is wise to carry extra fuel in jerry-cans)

23. BINOCULARS (They will bring distant objects closer to you.)

24. COMPASS (For assisting you to be precise with directions)

25. CALCULATOR (You will probably need to quantify something. Avoid carrying solar-powered calculators they are not reliable)

26. WRIST-WATCH (There are certain tasks that will require you to time yourself

GENERAL TIPS ON CAMPING

1. HEALTH (Do not go camping with your friends when not feeling well, you may spoil their vacation)

2. ENVIRONMENT (Avoid doing things that will harm the area that you are camping at)

3. FOOD (When camping at sites that are infested with lions and hyenas avoid carrying raw meat as the scent of meat can attract these animals to your camp)

4. FLASHING LIGHTS (Flashing lights at night will scare away animals from your camp)

5. Avoid areas where there are mudslides

6. Avoid areas where there are sink-holes

7. Avoid areas close to blasting sites

8. If you are going to camp at areas where malaria sleeping sickness are prevalent you must see your doctor to prescribe for you the medication that will protect you from these two diseases. They are very dangerous as they can terminate your life or harm your brain leaving you mentally disturbed.

For more information on camping follow the link below;
http://www.squidoo.com/workshop/camping12