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Entertainment Topics
Low-Budget Vacation? Try Camping
Tent Setup
If you have several sites to choose from, evaluate each one. You want a spot that will have sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Trees will also protect you from strong winds. If you have children, find a site close to the water pump and restrooms. Avoid group/activity areas; they tend to be noisy even after quiet hours.
Where insects are a problem, choose an area that is open to the prevailing breeze. Be grateful if a bat or two come whirling through, author Herb Gordon says. One hungry bat will gulp down approximately 600 mosquitoes and gnats in an hour and will never touch the hair on your childs head. Point out to children that bats are helpful friends.
Once youve chosen your site:
Pitch your tent on a level spot.
Clear away chunks of wood, rocks and twigs.
Cover the ground with a plastic cloth a tad smaller than the tent to protect the tent floor from damage. Make sure stakes are securely driven into the ground.
Lay out sleeping pads, bags and pillows. Arrange your packs in the tent so they are out of the way when its time for bed.
For wilderness and primitive camping, take these additional points into consideration:
Set up camp away from dead trees, gullies, dry creek beds, overhangs, cliffs and the high-water mark of lakes or rivers.
Select a location for your fire that will cause the least damage to ground cover.
Avoid camping at the bottom of a hill where rainwater could rush down in a storm.
Beware of letting the center of tarps sag, in which water can collect. Use a pole to prop the center up, or use a rope as a ridge pole and hang the tarp over it. Tie the corners to the ground or trees.
Mark ropes with flags or strips of toilet paper so passersby will not trip or run into ground ropes.
Do you have thoughts, questions, advice on this topic? Post your stories and comments in the forum for other parents to respond to. Enter the forum now.
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