Photo by Vlad Bagacian: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bonfire-surrounded-with-green-grass-field-1061640/
You might think that your camping days are over, since only kids go on adventures, right? Surprisingly, no, hiking and camping vacations have never been more popular. There are even retreats that help both kids and adults feel better about themselves. If work is getting you down, family obligations are getting out of hand, or you’re trying to get over a bad breakup, you might need a break. When you’re out in the open air, miles from anywhere, and toasting marshmallows over a campfire, you might realize that a sleeping bag is an answer to all your problems.
Going Out Of Your Comfort Zone
You won’t think about not getting that promotion when you’re learning how to build fires, figure out what animals left those tracks, and figure out what you can eat in the forest. Camping will test your mind, body, and spirit with long hikes, early starts, and adjusting to different weather, so bring waterproof gear and learn how to survive in the wild.
There are no lifts on mountains, so you’ll have to walk down the same way you went up, or even abseil if the cliff face is good for it. If you want a hot meal, you’ll have to cook it yourself. By getting out of your normal environment, you’ll soon be able to see things from a different point of view and do much more useful things than constantly watching tv.
Improve Your Skills
Improve Your Skills People need to be busy all the time or they can get bored, unmotivated, or depressed. What better way to clear out the cobwebs and give your brain a workout than to figure out where the trail goes? Or learning astronomy for beginners and carving animals out of wood?
Meet New People
Camping is a must if you’re shy, have trouble speaking in public, or find it hard to give presentations at work. When you’re thrown together with a bunch of strangers from all walks of life who don’t know each other, you’ll soon have to speak up to complete team challenges like building a raft, finding out what your campmates like to eat, or even just to ask how to tie a certain knot or where the toilets are. You’ll be having so much fun, learning new things about yourself, and enjoying nature that you won’t have time to be shy or forget what to say.
Boost Your Self Esteem
Life doesn’t always go the way you want it to, and if you’re going through a personal problem or a confidence crisis, every bad thing can seem worse. Once you’ve made a perfect fire, cooked a restaurant-quality meal over an open flame, or tracked an animal like a pro, you’ll feel much more confident in your skills and give yourself a chance to feel good about yourself.
So, how do you get the most out of camping? Along with researching questions such as ‘ how does MOLLE work?’ you should also use the following tips to make sure your camping experience is the best it can be:
The Right Gear
Make sure you have everything you need. This is probably the biggest thing you can do. So, do some research and start figuring out what to bring based on how much space you have and how long you plan to stay. You need to bring things like a sleeping bag, tent, cooler, tove, flashlight, and toilet paper. But it all depends on what you like. Some people like to hike to the campsite, which could be a problem if they brought too much stuff. Check with your local camping store or, even better, a good online camping store to be sure. You’ll know what you need when you see what they have to offer.
A Loud Speaker
If you go camping with your friends, it makes sense that you might want to listen to a song or two. And if you don’t have a Bluetooth speaker or something similar, there’s a cool way to make the speaker on your phone louder. Don’t bother with oversized speakers and other things. Instead, bring your ceramic mug. If you put a phone or an iPod in a mug, the sound will be louder. If you don’t believe this, you can try it at home.
Pack Some Sage
It’s easier to bring sage than to buy and put up mosquito nets on your tent. Some of those nets don’t even work, and if you tear them, all the bugs will get in. So, throw some sage on the campfire once in a while and the bugs will stay away. Sage’s smell keeps bugs away because it smells bad. You won’t be sorry you brought it.
Learn How To Stock Your Cooler
The better, the more space you save. So, this is how you should pack a cooler.
- Wash out the cooler.
- Use watertight containers for food, put bagged items on top of the ice layer, and fill the cooler to the top to prevent warm air from getting in.
- Cans and bottles will stay cooler longer if you put them on the bottom of your cooler.
- Put a layer of ice on top of the drinks and food to make sure that the ice gets into any cracks.
- Chill beer and other adult drinks a bit before putting them in.
Know How To Pack Your Backpack
Again, you should be smart about how you pack a backpack.
- You have to strap a foam pad to the bottom of your backpack.
- The tent must be set up on top of the foam pad.
- Put the sleeping bag between these two.
- Food and cooking gear need to be above the tent.
- To avoid spills, clothes go on top of food (just in case)
- Maps, guides, and other tools should be on the top of your backpack.
With these tips, you can get more out of your camping trip. Think about what they say, and you won’t be sorry.