Camp Fires

Prevent Blisters

Leave No Trace Principles

Leave No Trace Principles

1.  Plan ahead and prepare

2.  Travel and camp on durable surfaces

3.  Dispose of waste properly

4.  Leave what you find

5.  Minimize campfire impact

6.  Respect wildlife

7.  Be considerate of others  

Camp Baked Potato

Baked Camp Potato

1.  Because potatoes don’t need refrigeration, are easy to prepare, and travel well, they are very popular as a camping staple.

2.  The basic ingredients for any camp baked potato dish are simply butter, salt, and pepper.  You can easily add other things for variety such as onions, peppers, chili, cheese, or some other special ingredient you might like to take along.

3.  To bake it, wash the potato, poke holes in it, slice into halves if adding additional ingredients, and then double wrap it in aluminum foil and place in the coals of your campfire for about 30-35 minutes, more or less.  You can test it by poking a fork into the foil wrapped potato.

4.  An alternative baking method is to place the potato in a tin can like one used for corn or beans, cover with foil, place the can at the edge of bed of campfire coals and let bake for about 30-40 minutes, more or less.

5.  With either baking method, you can add butter or onions or any of your other favorite ingredients and enjoy a baked camp potato that is worth the time and effort!  

General Camping Tips

General Camping Tips

1.  Leave a copy of your itinerary with a neighbor or relative and include the date of your expected return.
2.  Beginning campers should always travel in the outdoors with a partner in case of an emergency or an accident. 
3.  Wear the right clothing for the season of the year and for the forecasted weather conditions. 
4.  Check your camping equipment for proper function and condition before you leave home.
5.  Learn basic first aid techniques and carry a first aid kit with you. 
6.  If at all possible, make camp before dark - set up your sleeping area first.
7.  Purify your water with a filter or a chemical purifier regardless of how clean the water looks.
8.  Keep your camp site clean of debris and litter.  
9.  If fires are allowed, use an established fire ring or fire spot.
10.  If no fire ring is present, clear an area of all burnable debris for your camp fire and ensure there are no overhanging trees or bushes. 
11.  Enjoy your time in the outdoors! 

Camping First Aid Kit

Camping First Aid Kit

Make your own first aid kit for camping by assembling these basic items: 

• personal medication
• adhesive bandages
• aspirin or acetaminophen
• medical tape
• sterile gauze pads
• antibiotic wipes
• antiseptic cream
• tube of petroleum jelly
• burn ointment
• hydrogen peroxide
• scissors
• tweezers
• moleskin
• anti-diarrhea medication
• antacid (For upset stomach)
   

Neat Camping Tips

Neat Camping Tips

1. Camp fire:  make it easy by preparing at home.  Fill an empty egg carton with lint from your dryer and you’re all set.  Take 2 or 3 “eggs” of lint from the carton, place them under some dry twigs, sticks, or tree boughs and light them.  Bingo!  You have a great camp fire.  

2.  To make cleaning the black soot off your pots and pans easy, just rub some liquid soap on the outside and let it dry.  The black soot will come right off after cooking over an open fire.

3.  Another method of keeping the bottom of your pots and pans clean when using over an open fire is to wrap them in tinfoil.

4.  Want to rid your camp site of flies, wasps, or bees?  Just spray them with hairspray and watch them head for cover.

5.  Want to keep critters out of your trash?  Spray it with a solution of ammonia water (2:1 ratio).

6.  To rid your clothes and hands of cooking odors, especially when in bear country, just sprinkle them with baking soda.

7.  If you want to take a little of the camp fire warmth to bed with you, boil some water for your water bottle and place it in your sleeping bag.  You’ll be surprised how much heat this will add to your bag.

8.  Buy fruit juice in a plastic container and freeze it, then use it instead of ice in the cooler. When it thaws, you will have a cold, refreshing drink. 

9.  Instead of a flashlight, take a headlamp, and your hands will free for other things.

10.  You can waterproof your matches by dipping them in fingernail polish or melted wax (paraffin).  Use an old prescription bottle to store them.

Tips for Easy Camping Meal Cleanup

Tips for Easy Camping Meal Cleanup 

1.    Create and assemble a Camp Mess Cleanup Kit for cleaning your dishes and utensils while camping (Wash pan, biodegradable soap, scrub pad, small container of bleach, dish cloth).

2.    While cooking your meal, heat a pot of water on the stove or fire. This will provide hot water for washing and rinsing your dishes.

3.    Pour some hot water in your cooking pots and let them soak while you eat. Wash your dishes and cleanup immediately after eating.  Don’t let the food dry and get hard on the pots and pans. 

4.    Before cooking over a wood fire, wipe biodegradable soap on the outside of the pots and pans.  This will allow the soot from the fire to wash right off!

5.    Plan and make use of foil dinner recipes as much as possible.  This will really speed up the clean up time. 

Bug and Critter Control

Bug and Critter Control
 

1. Realize that food is the main thing that attracts bugs and critters like skunks, raccoons and even bears; so keep food spills cleaned up, open boxes and canisters stored in plastic totes or in the ice chest.
2. Do not dump bacon grease, bones, peelings and the like on the ground. Store them in a heavy duty trash bag to pack out or burn them in your fire pit. Train your crew to pick up dropped food like potato chips or cookie crumbs as these will attract ants, if nothing else.
3. Do not bury trash or food scraps, instead burn them or pack them out.
4. Rinse out food scraps from empty cans before putting in trash and try to burn flammable trash as you use it.
5. Bugs hate smoke and fire, so keep one burning, especially during the early evening hours before you retire for the night (Be sure you follow campfire safety rules).
6. Position the camp lantern and other light well away from kitchen and gathering areas when you don't need the light.
7. It has been said by some that dark clothing attracts fewer insects.  You can test this one for yourself to see if it works.
8. Do not use a white light while entering or exiting your tent and keep it closed unless you are getting in or out of it. (This will at least keep you bug free while sleeping.) Many head lamps and flashlights come with a red filter that can be used for this purpose.
9. Spray flies, wasps or bees with hairspray and watch them head for cover.
10. Spray your garbage and trash containers with an ammonia solution to keep animals away.

Sanitation and Camp Food Preparation

Sanitation and Camp Food Preparation 

Camp cooking and meal preparation requires an extra measure of care in order to prevent a very untimely case of food poisoning.  Here are some tips to help you prevent such a back country catastrophe:

• Take steps to avoid cross contamination by separating raw food preparation and raw meat preparation – use different bowls and different utensils or clean them in between use. (Cross contamination occurs when you use the same knife or fork that was used to cut or move the raw meat to chop or stir the raw vegetables.)
• Reviewing kitchen and food preparation procedures with everyone involved with the meal preparation and cleanup is a good way to avoid cross contamination and other common sanitation problems.
• Keeping meats and other perishables in a cooler or well iced is absolutely necessary.
• The food preparation and serving areas should be shaded as much as possible because sunlight rapidly accelerates the warming of perishables 
• Cover foods and keep them covered as much as possible - use wax paper, plastic wrap, or a clean dish towel.  This should keep most flying insects out.
• Have plenty of hot, soapy water available when preparing meals.  This is necessary to keep hands and dropped utensils clean.
• Cleanup should include three containers of water:  wash - rinse – sterilize (one cap of bleach per gallon of water).  This arrangement works great for having everyone do their own dishes.
• Let dishes dry in the sunlight. (Sunlight kills many forms of bacteria.)
• Keep condiments in the cooler until the time to eat (be particularly careful with mayonnaise).

NEAT CAMPING TIPS AND TRICKS

NEAT CAMPING TIPS AND TRICKS

Here are some very useful tips and tricks to help you enjoy your next camping adventure just a little bit more than the last one.

 1. Get a campfire started easily by preparing at home

           (a) Stuff dryer lint into the cells of an empty egg carton.  Use lint from two or three cells to start the fire.

           (b) Dip several cotton balls into a petroleum jelly and store in an empty prescription bottle.  Use two or three cotton balls to start the fire.

 2.  Rub liquid soap on the outside of pots and pans. The black soot from your camp fire will wash right off.

 3. Use hair spray to ward off flies, wasps or bees.

 4. Use a diluted ammonia spray on your garbage and trash to keep animals away.

 5. Baking soda is a great aid to rid your clothes and hands of cooking odors, especially when in bear country.

 6. On cold nights, heat water on your camp fire, pour into your water bottles, and place them in your sleeping bag just before turning in for the night.

 7. Freeze orange juice in plastic bags or jugs and use it instead of ice in the cooler.  When it melts, you’ll have refreshing cold juice.

 8. Use a headlamp, instead of a flashlight, to keep your hands free.

 9. An old folk remedy that works for many people – after eating an orange, wipe exposed skin with the inside of the peel to ward off insects.

 10. An old shower curtain can be used for a great ground cloth on which to pitch a tent.

Green Chili Burritos

Green Chili Burritos

This recipe is quick but good, which is something every camp cook needs. It will also feed a lot of people, but the recipe quantities shown here are for four to six people.

2-3 lbs stew meat (half pound of meat per person) Use beef, pork, or chicken
1 - 28oz.can green enchilada sauce
1/2 -28oz. can of green chilies
2 - jalapeno peppers (optional) 
1 - small onion
8 - flour tortillas
Cheddar or longhorn cheese
1 - garlic clove
salt
pepper

Brown the meat quickly in a hot Dutch oven coated with a little olive oil. Add diced onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Stir frequently and cook until onion garlic and pepper are soft (about 5 minutes). Add enchilada sauce and diced green chilies. Reduce heat and cook 30 minutes – to an hour (The longer you cook, the more tender the meat will be.) Stir every ten to fifteen minutes to keep from sticking.
Warm tortillas on hot grill. (This only takes 15 sec or so on each side.)
Spoon chili on to tortilla and liberally sprinkle with grated cheese. Roll into tortilla and serve. 

How to Choose a Sleeping Bag

How to Choose a Sleeping Bag

1. Consider the climate – damp and wet verses hot and dry.  If you are camping in damp climates, then choose a synthetic fiber bag because a down or flannel bag will loose their loft and insulating properties when wet.
2. Consider the seasons you will use your sleeping bag. Goose down bags will supply the most warmth for the least amount of weight. Synthetic fiber bags will provide warmth, too, even when wet. They will also dry much faster than down bags. The main factor when trying to decide between these two types of insulation is weight – the synthetic fiber bags are generally heavier and more bulky.
3. Consider buying a sleeping bag rated for the climate in which you will be sleeping.  A general rule of thumb is to choose a bag rated for slightly cooler temperatures than expected.
4. Consider what type of sleeping bag you want. Rectangular bags with synthetic fill will meet most camping needs. Mummy bags fit you closer, weigh less, and generally keep you warmer than a rectangular bag of comparable weight.  Backpackers most often choose the mummy bag for this reason.
5. Consider buying the best sleeping bag you can afford.  Normally, the more expensive bags tend to last longer and will be more true to their temperature rating.
6. Consider using a sleeping pad or mat with your sleeping bag because it will help insulate you from the cold or heat in the ground. Foam core pads will offer more insulation than air pads.
7. Remember to care for your sleeping bag and pad in order to make them last.  Air out your sleeping bag and pad after each camping adventure and make certain they are completely dry before storing. Store you pad or mat unrolled with valve open. Store your sleeping bag unrolled and hang loosely. Store both in a dry cool place out of the sun. This will increase the life of your bag and pad.

Sleeping Bag Care

Sleeping Bag Care

A.  Storing Your Sleeping Bag 

Before your bag is stored, allow as much time for it to air out as possible. When not in use, a sleeping bag should not be rolled up tightly or stored in its stuff sack. The best way to store your bag is:

1. Lying loosely on a shelf.
2. Hanging it by the loops in a closet.
3. Stuffing it loosely in a storage bag. 

B.  The best way to clean your sleeping bag is to follow these simple instructions:

Machine Wash

Wash only in commercial heavy duty, front-loading, tumble-type machine set on "gentle" cycle. These are the machines usually found at laundry mats. Wash in warm water with mild soap, detergent, or specialty bag cleaning solution (for example, McNett X-Treme™ wash) with the bag zipper closed. Dry by hanging over a clothesline or in a commercial front load tumble-type dryer set on "cold air only". 

Hand Wash

Hand wash in warm water with a mild soap, detergent, or specialty bag cleaning solution (for example, McNett X-Treme™ wash).

Rinse thoroughly in warm water until all the soap is removed.

Dry by hanging over a clothesline or in a commercial front load tumble-type dryer set on "cold air only".

NOTE: To avoid damage to the washing machine and your bag, do not use agitator or plunger type machines.

Down Bags

Sleeping bags made with down insulation should be:

Hand washed in mild soap such as Woolite® or McNett Thunder Down™ Cleaner. After washing, hang the bag to dry, periodically shaking it to loosen the wet down. Or, have it dry cleaned by a professional familiar with down products.

Portable Camp Kitchen Boxes

Portable Camp Kitchen Boxes

Your camp kitchen or chuck box is the secret to a great camping trip. 

Here's what a good camp kitchen box does for you:

1. provides compact storage of your camp kitchen gear and equipment.
2. provides extra work surfaces for cooking, cleaning, and food preparation.
3. gives you extra utility features.

 Here's what a camp kitchen means to you:

1. the getting ready to go hassle is practically eliminated.
2. you won't forget key items anymore.
3. it's easy for you to go camping more often. 

Your camp kitchen box is the heart of your outdoor kitchen.

 Why: The basic requirement for a camp box, chuck box, patrol box or grub box is that it stores your camp kitchen. It's a central place to keep your various camp kitchen items. This keeps you from searching around for eating and cooking utensils, spices (e.g. salt and pepper) and other necessary camping items each time you go camping. Any type container will work; even a cardboard box, but a sturdy, inexpensive plastic container provides the added features of easy stacking and a water proof seal.  You could even build one from plywood and include extra storage compartments. You can find plans for a camp kitchen box here http://www.u-bild.com/projects-outdoor/213.htm 

If you are a real camping buff, you soon learn that it's not enough just to have all the kitchen equipment.  You also need work surfaces for cooking, cleaning, and food preparation. A good camping kitchen box will also give you an extra work surface, and if you build it yourself, you can have extra surfaces and/or utility features for your camp kitchen set-up. These utility features help put things at your finger tips, which aids in food preparation and cooking.  Remember, food burns quickly. 

A well outfitted camping box reduces your camping checklist to just a few items, with the camping box being one of them.  This will help remove the stress and hassle of the “getting ready to go” camping struggle.  It will also help prevent you from forgetting any key items, because they are always stored in your camp box.  This will help make your camping trip much more enjoyable for everyone, especially the cook.

Camp Cooking Source Options

Camp Cooking Source Options

There are several “fire” source options for cooking while camping. 

Most campgrounds have a campfire grill for cooking with charcoal and/or wood at each site, some campers bring their own charcoal grill, and some campgrounds have a “fire ring” at the camp site for cooking over an open wood fire.  The campgrounds that offer this “fire ring” option of open flame cooking generally sell split firewood for this purpose. 

Campers can also bring either a propane or white gas camp stove with them to cook their meals.  These stoves are generally lightweight and easy to handle.  The propone bottles or white gas are often available at the campground store, at most outfitters, many sporting goods stores, and in the sporting goods section of most big box stores.  This option is generally the quickest and easiest fire source for camp cooking. 

And, of course, most RVs and self-contained Campers have a gas/electric stove on which to cook you camp meals.

 Camp cooking and the meals enjoyed at camp are two of the best sources for life long camping memories.  So, however you choose to cook your food, the options for great tasting camp meals are limitless.  Experience the challenges of camp cooking and enjoy the wonderful taste of camp cooked food!  

General Tips for Tent Care

General Tips for Tent Care

1. Use a ground cloth or “foot-print” under the tent whenever possible. If you choose, purchase a pre-cut size made for your tent.  If not, trace the tent on the ground cloth material your will using and cut it smaller than the tent footprint itself to avoid having it act as a water collector. Ground cloths are easier and less expensive to replace than torn tent floors.
2. Try not to wear shoes inside your tent.
3. If you are using a cot inside the tent, place a small pad under each cot leg.  Pads cut from old carpeting work great.
4. Bring a small rug or mat to put by the tent door to wipe off mud and catch sand.
5. Sweep the tent floor daily to prevent damage from stones and other debris.
6. Do not keep food inside the tent, especially in bear country. Hungry critters will chew through the tent fabric in search of a snack.