Tuesday 8 December 2015

Set Up Camp

Setting up a good camp is more than just unpacking your gear and randomly arranging all your camping equipment. You will save yourself time and extra effort, if you follow a few basic rules.


Instructions


Set Up Camp


1. Unpack all large gear such as tents, tables, and chairs. Unpacking these things first will help you keep everything orderly and clean. Additionally, at this time set up any tarps you intend to use.


2. Set up the tent. If camping near a river or lake, set the tent up on slightly elevated ground and not too close to the water. This will help protect the tent in case of sudden flooding. Tents should be pitched on smooth, level ground whenever possible. It may be necessary to use a camp shovel or rake to smooth the ground before setting up the tent. Pitch the tent prior to unloading bedding and other items that will go in the tent, so you can unload the items directly into the tent, rather than on the ground. This also saves you an extra step. You are unpacking, setting up the tent, and then moving your items a second time into the tent.


3. Establish the cooking area. This may include digging a small fire pit, if you are going to have a campfire. The cooking area should be at a safe distance from the sleeping area. There are two reasons for this. The obvious reason is to avoid catching the tent on fire from a stray campfire ember. The less obvious reason is to keep animals and insects from being attracted to the sleeping area. This is also why you should never store food in a tent used for sleeping.


4. Set up the eating area. The eating area should be close to the cooking area, of course, but not too close, especially if you are cooking over an open fire. If possible, set up the eating area upwind of the cooking area. You can always change it, if the wind changes direction.


5. Designate a bathroom area. As you can guess, this should be at a distance from the rest of the camp and should be a distance from the shore as well, so you don’t pollute the water.

Tags: cooking area, distance from, eating area, area should, area This