Camping Gear Know How 101
Today, there are so many variations to the term camping gear that you can literally stock up to make the great outdoors your home away from home. Just walk into a camping store today and you will see camping gear designed for every need. There are, of course, the necessities, such as tents, sleeping bags, and even canteens to hold water. Roughing It Smoothly Today, though, there are more pieces of camping gear that make roughing it very easy, such as camping stoves, heaters, air conditioners, televisions, radios, and more. Never before has camping become so...comfortable. Just step into your local camping store and you will see the large selection of camping gear available for consumers today. Camping used to mean roughing it in the great outdoors. It was probably just you, your tent, your sleeping bag and maybe some hotdogs that you roasted over the fire using a long stick. However, times have changed. If you wanted, you could stock up and live in the woods for as long as you wanted. Yet some would say that stocking up on all that camping gear takes all the fun out of camping. They would say that camping is about roughing it, about leaving the comfort of home behind to live as our ancestors did—off the land with none of the comforts that we enjoy today. Yet there are still those who want to be comfortable while also camping. These people would say that you can still rough it and be comfortable. Just escaping their everyday hectic lives, they would say, is what camping is all about. The truth is, it’s all up to the camper on how much stuff they want to haul into the great outdoors with them. But how much is too much? (article continued below ...)
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TENTS; Aside from weight, fabric is the most important element in tent cost, and the major key to quality. A thread count of 130 means that, per square inch, there are about 70 threads running one way, 60 the other. The higher the thread count and the lower the fabric weight (expressed in oz. per sq. yd.), the better the tent will hold out the elements. Many tent fabrics are treated in much the same way a raincoat is treated to further resist water. This adds a little to weight. Construction quality features include lap-felled or French seams (providing four layers), preferable to less-costly flat seams, which are not as good at keeping out water. Areas where guy ropes and poles attach should be reinforced with heavy webbed tape backing to keep loops from ripping out of the tent in a heavy wind. A top-quality tent will have either pressed-on metal grommets or sewn-in rings where poles or stakes fit. PUP TENTS Popular with Scouts, pack campers, etc., pup tents are designed only for sleeping, and hold one or two persons. Size is limited, with a base about 5' x 7' and a height of only 3'6" to 4'. Better-quality pup tents have sewn-in floors and come in one-piece construction. The lowest priced are simply one or two pieces of canvas, two poles and some pegs. EXTERIOR FRAME TENTS The cabin style tent with exterior frame construction has more room than an umbrella tent and is easy to set up. The exterior frames afford more interior room and easier set up. These are available in a variety of sizes to fit camping needs. The umbrella tent, which requires a center post and ribs extending like umbrella ribs, has been improved with exterior frame design. ICE CHESTS The best ice chests offer trays and dividers. Foam chests are usually inexpensive promotional lines and should not be sold to persons who are looking for a longer useful life. Guides to quality in foam chests are weight, handle installation, ribbed bottoms. All-metal or better plastic chests should have a spout for draining off water created by melting ice blocks or cubes. Handles on both ends for easy mobility are essential, as is a secure latch. COOK STOVES Propane and white (unleaded) gasoline are commonly used fuels. Propane has the advantage of simplicity, but costs more. Gasoline stoves require the camper to pump air pressure in the fuel tank-a potential drawback. A butane cartridge stove simplifies fuel problems, but is not as powerful as propane or white gas stoves LANTERNS Besides battery-operated lighting devices, there are three major fuels used for camp lighting- propane, gasoline and kerosene. Gasoline lanterns are available in unleaded types, in both single- and double-mantle sizes. They require pumping up pressure as with a camp stove. Most will burn 10 to 12 hours on one fuel refill, although they will require re-pumping of pressure several times during that period. Propane lanterns are simple to use and require no pumping. The fuel is readily available. Wick type Kerosene is usually the least satisfactory. It tends to give uneven, flickering, yellowish light. With that said I like the mantle type kerosene lantern it gives a very good light but requires preheating with alcohol. SLEEPING BAGS By regulation, even a bag tagged "100 percent down" may have up to 15 percent feathers or fibers. Any lesser percentage must be on the label, such as "75/25", meaning 75 percent down, 25 percent feathers. Better quality sleeping bags are made of goose or duck down-extremely expensive. "Loft" is a trade term for fluffiness. This marks the difference in insulating materials. Northern goose has the best loft, retaining its shape almost indefinitely, even after repeated crushing. It's costly and can't be washed. Sleeping bags can be dry cleaned if properly aired out after the cleaning process. Some solvents used in dry cleaning give off poisonous fumes and could be dangerous to the user if the fumes become trapped in the sleeping bag. The more insulating material, the better the sleeping bag. Insulating fabrics made of Dacron 88, Holofil II, DuPont Fiberfill II, Permaloft, Acryloft and DN500 can closely equal goose down's loft, insulating ability and light weight. They are less expensive, washable and non-allergenic. Most bags are machine washable and dryable. It's best to check manufacturer's cleaning instructions. Buy Only What You Need When it comes to camping gear, there is something out there for everyone. It all depends on the person’s definition of roughing it. However, if you want the true camping experience, only take with you what you’ll use and that means the necessities: Food, water and shelter. After that, any camping gear you take is extra. While you may think you need all that camping gear, just remember that you’re going to have to lug it around everywhere once you get to where you’re going. When you step into your local camping store and you see all of the camping gear that’s available to you, it’s very easy to stock up on everything you think you need. However, it’s not until you are actually camping that reality tends to set in. It’s not until you are out in the woods that you may realize that you brought entirely too much stuff. Just remember, the more stuff you take, the more stuff you have to carry. While it may seem as though you will need all of that camping gear when you’re in the store, you’ll probably only end up using half of it, or even less. The trick is to carry only the camping gear you think you’ll use. Buy Quality Camping Gear Quality and performance are important in camping gear. You need to be sure the camping equipment will not fail miles from help.
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