Many people are turning to camping as an inexpensive vacation this year. But to ensure you have a fun and enjoyable time, remember these do’s and don’ts.

Do’s

1) Have Fun – Enjoy being with your family and friends spent quality time together. Remember the important things in life and make memories with those you love.

2) Plan your Meals and Snacks Ahead of Time – Planning what you and your campers will eat for each meal and which night will ensure you have enough food for your camping trip. Always pack some canned goods and some peanut butter in case you need some extra food.

3) Use a Checklist – When packing for your camping trip, do use a checklist to make sure you bring all the items you will need. You don’t want to get out camping and find out you forgot the tent, sleeping bags, shoes, warm clothes, or pillows.

Don’ts

1) Don’t forget the bug spray – Nothing will ruin a good time camping faster than getting eaten alive by bugs.

2) Don’t leave your campfire when still hot – It is extremely important to extinguish your campfire properly before you go to bed for the night or leave your campsite.

3) Don’t Litter – Remember to pack you trash out with you. Mom always told you to leave a place better than when you found it. Apply this to your campsite and don’t leave trash, cans, or bottles in the forest. So, remember to follow these do’s and don’ts to make your next camping trip a fun and enjoyable one.

by Rhonda Percell

Tags: bed, bug, campers, campfire, Camping, cans, checklist, ENJOY, family, food, foresttrash, fun, important, litter, meals, need, night, quality, snacks, spray, tent, trip

So, what’s our experience you want to know? Whom are we to tell you what to do about camping?

Instead of asking more questions, read the entire article and by the time you are finished you will have all the answers.

Before you go anywhere, decide what kind of camping experience you want. Are you looking for real rugged, outdoors along with bears? Then choose most of the Pennsylvania State Parks. Looking for more civilized camping, try the New York State Parks.

FIRST, TOTAL ESSENTIALS for comfortable camping (in state parks):

• Know that camping inside a state park is no safer than camping or living anywhere else in the country.
• So, security, health and safety should be on your mind before you begin your trip.
• As a beginner, you will do well by first calling the state parks office and asking for a map of the place and any or all brochures of the campsites. You can find this information online also at the park’s websites.
• IF this is your first time camping out, take a buddy, and also choose a campsite that is closest to the park office (if there is one) and closest to the bathrooms, showers or soda machines. (Some sites have those).
• Look at the map and note whether there are bathrooms or outhouses (Yes, there are some that still have outhouses, i.e. in Pennsylvania and in Ohio). Choose what you like and then select your park or campsite.
• Research the temperature of the climate that you will be visiting; check for upcoming storms and bad weather . PLAN your trip.
• INQUIRE about the park’s regulations on animals. (You can find out if you can bring a pet or not).
• Do not bring any pets, even if allowed into certain country campsites (where there might be wildlife). You risk your pet getting diseases and you risk your pet getting eaten, maimed or killed. You also attract bears by bringing pets into the campsites. (Some campsites have bears because they are in the middle of game lands or in the middle of vast state parks).
• IF you must bring a pet, bring a kennel, minimal wet food, and bring gear to dispose of the food and waste. (Leave no trace)!
• If you want a campsite that has it’s own library (in camp season), visit Wildwood State Park in New Jersey.
• If you want a real wilderness experience, visit most of the Pennsylvania state parks.
• If you want “civilized” camping, (with real showers, restrooms, electricity to charge your phones, water spigots at campsites) try Hecksher State Park in Long Island, New York.
• If you want to feel like you have been to HEAVEN-on earth- make your reservation nine months in advance and reserve your spot at Hither Hills State Park in the Hamptons, New York. This place is every bit worth the wait and the preparation. (Bring zip lock bags and waterproof bags because this is the wettest campsite around – just a few feet from our ocean). We woke up in the morning and found EVERYTHING damp – money soaked, etc, even though we camped 30 feet from the ocean and the ocean never touched out campsite. The moisture in this place is unbelievable. (If you bring electronics here – your phone, etc, bring a water bucket and store your electronics in there to keep them dry.

Those, listed above, are just the basics.

Other things to prepare for. What if it rains? You can buy a small tarp at the dollar store or at any hardware store. Place this tarp over your tent if it rains. Most tents are not waterproof and even the ones that advertise that can be a little wet in a bad storm.

THINGS TO KEEP YOU DRY:

1. Old, clean shower curtains.
2. Tarps.
3. Old, clean plastic table cloths.
4. Rain ponchos (as opposed to rain coats). Ponchos , large ones can double as tent cover.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Keep food OUT of the tent at all times. This gives you good camping background training. Even if you are camping out in a place where there is no wildlife, get into the habit of eating OUTSIDE and far from your tent. Then when you do camp out where there are bears, you already have good camping habits. Besides, keeping food out is the same as keeping uncovered food out of your bedroom. You do not want to attract bugs or other creatures that might be hiding anywhere in the building or anywhere outdoors.
• At Hecksher State Park, you might find unwelcome visitors (little people) trying to come in your tent when you are gone (to the pool, etc), so bring along “cable ties” and use them to lock your tent up while you are away . Cut the ties with a manicure scissor or small wire cutter when you return. You can purchase cable ties anywhere in most cities. This cable tie lets you know if anyone has “visited” your campsite while you were away. If the cable tie is broken when you get back, fully inspect your tent for rips, bugs and other creatures that might have entered while your tent was being visited. It is important to check for spiders in this campsite. Spiders are rampant all over Hecksher. You see them when you take the fly off of your tent before leaving. You will view unbelievable collections of spiders under and near your tent.
• When camping with kids or camping and using ‘gear” – baseballs etc. Set up a tiny ‘gear tent”. You can buy a child’s tent for under twelve dollars. By storing gear in this separate tent, you save wear and tear on your regular tent’s zipper and also keep the tent CLOSED to all the insects and other things around the campsite. You will sleep better at night knowing that your main tent zipper was only opened a few times as opposed to having the door opened continuously all day to get “gear” out. This saves the floor of your tent also.
• If you are determined to have a dry tent in a very rainy season or wet campsite. Put a large TARP on the floor of your tent. This will keep most of the floor dry and will make you happy.
• Many people use TARPS on the outside of the tent, under the tent, so they have no messy mud on the bottom of the tent when they are ready to pack up. (YOU can have mud on the floor bottom, underneath, even if it is not raining outside; so use the tarps). IF You use the outdoors tarp under your tent, the tarp must be SMALLER than the bottom of the tent. You do not want any of the tarp sticking outside the tent on the floor. If that happens, all the rain will pool in the small bits of tarp that show and the rain will seep underneath your entire tent.

VITALLY IMPORTANT:

If you are camping at a NEW place for the first time and you have children or babies that you are bringing on this camping trip – PLAN a trip BEFORE your regular camping trip and go there without the children or babies. Camp there alone first.

We did this once, just as a precaution. We didn’t know anything about Hecksher and we went camping there first before we planned to take children there. Good Plan!!

What we discovered is that this particular state park is the QUEEN of Mosquito Heaven! Within less then 20 minutes that we were there, we had mosquito bites all over our body. (This doesn’t happen at all parks. Hecksher is notorious for mosquitoes and spiders.

So, on the regular trip with the kids, we took lots of repellent and we knew what to do .

So, when camping ANYWHERE with children, visit the site yourself first–without bringing the kids, just in case there is something that you should know about that particular camping site.

Wherever you camp, these things are essential:

• water-tight bags, water proof bags
• flashlights, batteries, or solar flashlights
• plastic bucket or pail
• soap and disinfectant
• bug spray
• tarps/ tent /tarp
• and other camping basics (Read our other articles about camping)
• Water and or the ability to find or locate water (pack iodine water-purifying pills if you can)
• by Linda Lin

Tags: budget, camp, campers, Camping, camping gear, checklist, children, comfort, cooking, ENJOY, family, Fishing, food, fun, gear, good, Hiking, kids, light, nature, outdoors, tent, trip, vacation, water, wilderness, wonderful

Tags: beautiful. sure, boat, bustle, camping. fishing, city, cookers, currently, ENJOY, favorite, fun, hot, house, launch. water. stream, life, maintained, motor, park, plate, reservoir, tent. spot. campsites, trails, trout. home, wife

Camping food for many people has come to mean granola, oatmeal, and more granola. Camping food can range anywhere from veggies or hot dogs – great for roasting over an open fire – to a steak-and-baked-potato dinner and one-pot meals. Freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because you don’t have to keep it cold to avoid spoiling. Camping food such as Mountain House Brand or Backpackers Country brands can be a very convenient way to eat. Camping food benefits include your meals can be already. Camping food downsides include cost as meals can be more expensive, and you can lose your creativity for cooking while camping.

Camping Food Recipes

A search of the internet will turn up many online cookbooks and recipes submitted by people interested in camp cooking and are free for you to download. Things to consider when researching camp recipes include cooking for different travelers on different days, planning for large groups, planning for partial trip days, different guests eating different meals, large and small appetites, storage for ingredients, and much more.

Do not overlook soup recipes for camping and other meals that require only one pot or pan, so you can pack light, eat well and enjoy your camping trip.

You can create yummy gourmet meals with a little understanding of grilling and adapting recipes to the grill. You should learn how to adapt regular recipes to grill cooking, too, and you’ll see that you can create some mighty tasty gourmet recipes that taste like you’ve spent hours preparing them.

Family Camping Food Ideas For Children

Children love to get involved, and the beauty of camping is that the recipes are usually simple, easy and fun. The kids will enjoy them even more if you let them modify the camp recipes and have some cooking fun. Before your next family camping trip, gather up some kid-friendly camping recipes. Camping dessert recipes are fun and easy for kids to make, and the whole family enjoys eating them.

Camping Meal Planning

Meals should be planned around the “core” entry but like buying a car it’s the extras that make it more enjoyable. Meals should be made as simple as possible. Meals or soups in a cup are definitely convenient foods but they may be too bulky for many backpackers and campers. Meals take more time to prepare at the campground but it’s also one of the jobs that everyone seems to want to help out with. Meals around the campfire are just as much the centre of camping life as meals around the kitchen bench at home.

Freeze-dried Camping Food

A quick search of the web turns up numerous companies producing freeze-dried foods for backpacking, including many vegetarian options. One of the best types of camping food is freeze-dried food or dehydrated food. Nowadays, people climbing the Himalayas, exploring the Poles, competing in offshore races, canoe folks and all kinds of travelers and globetrotters take very light freeze-dried food with them, which in extreme conditions can be made eatable by adding water acquired from snow or even sea water after desalination. Dehydrated or freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because it doesn’t have to be kept cold to avoid spoiling. Camping, backpacking, or hiking food that’s freeze-dried or dehydrated can reduce weight by sixty to ninety percent. With a little creativity it’s easy to make meals better-tasting and healthier than freeze-dried astronaut meals!

With some tasty camping food in your pack, you can make sure you won’t go hungry. Take easy to carry, high energy camping food to fuel your expeditions and outdoor adventures. If you’re used to eating at gourmet restaurants, no matter what type of camping food you pack you’ll probably be disappointed but you’ll still have fun. You’ll also want to consider animal and/or bear resistant camping food containers especially if you’re going to bear country. Please check the local area for suggestions on camping food storage and how to deal with trash. Good camping food is easy, light-weight, and served hot quickly.

by Alison Stevens

Tags: backpacking, baked, brand, camp, campers, campfire, Camping, children, cold, cookbooks, cooking, dehydrated, dinner, easy, energy, ENJOY, enjoyable, family, food, freeze, fuel, good, grilling, Hiking, hot, jobs, kids, light, meals, mountain, poles, tasting, time, trip

As November passes quickly, it is time to start thinking about buying Christmas gifts. Here’s a primer on unique Christmas gift ideas for people who like to go camping.

Unique Camping Gifts

Camping enthusiasts love to get away from the rat race and just take in the majesty of Mother Nature. If you’re shopping for  person that likes to go camping, here are a few unique camping gift ideas.

1. National Parks Pass – Some of the best camping locations are in the United States National Parks system. Yosemite, Glacier Park and so on provide simply stunning scenery and absolutely tremendous camping opportunities. The National Park Pass grants admission to all of the National Parks for one year. The National Parks Pass costs $49.99. 80 percent of the proceeds go to the preservation of the parks.

2. Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker – This cool little gadget lets you make ice cream on the fly while camping. In the form of a plastic ball, you simply add rock salt and ice to one end and provided ice cream to the other. Seal it up and start rolling it around like a soccer ball. Before you know it, you’ll have ice cream. This very cool gadget will run you $30.

3. Fold Away Food Covers – While getting back to nature is a blast, insects become annoying. The Fold Away Food Covers act as a little tent you can put over food to keep the little buggers off. The covers fold up and easily stored making them the ideal camping accessories. Coghlan’s covers are the best. You’ll spend $5 or so for the covers, a very small price for keeping food insect free.

4. Nomad Camping Journals – A little self-promotion here. Nomad Camping Journals are compact writing journals that let campers keep notes and a record of their camping trips. Really great for creating a record of who was on the trip, how the trip went, other places to try and so on. The camping journals are great keepsakes for adults and something to do for kids during down times. As the trips add up over the years, you’ll enjoy reading about past trips. You can use a three ring binder to make notes about your trip and maps and fees (for the budget)

Camping is a great way to escape the chaos of daily life and provides plenty of gift buying ideas. Get out there and enjoy the world!

by Richard Chapo

Tags: budget, buggar, Camping, chaos, covers, ENJOY, escape, food, gadget, gift, ice, ideas, insect, kids, life, maps, nature, nomad, notes, park, person, places, record, run, tent, times, trip, trips, world

A wonderful way to invest in your families’ treasure trove of memories is by spending time in the great outdoors. Camping trips can be an excellent tradition that your family will look forward to and in time, look back upon with fond memories.

Whether you plan to camp at the same place every year or seek out new places doesn’t matter as camping is always filled with new adventures. Your family might have a favorite place you go to every year mixed with a new spot you select together for another weekend or extended holiday during the year. There are so many national parks to explore; your options really are quite limitless.

Camping doesn’t have to be an overly expensive expenditure. Again this all depends on how you’ll be camping. Camping in a tent carries a completely different dynamic than camping in a fully equipped camper. Camping in a tent is also relatively inexpensive. Perhaps the camper is something you’ll decide to invest in after a few years of tent camping, then again there are some who prefer to only go tent camping. There’s something to be said about the rustic quality of sleeping in a tent, you can hike to far off remote spots where you couldn’t get to with a camper in tow.

Regardless of how you’ll be camping you’ll want to have the proper camping gear and accessories. First off you want to have the best tent and sleeping bags you can possibly afford. As your tent will be your home away from home for your trip and your sleeping bag will keep you warm and covered for those long nights under the stars (there are tents available that have mesh roofs for star gazing, of coarse if it starts to rain, you can just cover it up with your tent fly), you’ll want to be sure that both these items keep you appropriately covered so to speak.

Next you’ll want to have proper camp accessories; a trustworthy camp stove, a lantern, flashlights, a first aid kit, tarp, cooking and eating utensils, a little axe (for chopping firewood, also doubles as a hammer for hammering in tent pegs), some rope (for clothes lines and securing tarp), and cooler. Along with your sleeping bag you’ll want to remember comfy pillows (unless your backpacking then you might want a convenient inflatable pillow) and very importantly a good sleep pad. An uncomfortable sleep experience on hard ground may steer you off tent camping altogether, so come prepared, a good sleeping pad is worth its weight in gold. A good idea to help you remember all these items is the camping check list.

It’s a good idea to store your camp gear in some plastic containers. This way it’s all in one place (with your camp list included), so when it’s time to pack up and go camping you can go through the containers making any necessary additions needed. It’s very important to check that all your equipment is properly maintained and cared for; there is nothing worse than getting to your destination and finding that your camp stove is not working. You’ll also want to be sure that your camp fuel supply is replenished and you have extra batteries (for flashlights, lanterns or radios).

One of the best things about the whole camping experience is the food. Now depending on where you’re camping and what time of year it is, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to do some of your cooking around the campfire. During dry seasons there may be fire restrictions due to forest fire concerns, if that’s the case you’ll do all your cooking atop your camping stove. Every meal always seems to taste a bit better when you’re camping, it might have something to do with all the fresh air, or maybe all the fun activity builds up you’re appetite, either way you’ll want to bring along some family favorites. For dinner maybe some grilling of the families select choices, accompanied by some corn on the cob and potatoes wrapped in tin foil cooked on the coals with a nice salad and later for dessert smores (marshmallow and a slice of chocolate sandwiched between two graham wafers), add to that some hot chocolate before bed and that’s a night of food to dream about.

The activities (or lack of activities) will also make your camping trip one to remember. Hiking, kayaking, cycling and sailing might be on your agenda. Most parks offer excellent groomed hiking trails. Research in advance the area you will be visiting to know what activities will be available, you may be able to rent a kayak and take a lesson at the same time. Many areas also offer great bike trails that the family can cycle on together. A late night walk is among favorite suggestions; you can check out the stars and just listen to the silence.

Bring along a book you’ve wanted to read or some magazines. Games are another excellent pastime, a deck of cards or a board game might be some fun. Of course you can always bring along some baseball gloves and a ball for a game of catch. Soccer balls, badminton rackets and a net or volleyball and net all make for a fun day at the park.

If your family has little one’s you’ll be presented with a whole new challenge. Depending on the ages of your babies or toddlers you’ll want to pack some extra conveniences. There are excellent baby back carriers available allowing you to hike all sorts of terrain with baby in tow while keeping your back feeling comfortable, as well there are a numerous variety of baby strollers to select from which are great for using on trails. For toddlers you may want to bring a playpen to keep baby safe. You can never bring too many toys; the more your child has to keep them entertained you can rest assure they will be more content.

Be prepared for weather changes by bringing along extra clothing. Most likely you will be camping in the warmer spring, summer and fall months. It’s wise to remember however that the evenings can often get quite cool. Bring along heavy sweaters or extra jackets for added warmth, it can never hurt to bring along a couple of extra blankets for comfort beside the fire (or for use at a day picnic). Rain wear is another excellent addition to your camping wardrobe. With good quality rain jackets, hats, rain pants and boots you can take advantage of the rainy weather and actually go out for a hike rather than staying inside the tent or worse yet ending your camp trip all together.

Camping certainly has its challenges. Knowing what to bring and having the proper equipment and accessories is the first hurtle. Once you arrive at your destination and set up you want to keep everyone as comfortable and happy as possible, whether it’s keeping the kids occupied without the use of video games or cooking a surefire dinner. Rest assured that after your first couple of trips when you find out what everyone enjoys doing and you realize all you like to include on your trip, you will certainly add camping to your families list of favorite excursions and traditions. The wonderful thing about camping is its always different, perhaps the site is different or the campground you selected is unique to the last you stayed at, whatever the difference is it always seems to be an adventure that the whole family can enjoy.

by Valerie Gilesfond,

Tags: accompanied, activities, activity, appetite, axe, babies, beside, best, blankets, book, boots, camper, campfire, Camping, cards, carries, challenges, check, chocolate, chopping, clothes, coals, cob, comfort, comfy, convenient, corn, deck, destination, different, dream, dynamic, ending, ENJOY, equipped, everyone, excellent, expenditure, expensive, experience, extra, families, favorite, food, forward, fully, fun, games, gear, great, grilling, groomed, hammer, happy, hats, Hiking, holiday, hurt, hurtle, importantly, invest, jackets, kayaking, kids, knowing, lanterns. radios, late, lines, list, marshmallow, memories, never, new, nice, night, often, outdoors, pad, pants, park, parks, PICNIC, pillows, plan, playpen, potatoes, proper, quality, quite, rain, rainy, rather, remote, replenished, rest, rope, rustic, sailing, salad, seek, select, sleeping, spending, stars, stove, strollers, supplies, sweaters, tarp, taste, terrain, time, toddlers, together, toys, tradition, trails, treasure, trips, trove, utensils, video, warmth, weather, whole, wonderful, worse, year

Tags: activities, additional, adventures, adventurous, available, avoid, bag, bearings, bubble, Camping, capability, cargo, carry, cause, choosing, chores, circumstances, cycle. demands, designed, dressed, effectively, ENJOY, enough, enveloping, especially, exhaust, few, front, fun, garden, gas, great, handle, headaches, help, household, kind, lesser, lifestyle, light, maintenance, maneuvering, manuals, motor, neighborhood, occasions, ordinary, outdoor, parts, preferences, readily, replace, road, saddle, sense, space, specifications, supplies, terrain, time, tips, tire, trailer, trips, type, unexpected, weighs, wider

How often do you go camping? Don’t you ever crave that break from the big city, smog, and crowds of people? I know I do. There are times when I can hardly stand the hectic atmosphere of small towns. I like an occasional break from the madness. That is why my family and I enjoy a camping adventure in the great outdoors. Just the family, some simple camping supplies, plenty of food, and we’re good to go. What do you bring along on your wilderness outings? Maybe you enjoy family camping tents to keep the rain off your heads and mosquitoes out of your face. These days there are just so many options to choose from when it comes to camping equipment. The right equipment can actually make you want to stay away camping longer.

One thing I always enjoyed as a child was camping with the family. While we eventually upgraded to an actual pop up camper, I can still remember the fun times with family camping tents. You know, the huge ones that sleep like eight people. Our family camping tent was fourteen feet long and had two huge rooms! I always loved those things as a kid. You could sneak in there before everyone else did, and pretend it was your own little home. That was great fun. Things seem so huge when you’re a small child.

These days I watch my daughters have a blast with family camping tents when we head out for a weekend with Mother Nature. My daughters love to pretend the tent is their castle and no one can enter. There’s just something to be said about the old-school family camping tents. Actually, I shouldn’t say old anymore. Technology has certainly upgraded these awesome camping amenities. Family camping tents are constructed of high-quality materials, with the ability to withstand a variety of weather conditions. They are waterproof, windproof, bug-proof, and comfortable.

Are you loading up for that next big bout with the great outdoors? Maybe it’s time you took a gander at the modern family camping tents and supplies. Things are constantly changing and upgrading for the better. You might want to ditch that old tent your father passed along to you, and upgrade to a contemporary one. If you are searching for camping equipment and a variety of family camping tents, it is imperative to check out the internet. The internet not only has loads to offer when it comes to camping supplies, but you will also find the absolute best deals around.
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by Dean Novosa

Tags: absolute, around, best, BREAK, bug, Camping, child, city, comfortable, consantantly, contemporary, daughters, deals, ENJOY, equipment, family, FATHER, heads, huge, mosquitoes, nature, options, outdoors, proof, school, small, smog, supplies, tents, upgrade, weather, wilderness

Miriam Schmitz has recently retired and is currently running a new website called MMS Outdoor Fun with her husband which features quality camping equipment and supplies.This goes along with what the family loves to do.

You guessed it, camping.

by Miriam Schmitz

Tags: beautiful, better, bird, Camping, car, children, clothing, condition, different, driving, ENJOY, essential, families, fellow, forget, great, Hiking, history, hunting, life, meals, mind, natures, outdoors, people, rafting, remote, streams, stress, swimming, time, today, unwind, vacation, walking, weekend, wilderness

Primitive tent camping has been a great outdoor activity for hundreds of years. ATVs have only been around for about eighty years. ATV stands for All Terrain Vehicle and the first ATV was developed back in the 1930’s. It was a six-wheeled amphibious vehicle with three tires on each side. These first ATVs had no suspension other than what the tires offered and turned by disengaging the drive from one side or the other. The first utility 4 x 4 ATV was developed by Honda in 1986, the FourTrax TRX 350. The other manufacturers quickly followed suit, and the 4 x 4 utility ATV has remained the most popular type of ATV ever since. People quickly realized they could load their camping gear and supplies on the attached racks and head into the deep wilderness for an ATV camping adventure. First it was mainly hunters but soon others realized this exciting new camping adventure.

The first utility 4 x 4 ATVs had very harsh suspensions by today’s standards and very small load capacities. As technology improved, the suspensions got better and with the ability to handle the machine better, the engine sizes started to increase. When the 4 x 4 independent suspension was developed, the “Big Bore” engines quickly followed. The “Big Bore” utility 4 x 4 ATVs range from 500cc up to 960cc. These bigger ATVs have much larger load capacities than the original utility ATVs, enabling more camping gear and supplies including extra fuel. With the extra capacities, campers can go further into the wilderness. As technology has improved, the side by side UTVs (Utility Terrain Vehicle where the riders sit side by side) have improved and these allow even more load capacity.

One of the most obvious trends is the increased interest in ATVs and primitive tent camping. So when you combine the two you have ATV camping. With utility 4 x 4 ATVs people can get to deep wilderness camping sites faster and easier than full size vehicles. Utility 4 x 4 ATVs can carry more camping gear and supplies than backpacking and properly equipped can go further distances.
With this increased interest in ATVs comes increased carelessness. Statistics released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission show that in 2005, there were an estimated 136,700 injuries associated with ATVs. According to these statistics, the risk of injury in 2005 was 171.5 injuries per 10,000 four-wheel ATVs in use. The risk of death in 2004 was 1.1 deaths per 10,000 four-wheel ATVs in use.

In 1988, the All-terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI) was formed to provide proper training and education for ATV riders. The cost of attending the training is minimal and most manufacturers offer the training with the purchase of new ATVs. Some states require successful completion of this type of training by minor-age children before they are granted permission to ride on state land. Increased awareness of helmets and safety gear has had a positive effect.

Wilderness areas are shrinking by approximately 100,000 acres every year by the unmitigated growth of single-family housing and industry. Subsequently, Environmentalists criticize that excessive use of ATVs in the remaining wilderness areas is causing excessive erosion to the landscape. Others complain that ATVs produce excessive noise. ATV advocacy groups have been organized to purchase property or obtain permission of landowners, or both. Many US states now work with clubs to build and maintain trails suitable for ATV riding and educate ATV riders about responsible riding, safety gear and maintenance of their machines. Many states require ATVs to be registered and display proof of registration on the ATV. The income generated from gas taxes and registrations are used to develop more trails and to perform grooming and maintenance of existing trails.

Like everything else, people have to take responsibility for their own actions and not rely on the government and others to pick up after them. It only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch. One person riding carelessly without the proper knowledge, safety gear, or respect for the environment, ruins the sport for everyone. And when this same person gets hurt, they are usually blaming (suing) the manufacturer, the government or someone else. Everyone need to take responsibility for his or her own actions!

This applies equally to camping, ATVing, and enjoying our wilderness areas. Leave No Trace® and Tread Lightly!® means picking up after yourself and others. Leave your camping site the way you found it preferably better. Respect private property as well as nature itself. The message is simple: conserve our environment! Doing this ensures everyone will be able to enjoy ATV camping and the great outdoors for many years to come.

Education on ATVs and the proper selection of camping gear, supplies, and accessories for your application means a trouble free and enjoyable ATV camping experience. Each trip is unique and should be prepared as such. Take only what is required to be prepared for the occasion. When loading an ATV for a camping adventure pay close attention to the load capacities of the unit, load the unit effectively between front and rear racks without exceeding the manufacturers rated load capacity. Overloading your ATV can cause a tip hazard as well as possible damage to the unit. Try to keep your load as low as possible as this will help keep the center of gravity of the unit as low as possible. There are some nice aftermarket rack packs available that help keep things organized and waterproof.

ATV camping gear and supplies needs to be as lightweight as possible to minimize the wear and tear on the ATV, but most importantly for safety due to the more weight on the ATV the more the difference in handling the ATV is. The rider needs to understand the weight difference and the effect the extra weight has on handling, controlling and stopping the ATV. Freeze-dried food or MRE’s (Meal Ready to EAT) are great for ATV camping, as they are light and compact (don’t taste that bad either). ATV camping does not mean you cannot cook gourmet meals. There are many lightweight stoves and cooking utensils available along with several easy great tasting camping recipes.

Along with camping gear and supplies each ATVer should have at least a basic survival kit and a basic tool kit that should be carried at all times when riding. It is amazing what can be fixed with basic tools (adjustable wrench, combo screwdriver, multi-tool, small Vise-grips, safety wire, tire plug kit, and electrical tape).

ATV camping is really another version of primitive tent camping and one of the great things about ATV camping is the campsite location because with an ATV you can really get into the deep wilderness quickly. No crowded campgrounds out there. Just remember you are a visitor to the area, so minimize your impact on the environment and stay on existing trails. Plan your trip in advance and have maps of the area. Portable handheld GPS (Global Positioning System) units are great especially if you get lost. Always travel with a group, never alone. Breakdowns, flat tires, getting stuck, and accidents are all possibilities with this sport and having the extra help is a comforting feeling. Also there is always someone to tell the story.

Once you find the perfect wilderness campsite unload your camping gear and supplies. Setup your camp on durable surfaces and cooking areas on a non-vegetated area. Make sure you are aware of any fire restrictions for the area. Be aware of the wildlife that may be in the area. Make note of any landmarks around the campsite so you can find the campsite again after a ride or hike. With your campsite setup, you are free to ride your ATV, hike, fish, hunt (if in season), or just relax, after all this is camping, ATV style

by Kim Ha

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More and more women are learning to enjoy fishing each and every day. And, why not? Fishing is a sport that doesn’t require exceptional strength, stamina or height – quite the contrary, fishing is a sport of agility, finesse and patience, skills many women already possess. So why don’t more women fish?

Successful fishing requires knowledge of various types of fishing gear, tackle, and an understanding of the quarry. Fish have a variety of feeding habits, behavioral patterns, etc. and these characteristics influence how to go about fishing for them.

Traditionally, men learned how to fish when they were boys from fathers and grandfathers. Even if this training was lacking, it’s no big deal for a guy to hang out with other guys who enjoy fishing and learn the ropes from them.

For a woman, though, the process is apt to be somewhat more difficult. In my family of all girls, we learned the thrill of fishing as children from our father. Fortunately for us, our dad was an “equal-opportunity” fisherman…and he was a very patient man.

We learned to bait our own hooks, remove fish from the line, and clean the fish as well. We were rewarded with many an enjoyable Sunday on the lake competing for top family fishing honors of who caught the most and the biggest fish.

For women who weren’t brought up fishing as I was, all is certainly not lost. Although learning from a boyfriend or spouse is not out of the question, a significant other may not be the best place to get your first fishing pointers.

Your honey may not have the patience that you will need to learn proper fishing technique and he may be a bit condescending as well…not exactly conducive to an enjoyable learning experience.

Try instead local women’s fishing clubs. Check online for groups in your area that are specifically organized by and for women. Many groups are primarily centered on fly-fishing but not all are.

Also see if your community college or local university offers any fishing courses. Often fishing classes are offered in the adult education, physical education or recreation departments.

Of course, you can also start at your local library, checking out books on fishing and learning a few basic techniques that way.

Your local fishing outfitter or marina may have more information as well and would also be a good place for information and to network with other fishing women.

Another option is to go online and search for websites catering to women and the outdoors or, more specifically, women and fishing. One such website is www.ladiesletsgofishing.com.

Founded by Betty Bauman of Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 1997, LLGF “promotes networking among women anglers and emphasizes mentorship between novice and experienced members.”

Other groups, both national and state, promote fishing for women. There are seminars, fishing adventures and special fishing events scheduled year-round in many areas of the country which are organized especially for women anglers.

Yet another reason fishing is a great hobby for women is because beginning your fishing experiences need not be prohibitively expensive. Especially when compared to other hobbies, start-up costs for spin or bait-casting fishing equipment are not tremendously high. Generally speaking, $200 or less can buy more than enough basic quality fishing gear for a beginner to get started. To start up a fly-fishing hobby will cost a bit more as the gear tends to be more expensive.

This, of course, doesn’t include a boat! But, many fishing locations can be reached without a boat. Again, do your research to find areas accessible by car.

More women should consider fishing for an enjoyable and challenging hobby. Learning the basics of fishing is easy but perfecting those angling skills can take many hours of sometimes peaceful and sometimes extremely exciting time at the other end of a line

by E. A. Edwards

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