A Camping Holidays can be a wonderful experience for the whole family.
Hitching your tent
1. Try and set up camp in daylight- you'll avoid unpleasant surprises like ant's nests.
2. Level, firm ground is important but don't select the lowest ground because water will pool there when it rains. Avoid dried mud - these are the first places to get boggy when it rains.
3. Don't camp under trees with large boughs, especially gums. Often called " widows makers," they tend to snap in strong winds and lightning strikes.
4. Set up a sun shelter by rigging a tarp off the side of your tent.This is also a good rain shelter, provides extra cooking space and a place to leave gear.
What to take
5. A first aid kit is a must-have for any camping trip.
6. Don't rely on wood being available; always carry a fuel stove.
7. Take a gas or fuel lantern; it makes preparing the evening meal and getting ready for bed easier.
8. Take a doormat; it's great for removing sand and soil before entering the tent.
Around the campfire
9. Build your fire on bed of sand or dirt away from logs or stumps and vegetation. Clear away any material that could catch fire.
10. Be careful what you burn. Plastics can give off noxious fumes and aerosols and sealed containers can explode.
11. Put your fire out each night by covering it with sand or dirt or dousing it with water.
12. To save water, use moist baby wipes or wet ones for quick clean-ups or for washing hands.
Now you're cooking
13. The key to camp cooking is to keep it simple. Plan your meals in advance. If heading for remote areas, take too much rather than too little.
14. Minimize messy washing up with wrap-up meals.Tortillas taste great and make handy plates!
15. Try mess-freee eggs on an open fire; cut an orange in half and eat the pulp. Then crack an egg into the orange skin and place it in the embers until the egg turns white.
