Caroline Mills - The Camping Pocket Bible

THE

CAMPING
POCKET BIBLE

CAROLINE MILLS

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The Camping Pocket Bible

Caroline Mills

This first edition is published in 2011 by Crimson Publishing

Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND

Crimson Publishing, 2011

Epub edition 2011 ISBN: 978-1-907087-63-9

The author Caroline Mills has asserted her moral rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Crimson Publishing ebooks.

Epub file created by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay

Its a late summers evening, the sun is melting to a faint pink glow, and dusk is beginning to cast a magic spell over the campsite. Theres a cheerful chatter in the background and the campfire crackles as it tinges the edges of a toasted marshmallow. Your campsite supper on the barbecue was a success and eating outdoors overlooking a great view added to the ambience of an enchanting evening.

Your tent is standing by; the warm and comfy bedding all laid out ready for a cosy nights sleep looks alluring in the torchlight. As sleep prevails over the campsite and that inimitable sound of tent zips echoes in the air, you climb under the soft blankets and allow the gentle sound of the breeze that rustles the tent canvas to send you off into a slumber.

In the morning you awake early to the sound of the birds singing a happy tune. Refreshed and raring to go, you find the sun is streaming through the tent, lighting up your canvas world and you can hear the sizzling of bacon drifting in from outside.

Camping is not just a weekend pastime: for many it is a way of life and one that may have been instilled from a young age. Others come to it later in life, learning to appreciate the feeling of being at one with nature, out in the fresh air with the smells, sounds and senses of the outdoor world at your fingertips.

This world is explored within the pages of The Camping Pocket Bible.

With lots of explanations, hints and tips on selecting a tent and camping equipment, how and where to camp, choosing a place to stay, cooking and fun things to do, there is plenty to interest both the first-time and the experienced camper. Sections specifically exploring camping with children and enjoying the festival experience are included too. And, of course, lots of interesting facts connected with camping and being outdoors.

If youre new to camping, theres lots of information on what to expect and what youre likely to find at a campsite, and for more experienced campers, theres plenty to extend your thirst for living life under canvas either at a campsite or elsewhere.

However you enjoy camping, you can consider The Camping Pocket Bible a trusty friend, to dip into as and when required.

Happy camping!

Visit any camping shop or exhibition where a selection of tents is on display and it appears to be a daunting sea of colours, shapes and sizes. What began as an exciting trip to buy a tent has turned into a disheartening mish-mash of ideas with too much choice. This chapter will guide you through the seeming maze of endless possibilities and help you to determine exactly which type of tent is right for you.

There are hundreds of tent models available, but you can eliminate most of them providing you do a little preparation first to establish your needs.

Before you even walk in through the door of the shop:

1.Know how many people are going to be using the tent most of the time.

2.Know the ages of the people that will be using the tent very young children, teenagers, or adults only. Also consider the size and height of the people that will be using the tent people over 6ft tall will have less choice owing to tent height and length.

3.Decide how you are going to carry the tent backpacking, cycling or in a car. Weight is important.

4.Consider how many people are likely to be available to erect the tent. Weight is important here too, as is a tents structure. Single parents if youre going to be the only adult in your family group, you need to think extra carefully about how you will manage erecting the tent on your own as this will influence the kind of tent you purchase. A lightweight, easily manageable tent will be necessary until your little ones are of an age to help productively.

5.Have clear in your mind where you are most likely to use the tent at a campsite (what kind? see ), up a mountain, on an expedition etc.

6.Know when and how often you are going to use the tent a guaranteed dry weekend in summer only, all year round, once a year for a fortnight, every weekend etc.

7.Know how you are going to use the tent merely for sleeping in, socialising with friends, or playing games with family during wet weather?

8.Have some knowledge of tent jargon (use The Camping Pocket Bible to help) so that you dont feel vulnerable when reading tent labels and sales information.

9.Consider how experienced a camper you are. Some tent models are easier to erect than others and a basic, simple model may be less frustrating if you dont feel confident.

10.Have some idea of budget but be reasonably flexible dont anticipate that youre going to be able to buy a tent suitable for an arctic expedition for a tenner in Tesco.

Having gone through this checklist, you should be able to eliminate the vast majority of the tents available as too big or small, too expensive, not suitable, too heavy etc, which leaves a select few that you can seriously compare.

Buying on the internet

Without having seen a tent, buying over the internet is a risky business. You really need to try out a tent, lie in it, stand up in it, decide how youll live in it, see how easy or difficult the tent is to erect (and put away), or ask the shop to do so in front of you. You should also check the quality of the seams, zips and all other components. Thats hard to do from a picture on a website.

However, if you want to buy a tent over the internet to take advantage of a special offer or because the supplier provides a better price or conditions, go and find one to look at and inspect first. Check that youre happy with it, then purchase one from your preferred outlet whether thats online or in a store.