What many people don’t realize is that there are quite a variety of types of sleeping bags to choose from. Choosing the best sleeping bag for your particular camping experience is important. Here are some of the most common types of sleeping bags:

The Mummy Sleeping Bag

A “Mummy” style sleeping bag is one that can, essentially, cover your entire body, including the head. Mummy bags leave room to breathe, but they keep out most of the cold. Some mummy sleeping bags are rated to go as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit – far below freezing. A mummy style sleeping bag is most useful if you’re camping in the winter, or if you’re camping in a place that is cold all year around. If you’re camping in a temperate climate in the summer, a mummy sleeping bag will be less useful.

The Warm Weather Sleeping Bag

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the mummy sleeping bag is the warm weather style sleeping bag. These sleeping bags are often much thinner than most sleeping bags, and may not even have a vinyl exterior. The warm weather sleeping bag may resemble a blanket with a zipper, more than it resembles other sleeping bags.

The Children’s Sleeping Bag

There are smaller sleeping bags designed especially for children. These sleeping bags typically have interesting designs or popular characters printed on them. Make sure when buying a children’s sleeping bag that it is rated for the temperatures you’ll be experiencing, however. Many children’s sleeping bags are extremely lightweight, and not good for camping when it’s cold outside.

The Oversized Sleeping Bag

There are even sleeping bags that come in larger sizes. There is a queen sized sleeping bag, for example, that couples can use together. In some cases, these oversized sleeping bags can actually be separated into two smaller sleeping bags, should the need arise.

One of the most basic and useful stretches is the calf stretch. To do the calf stretch, place the sole of your right foot against a vertical surface, such as a tree or a wall. Slide the heel of your right foot as close tot he surface as you can. Lean forward as far as you can comfortably. Hold that position for at least 15 seconds, taking care not to bounce. Switch legs, and repeat the stretch.

A hamstring stretch is the next stretch you should do if you intend to go hiking or backpacking. To do this one, sit on the ground with one leg extended out in front of you. Tuck the other leg against your body. Bend at the waist and reach toward your toes. If you can’t reach your toes, hold on to a comfortable spot on your leg. This will stretch your hamstring.

The next stretch will also help stretch your leg muscles. Face toward a flat surface, such as a wall or tree. Lift one leg to the level of your groin. Brace the bottom of your foot against the hard surface. Bend slowly at the waist. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds, and then repeat the stretch with the other leg. This is known as the standing leg stretch.

The toe touch is another common stretch used by hikers. To do the toe touch, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Point your feet forward. Bend slowly forward, using the hips. Don’t lock your knees, but keep them just slightly bent. Bend until you can feel the stretch in the back of your legs. Don’t bend so far as to cause yourself pain, but bend as far as it is still comfortable.

The final stretch you should consider before hiking is an upper body stretch. With your knees slightly bent and your feet about as far apart as your shoulders, reach your hands over your head. Grasp one hand with the other. Bend to one side, and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat the stretch for the other side.

Still, hiking with your family can be very rewarding. It can provide an opportunity to bond with your family. It can provide opportunities for you to teach things to your family, and experience new things together.

In addition to all of that, children tend to enjoy being outdoors. They like to explore trails and enjoy wildlife. They look with fascination upon things like moss or wildflowers.

One of the key things about hiking with children is to start out easy. You might hike in your backyard, for example, to start with. From there, you might take a hike in a park or other easy trail. Wherever you decide to hike with your children, make sure that the trail is appropriate to the child’s age and abilities.

You will also want to teach your children about hiking safety. show your child what poison ivy looks like, and talk to your child about how some berries and mushrooms, although they might look good, may not be safe to eat.

As is the case any time you hike, make sure that you follow the basic hiking guidelines. For example, dress in layers so that you’re prepared for different types of weather. Bring enough water to avoid dehydration. Bring some snacks along with you.

You might also wish to come up with some extra activities for your children while you’re hiking, in case they get bored. Be ready to play a few games of “I Spy.” Consider a scavenger hunt, where the child has to find certain things along the hiking trail. Teach your child some camping songs that you can sing along the way, as well.

With some thought and preparation ahead of time, you can make hiking with your family a pleasant and educational experience.

• Use block ice rather than cube ice, as it will last much longer.
• Use frozen juice rather than bottled, as the cans of frozen juice help keep other foods cold.
• Store soups and sauces in Ziploc bags. Freeze these bags before your camping trip. They also will help keep other foods cold.
• The same holds true for meat. Freeze meat before you put it in the cooler. In addition, this helps the meet keep longer.
• Make sure everything in your cooler is packed in watertight containers.
• Add ice to your cooler as often as necessary. Keeping your food cold is essential to avoiding spoilage.
• Fill gallon jugs with water or juice. Freeze them, and then use them to keep your cooler cold while providing a cool drink.
• Use a separate cooler for your drinks. This prevents you from opening the food cooler too often, keeping it cool.
• Wipe out your cooler with a water and baking soda mixture to get rid of odors.
• You can fix a cooler leak, at least temporarily, by melting paraffin wax inside the cooler where the leak occurs, and then doing the same on the outside.
• Pack all of your food items in separate Ziploc bags. This helps to save space in the cooler, and makes it easy to find things when you need them.
• Store your cooler and your food inside your vehicle to avoid attracting animals. If you can’t store the food inside a car, try to hoist your coolers up several feet off the ground to prevent attracting critters.
• Consider using pita bread rather than regular sliced bread when camping. Pita bread is easier to pack and isn’t crushed as easily as regular sliced bread.

The fact of the matter is that not all campsites in a given campground are created equal. Some campsites are better than others, especially if you’re camping with a family. There are several things you’ll want to consider when picking a campsite.

First off, you need to figure out if the campsite is big enough for all of your camping equipment. When we camp, we have one large tent, a smaller play tent for the children, and a screen tent for dining. Some campsites just don’t have enough room for all of that equipment, much less extra room for family activities or for the kids to play. As you can imagine, we need to choose our campsite carefully.

The next step is to check the ground at the campsite. If there are a large number of tree roots, rocks or soft areas, you’ll want to rethink using that particular campsite. Those items will each make setting up camp difficult, and can also damage your tents. In addition, the ground should be level and the campsite should not be the lowest point in the surrounding areas. If it is, water will tend to pool when it rains, which can cause your tent to flood.

Another consideration is the proximity of your campsite to the restrooms and other amenities. You might, for example, want to try to get a campsite within easy walking distance of the restrooms. You might want a campsite that is near the playground or the beach, if the campground has these features. Then again, if you’re hoping for a nice quite camping experience where you can spend all day in your sleeping bag, you won’t want to have a campsite near the playground. Really, it depends on what you’re hoping to get out of your camping trip.

Finally, you want to think about how open the campsite is. If there aren’t any trees to provide shade at your campsite, it’s going to get very hot. On the other hand, a campsite that’s near a tree line can be especially prone to mosquitoes, bugs and woodland critters. A campsite with a few trees that isn’t too deep in the woods Is probably ideal for most folks.

One of the most enjoyable family camping activities can be the campfire. Younger children enjoy gathering sticks and branches to be used as kindling. Make sure, of course, that they don’t wander too far, or that the campground rules don’t prevent you from gathering fallen branches and such. In addition to gathering wood, children may enjoy learning how to properly build a campfire. If you’re especially dedicated, you might try to master the art of starting the campfire without matches or a lighter, although this can be rather arduous. Once the campfire is built, you can roast hot dogs or have s’mores.

There are some toys that are especially useful when camping, as well. A Frisbee or flying disc can be a fun camping activity. A baseball and glove might be useful, too. If the campground has a volleyball court, you might bring a volleyball as well.

Many families bring bicycles when they camp. If your whole family brings their bikes, you can ride all around the campground, or even bike to some of the surrounding attractions. Even just bringing the kids’ bikes allows them to get around and perhaps meet other children that are camping.

Coloring books or handheld game systems are also useful when you’re camping. You can use these inside the tent when it’s raining outside, for example. You can also use them when you’re traveling on your way to go camping.

You can also play card games or board games with your family when you’re camping. Obviously you want to choose games that don’t have lots of little pieces that could become lost. Also, if it’s especially windy, you probably won’t be able to play card games, at least not outside. You may still be able to play them in the tent.

Take some time before your next camping trip to identify some of the fun family camping activities your family would like to participate in.

• Put marshmallows into a Ziploc bag. Put a little bit of powdered sugar into the bag, too, to keep them from sticking together.
• Use a canning ring to shape the egg for bagel or English muffin egg sandwiches.
• If you have electricity at your campsite, use a crock-pot. Start dinner in the morning, and it will be ready when the day’s activities are through.
• Chop vegetables or other ingredients ahead of time and place them into Ziploc bags.
• Cook some of the meats ahead of time, as well. You can even prepare taco meat ahead, freeze it, and they warm it up when you’re camping.
• Consider using the squeeze bottle margarine when camping. The squeeze bottle makes your margarine much easier to use.
• Cook over coals, rather than a fire. This will provide you with more even cooking.
• If you’re cooking with charcoal, use a charcoal chimney to get the charcoal ready more quickly.
• When making foil dinner, place a few ice cubes in the aluminum foil. This helps the foil dinner from becoming burnt.
• Keep your dish soap clean by putting it inside of a nylon or a sock and hanging it from a tree.
• On the final day of your camping trip, mix together your leftover vegetables and meats to make omelettes.
• Use your pots as mixing bowls so as to save packing space.
• Use disposable water bottles for things that normally come in glass bottles, such as oils, salad dressings and sauces.
• When you’re cooking chicken on the grill, cook it without sauce until it is halfway cooked. Add the sauce afterwards. This prevents the sauce from burning onto the chicken.

• Use cooking equipment that is fireproof, and keep handles away from the flames.
• Measure your ingredients before you leave for your camping trip. If you need two tablespoons of sugar, for example, measure it into a labeled Ziploc bag.
• Whenever possible, prepare some foods ahead of time. Soups are great candidates for this, but many other foods can be reheated over a campfire, as well.
• Bring aluminum foil with you when you go camping, as you’ll find many uses for it.
• Cover your pots when you’re cooking. This helps food to cook quicker, and it helps to reduce the amount of fuel you need to use to cook. In addition, it helps keep dirt and insects out of your food.
• Put dish soap on the outside of your pots and pans before you put them over the fire. This will help make cleanup easier when the time comes.
• Use cooking oil on your camp grill to keep food from sticking.
• Keep your matches dry by dipping them in wax ahead of time. When you’re ready to use a match, scrape off the wax.
• After you’re done cooking, put a pan of water over the fire to heat up. You’ll use that water to clean your dishes afterwards.
• Make a hole in the middle of hamburgers before cooking them. During the grilling process, the hole will disappear and your hamburger will cook more evenly.
• If you’re using fuel of some sort, such as LP gas canisters, make sure to practice safety measures. Keep them upright. Don’t store them inside a tent or vehicle. Turn off the canisters when you’re not using them.
• Consider using instant or convenience foods for faster cooking.
• Bring an oven mitt, or consider using a leather work glove as an oven mitt.

• Stay warm and dry
• Stay hydrated
• Treat injuries and stay uninjured
• Find a way out

Those should be the guiding principles behind everything you do when you’re stranded or lost in the wilderness. Here are some ways to do just that:

• Stay focused. If you’re going to survive, you need to be able to accurately assess your situation, and to determine the best course of action.
• Stay warm when you sleep. Sleep with your head lower than your heart helps you stay warmer while you sleep.
• Use a fire to keep warm and dry. Have dry matches with you at all times, but master matchless fire building techniques, as well.
• Use a bed of dry leaves to keep warm in an emergency.
• Use large trees to provide temporary shelter during light rains.
• Mark your path using anything you can. For example, tie ribbons or torn pieces of fabric to trees , so that you know you aren’t going in circles.
• Always have a first aid kit at your disposal. Learn basic first aid techniques long before you start hiking or camping. Take care of physical injuries immediately, especially those that may be life-threatening.
• Establish direction. If you don’t have a compass, you can use a stick to establish direction. Simply place the stick in the ground and mark the tip of the shadow. Mark the tip of the shadow again fifteen minutes later. Draw a line between the two; that line points East.
• Follow water sources. Eventually, rivers will lead you to civilization of some sort or another.
• Drink. Fill your water bottles or canteens from fresh water sources. Make sure that the water source is not stagnate or have a foul odor.
• Eat. Identify edible foods. Berries are generally a good choice. Even berries that are poisonous won’t hurt if you only eat one. Poisonous berries will have a bad taste to them, so spit out any berry with a bad taste.

Besides being used to make tents, canvas is used for sails and other outdoor equipment. When wet, canvas swells and becomes exceptionally waterproof. It is able to withstand conditions that other materials would not tolerate, making it ideal for long-term use.

The fibers of canvas tents are tightly woven, making it the perfect shade from harmful sunrays and high temperatures. Canvas tents also protect inhabitants from strong winds and other inclement weather.

The natural fibers also make canvas a better choice for fabric that breathes. The flow of air keeps the tent more comfortable and should it get wet from rain, canvas dries quickly.

The durability of the material means that it won’t suffer from rips and tears as easily as other fabrics. Extra-tough construction makes canvas tents perfect for long-term use or semi-permanent shelters.

For campers who plan to remain in one location for a long time or who enjoy extended-stay camping trips, it may make more sense to choose a canvas tent that offers durability and longevity.