Family Tents World Blog

We are moving

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:45:00 +0000

Finally, our hosting service gives us the opportunity to host our blog right on our website. So, from 14 April 2012, you will find the official FamilyTentsWorld Blog here: http://www.familytentsworld.com/blog.html.

This blog will still be here for you at the following URL: http://www.familytentsworld.blogspot.com, but all future posts will be published at our new blog.

We hope to see you at the new FamilyTentsWorld Blog, and hope you will enjoy it and find it just as helpful as the old one!

All the best,
Your FamilyTentsWorld Team

Camping Tips – 7 Top Tips How To Sleep Comfortably Warm When Tent Camping, No Matter How Cold It Is

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:47:00 +0000

Camping is not a pure summer adventure. It’s just as great in the colder seasons. Pitching your camp near a lake in fall, or in the snowy mountains... Doesn’t that sound tempting? But to enjoy such a trip, you need to make sure of one thing (amongst others): You need to keep warm during the night. Freezing is certainly uncomfortable, but if you get too cold, you might just freeze to death in your sleep. Now that’s not very tempting.

Erskine-Kellie, cc-by

Camping tips tell you to invest in a good warm sleeping bag. But you can still freeze. Because a sleeping bag, though essential, is not the whole secret of staying warm.

Here are 7 great camping tips how to keep you warm during the night:

Give your body enough fuel
Stay dry
Warm up before going to sleep
Prepare your sleeping bag
Choose clothes wisely
Don’t wear too much clothes
Have proper insulation underneath

Camping tips #1: Give your body enough fuel

Your body needs energy to generate heat. That means it needs calories. Camping tips for keeping warm include eating properly, consuming more calories than usual, and drinking plenty of water. Eat some high energy food, like sausages, crackers, cheese or chocolate bars, before you go sleep or when you wake up during the night, getting cold. This will help giving you the energy you need to keep yourself warm.

Camping tips #2: Stay dry

Even when it’s cold, your body still perspires during the day. Wearing damp clothes is not only uncomfortable but it also makes you get cold much easier. Make sure you wear dry clothes when you go to sleep. It’s good to keep some clothes just for sleeping. If you get cold whilst changing, do some light exercises to warm up again. You can also change clothes inside your sleeping bag.

Camping tips #3: Warm up before going to sleep

Remember that neither sleeping bags nor clothes generate heat. They simply isolate and prevent you from losing heat. Your body can generate heat, but it won’t once you lie down. Therefore, one of the most important camping tips is to warm up before you go to sleep. Sit near the fire, or do some light exercises, and then straight into your sleeping bag whilst you are still warm.

Camping tips #4: Prepare your sleeping bag

Don’t just take your sleeping bag out of its sack when you go sleep. It needs to be laid out for a while to loft up until it provides maximum heat retention. Best thing to do is laying it out whilst you still got sunlight, and then let it sit in your car until you go sleep. Another great idea is to stuff a heating pad inside your sleeping bag about half an hour before going to sleep. This starts heating your sleeping bag up.

Camping tips #5: Choose clothes wisely

When camping in cold weather, the type of clothes you should never take along is cotton, because it absorbs and holds moisture, making it difficult to keep you dry. Wool is also not recommended. Synthetics are a better option, and an even better material is midweight polypropelyne.

Camping tips #6: Don’t wear too much clothes

When we feel cold, we put on another layer of clothes. But when lying in your sleeping bag, this makes it much more difficult to heat up the air inside the sleeping bag, because your body heat is trapped inside your clothes. Also, too many clothes can press the layers of the sleeping bag together, causing less air in between and resulting in less insulation. The fewer clothes you wear, the more efficient can your body heat the interior of your sleeping bag, and the warmer you will be. Wearing a cap, however, is good, since it prevents you from losing heat via your head.

Camping tips #7: Have proper insulation underneath

You don’t want to lie on the rocks, but insulation is also important because you lose heat through your sleeping bag’s bottom as well. An air mattress “steals” much of your body heat to heat up all the cold air inside it. A better option is a ground pad that also helps to keep you warm. If you do want to use an air mattress, make sure you have good insulated sleeping pad on top of it.

These camping tips should certainly help you to keep warm during the night, even when the temperature outside your tent is really low. We would also like to hear your camping tips how to keep warm. Please share them by leaving a comment.

Some products you might like


Yellowstone (2 Sleepers) $109.99

Mt. Washington
(3 Sleepers)
$159.99


Garfield Mt. 80 (6 Sleepers) $77.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our backpacking tents or family camping tents, or find more backpacking tips and information about family camping and backpacking tents.

Camping Equipment – 10 Top Luxuries That Can Make Your Life In The Camp More Comfortable

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:38:00 +0000

Our first thought when we hear camping is often the one of staying in the middle of nowhere without any luxury. But you alone determine how little or much luxury you want to have. Especially family camping is often meant to simply get away from our everyday life and relax, and for that purpose there is all kind of simple to the most amazing camping equipment that can make you feel as comfortable as at home.

zmtomako | cc-by

Think about taking luxury camping equipment like this:

Camping furniture – This is one of the most basic forms of luxury camping equipment. A foldable camping table and some camp chairs allow you to sit down “properly” for your meals. Your drink doesn’t need to stand on the floor; you can sit together and play cards or board games without having to sit on the hard ground. Another table can be used for preparing food.
Folding cot with mattress – If you don’t feel like sleeping on the ground, and air mattresses never live long, then this is a piece of camping equipment you might love. It’s as close as sleeping in your own bed as you will come in a tent.
Camp shower – If you don’t like using the campground facilities, why not bringing your own shower? No queuing, no mess.
Camping toilet – Your campsite might be quite far from the restrooms. And especially during the night it’s not fun to stumble half-asleep through half of the facilities. Bring your own.
Camping cookware – You can get a variety of camping equipment to prepare almost any kind of meal in the camp. If your campground supplies electricity at each campsite, you can use a 2 plate stove or an electric grill instead of a simple propane camping cooker. With a Dutch oven, you can even bake. If you don’t have to worry about space and weight of your camping equipment, there’s no need for one-pot-meals. Bring a set of pots and pans and other things you need in the kitchen, like some Tupperware to store your food in.
Electric cooler – This is certainly a great piece of camping equipment for summer camping. You can keep your meat and other perishable foods in the cooler so that they last longer. This can save you from having to go to the supermarket every day.
Canopy – A huge piece of camping equipment, but when your campsite is big enough to set up your camping tent and a canopy, it’s certainly worth it, especially when your tent is not very large. It’s a nice place to sit outside in the shade during the day.
Radio & CD player – Just because you go camping doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off from the world. A radio can be nice to catch the latest news, and listening to some music CDs is relaxing.
Bug zapper – This piece of camping equipment kills all kind of nasty insects like mosquitoes, wasps and bugs. It’s odourless and doesn’t affect your skin like heavy bug sprays.
Tent heater – This is camping equipment rather for spring or fall camping, unless you are camping in a region where even the summer nights are quite cool. Why should you freeze if you can have it warm?

Luxury camping is just one way of doing things, and it’s just as great an experience as travel or survival camping. However, luxury camping tends to use more camping equipment, which can sum up to quite an amount of money to spend. If you are just starting out, it’s a good idea to buy the most important luxury first, and then add on a few things every time you go.

What other luxury camping equipment do you know of? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Some products you might like


Carter Mt. (8-12 Sleepers) $369.99

The Big Top
BLUE
$99.99


Dual Identity 12'x12' $119.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our large family cabin tents or canopies and screen houses, or find more camping tips and information about family tents and canopies.

Camping Equipment – What Do You Really Need For Your Camping Trip And What Is Luxury?

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:54:00 +0000

If you look at the camping equipment available, it feels like you could perfectly live in your tent and not miss home. There’s anything that you could possibly need, from extreme backpacking equipment to luxury camping accessories. What camping equipment you really need depends to a big extend on the trip you plan and your personal preferences. However, there are some basics that you simply do need.

Alisha Vargas, cc-by

The 4 things you should not go camping without:

Tent
Sleeping bags and pads
Cooking supplies
First aid kit

#1: Tent

This is one of the most important parts of your camping equipment. Few people go camping without a tent. Not only does it provide shelter from the weather and insects, but also privacy which we all need at times.

The kind of tent you need depends on the trip you plan. If you go to the campground with the whole family, buy a big family camping tent, maybe a 3-room cabin tent. If you travel, a smaller and lightweight backpacking tent will be much better. If you just start out, you don’t necessarily need the most expensive camping equipment, but still make sure that your tent is of a reasonable quality and suitable for your trip.

Your tent should not be too difficult to set up and provide enough space for you and your stuff. It should come with a rain fly that ideally covers the whole tent and gives extra protection from the rain. A bathtub floor (no ground level seams) helps to keep you dry, air vents insure that you have good ventilation and comfortable climate inside, and netting in doors and windows keeps insects out.

#2: Sleeping bags and pads

Next thing on your camping equipment list: your bed. A pad on the floor, like an inflatable or closed-cell pad, will allow you to lie more comfortable and soft. You can also use an air mattress, but this is more luxury camping equipment.

No matter which time of year, a sleeping bag should definitely be part of your camping equipment. Nights often tend to be cooler, even in summer, and your tent will not provide much heat. It’s good to have a sleeping bag that you can unzip and use as a blanket when it’s not so cold. For summer camping, most sleeping bags will be fine, but for winter you need to find one that is suitable for the temperature you will travel in.

When the volume of your camping equipment doesn’t matter, you will be fine with most sleeping bags and pads. However, backpacking requires lighter camping equipment with a smaller pack size. Certainly no air mattress.

#3: Cooking supplies

You need to eat, and you need to prepare food. Many campgrounds even provide a grill for each site. Or you can upgrade with a skillet, a number of pots or even a Dutch oven so that you can bake. Even if you eat cold stuff, you still will need basic things like a knife, spoon and fork, a plate and a cup. Depending on how much camping equipment you can take on your trip, you can stick with a small propane stove and one set of cutlery and dishes per person, and a pot or two.

#4: First aid kit

This is an often overlooked but extremely important part of your camping equipment. You get small ones in an outdoor shop, and they will come in very handy when someone gets hurt. Accidents like knife cuts when cooking, the open knees of your wild kids or even something worse won’t stay away just because you camp, so rather be prepared.

A first aid kit for your tent is also a good idea. What if a pole breaks? Or the tent wall gets torn? It’s good to have something to repair your poles, or a spare pole, a patch to close up the hole in the wall, or a bottle of seam sealer if the sealing fails.

Camping equipment can sum up to be quite expensive, especially when you are just starting up but want good quality. It’s a good idea to make a list of what you need some time in advance and buy the items one or a few at a time so that you don’t place too much pressure on your budget. Stick with the basic camping equipment for the beginning, and get some more things later.

What do you consider the most important camping equipment, and what is the most incredible luxury camping equipment you’ve ever seen? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Some products you might like


Big Bend (2 Sleepers) $99.99

Cooper 3
(5-6 Sleepers)
$57.95


Mt. Springer (10 Sleepers) $214.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our family camping tents or backpacking tents, or find more camping tips and information about camping and backpacking tents.

Now On Squidoo - Play Tent Buying Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:53:00 +0000

There are lots of play tents on the market, good ones, great ones and not so good ones. And unfortunately, the fact that a play tent looks nice doesn’t mean that it’s good quality too. But who wants a play tent that breaks after 2 months? To help you dig through all the tempting offers and find the ones that are really worth their money, we created a play tent buying guide.

In this comprehensive guide, we talk you through the following aspects:

1. The criteria of a good play tent

This paragraph deals with the questions: Why do certain features make a good play tent, how can they make life easier for you and your child, and how can you determine quality and safety? The following features are considered in depth:

Quality
Comfortable size
Easy setup
Easy to clean
Safety

2. Play tent buying tips

Quality is important, but it’s not the only important thing. This section is dedicated to tips how to find a play tent that is not only of good quality, easy to handle and care for, and child-safe, but that also will fit into your home, suit your budget and win your child’s love in a flash.

Consider your child’s interests
Consider the space you have available for the play tent
Consider versatility of use
Best quality or lowest price?
Check for warranty
Check for return option

3. The most important at a glance

Finally, a play tent buying checklist summarizing everything that is important makes it easy for you to remember what to consider when shopping around for a good play tent.

4. Share your knowledge

We also invite you to share your own play tent buying tips or experiences with play tents in our group discussions. Help others to learn from you, and learn from others.

If you want to learn more about recognizing a good play tent when you see it, if you are searching for some helpful tips or are curious about other peoples’ experiences with buying and owning a play tent, please feel welcome to visit our Play Tent Buying Guide on Squidoo:

Kids Play Tents – A Guide How To Buy The Best Play Tent For Your Child

Some products you might like


Adventure Dome $69.99

Fantasy Palace
Play Tent
$54.99


Hide & Seek Fred $26.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our play tents or hide and seek tunnel tents, or find more information about kids play tents and awesome game tips.

Recipe Ideas – Spice Your Garden Party Or BBQ Up With This Yellow Rice Salad With Bacon And Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:06:00 +0000

When you go to a garden party or barbecue, you pretty often find the same type of salads everywhere. Why? Because people have a tendency of doing things a certain way, and certain salads are simply so popular and well known that you find them on every second party. They are great – but sometimes you would not mind having something different. So why not trying that something different?

Here is one of my favorite recipe ideas, a South African salad that my sister-in-law likes to make for parties. It’s really easy, doesn’t take too long to make, it’s healthy and tastes delicious. And it certainly looks different.

Yellow Rice Salad With Bacon And Mushrooms

What you need for 4 servings:

400 g rice
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. turmeric*
1200 ml water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 ½ onions
2 ½ green peppers
350 g fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
260 g lean bacon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to make it:

Place rice, salt, turmeric and water in a pot, cover and bring to boil. Reduce the temperature a little and allow simmering on medium heat until all water is absorbed.
Whilst the rice is cooking, wash the mushrooms and green pepper. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices. Cut the peppers into quarters and slice theses thinly, too. Peel and chop the onions.
Heat the oil in a large pan. Braise the onions on moderate heat for about 5 minutes until golden. Then add the green pepper and braise for another 5 minutes. Lastly, add the mushrooms and braise for 5 more minutes until all vegetables are just soft.
Slice the bacon. In another pan, heat the oil and fry the bacon until nicely brown and crispy.
Mix rice, vegetables and bacon, season with salt and pepper and serve it in a large glass bowl.

Give it a try and tell us how you liked it. And please share your favorite salad recipe ideas by leaving a comment below.

* Turmeric is used a lot in the South African cuisine. It gives food a yellow color and a bit of a sweetish taste. If you dont have turmeric, saffron is a good alternative.

Some products you might like


Giga Classic BLUE $149.99

Treck Canopy
12'x12'
$69.99


Dual Identity 12'x12' $119.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our canopies and screen houses, or find more information about screen house and canopy tents.

Camping Tips – Top 7 Tips How To Best Set Up Your Family Tent At The Campsite

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:06:00 +0000

It’s not enough to have a good family tent. You also need to know how to handle that thing. Don’t just think that’s child’s play because the description says “This family tent is quick and easy to set up”. This will usually be true, but if you do it the first time, it might still take you a bit longer – because you don’t know your tent yet and have to fall back on the setup instructions. Maybe you’re even a first time camper who has never set up a tent before.

Mack Male, cc-by-sa

Here are 7 top tips to help you set up your family tent like a pro:

Make sure all parts are there
Do a practice-run at home
Have your manual at hand
Make sure you have enough time and light
Make sure you have peace
Be well organized
Have an extra hand

Tip #1: Make sure all parts are there

Just after buying your family tent, unpack it and check if you got all parts. Package mistakes do happen, and you don’t want to notice at the campground only that the stakes are missing.

Tip #2: Do a practice-run at home

Or two, or three. Practise setting up your family tent until you know how to do it. At least one person should know exactly what to do. This will make things much easier at the campground, and will make you look like pros. After all, you don’t want to make a fool of yourself by getting tangled in your family tent.

Tip #3: Have your manual at hand

Yes, you did practise and you know what’s going on. But never ever forget your family tent’s manual at home, unless you can really set up your tent blindly. You might just need it. We do forget things, especially when we are still learning. Having your manual will save you when you can’t quite remember what comes next or where to put the stakes.

Tip #4: Make sure you have enough time and light

You should arrive at the campground early enough in the day so that you can comfortably set up your family tent whilst it’s still light. Doing it in the dark is not much fun, especially not when you forgot to bring a torch, or batteries for it. It’s not much fun either when you are all dead tired after the long drive and your kids are grumpy.

Tip #5: Make sure you have peace

Setting up your family tent will work best when you are just left in peace to do it. Everybody standing around watching, or even worse, being in your way, will not help the situation. Take as many people as you need to set up the family tent, and give the others something else to do, like going to get some food or find out what is where on the campground.

Tip #6: Be well organized

Don’t just throw your family tent’s parts out and dig for what you need. Put the stakes together, the poles, the pegs etc. so that you can find everything easily when you need it. Having packed that way will make things much easier. It’s also a good idea to sort the parts in the order you will need them. Then you always know what comes next. Keep the parts close enough to get them quickly, but not so close that they are in your way. You don’t want to fall over the stakes.

Tip #7: Have an extra hand

This is just to be safe. If you need two people to set up your family tent, ask a third one to stay near you. Maybe you need someone to give you a part that’s out of your reach, or you notice you forgot to take a tool you need out of the car. You are most likely not going to need a third person, but it’s always good to have one.

With these things in mind, you should not have too many troubles setting up your family tent at the campground. What other tips have you got for setting up a family tent? Share them by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


Bear Mountain (4 Sleepers) $119.99

White Cap Mountain
(6 Sleepers)
$149.99


Mt. Barren (10 Sleepers) $259.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our 3 to 6 sleeper or 8 to 12 sleeper family tents, or find more camping tips and information about family camping tents.

How Camping Helps Reduce Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:43:00 +0000

The secret to a happy and healthy life is really no big secret – everyone knows that you must eat the right food at the right time, work out regularly at least five days a week, and avoid harmful aspects like alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and most important of all, stress. It may be surprising, but the fact is that stress is the biggest killer known to man - it is a silent assassin, one that creeps up on you and pounces when you least expect it. We cannot expect to live a completely stress-free life, but what we can do is minimize the stress we’re subjected to over the course of our day-to-day activities and find ways to combat its detrimental effects.

Ewen Roberts, cc-by

Now camping may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who enjoy the outdoors and love becoming one with nature, it’s one of the best stress-busters there is.

When you leave the hustle and bustle of the city life behind and find a spot far from the madding crowd to unwind, you:

Leave behind the noise and pollution: Very often, noise is the cause of most of our stress – the loud honking sounds from irate and impatient drivers on the way to and from work, the dust and smoke that hovers in the air thanks to all the cars out on the streets, and the incessant chatter of our fellow human beings is sometimes too hard to take and you want to scream in frustration. Instead, plan a camping weekend, get away from the noise and pollution of the city, and enjoy peace and quiet breathing in clean air amidst the trees and the wildlife of the forest.
Get to enjoy the serenity of nature: There’s nothing quite so calming like the sights and sounds of a forest, lake or seashore untouched and unspoiled by human intrusion. You don’t feel compelled to compete and push yourself in such serene surroundings. And the fresh air rejuvenates and restores you like nothing else.
Can forget about work and other responsibilities: Camping is one of the best ways to beat both professional and personal stress – if it’s work you need to take a break from, you can leave behind your phone, notebook, and every other gadget that ties you to responsibility and spend two or three days without any disturbance; and if it’s personal space you need, go alone and enjoy the bliss of solitude.

Camping is an activity which helps you connect to your roots; it’s the closest you can get to nature and be one with it; and it’s a great way to beat and prevent stress if you enjoy the outdoors and all the beauty that it offers.

About the author

This guest post is contributed by Shannon Wills, she writes on the topic of physical therapy assistant. She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com.

Some products you might like


Yellowstone (2 Sleepers) $109.99

Mt. Adams
(5 Sleepers)
$109.99


Spruce Peak (8-12 Sleepers) $439.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our backpacking tents or family camping tents, or find more camping tips and information about camping and backpacking tents.

Our June 2010 Ezine Articles – Free Content For Your Newsletter, Blog Or Website

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:48:00 +0000

Every week, we publish articles that are free for you to use. You are welcome to use these articles for your blog, website, newsletter, ezine or wherever in the internet you want to put them. No prior written permission required, and no charges. All you need to do is to keep the resource link at the bottom of the article working. If you are not yet following us on Twitter, Facebook or EzineArticles, here’s a list of the Family Tents World articles we published in June 2010:

Kids tents and toys articles

Camping and backpacking articles

If you like our articles and would like to know when we publish a new one, you can follow us on Twitter or Facebook, or subscribe to our email alerts on EzineArticles. We are happy to provide you with quality content you can use.

Fun Educational Games – 4 Exciting Games Your Child Can Play With His Play Tunnel Tent

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Yes, a play tunnel does look nice. Some are even cute. But what do you really do with it? After all, you can just crawl through. That’s not very exciting, isn’t it?

Bernard Oh, cc-by-nd

Well, maybe you underestimate your child’s fantasy and ability to think of creative games. And you certainly underestimate the opportunities of a play tunnel. Often, the simpler a toy is, the more you can do with it. Because it’s not restrictive, because it’s open for almost anything you want to do with it. Remember how much fun you had with a simple big cardboard box when you were smaller? How it transformed into a car, a boat, an aeroplane, just like you wanted?

Here are some fun and educational ideas what to play with a play tunnel:

Obstacle course

A play tunnel is a brilliant obstacle. It requires a lot of crawling and helps your child with motor planning and cross movements. It’s not so easy to crawl through there, since a play tunnel is not as static as a stable box. But on the other hand, there is nothing that could hurt your child (provided you chose a quality tunnel with sewn-in spring frame).

Hide and seek

Some play tunnels can be closed up at one end with a funny face or other design. When closed, they make a great hiding place for hide and seek play. This will also teach your child to lie perfectly still, since every time she moves, the play tunnel will move to and might show where she’s hiding.

Relay races

Kids love relay races. Make the play tunnel a part of it to make it more challenging. It’s much easier to run fast than to crawl fast. It’s even more challenging when the kids have to carry an item that they must hold in their hand, like a soft toy that they have to hand over to the next runner. Stop the time and see who (or which team) can crawl through the play tunnel the most times during a certain time period.

Make-Believe games

A play tunnel can be anything your child wants it to be. How about an underground tunnel in a gold mine? Or maybe a mysterious tunnel in the mountains, leading to a secret cave? It could be a hidden passage under a castle that helps your little knight to escape, or to get in without being seen, and rescue his princess. Or a passage in a space ship. Remember the box I spoke of in the beginning? A play tunnel is the same kind of thing. Creative kids can have a great time with anything.

Do you still think a play tunnel is boring? I don’t. And I see every day how much fun kids can have with a simple toy or activity that I would consider boring. They see things differently. We did too when we were still kids.

Hove you got other ideas about educational games with a play tunnel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


Hide & Seek Skully $26.99

Hide & Seek Lucky
$26.99


Fun Center $69.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our hide and seek tunnel tents, or find more exciting game tips and information about kids play tents.

Our May 2010 Ezine Articles – Free Content For Your Newsletter, Blog Or Website

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:25:00 +0000

Remember that we promised that we will regularly publish articles that are free for you to use? We stick to our promise! For all who are not yet following us on Twitter, Facebook or EzineArticles, here’s a list of the colorful medley of Family Tents World articles we published in May 2010:

Kids tents articles

Bed Tents For Kids – Powerful Allies In Ending The Go-To-Bed-Fight And Making Sleep Time Fun

Screen house, canopy and garden party articles

Camping and backpacking articles

Pet shelters

Portable Dog House – 3 Ways How You And Your Little Dog Can Benefit From A Portable Dog House

Feel free to use these articles for your blog, website, newsletter, ezine or wherever in the internet you want to put them. They are completely free for you. All we ask is that you keep the resource link at the bottom of the article working.

Choosing A Camping Tent – Is A 3 Person Tent Really For 3 People?

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:40:00 +0000

It’s a very popular opinion that a 3 person tent is not for 3 people, but rather for two, and that you should always buy a camping tent one to two sizes bigger than your amount of people is. People do have a point when they explain that “3 person tent” means space for 3 sleeping bags next to each other, but not for moving around whilst sleeping, and not necessarily room for storing your equipment.

throughnothing, cc-by-sa

However, I just can’t get myself to really agree with that statement. I think it’s not that simple. There are more factors to choosing the right size of a camping tent than just the number of people. Let me tell you what I think should determine if that 3 person camping tent is for you 3 people.

Main factors that determine the camping tent size you really need:

Your body size
Your sleeping habits
Amount of equipment
Type of camping holiday

Factor #1: Your body size

Not only your own, but also the size of your fellow campers. If you are all quite slender, you can do with much less space, and a 3 person camping tent might be perfectly fine. If, on the other hand, you got some really “massive” people with you, you certainly need a 4 or 5 person tent.

A good method is to measure your bed and check how much sleeping space you got at home. I, for example, would be perfectly fine with the sleeping space many tents give for the advertised amount of sleepers, since I don’t have more space in my own bed either (thanks to my daughter).

Don’t forget to consider your height. A camping tent might not offer space for luggage on the sides, but if you are all quite a bit shorter than the tent, you have storage room at your heads or feet. If a camping tent offers you the same amount of space like your bed, and additional space for your luggage, you’ll be fine.

Factor #2: Your sleeping habits

Are you sleeping in a straight position, or do you like to curl up like an embryo? Do you turn a lot, or are you lying rather still? If you have a restless sleeper with you, a bigger camping tent might make things more comfortable for all of you.

I’ve seen a one person camping tent which first made me think: “Not even a short person like me could lie straight in there!” But then I thought I anyways don’t lie straight unless I’m forced to. And seeing that I would have to carry my camping tent on a backpacking tour, I’d rather have that one that is smaller and lighter.

Factor #3: Amount of equipment

It’s all good and well to have a camping tent that can accommodate lots of equipment. But do you really take that lot of stuff with you? If you are someone travelling with little baggage, or you anyways just go for a week and don’t need such a lot, then you might be better off with a tent size matching the number of people.

Remember that a bigger camping tent means more weight, a bigger package to transport and store, and most likely a higher price. The bigger your camping tent, the more difficult it will be to find a place to set it up, too.

Factor #4: Type of camping holiday

When it’s a campground holiday, the size of your camping tent doesn’t matter that much and you can spoil yourself with a bit of excess space if you like. But if you go on a backpacking tour, keeping the weight low might be more important than having a lot of space. After all, you just sleep in your camping tent. You don’t really spend much time in it. You and your stuff must fit in, of course, but you won’t have that much luggage and therefore need less storage space.

At the end of the day, the manufacturers' sizes are just a guideline. They have to give some form of indication what fits into a camping tent, and as they cannot take everyone’s individual situation into account, they need to use a general (average) calculation. But I think the official size of a camping tent is a good place to start with when you are shopping around. If you are three people, look at the 3 person tents on the market. And then check the exact measurements – floor area and interior height – to determine if the space will be sufficient for you. If you looked at a few tents and they all seem too small, then you’d better start checking the 4 person camping tents out.

Tell us about your experiences with camping tent sizes. Simply leave a comment below.

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Play Tents Greatly Further Healthy Child Development - The Latest From Family Tents World Squidoo

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:00:00 +0000

We could write a series of 10 blog posts about the impact a play tent can have on your child’s development. But then you would be waiting quite a long time to get all your questions answered. That’s why we decided to create a Squidoo lense on this topic instead. This way, we can give you much more detailed information, all in one place, at the same time.

You can view our lense here:

Fun Educational Toys – Why Your Child Should Have A Play Tent
And What It Can Teach Him

Kelly Sue DeConnick, cc-by-sa

What awaits you on Squidoo

In this lense, we answer the most important questions around play tents and child development, so that you can decide for yourself if your child would benefit from having a play tent. One of our main motivations to create this lense was the fact that most people see a play tent simply as a tent, whilst actually it’s much more than this.

From an occupational therapists’ point of view, B. Berlin reveals the high educational value behind this multi-function-toy. After a short overview over a play tent’s impact on your child’s development, she gives deeper inside in the following topics:

A play tents’ benefits for motor development (crawling, motor planning and coordination)
A play tents’ benefits for social development
A play tents’ benefits for imagination and speech development
Using your play tent to improve higher skills (visual perception, fine motor and construction skills, concentration and reading)

Then, there is the issue of “Play tents vs. TV & Co”. How much do TV, computer games and similar past-times harm our children, and should they be strictly limited or banned? Why is “traditional playing” so important for our children’s development? And what can a play tent teach your child that no TV program ever can?

A very interesting perspective (and one that is generally underestimated, if not even unnoticed), is the great value of a play tent as a “time out” place. This works equally well for both “healthy” and special needs kids like ADD, hyperactive or sensory defensive children.

Did any of these topics catch your interest and make you wonder if a play tent is not a much better investment in your child’s development than you thought? Then take a closer look at our lense Fun Educational Toys – Why Your Child Should Have A Play Tent And What It Can Teach Him to get more detailed answers. We also invite you to share your knowledge and thoughts by leaving a note in our lenses’ guestbook, or joining our group discussion.

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What Do You Have To Consider To Make Certain That Your Garden Party Is No Flop?

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:40:00 +0000

Planning a big garden party with your friends this summer? A garden party can be the greatest fun, but if you don’t plan it properly, there are quite a few things that can go wrong and spoil everything. But that doesn’t need to happen to you.

Jeremy Nicholson, cc-by

Here are 4 things that you must consider to make your garden party a success:

Food and drinks
Crockery and cutlery
Seating arrangements
Weather protection

#1: Food and drinks

For a garden party, fingerfood is always a good option, since you don’t have to sit down on a table. A barbecue and salads work just as well. In fact, anything you can set up as a buffet. And don’t forget about the snacks (chips, peanuts, crackers, etc.).

Make sure you have enough food and drinks for everyone. You don’t want to run out of snacks or beverages in the middle of your garden party, and you certainly don’t want some of your guests to go hungry. Check your meal recipes how many servings they make. For fingerfood, count 8-12 pieces per person. To be safe, make food for a few people more than you expect. Rather have too much than too little. The same applies for drinks: 1 ½ glasses per person per hour of your garden party, and a bit extra.

Make sure you can store food and beverages appropriately. Have enough réchauds or cooling plates, and enough space in the fridge for whatever needs to go in there. And, of course, enough space on your buffet table.

#2: Crockery and cutlery

If you serve a warm meal, barbecue or salads at your garden party, ensure that you have enough plates, cups, glasses, knives, forks, spoons etc. Again, have more than you need, so that you don’t have to go wash the dishes if a fork falls or someone abandons his glass and takes a new one. You should have twice as many glasses than guests.

If don’t have enough and don’t want to hire, or if you simply want to save yourself the trouble from washing all these dishes after the garden party, get some paper cups and plates, and plastic knives and forks.

#3: Seating arrangements

Most of your garden party, not everyone will sit at the same time. But when you serve a meal that you eat from a plate, they might all want to sit when mealtime comes. Make certain there are enough chairs, benches or other seats so that no one has to stand when he wants to sit. If your guests are up to it, you can also spread some picnic blankets on the grass. Also think of how many tables you will need, and don’t squeeze people together unnecessary.

#4: Weather protection

You have to plan your garden party well in advance, and you can never be certain how the weather will be. Take precautions for everything that might hit your garden party. Large umbrellas or canopies to provide some shade and protection from an unexpected rain shower, or maybe a screen house to keep your buffet protected from insects. This can also offer your guests refuge when rain becomes a bigger problem. Just make certain no one will have to stay out in the burning sun or rain.

Considering all this will help you plan your garden party properly. Things can always go wrong, but they will do so much less likely. Let us know what you consider most important for a great garden party by leaving a comment below.

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Make Camping More Comfortable - 5 Essential Things To Look For In A Family Tent

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:49:00 +0000

When you go camping with your whole family, you need to take everyone’s needs into account. Everyone should be comfortable. Otherwise you will just end up jumping at each other’s throat. Your family tent will play a very important role in making everyone feel “at home” at the campsite.

John Ramspott, cc-by

Here are 5 things you should watch out for when buying a family tent:

Generous space
Comfortable height
Easy access
Large windows
Extra room

#1: Generous space

If you go to the campsite for three weeks, you don’t want to be lying on top of each other. You most likely will also bring quite a bit of stuff along, like games, food, your radio etc. Remember that a six sleeper tent can accommodate six people, but this usually refers to plain sleeping space and space for the most necessary luggage. It’s not necessarily meant to provide enough space for all the extra goods you bring along, or your camping furniture. If you want to be certain that you got plenty of space, rather go for a bigger size family tent. It’s always safer to have too much space than too little.

#2: Comfortable height

Make sure the interior height of the family tent allows not only the kids to stand up, but also you adults. You don’t want to get dressed sitting or walk around like the hunchback of Nôtre Dame. Your family tent also should have straight walls, or at least almost straight walls, so that you can still stand at the edge of the room. This will allow you to move around comfortably.

#3: Easy access

A large door is great. Two are better. When your family tent is a cabin tent, it’s good if the rooms are accessible individually, so that you don’t have to bother each other when coming or leaving.

#4: Large windows

Your family tent should have large windows all around, especially when it’s a cabin tent. Everyone will want to enjoy the view, and you don’t want the kids fighting who’s getting the room with the best view. Large windows also ensure light in your family tent and contribute to ventilation, which is even more important with a large group of bodies emitting heat and moisture.

#5: Extra room

An extra room is one of the best things you can find in a family tent. You can use it to store your food, cookware, or other stuff everyone needs. The fewer bags you have in the sleeping area, the better. You can also make your extra room a picnic or entertainment area where you can sit together when it’s raining. Make sure the room is big enough for a camping table and a couple of chairs.

When you consider these features, you should be quite comfortable on your next camping trip. But remember that there are, of course, many more things that you should look for in a family tent, like features regarding weather protection, setup requirements or quality issues.

What do you consider the most important aspects of a family tent to make camping as pleasant as possible? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Family Tents World.com Goes Squidoo

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:29:00 +0000

We are proud to tell you that we published our first lense on Squidoo. For all who don’t know Squidoo yet: It’s a system not unlike blogging. A Squidoo page, or lense, as they call it, is basically a one-page website made up of different modules. You can put a lot of information on there - from text to photo galleries, link lists, videos and more - and still have everything easily accessible, because a table of content right after your introduction shows a sitemap of all modules on the page. There are much more interactive elements than on blogs, too.

So far, so good, we decided to join Squidoo, and our first lense is live. It’s a profile of our website Family Tents World.com, with interesting information about us that you mostly don’t find on our website. If you like, stop by and let us know what you think by leaving a note in our guestbook.

Graphic: Donna Maher

But that, of course, is not the end of the story. We plan to create many more lenses for you, and we’ll certainly keep you informed here as soon as one goes live. The topics will be similar like the ones you find here, or in our websites article collection – all kinds of tents, camping, educational toys and games, garden parties.

But on our lenses, we will go much more into detail than we could in a blog post, and we’ll provide you with additional interesting material, like links or videos. And of course, we’d love to hear your opinion about the topics we write about, so there will always be a guestbook, group discussion module or plexo (a digg-like system that allows you to vote links, statements etc. up or down so that the most popular ones will be shown on top of the list).

And if you see some other great Squidoo lenses that match our topics, don’t hesitate to let us know. Maybe we haven’t discovered them yet.

We look forward to see you on Squidoo!

Easy Camping Recipes - Surprise Chicken Dish

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:16:00 +0000

One of the most common ways of cooking when we camp is certainly having a barbecue. Almost anything you make for your home barbecue makes perfect easy camping recipes, too. Of course you don’t want to spend much time cooking when you camp out (after all you’re on holiday), and you also have to do with much less kitchen equipment and work space. You don’t want to spend much time on washing the dishes afterwards, either. You need easy camping recipes that you can prepare on the campsite.

Julia Julz, cc-by-sa

Many one-pot-meals can well be transformed into easy camping recipes. Instead of using a pot, the following camping recipe for 4 uses a cheap aluminum dish that is covered with foil. If you don’t feel like cleaning it, simply throw it away afterwards.

Surprise Chicken Dish

Ingredients

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 large chicken filets
2 medium onions
2 cans of sliced mushrooms
1 medium glass of gherkins
1 small tin tomato paste
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Slightly grease the aluminum dish with the oil. Wash and dry the chicken filets, season with salt and pepper and place in the dish.
Slice the onions and gherkins, and spread them and the drained mushrooms over the chicken.
Mix tomato paste with some water to get a semi-liquid mixture, season and spread on top.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place over the grill on medium temperature (low flames if you make it on open fire) and leave to cook for about 45 minutes until the meat is done.
Serve with salad or vegetables.

You can use the Surprise Chicken as a basis for many easy camping recipes. Use different vegetables, like tomatoes, marrows or yellow pepper. Or swap the chicken filet with another type of meat. You want easy camping recipes, but they must still be nice enough for you to enjoy your meals. It’s a good idea to make your own collection of easy camping recipes that you can take along and rely on. Not a big heavy book, just some plain print-outs in a space saving plastic folder.

What are your favourite easy camping recipes? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Fun Educational Games – How To Ensure That Your Obstacle Course Is Safe And Educational Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:52:00 +0000

An obstacle course is a fantastic way of teaching your child in a fun way and helping him to master things he struggles with. But if you are not careful, accidents can happen very easily, or your child feels frustrated because of not being able to do certain things. However, if you keep the following in mind, you can make certain that your child won’t get hurt, and that he will get the best benefit out of the obstacle course you set up.

James Emery, cc-by

Making your obstacle course safe

The first important step to making your obstacle course safe is to minimize the risk of accidents:

Don’t use towels or cushions as stepping stones on slippery wooden floors.
Unsteady surfaces like a mattress tower to climb over can make a great challenge, but ensure that your child won’t hurt himself when falling. No sharp objects or corners should be nearby, and if you make a high obstacle, put some pillows or mattresses around to soften the fall.
Objects to climb over (chairs, tables or boxes) must be stable and steady, and strong enough to support your child’s weight. You don’t want them to fall over or collapse when your child climbs over them.

The second step (not less important) is to make certain that your obstacle course takes your child’s age and skills into consideration.

Expecting a child that just learned to walk to hop over a beanbag is provoking an accident.
If you are not certain if your child can do a certain thing, rather start simple. You can always make the obstacle course more difficult when you see your child needs a bigger challenge.

To stick with our hopping example: If you are not certain your child can hop over that beanbag, simply use a piece of rope or draw a line on the floor. If he steps on it, nothing will happen. If he does unexpectedly well, you can still put the beanbag there in the next run.

Making your obstacle course ensure success, not provoke failure

Never expect too much of your child. This will just lead to frustration. An obstacle course should be a challenge, but your child needs to be able to do it. After all, you want to make her feel good, not bad.

A good way to build a challenging obstacle course that is not too difficult is to include more elements your child is good in, and just a few that he struggles with. These should be presented in such a way that he can succeed. For example, if your child is not so good in climbing yet, use a big but low wooden box that is very easy to climb over. Don’t include things in your obstacle course that are likely to make your child fail.

If you want to teach a new skill, introduce it slowly and on a very basic level, then build up gradually as your child’s knowledge improves. Don’t flood the obstacle course with numbers from 1 to 20 and hope your child will find all the 1s when she just starts recognizing numbers. Stick to 1s and 2s, if that goes well, you can add 3s in the next run, then 4s and so on. This will help your child to learn more effectively and avoids unnecessary frustration.

The same applies for practicing things your child struggles with. But in that case, you must be even more careful. Your child knows he battles with the alphabet, and he might feel uncomfortable or even scared of dealing with it. Make this part of your obstacle course extra easy so that your child can experience lots of success and see that it’s not so bad at all.

What do you think about safety and success guarantee in an obstacle course? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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You might also be interested in our free Play Tent Buying Guide or to learn about all the benefits of play tents for your child's development.

Fun Educational Games – 7 Fun Obstacle Course Ideas To Teach Your Child What He Or She Needs

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Besides the fact that a good obstacle course is great fun for your child, it also teaches him a lot of things. Most obviously, an obstacle course teaches basic gross motor skills like climbing, running, hopping, jumping and crawling. But it also teaches motor planning and coordinating body movements, and to remember a way.

But the story doesn’t need to end there. You can use an obstacle course to teach your child new things, or things he struggles with, in a fun way. Whether you want your little crawler to stand up and walk, teach your 4 year old numbers or help your 7 year old to become better in spelling, you can always make an obstacle course about it.

Here are 7 ideas how to add educational elements to your obstacle course:

#1: Puzzle Obstacle course

Have your child pick up puzzle pieces along the way and collect them in a small bag. Then let her put the puzzle together at the end. This will help with fine motor coordination, visual perception (spotting the puzzle pieces and putting them together), and concentration. Alternately, use building blocks and then let your child copy a construction with it. Or let her collect the pegs of a pegboard that she needs to make a certain picture. Legos also work well. Any lot of pieces of some fine motor puzzle game will do.

#2: Find It! Obstacle course

Spread different objects along the way and let your child find everything that belongs to a certain group. For example, use things of different colors or shapes and let your child pick up all red things or all round items. Same thing is possible with numbers or letters. You could also use every-day-use items and let him collect everything he needs in school, or all clothes or toiletries.

#3: Let’s Count! or The ABC Obstacle course

Let your child find one specific number or letter each time it runs the obstacle course: 1 or A on the first run, 2 or B on the second and so on. You can simply say what your child needs to find if you want him to recognise the letter or number. When all are collected, go through all numbers or letters together and let your child repeat. If he knows the letters or numbers and you want to practice the right order, let your child guess what comes next.

#4: Little Einstein Obstacle course

Spread numbers, and plus and minus signs along the way and let your child do simple sums. It’s easiest to simply let them arrange the collected pieces in a way that makes sense, or do it for them. If your child wants more of a challenge, you can also let him remember the order in which he picked things up.

#5: Spell It! Obstacle course

Spread the letters of one word along the way, ask your child to spell this word and let her find the next letter in each run. Or spread the letters of a short word in the correct order and let your child discover the word as she does the obstacle course. You can also let her collect lots of letters and then make words with these letters.

#6: Do It! Obstacle course

Who says an obstacle course must always be a race against time? Give your child some task to do at a certain point (e.g. at the last obstacle), like doing a simple puzzle or sum, or a quick construction, lacing or threading game. You can put out a new task for each run to keep it intriguing. A great place for these tasks is a play tent tunnel combination. Your child crawls through the tunnel, does his task in the tent and goes on.

#7: Imagine! Obstacle course

Give your child a theme (e.g. jungle or pirates) and let him spin a story whilst doing the obstacle course. Let him invent his own adventure along the way. This has a great effect on imagination and speech skills. If your child needs a bit of inspiration, you can invent the story together.

Read more about building an obstacle course. And if you have got more ideas of an educational fun obstacle course, let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Fun Educational Games – How To Build Your Own Obstacle Course With Your Child’s Play Tunnel Tent

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:22:00 +0000

Kids love the challenge of an obstacle course. And it’s good they do, because these are great fun educational games that you can easily adapt to your child’s needs and interests. You can even spin a story around them. But let’s start at the beginning.

Fabio Bruna, cc-by

What you need for your obstacle course

Something to crawl through: Ideally a play tunnel tent, but if you don’t have one, a box without top and bottom also does the trick.
Something to climb over: e.g. a chair, stool, steady wooden coffee table, stable plastic box, mattress tower.
Something to use as stepping stones: e.g. small cushions or towels, carpet cut offs, large bean bags, small hoops.
Something to balance on: e.g. a wooden board, a rope, a line drawn with chalk.
Something to jump over: e.g. a low footstool, a rope, a pillow, a toy.
Something to move with: e.g. a scooter, toy car or bike, a board with wheels to sit or lie on, or stilts.

Carefully consider which of these elements you want to use. You don’t have to use all of them in your obstacle course. It should be challenging, but your child must be able to do it, and he must enjoy it.

How to build your obstacle course
You can build your obstacle course inside or outside. Doing it in your garden is a totally different experience because of the different textures and surfaces your child will encounter. Just make sure you use obstacles that can easily be cleaned and will not get damaged. Either way, an obstacle course is a great fun way of learning.

You can build your obstacle course yourself, or build it together with your child. Doing it alone will certainly be easier and quicker, but involving your child can be great fun.

Arrange the obstacles in a way that is easy enough for your child to remember. For example:

Hop on the beanbags - climb over the chair - balance over the board - crawl through the play tunnel - jump over the rope into the hoop.

If your play tunnel is a hide and seek tunnel that can be closed up on one side, you can also let your child crawl right to the end to fetch something instead of simply crawling through. Turning around in the tunnel (if possible) or crawling backwards with something to carry will make your obstacle course a bit more difficult. A tent and tunnel combination can also make a great obstacle, going in the one side and coming out the other.

Important tips

If your child is still small, make the way short and very obvious. For older kids, you can make a longer and more complicated obstacle course.
You can also add educational elements to your obstacle course to teach your child new things or help him to learn things he struggles with.
But no matter what your goals are: Always make certain that your child is safe and that he will experience fun and success, not failure and frustration when doing the obstacle course.

What are your favorite ways of building an obstacle course? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Kids Outdoor Activities - 5 Exciting Ideas For Kids Scavenger Hunts In The Camp Or At Home

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:44:00 +0000

Scavenger hunts are one of the greatest outdoor activities for kids, and kids just love them. Even better, they are good for our kids, because they can be very educational and still the best of fun. There are countless ways of doing kids scavenger hunts.

Judi Cox, cc-by-nd

Here are just some ideas of what you can do to keep your kids entertained whilst camping or at home:

Let them discover nature
Let them be their greatest heroes
Let the clues tell a story
Let them discover their surroundings
Let them hunt for little treasures

Idea #1: Let them discover nature

Kids scavenger hunts through nature are easy to plan and don’t require much material. If your kids know their plants and trees well, use their names in the clues to make them find their way, or give them tasks that involve finding certain plants. They can press them later and make a little “nature guide” book. If they don’t know an oak from a pine tree, give them a nature guide booklet to determine the plants and trees.

Idea #2: Let them be their greatest heroes

You can also use comics or book stories as themes for kids scavenger hunts. Let the kids be the heroes in their favourite story, and let the hunt evolve as an adventure or a mission they have to accomplish. Let them be knights hurrying after the kidnappers of a princess, with the princess leaving clues about their way. Or pirates hunting for a secret treasure.

Idea #3: Let the clues tell a story

If you are good in inventing stories, you can make fine kids scavenger hunts with your talent. Write an intriguing story and break it down in short pieces that end up with a clue where to go next.

Idea #4: Let them discover their surroundings

This kind of kids scavenger hunts is great when you just arrived at the campground. It’s a fun way of making them get to know the place. Send them to find the toilets, the shop, the playground etc. It’s a good idea to let them collect the clues from people, otherwise someone else might find it before the kids and take it away.

Idea #5: Let them hunt for little treasures

You can hide things like sweets or little toys with the clues to make kids scavenger hunts more rewarding. This also works very well with toy sets. They get one piece of the set with every clue, with the biggest or most important piece last.

What are your favourite ideas for kids scavenger hunts? Share them by leaving a comment!

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Backpacking Tips - 3 Backpacking Basics You Must Never Forget When Planning Your Backpacking Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:26:00 +0000

Backpacking is a great and adventurous way of travelling that allows us to see the world – and us – with different eyes. But it’s also a way of travelling that requires very thorough preparation and planning. If you overlook certain backpacking basics, you might easily get yourself into serious trouble, or at least be in for some very unpleasant experiences.

Dan Nevill, cc-by-nd

Here are 3 important backpacking basics to consider when planning your trip:

Choose appropriate equipment
Know your route
Have an emergency plan

Backpacking basics #1: Choose appropriate equipment
When you travel far away from “civilization”, your safety and well-being, and sometimes even your life depends on your equipment. We all want to save money, but it would be wrong to save on backpacking basics. Always make certain that you have the right equipment for the trip you plan. It’s always better to buy these items in a special outdoor store, since they will be able to tell you what you need for your specific trip, and which items will work best for you.

Important backpacking basics are your tent, sleeping bag and gear. They must be suitable for the weather conditions you are likely to meet, so that they can protect you sufficiently. You don’t want to travel in the rain without a proper rain jacket or rain fly for your tent, and you don’t want to sleep in a +5° sleeping bag when it’s -5°. You don’t want a backpack that doesn’t fit or shoes that hurt your feet either.

When drawing up your backpacking basics equipment list, don’t forget that you will have to carry every item you take along. Don’t take things that you won’t need, but don’t leave things behind that you will need. Pack your whole equipment and see if you can carry it – for longer than 5 minutes.

Backpacking basics #2: Know your route
Get as much information as you can about the route you want to travel. Make certain that you know where to go when. Part of your backpacking basics should be a small list or map that always tells you where to go next. If you go hiking, get a map of the area that you can take along.

If you use public transport, enquire the bus stops or stations, departure and arrival times. Knowing these, and booking tickets in advance, can save you time and prevent you from being stranded.

If you plan to sleep in youth hostels or shelters instead of taking a tent, make certain that you will have a sleeping space there. Even if you do take a tent, it’s a good idea to sleep near a shelter when weather conditions might be rough on your route.

Backpacking basics #3: Have an emergency plan
In most cases, things go well. But emergencies can happen, and you want to be prepared. Try to think of things that could go wrong on your trip, and of a possible solution.

Make sure that somebody knows where you will be at which times, for example leave a copy of your route, including contact details of the shelters where you will stay, with a family member. Let your family know from time to time that you are well, where you are right now and where you will go next. This will make it much easier to find you if something should happen.

Also make sure that you can call for help if you need it. Have a cell phone or other means of communication with you that works everywhere you go. You might just fall ill or get hurt, and then this can save your life.

Being prepared for medical emergencies is one of the most important backpacking basics. Take a first aid kit along, and try to ensure at least one or two people in the group know first aid.

Let’s sum up our 3 very important backpacking basics: appropriate equipment, knowing your route and an emergency plan. What are your most important backpacking basics? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


Rainier (2 Sleepers) $118.50

Redleg 3
(2-3 Sleepers)
$64.99


Cooper 2 (3-4 Sleepers) $32.95

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our backpacking tents, or find more backpacking tips and information about backpacking tents.

Best Party Tent – 3 Golden Tips How To Find The Right Party Tent For Your Garden Party Or Barbecue

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Certainly one of the most important pieces of equipment for your garden party is your party tent. It’s important that you choose one that really meets the needs of your party. Otherwise, you can easily head for a disaster.

zmtomako, cc-by-sa

Here are 3 tips how to find the perfect party tent for your event:

Choose an appropriate party tent
Determine the right tent size
Consider setup requirements

Tip #1: Choose an appropriate party tent

If you want an outside barbecue and expect great weather, a canopy should be fine. But if you might face unexpected heavy rain showers or strong wind, you should consider opting for a screen house instead. The latter is also a great option if insects are a big problem, since it offers quite good protection when the doors are kept close most of the time.

If you feel none of the two is the perfect solution, consider using both a screen house and a canopy. Or choose a screen house party tent that can be both, depending on what you need right now.

Tip #2: Determine the right tent size

You don’t want some of your guests to be forced to remain outside whilst they would like to be under the canopy or inside the screen house. Get a party tent that is big enough to accommodate all your guests, if necessary. If you don’t find one that’s big enough, you can use two. Canopies can be set up easily side by side.

Tip #3: Consider the setup requirements

Don’t hire or buy a party tent that needs ten people to set it up if you are only two. Make sure you can set your party tent up easily with the amount of people you have at your disposal. The easier and quicker it is to set up, the more time you have for other party preparations.

Also make sure you can set your party tent up where you plan to do it. A free standing party tent can stand anywhere, on grass or pavement. A tent that requires staking is fine for your lawn, but out for your paved yard.

If you keep this in mind, then it won’t be hard to find the perfect party tent for your next garden party or barbecue. We would also like to know what you think a party tent must be or do. What works for you, and what doesn’t? Please share your tips and experiences with us and others by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


The Big Top BLUE $99.99

The Party Tent
WHITE TOP
$272.99


Dual Identity 12'x12' $119.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our canopies and screen houses, or find more information about screen houses and canopy tents.

Kids Bed Tents – 5 Valuable Tips How To Choose The Best Kids Bed Tents For Your Little Ones

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:56:00 +0000

Kids bed tents can do wonders in ending the every night drama of putting your child to sleep. They make bed time attractive by giving children something to look forward to and help to make them want to go to bed. But how to find the best kids bed tents on the market?

Hassan Abdel-Rahman, cc-by

First of all: It’s not only about finding the best kids bed tents. It’s just as much, if not even more, about finding the best kids bed tents for your little ones. Remember that your children have their very own needs, and what works for others might not work for them.

Here are 5 valuable tips how to choose the best kids bed tents for your children:

Watch out for easy-to-use features
Pay tribute to safety
Choose a comfortable size
Give better quality preference over lowest price
Let your children decide

Tip #1: Watch out for kids bed tents with easy-to-use features

Ensure it’s easy to enter and exit the kids bed tents without adult help, especially when your children are still quite young. They should be able to get out of the tent on their own if they need to go to the potty or toilet during the night, or if they want to come to you after a nightmare or during a thunderstorm. Doors closing with Velcro might be easier than zips, especially for younger children.

Your kids bed tents should also offer you the possibility to install some kind of light. A loop on the tent roof or something similar that can hold a light stick, lantern or flash light is a must. This is great if your children still like to read before going to sleep, or if they are afraid of the dark. It also helps to get out in the night for a toilet visit.

Another must for kids bed tents is easy cleaning. Kids are messy at times – when they eat or drink in bed, when they have an accident during potty training. If your kids bed tents are not easy to clean, you won’t have much fun with them. It’s great if your kids bed tents come with sheets that can be taken off and washed without having to take the whole tent down.

A great feature of kids bed tents is easy set up. If you can take them down quickly, you can take them with on vacation if your children want to. Big plus if the kids bed tents come with a transport bag.

Tip #2: Ensure your children will be safe in their kids bed tents

This is absolutely necessary. Make sure the kids bed tents don’t contain sharp edges or hard elements where your children could hurt themselves. Windows are important to ensure proper ventilation when the door is closed.

Tip #3: Choose kids bed tents with a comfortable size

If your children need lots of space, for themselves or the tons of stuffed animals, favor the bigger kids bed tents. This can also be a good idea when your kids like to sleep together, or when they often have a friend to sleep over at your place.

Tip #4: Give better quality kids bed tents preference over the lowest price models

Kids are often rough and tend to not look after their things as carefully as we do. Therefore, it pays off to invest in high quality kids bed tents. These will last you much longer and in the long run safe you money, since they don’t need to be repaired or replaced as often as cheaper models. Always buy the best quality you can afford.

Tip #5: Let your children decide on their kids bed tents

Children don’t like to be forced into something. Remember you want to make putting them to bed easier, not more difficult. In general, children are more likely to love and use things they chose themselves, so give them the honor to pick their own kids bed tents. If it was their decision, they have the feeling of being the one in charge and will be way less likely to reject their tents.

At the end of the day, one of the most important tips in choosing kids bed tents is: Meet your children’s needs. The best kids bed tents are not worth much if they don’t meet your children’s needs.

Please share your thoughts about and experiences with kids bed tents by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


Dream Catcher Size TWIN $59.99

Dream House
Size DOUBLE
$59.99


Backyard Explorer $19.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our bed tents for kids, or find more information about kids bed tents.

Backpacking Equipment – 5 Characteristics Your Equipment Must Have For A Successful Backpacking Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Bettina) — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:05:00 +0000

When you go on a backpacking trip, you want to see the world, and you want to enjoy life and freedom. You don’t want to spend unnecessary time and energy on trivial things. Let’s take a look at how your backpacking equipment can help you making the most out of your trip.

Here are 5 things your backpacking equipment must be:

Absolutely necessary
Light
Space saving
Easy to use and care for
Weather appropriate

Backpacking equipment characteristic #1: Absolutely necessary

Remember that you need to carry every single item that you take along. Not only for five minutes, but the whole day, for as long as your trip goes. And you don’t just have to carry that one thing, but all things. That can sum up to quite some weight. It’s better to stick to what is absolutely necessary – things like functional gear, sleeping bag, a knife and some basic outdoor cookware. Don’t even consider taking your whole set of make-up, hair styling tools and your favourite high-heels. If you can’t do without luxury, you shouldn’t go backpacking anyway.

Backpacking equipment characteristic #2: Light

Many things we use are fairly heavy. For your backpacking equipment, choose things that are as light as possible so that your total equipment weight will not be too high. An outdoor store will be able to provide you with functional clothes, tents and sleeping bags that are lighter than the stuff you buy at the general shops. These are quite pricy, but you will learn to love them once you are on the way.

Backpacking equipment characteristic #3: Space saving

That’s a similar problem like with the weight. Many of our things are simply too big. But you don’t want to travel with three big bags when backpacking. Most of the light backpacking equipment I spoke of in the previous paragraph is also taking up fairly little space. The less space your equipment needs, the less baggage you have to carry.

Backpacking equipment characteristic #4: Easy to use and care for

After walking whole day, you don’t want to spend an hour to set up your tent or cookware. Choose items that can be set up easily and quick with little effort. A tent that requires reading the manual every time you set it up because it’s so complicated, is no backpacking equipment at all. Also make sure your things don’t break easily and are easy to clean. You don’t want to take three types of washing powder along. One standard product, maybe even your soap, will have to do. Most backpacking gear will dry quickly when washed.

Backpacking equipment characteristic #5: Weather appropriate

This is very important. If your backpacking equipment is not suitable for the weather you travel in, you will be uncomfortable, or even get into serious trouble. Make sure you have functional gear that can protect you in all weather conditions you might face, and a sleeping bag that will keep you warm even at the lowest temperature you experience. Your tent must be sturdy enough and offer sufficient protection from the weather you will encounter. Check with your outdoor store which backpacking equipment will work best for the area and season you will be travelling.

So, when you decide on your backpacking equipment, ask for every item: Is it absolutely necessary? Is it light? Space saving? Easy to use and care for? And weather appropriate? If it is, great! If not, find something else.

What do you think backpacking equipment must be? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Some products you might like


Recon 2 (2 Sleepers) $53.99

Yellowstone
(2 Sleepers)
$109.99


Mt. Washington (3 Sleepers) $159.99

We invite you to visit our shop. Browse our backpacking tents, or find more backpacking tips and information about backpacking tents.